Bored with Buffalo – Bret Harte on Top – Elmira Stay – Joe Goodman Boost - New York & Washington – Hartford House Hunting – Nook Farm Rental - Eastern Lecture Tour – Thomas Bailey Aldrich –Elastic Garment Strap - “Sociable Jimmy”— Roughing It Published
1871 – Mark Twain’s (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance is a pamphlet (sometimes issued with cloth binding), published by Galaxy editor Isaac Sheldon early in the year. It was Sam’s third “book,” and the hope was to quickly capitalize on his Innocents Abroad popularity for the 1870 Christmas market, but publication problems delayed release. It consists of two stories “First Romance,” (before named “A Medieval Romance”) which originally appeared in the Buffalo Express in Jan. 1870, and “A Burlesque Autobiography,” published in violation of Twain’s contract with Elisha Bliss. The “Autobiography” was unpublished at the time it was joined with “The First Romance” as a small book. Sam’s A Burlesque Autobiography did not first appear in “Memoranda” in the Galaxy.
The illustrations form an interesting aspect of this book. They have no relationship to the text of the book. Rather, they use cartoons illustrating the children’s poem The House that Jack Built to lampoon the Erie Railroad Ring (the house) and its participants, Jay Gould (1836-1892), John T. Hoffman (1828-1888), and Jim Fisk (1834-1872).
The book was not one of Sam’s favorites. Two years after publication, he bought all of the printing plates of the book and destroyed them. The sketch survived as “A Burlesque Biography” in the $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories (1906).
March 2 Thursday – Sam advertised his Buffalo house for sale at $25,000, what it cost Jervis Langdon a year before [MTL 5: 338].
In a letter to his brother on Mar. 4, Sam identified this day as when he decided to “go out of the Galaxy” with a last “Memoranda” column [MTL 4: 341].
Frank Church wrote to Sam on this day, trying to placate him about the column:
March 3 Friday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to John Henry Riley praising him for his letters, “satisfactory as letters could be.” Then in a frank revelation of his frustration with how life was going, Sam blamed his misfortunes on Buffalo:
March 4 Saturday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Orion, answering his insistent request for an article for the monthly circular, American Publisher. Asking to be left out of the Publisher for a time, he wrote:
March 6 Monday – Bret Harte signed his record-breaking contract with the Atlantic for $10,000. Duckett and others argue that this accolade stimulated Sam’s desire to “get out of the public view for a while,” (Mar. 4 letter to Orion) in order to get ahead of Harte [62].
March 7 Tuesday – Sam completed entering, crossing out, and filling out his 1870 income tax forms (state or local taxes). He claimed a salary of $1,200 with other income of $8,200 and a net tax of $77.55 at 2 ½ per cent after deductions. Livy showed no income for the year. The forms bear penciled entries, some in black ink, and others in bright purple ink. Lengthwise between the folded form, Sam wrote:
March 8 Wednesday – Orion Clemens wrote from Hartford to Sam.
My Dear Brother:– / Your very welcome letter contains a great deal of pleasant information.
1. That Livy will soon be well enough to move.
March 9 Thursday – Sam wrote a short note from Buffalo to Orion, promising to send Bliss “a chapter from the new book every month or nearly every month.” He had 168 pages of manuscript completed [MTL 4: 346]. Sam also wrote a short note to Samuel S.
March 10 Friday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Orion. Sam reported that he had sent 160 pages of manuscript out to be copied and would ship them to Elisha Bliss. Bliss had offered to find a storage place for Sam and Livy’s furniture, which Sam wrote would not be needed:
March 11 Saturday – Orion Clemens wrote from Hartford to Sam:
March 13 Monday – Orion Clemens wrote two letters to Sam. The first begins with: “I asked Mr. Bliss up into my room this morning and had a long talk with him. Said I: — ‘I compose with great difficulty. You or Sam would do it quickly.’ ” He continued to say that it would behoove Bliss to hire a girl at $30 for composing for the new newspaper. The second letter begins with: “Since writing the foregoing I have concluded to send you the children’s story.
March 14 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Susan Crane about Livy’s improving condition, the hiring of a wet nurse, card playing and baby Langdon—“the cubby is not well” [MTL 4: 358-9]. Sam also wrote Mary Mason Fairbanks with much the same information [360].
March 15 Wednesday – Sam wrote a short note from Buffalo to his mother and family. “Livy sits up 2 hours at a time, but can’t walk yet” [MTL 4: 361].
Sam also wrote Redpath offering to lecture in the Northeast for $150, but for not less than $250 in Boston. He asked for confidentiality on the matter [362].
March 17 Friday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Elisha Bliss. After notifying Bliss that he was taking Livy to Elmira the next day, Sam wrote: