The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-11-08
n1eEk Twain,s Trouhlss vvlsll lyau Eng.
liih Fubilsher. = -

Iiih Pubiisner. @'"s
TO Tie Editor Of Ms Spectator. ,}.,.,
SIR; L only venture to intrude upon
you because come, IN some sense. in
the interest OF public morality. and This
makes my mission respectable. MIR.
John Camden Hotten, OF London. has.
OF his own individual motion, repub.
llshed several Of my books In England.
90 not protest against this, for there is
no law that conld give effect to the pro-
test; and, besides, publishers are not 40.
oountable to the laws ot heaven or earth
ID any country, Us understand it. But
my little grievance is this: My books are
pad enough just as they aro written; then
what must they be after John Camden
Hotten has composed half dozen ohap.
ters and added the same to them? I
lee! that all true hearts will bleed for an
author whose Volumes have fallen under
such dispensation as this.
1T friend OF yours, or even you
yourself, were to write book aud send
II adfiit among the people, with the
gravest apprehensions that it was not up
TO what it ought to be, intellectually.
how would you like to have John Cam
den Hotten sit down and stimulate his
powers and droll two or three original
chapters on the end of thut book ?
Would not the world seem cold and hol-
low to you? Would you not feel that
you wanted to die and be at rest? Little
the world knows of true suffering And
suppose be should eutitle these chapters:
Holiday Literature" ''True Story of
Chicago" "On Children. Train Up n
Child. and Away he Goes" and "Ven-
geance," and then on the strength of
having evolved these marvels from his
own consciousness, 20 and Copyright"
the entire book, and put in the title PAGE
Il picture OF man with his hand in an.
other man's pocket, and the legend "AU
lights Reserved" Il only suppose the
picture, still it would be a rather neat
thing.)
And, further, suppose that iu the
kindness of his heart aud the exnberance
OF his untaug ht fancy, this thoroughly
weA-mean1ng innocent should expunge
the modest title which you had given
your book, and replace it with SO foul an
invention as this, 'Screamers aud Eve
openers. and went and got that copy
rlghted. too. And suppose that, on top
OF oil this, he continually and persist
emily forgot to offer you single penny
or even send you q copy of your mu.
tl!ated book to burn. Let us suppose all
this. Let him suppose it with strength
enough, and then he will know some
thing about wos. Sometimes when 1
read one of those additional chapters
constructed by John Camden Eotten, I
feel as if I wanted to take broom
straw and knock that mans brains out.
Not in anger, for I feel none. Oh! not
IN anger; but only to see, that is all.
Merely idle curiosity.
And Mr. Hctten says that one non, Gle
plume of mine is carl Byng" I hold
that there is no afhiction in this world
that makes man feel SO down -trodden
and abused as the giving him name
That does not belong to him. How would
THIS sinful aborigine feel, if I were to
call him John Camden Hottentot, and
come out in the papers and say he was
entitled to it by Divine right? T do
honestly believe it would throw him
into brain fever, if there were not AN
lnsuperable obstacle in the way.
Yes-to come back to the original sub
Ject, which is the sorrow that is slowly,
6nt surely, undermining my health-Mr.
Hotten prints unrevised, uncorrected,
and, IN some respects, spurious books,
with my name to them Us author, and
thus embitters his customers against one
vi tne most innocent vi men. MIoss1s.
George Rutledge & SINS are the only
English publishers who pay me any copy
right, and, therefore, if my books are to
disseminate either suffering or crime
among readers of our language. would
ever 80 much rather they did it through
that house, and then 1 could contem.
plate the spectacle calmly as the divi.
dends came in. am, sir, ETC.,
SAMUEL L. CLEMENS.
("Mark Twain.'')
LONDON, Septembcr 20. 1872