August – Sam’s history game was patented, but no attempt was made to market it until Feb. 1891 [MTNJ 3: 19n37]. Sam wrote ideas in his notebook for “Picturesque Incidents in History & Tradition” and cited “Plague & Fire of London, Copy from Pepys” diary [Gribben 540]. Sam alluded again here to Sydney Smith (see June 1885 entry) [Gribben 650]. He also made a note for the “Library of Humor,” to “refer to & quote from Nasby.” Curiously, no entries for Petroleum Nasby made the book [415]. Sam repeated an entry referring to the Children’s Crusades (see July entry).

Also in Sam’s notebook, a reference to Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, which he may have been re-reading:

“Robinson Crusoe leaves the bag of doubloons in the wreck; a fine literary point, but untrue. No man would have done that” [MTNJ 3: 173].