Day By Day Dates

Day by Day entries are from Mark Twain, Day By Day, four volumes of books compiled by David Fears and made available on-line by the Center for Mark Twain Studies.  The entries presented here are from conversions of the PDFs provided by the Center for Mark Twain Studies and are subject to the vagaries of that process.    The PDFs, themselves, have problems with formatting and some difficulties with indexing for searching.  These are the inevitable problems resulting from converting a printed book into PDFs.  Consequently, what is provided here are copies of copies.  

I have made attempts at providing a time-line for Twain's Geography and have been dissatisfied with the results.  Fears' work provides a comprehensive solution to that problem.  Each entry from the books is titled with the full date of the entry, solving a major problem I have with the On-line site - what year is the entry for.  The entries are certainly not perfect reproductions from Fears' books, however.  Converting PDFs to text frequently results in characters, and sometimes entire sections of text,  relocating.  In the later case I have tried to amend the problem where it occurs but more often than not the relocated characters are simply omitted.  Also, I cannot vouch for the paragraph structure.  Correcting these problems would require access to the printed copies of Fears' books.  Alas, but this is beyond my reach.

This page allows the reader to search for entries based on a range of dates.  The entries are also accessible from each of the primary sections (Epochs, Episodes and Chapters) of Twain's Geography.  

Entry Date (field_entry_date)

May 29, 1899 Monday

May 29 Monday – At Prince of Thurn und Taxis’ country estate outside of Prague, Clara wrote on a postcard to Frau Malvine Bree in Vienna: “Komen Sie bald nach America und besuchen Sie / Clara C.” Livy and Sam each signed the card [MTP].

May 30, 1899 Tuesday

May 30 Tuesday – In the a.m., the Clemens party left Nuremburg and traveled 179 miles by rail to Cologne, Germany, where they spent the night.

The New York Times ran this article on June 11, p.19, datelined Vienna, May 30 by Dr. Johannes Horowitz: “Twain’s Farewell to Vienna,” rehashing again his audience with Emperor Franz Josef I, and his plan of killing the whole human race by depriving them of air [MTCI 339-40].

May 31, 1899 Wednesday

May 31 Wednesday – The Clemens family left Cologne, Germany at 6 a.m. on their way to England. Livy didn’t want to split the last stage in two, so they made a single trip of it, from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m

[June 1 to Twichell].

In Calais, France Sam cabled Chatto & Windus: “SHALL ARRIVE BY CALAIS DOVER TODAY SEVEN THIRTY = CLEMENS” [MTP].

June 1, 1899 Thursday

June 1 Thursday – At the Prince of Wales Hotel in Kensington (West London), Sam wrote to Poultney Bigelow.

All right—make it between 12th and 17th if you prefer.

We arrived last evening and the trunks haven’t come. This is a condition of things! [MTP].

June 2, 1899 Friday

June 2 Friday – At the Prince of Wales Hotel in London, England Sam wrote to John Y. MacAlister.

Yes, I’m for the Savage supper. Let us make it Friday the 9th.

Can Chatto and Spalding come—or is that inadmissible? Let me know.

Mrs. Clemens & our obstructions will be glad to see you & your wife any time you will come [MTP].

Sam also replied to Richard Watson Gilder’s (not extant) letter.

June 3, 1899 Saturday

June 3 SaturdayJohann Strauss II (1825-1899) died of double pneumonia. Sam had met him in Vienna.

Strauss’ widow on June 6.

In an interview with the London Daily Chronicle, “Mark Twain in London,” p.3, Clemens reported “he was in London to arrange for the publication of a twenty-two volume de luxe edition of his writings” [MTHHR 399 n2; MTCI 334-39].

June 5, 1899 Monday

June 5 Monday – In his June 6 to Rogers, Sam related showing Frank Bliss’ Canvassing book on the deluxe Uniform Edition to Andrew Chatto “a day or two ago”, “& he was vastly taken with it, & wants to put 1000 on the English market for me at 10% commission. I have asked Bliss what he will charge me for the volumes— suggesting cost, or thereabouts” [Note: more likely been a business day than a Sunday]. See also Apr. 25 to Chatto.

