ALS signed “S. L. Clemens,” two pages, 5.5 x 9, no date. The author writes Mr. Gilder. In full: “I have tried to put the explanation of the situation into Huck’s mouth, but didn’t succeed to my satisfaction. Will the note do, which I enclose? After, amend, shorten it or lengthen it to suit yourself—if any of these shall seem necessary—but in some way preserve the fact that the thing is from an unpublished book; don’t leave me in the position of gravely sitting down to write an episode which couldn’t have any sufficient raison d’etre without that. I think you have made a most excellent selection; I perceive I should not have. I owe so well if the matter had been left to me.” Scattered creases and wrinkles, otherwise fine condition.
This “episode” from the yet-unpublished Huckleberry Finn first appeared in the December 1884 issue of The Century magazine, preceded by a statement explaining that it was from an unpublished book called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer’s Comrade, and gives the reader a brief outline of the plot, while also explaining that the reader had already met Huck in the book Tom Sawyer. The pre-publication of parts of Huckleberry Finn in The Century came from the determination of the magazine’s editor...and recipient of this message...Richard Watson Gilder, who wanted to publish the entire novel serially. Twain, hoping to sell a short excerpt of the book, had sent the editor proofs of the book—and convinced the author that exposing the work in an influential magazine like The Century would increase book sales following its publication. For the December excerpt, Gilder chose the Shepherdson-Grangerford feud from Chapters 17 and 18, and asked Twain to write a brief introductory in which he refers to the novel as the story of ‘two fugitives’—Huck and Jim. Twain was sour on his effort to “put the explanation of the situation into Huck’s mouth,” he grumbles here. One-of-a-kind correspondence as the great American writer gets set to introduce his most famous work to the public! Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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