ALS signed “S. L. Clemens,” one black-bordered page, 4.5 x 7, Farmington Avenue letterhead, February 18, 1891. Letter to Mr. Dawson, in full: "I thank you ever so much for your hearty invitation, but am not able to accept it as domestic bereavements have made seclusion for the season necessary." In very good to fine condition, with a block of slightly irregular toning.
Recent events, both personal and financial, contributed to this 'season' of malaise for Clemens. His mother died on October 27, 1890, and one month later, the mother of his wife, Olivia Langdon Clemens, also passed. Furthermore, and of more immediate concern, Clemens was soon to receive word that a major prospective backer for his Paige typesetter venture, Senator John P. Jones, was backing out. Clemens, a former printer, invested not only the bulk of his book profits to the invention, but also a large portion of the inheritance of his wife, which amounted to around $300,000. The royalties from selling the typesetter would, in Clemens's estimation, assure he and Libby a comfortable retirement. The life of his Paige typesetter venture, born in 1881, was as of this letter in dire straits and, in three years time, would prove a disastrous failure. Many point to Clemens's over-investment in the Paige typesetter as the cause of not only his family's financial decline, but also the decline of his wit and humor.
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