June 6, 1899 Tuesday

June 6 Tuesday – At the Grand Hotel in Broadstairs, England, Sam wrote to Alice Learned Bunner (Mrs. Henry Cuyler Bunner) in New London, Conn., who evidently had written (not extant) asking permission to make a calendar from his Puddn’head Wilson sayings in FE:

Unfortunately I am this long time under promise to make a Puddn’head Maxim Calendar myself, & have been gradually adding to the original list of Maxims to that end. Maxims are a slow growth, & it will take me a year or two yet.

June 7, 1899 Wednesday

June 7 Wednesday – At the Grand Hotel in Broadstairs, England, Livy wrote for Sam to Franklin G. Whitmore because her husband had “so much writing to do,” and to send a bank draft (enclosed) if he needed money in July. She related money might be forthcoming “from a magazine article” before he needed it for the taxes on their Farmington Ave. house. Also, they expected more money July 1 from Frank Bliss. They still planned to return to London on Friday [MTP].

June 8, 1899 Thursday

June 8 ThursdayClara Clemens’ 25th birthday.

Sam’s notebook entry: “June 8/99. Goerz. 13th ?” [NB 40 TS 56]. Note: the strikeout and the new entry for Goerz on June 13 may reflect a change of appointment date; see June 13.

June 9, 1899 Friday

June 9 Friday – The family left Broadstairs, England, and returned to the Prince of Wales Hotel in London. Sam wrote two notes to Chatto & Windus, one perhaps shortly after this day. The first short note asked if they couldn’t get it in the papers that “Mrs. Clemens & 2 daughters are with me? It is very awkward, on some accounts, that this is not known.” In the second note he wrote: “After reflection, Mrs. Clemens prefers that no newspaper mention be made of the family’s presence in town” [MTP].

June 11, 1899 Sunday

June 11 Sunday – At the Prince of Wales Hotel in London, England, Sam wrote a follow-up to Douglas B. Sladen.

“Did I tell you, the other night at the Authors, that this family (including me if I can manage it) are expecting to go to Lambeth Palace on the 22d at 3 p.m.? (Date and hour correct?) Did I tell you that, or have I dreamed it?” [MTP]. Note: Sam did have this appointment in his notebook.

June 13, 1899 Tuesday

June 13 TuesdaySam’s notebook: “Garland, Tues. 4 p.m.” ;“Goerz, 8 oclock–Garland” [NB 40 TS 55]. Note: likely Hannibal Hamlin Garland.

At the Prince of Wales Hotel, London, Sam also replied to John Y. MacAlister “That would be very pleasant Would Sunday the 25th do? I’m going to the photographer tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Ys…” [MTP]. Sam wrote on the env. “Has a date been appointed for the evening with the Colquhoun Club?”

June 15, 1899 Thursday

June 15 Thursday – For a little joke, Sam sent his daughter Clara at least four picture -postcards (that many survive) of the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and The Guildhall. He wrote the following “lessons” on them respectively, with fanciful signatures:

No, Oom Paul has never been the head of the Irish party. You are mistaking him for the late Mr. Parnell / Faithfully Yours / H. Campbell-Bannerman.

June 16, 1899 Friday

June 16 FridaySam’s notebook: “Friday, 16. Whitefriars. Dinner. & luncheon with Choate at 2” [NB 40 TS 56].

Note: the New York Times, June 17, p.6, ran the following:

DINNER TO MARK TWAIN

Friendly Feeling Between England and America the Keynote of Speeches at the Hotel Cecil, London.

June 17, 1899 Saturday

June 17 Saturday – In London, England, Livy wrote to Bram Stoker.

Thank you so much for the box at the Lyceum which has safely reached me. I’m greatly antisapating next Monday evening. / I had such a pleasant time with you on Thursday [MTP].

June 18, 1899 Sunday

June 18 Sunday – In London, England, Sam wrote to Chatto & Windus to ask what kind of a club the Royal Societies Club was, at 63 St. James Street, as he’d been invited on June 28 to their annual dinner [MTP]. Note— from their statement of purpose:

June 20, 1899 Tuesday

June 20 TuesdaySam’s notebook entry: “Bryce lunch 1.45 54 Portland Place / American Citizen (Duke of York [)]” [NB 40 TS 56]. Note: James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce (1838-1922), British historian, jurist, statesman, at this time a Liberal member of the House of Commons; he would be the British Ambassador to the US (1907-1913); see MTB 1085. Bryce invited Sam and Livy on June 14.