The Grolier Club has done it again. Its new exhibition First-Class Fool: Mark Twain and Humor (open through April 5) features literature and curiosities for, about and by America’s most crusty literary hero. On view are first and rare editions of Twain’s published works, personal effects, letters, manuscripts and ephemera—many of which are being showcased for the first time.
Twain’s folksy persona and witty writings had broad populist appeal, and he is now seen as an American classic with a long-lasting influence. If the frigid weather is getting your goat, bask in the warmth of a little Twain—starting with some of the items from the show, which was curated by Susan Jaffe Tane (who loaned 90% of the material), Gabriel Mckee and Julie Carlsen.
Sunday Magazine of the St. Louis Republic, part 6. St. Louis: Associated Sunday Magazines, Oct. 27, 1907.
The Good Old Game of Innocence Abroad. Salem, MA: Parker Brothers, [ca. 1901]. George S. Parker copyrighted this map board game in 1888, licensed to his fledgling game publisher by its designer, a Mrs. Shepherd. The subtle change to the title for Twain’s Innocents Abroad signals the paucity of the game’s connection to the book. Still, it proved popular, and was reissued a decade after its original release.
Mark Twain. Notes in sketch form for a lecture. [England], Jan. 9, 1874. Inscribed to Charles [Warren Stoddart]. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library. This artifact of an 1874 English lecture tour shows Clemens’ growing confidence on the stage nearly a decade into his career as a public speaker. It features a group of mnemonic sketches to remind him of the overall flow and content of the stories to be included in the lecture.
Mark Twain. The Jumping Frog; In English, then in French, then Clawed Back into a Civilized Language Once More by Patient, Unremunerated Toil. New York and London: Harper and Brothers, 1903. Frustrated by the poor quality of unauthorized translations of his works, Twain chose a particularly inelegant French translation of The Jumping Frog and “retranslated” it back into English to show how the unskilled adaptation removed the humor from his story.
Joseph Keppler, cartooonist. Mark Twain, America’s Best Humorist. From Puck, new series, number 1. New York: Mayer, Merkel & Ottmann, December 1885.
Mark Twain. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1876.
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