Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-11-21
4 Letter from "Mark Twain"


TO tue Eattor oil tine LQhdou SPECTATOR
SIR; | only venture to intrude upon
you because | come, in one sense, in the
interest of public morality, and this
makes my mission respectable. Mr.. John
Camden Hotten, of London, has, of his
own individual notion, republished
several of my books in England. | do
not protest against this, for there is no
law that could give effect to the protest;
and, besides, publishers are not account.
able to the Jaws OF hedveno or earth in any
country, as I understand it. But my
little grievance il this; My booksare bad
enough Just rs they are written; then
what must they be after Mr.. John Camden
Hotten has composed half a dozen chap
tiers and added the same to them? | feel
that all true hearts will bleed for an
author whose volumes have fallen under
such a dispensation as this. If a friend
of yours, or If even yourself, were to
write a book and set it adritl 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 Camden Hotten sit down and
stimulate his powers, and drool two or
three original chapters on to the end of
lilll bbbhF Odlu Ilot lllt ~ ~
cold and hollow to you? Would you not
feel that you wanted to die and be at resty
Little the world knows of true suffering.
And suppose he should entitle these chap
tiers: Holiday Literature, y True Story
of Chicago, " con Children, y 'Train up Il
Child, and Away he Goes and "Ncn-
geanCe, " and then, on the strength of
having evolved these maryels from his
own consciousness, go on and copy
right" the entire book, and put in the
tide page a picture OF a nan with his
hands in another mans pocket, and the
legend "All Rights Reserved Il only
suppose the picture; still, it would be a
rather neat thing.) And, further, sup
pose 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 80 foul an invention as this,
"Screamers and Eyeopcners," and went
and got that copyrighted, too. And sup
pose that on the top of all this he con
~tinually and porsistently forgot to offer
you a single penny, or even send you a
copy of vour mutilated Do0k to burn.
Let one suppose all this. Let him sup.
pose it with strength cnolGh, and then he
will know something about 0 Some
TINS when | read one o. those additional
chapter constructed by John Camden
Hotten, | feel as if ! wanted to take a
broom,straw and go and knock that mans
brains out. Not in anger, forl feelnone.
On! not in anger; but only to see, that Is
all, Mere idle curiosity,
.,I NJ TJp4t1p no thaf nra JlDGJ ,B9
glume OF mine is Carl Byng.' | hold
that there is no affection in this world
that makes a man feel so down-trodden
and abused as the giving him a lame that
does not belong TO him. How would this
sinful aborigiue 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? I do honestly believe
it would throw him into a 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,
prints unreyised, unCorrected,
and, in some respects, spurious books,
with my name to them as. author, and
thus embitters his customers against n
of the most innocent Of men. Messrs,
George Koutledge & Sons 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 u language, | would
ever so much rather they did it through
that house, and then | could contemplate
the spectacle calmly as the dividends
came In. am. sir. etc.
SAMuELL L. CLEMENS t'Mark Twain.
LONDON. Sept. 20. 1872.