November 9 Thursday – At 21 Fifth Ave., N.Y. Sam wrote to L.M. Powers in Haverhill Mass.
I should accept your hospitable offer at once but for the fact that I couldn’t do it and remain honest. That is to say if I allowed you to send me what you believe to be good cigars it could distinctly mean that I meant to smoke them, whereas I should do nothing of the kind. I know a good cigar better than you do for I have had sixty years experience. No, that is not what I mean; I mean I know a bad cigar better better than anybody else; I judge by the price only; if it costs above five cents I know it is either foreign or half foreign, and unsmokeable. By me. I have many boxes of Havana cigars, of all prices from twenty cents apiece up to $1.66 apiece; I bought none of them, they were all presents, they are an accumulation of several years, I have never smoked one of them and never shall, I work them off on the visitor. You shall have a chance when you come.
Pessimists are born not made; optimists are born not made; but no man is born either pessimist wholly or optimist wholly; he is pessimistic along certain lines and optimistic along certain others. That is my case [MTP].
Note: Powers was a collector of autographs and first editions (see prior entries), who sent books by Twain to him with questions written on the fly leaves or inside the book.. Sam would then sign them, answer the question, and return them, creating what is now a far more valuable inscribed book than a mere signature. The New York Times printed the above letter on Mar. 26, 1911, “Queries Put to Authors,” along with these interesting questions and answers from Powers and Twain:
On the fly leaf of a first edition of “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is Mr. Powers written query: “Did John Paul discover you, or did you know you were a good thing yourself?” Mark Twain’s reply is: “John Paul never discovered anything or anybody. He was not even a very good liar. S.L.C. Mark Twain.”
In a copy of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Mr. Powers asks: “Did you remember or imagine this perfect picture of a natural boy?” The inscribed answer is: “Partially I was It. S.L.C.”
The following query is on the fly leaf of the “History of the Big Bonanza,” by Dan de Quille (William Wright:) “Is there any truth in the newspaper story that you planned this book for the author before you knew he had written it?” The answer is: “Yes; it is true. Mark Twain.” [Note: John Paul was pseud. for Charles Henry Webb; see May 11, 1867 entry].
Isabel Lyon’s journal # 2: Mr Clemens sent / Joah of Arc / Dog’s Tale / Huckleberry Finn to Miss Mary Boyle O’Reilly for her Guild of St. Elizabeth in Boston [MTP TS 33]. Note: see Nov. 5 request from O’Reilly.
Joseph Dick wrote from Toledo, Ohion to thank Sam for “the inexhaustible pleasure…from the reading of your works” [MTP].
Robert Underwood Johnson wrote to inform Sam that at the Nov. 8 meeting the declination of William James was accepted and it was unanimously voted that the vacancy be filled by William Milligan Sloane [MTP]. Note: evidently James didn’t wish to be in any club that would have him as a member. William Milligan Sloane was a professor at Columbia University.
Mrs. Alice G. Teele wrote from Boston to ask Sam for more of his books for their Franklin Square House bazaar on Dec. 4 [MTP]. Note: written on the env.: “Yes”
I should accept your hospitable offer at once but for the fact that I couldn’t do it and remain honest. That is to say if I allowed you to send me what you believe to be good cigars it could distinctly mean that I meant to smoke them, whereas I should do nothing of the kind. I know a good cigar better than you do for I have had sixty years experience. No, that is not what I mean; I mean I know a bad cigar better better than anybody else; I judge by the price only; if it costs above five cents I know it is either foreign or half foreign, and unsmokeable. By me. I have many boxes of Havana cigars, of all prices from twenty cents apiece up to $1.66 apiece; I bought none of them, they were all presents, they are an accumulation of several years, I have never smoked one of them and never shall, I work them off on the visitor. You shall have a chance when you come.
Pessimists are born not made; optimists are born not made; but no man is born either pessimist wholly or optimist wholly; he is pessimistic along certain lines and optimistic along certain others. That is my case [MTP].
Note: Powers was a collector of autographs and first editions (see prior entries), who sent books by Twain to him with questions written on the fly leaves or inside the book.. Sam would then sign them, answer the question, and return them, creating what is now a far more valuable inscribed book than a mere signature. The New York Times printed the above letter on Mar. 26, 1911, “Queries Put to Authors,” along with these interesting questions and answers from Powers and Twain:
On the fly leaf of a first edition of “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is Mr. Powers written query: “Did John Paul discover you, or did you know you were a good thing yourself?” Mark Twain’s reply is: “John Paul never discovered anything or anybody. He was not even a very good liar. S.L.C. Mark Twain.”
In a copy of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Mr. Powers asks: “Did you remember or imagine this perfect picture of a natural boy?” The inscribed answer is: “Partially I was It. S.L.C.”
The following query is on the fly leaf of the “History of the Big Bonanza,” by Dan de Quille (William Wright:) “Is there any truth in the newspaper story that you planned this book for the author before you knew he had written it?” The answer is: “Yes; it is true. Mark Twain.” [Note: John Paul was pseud. for Charles Henry Webb; see May 11, 1867 entry].
Isabel Lyon’s journal # 2: Mr Clemens sent / Joah of Arc / Dog’s Tale / Huckleberry Finn to Miss Mary Boyle O’Reilly for her Guild of St. Elizabeth in Boston [MTP TS 33]. Note: see Nov. 5 request from O’Reilly.
Joseph Dick wrote from Toledo, Ohion to thank Sam for “the inexhaustible pleasure…from the reading of your works” [MTP].
Robert Underwood Johnson wrote to inform Sam that at the Nov. 8 meeting the declination of William James was accepted and it was unanimously voted that the vacancy be filled by William Milligan Sloane [MTP]. Note: evidently James didn’t wish to be in any club that would have him as a member. William Milligan Sloane was a professor at Columbia University.
Mrs. Alice G. Teele wrote from Boston to ask Sam for more of his books for their Franklin Square House bazaar on Dec. 4 [MTP]. Note: written on the env.: “Yes”
Entry Date
Links to Twain's Geography Entries