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Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900)

Mark Twain

Mark Twain's letters from 1886 to 1900, arranged by year with linking comment by Albert Bigelow Paine.

The fourth volume of Mark Twain's Letters covers the years 1886 to 1900: the writing of A Connecticut Yankee, the typesetting machine and his business failure, and his years in Europe. The letters are arranged with comment by Albert Bigelow Paine.

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Read a passage

MY DEAR HOWELLS,—The date set for the Prince and Pauper play is ten days hence—Jan. 13. I hope you and Pilla can take a train that arrives here during the day; the one that leaves Boston toward the end of the afternoon would be a trifle late; the performance would have already begun when you reached the house.

I'm out of the woods. On the last day of the year I had paid out $182,000 on the Grant book and it was totally free from debt.

MY DEAR HOWELLS,—..... Here's a secret. A most curious and pathetic romance, which has just come to light. Read these things, but don't mention them. Last fall, my old mother—then 82—took a notion to attend a convention of old settlers of the Mississippi Valley in an Iowa town. My brother's wife was astonished; and represented to her the hardships and fatigues of such a trip, and said my mother might possibly not even survive them; and said there could be no possible interest for her in such a meeting and such a crowd. But my mother insisted, and persisted; and finally gained her point. They started; and all the way my mother was young again with excitement, interest, eagerness, anticipation. They reached the town and the hotel. My mother strode with the same eagerness in her eye and her step, to the counter, and said:

“No. He was here, but he returned to St. Louis this morning.”

My mother turned away, the fire all gone from her, and said, “Let us go home.”

Contents

  1. 01XXVI. Letters, 1886-87. Jane Clemens's Romance. Unmailed Letters, Etc.
  2. 02XXVII. Miscellaneous Letters of 1887. Literary Articles. Peaceful Days at the Farm. Favorite Reading. Apology to Mrs. Cleveland, Etc.
  3. 03XXVIII. Letters,1888. A Yale Degree. Work on “the Yankee.” on Interviewing, Etc.
  4. 04XXIX. Letters, 1889. The Machine. Death of Mr. Crane. Conclusion of the Yankee.
  5. 05XXX. Letters, 1890, Chiefly to Jos. T. Goodman. The Great Machine Enterprise
  6. 06XXXI. Letters, 1891, to Howells, Mrs. Clemens and Others. Return to Literature. American Claimant. Leaving Hartford. Europe. Down the Rhine.
  7. 07I'm straining to reach St. Pierre de Boef, but it's going to be a close fit, I reckon.
  8. 08XXXII. Letters, 1892, Chiefly to Mr. Hall and Mrs. Crane. In Berlin, Mentone, Bad-Nauheim, Florence.
  9. 09XXXIII. Letters, 1893, to Mr. Hall, Mrs. Clemens, and Others. Florence. Business Troubles. “Pudd'nhead Wilson.” “Joan of Arc.” at the Players, New
  10. 10XXXIV. Letters 1894. A Winter in New York. Business Failure. End of the Machine.
  11. 11XXXV. Letters, 1895-96, to H. H. Rogers and Others. Finishing “Joan of Arc.” the Trip Around the World. Death of Susy Clemens.
  12. 12XXXVI. Letters 1897. London, Switzerland, Vienna
  13. 13XXXVII. Letters, 1898, to Howells and Twichell. Life in Vienna. Payment of the Debts. Assassination of the Empress.
  14. 14XXXVIII. Letters, 1899, to Howells and Others. Vienna. London. A Summer in Sweden.
  15. 15XXXIX. Letters of 1900, Mainly to Twichell. The Boer War. Boxer Troubles. The Return to America.

About this edition

Author
Mark Twain
Era
Modern (c. 1800–1945)
Reading level
Intermediate: some philosophy helps
Formats
EPUB, PDF
Length
177 pages
This edition
Modern Philosophers