The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-10-25
To the Editor Of the London Spectator.

Mark Twain anu His English EdltOrs
| To the Editor Of the London Spectator.
| SIR: i only venture to intrude upon
you because j come, in.some sense, in
the interest of public morality, and
this makes my mission respectable.
Mr.. John Camden Hotten, of London,
has, of his own individual motion, re-
published several of my books in En-
gland. l do not protest against this,
for there is no law that could give effect
to the protest; and besides, publishers
are not accountable to the laws of
heaven or earth in any country, as un-
derstand it. But my little grievance is
this : My books are bad enough Just
as they are written; then what must
they be after Mr.. John Camden Hotten
has composed half dozen chapters and
added the same to them? 1 feel that
all true hearts will bleed for an author
whose volumes have fallen under such
dispensation as this. If friend of
yours, or if even you yourself, were to
write book and set it adrift among
the people, with the gravest apprehen.
s!ons 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 that book Would not the world
seem cold ana hollow to you? Would
you not feel that you wanted to die and
be at rest? Little the world knows of
true suffering. And suppose he should
entitle these chapters Holiday Litera-
ture," "True Story of Chicago" "On
Children" "Train up a Child, and Away
, he Goes" and Vengeance" and then,
on the strength of having evolved these
marvals from his own consciousness, 60
and copyright" the entire book, and
put in the title-page picture Of man
with his hand in another mans pocket,
and the legend GAN Rights Reserved"
Il only suppose the picture still it
would be a rather neat thing) And,
further, suppose that in the kindness Of
his heart and the exuberance of his un-
taught fancy, this thoroughly we'll
meaning innocent should expunge the
modest title which you had given your
book, and replace it with so foul an in.
vention as this, "Screamers and Eye
openers" and went and got that copy
righted, too. And suppose that on the
top of all this he continually and per-
sistently forgot to offer you a single
penny or even send you copy of your
mutilated book to burn. Let one sup
pose all this. Let him suppose it with
strength enough, and then he will know
something about woe. Sometimes when
| read one Of those additional chapters
constructed by John Camden Hotten,
| feel as if | wanted to take broom.
straw and 60 and 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.. Hotten says that one nom
de plume Of mine is carl Byng." /
hold that there is no atfiiction 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
| were to call him John Camden Hot
tentot, and come out in the papers and
say he was entitled TO it by divine right?
| do 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
subject, which is the sorrow that is
slowly but surely undermining my
health--Mr. Hotten prints unrevised,
uncorrected, and in some respects
spurious books, with my name to them
as author, and thus cmbitters 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 there
fore, if my books are to disseminate
either suffering or crime among readers
of our language, | would ever so much
rather they did it through that house,
and then | could contemplate the spec
tacle calmly as the dividends came in.
am, sir, etc.,
SAMUEL L. CLEMENS ("Mark Twain").
London, Sept. 20, 1872.