September 11 Saturday – The New York Times passed part true, part false information on in “Mark Twain’s New Book,” p. BR1:

The Critic’s Lounger, commenting on the announcement that the title of Mark Twain’s book has been changed from “The Surviving Innocent Abroad” to “Following the Equator,” says: “I am told on reliable authority that the price paid to Mr. Clemens for this book is $40,000, in payments of $10,000 each, and that he will make the whole of it over to his creditors, to whom he owes about $20,000 more. At the rate of $40,000 a book, it will not take Mr. Clemens long to pay off his indebtedness. Major Pond has recently made him an offer of $50,000 for a series of lectures in this country, but the offer has not been accepted as yet” [Note: at least one of the figures is incorrect; Pond’s offer had been rejected on July 20]