Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-10-30
MARK TWAIN.
Efs Grievances and Complaints in
England.

Efs Grievances and Complaints In
England.
To the Editor of the London Spectator.
SrR: only venture to intrude upon you
because come, in some sense, In the in
terest of public morality, and this makes
my mission respectable. Mr.. John Camden
Hotten, of Lodon, has, Of his own indivi-
dual notion, republished several Of my
books in England denet, protest against
this, for there is no law that could give
effect to this protest; and, besides, publish
ers are not accountable TO the laws of
heaven or earth in any country, as under
stand it. But my little grievance is this:
NV books are bad enough just as they are
written; then what must they be after MIR.
John Camden Hotten has composed half
dozen chapters and added the same to
them? feel that all true hearts will bleed
for an author whose volumes have fallen
under such a dispensstion as this. Ii
friend of yours, or even you yourself, were
to write a book and set it adrift
among the people; with the gray
est apprehensions that l. was
not ND to what it ought to be intellectually,
how would you like to have John Camden
Hotten sit down aud stimulate his powers,
and drool two or three original chapters
on to the end Of that book? Would not
the world seem cold and hollow to you
Would notyou feel that you wanted to die
and be at rest Little the world knows OF
true suffering. And suppose he should en-
title these chapter Holiday Literature"
eTrue story Of Chicago" son Children"
"Train up a Child, and Away he Goes"
and 'Vengeance," and then, on the
strength Of having evolved these marvels
from his own Consciousness, go and "copy--
right the entire book, put in the title page
a picture of man with his hands in an
other mans pocket, and the legend "An
Rights Reserved" Il only suppose the pic
ture; still it would be a rather nsat thing0
And, further, suppose that in
the kindness of his heart
and the exuberance of his untaught fancy,
this thoroughly well meaning innocent
should expunge the modest title which you
had given your book, and replace it with
so foul an invention as this, "Screamers
and Eye-openers," and went and got that
copyrighted, too. And suppose that on
the top of ell this, he continually and per-
sistently forgot TO offer you single penny
or even send you copy of your mutilased
book to burn. Let one suppose all this.
Let him suppose it with strength enough
and then be will know sonnet ling about
woe Sometimes when read one OF those
additional chapters constructed by John
Camden Hotten, l feel as if wanted to
take broom straw and go aud knock that
mans brains out. Not in anger, for feel
none. Oh, not in anger; but only to see,
that is all. Mere idle curiosity.
And Mr.. Hott4n says that one nom de
pll,yne of mine is "Carl Byng." 1 hold
that there is no affection in this world
that makes man feel 80 down trodden
and abused as like giving him anAme that
does not belong to him. How would this
sinful aborigine feel if were to call him
John Camden HOttentot, and come out in
the papers and say he was entitled To it by
divine right? 90 honestly believe it would
throw him into brain fever, If there were
not an insuperable obstacle in the way.
Yes-to come back TO the original sub
iect, which is the sorrow that is slowly but
surely undermining my health-Mr. H0tten
prints unrevised, uncorrected, and in some
respects spurious books, with my name to
them as author, and thus embitters his Gus
TONERS against one of the most innocent of
men. Messrs. George ROutledge & Sons
are the only English publishers who pay me
any copyright, and therefore, if my books
are to disseminate either suffering or crime
among readers of our language, | would
ever so much rather they did through that
house, and then | could contemplate the
spectacle calmly as the dividends come in.
am, sir, ETC.,
i SAM'L L. CLEMENS (''Mark Twain"O.
LONDON, Sept. 20, 1872.