The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1872-11-13
A Letter from Mark Twain.


To the Editor of the london Spectator
SIR:-l only venture to intrude
upon yuH because | come, in one sense,
in the interest Of public morality, aud
this makes my mission respectable.
MIR. John Camden Hotten, of London,
has, Vf his own individual notion, re.
published 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, pub
fishers are not accountable to the laws
of heaven or earth in any country, as
understand it. But my little griev-
ance is this: Ny 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
l feel that all true hearts will bleed
for an author whose volumes have fall
en- under such dispensation as this.
If friend of yours, or if even your
self, were to write book and set it
adrilt among the people, with the
gravest apprehensions that it was not
up to what it ought to be intellectual
ly, 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 and 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 Lit.
erature," True Story of Chicago, ,""On
Children" "rrain up Child, and
Away he Goes" and vengeance"
and then, on the strength of having
evolved these marvels from his own
consciousness, go on and copyright"
the entire book, and put in the title
page a picture Of a man with his
hands in another mans pocket, and
the legend GAIL Rights Reserved" U
only suppose the picture; still it
would be rather neat thing.) And,
further, suppose that, in the kindness
of his heart and the exuberance of his
untaught fancy, this thoroughly we'll
meaning innocent should expurge 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 aud got that copy
rlghted, too. And suppose that on
the top Of all this he continually and
persiotently forgot to offer you single
penny, or even send you IL copy of
your mutilated book to burn. Let
one suppose all this. Let him sup.
pose it with strength enough, and then
he will know something about woe.
Sometimes when read one of those ad
dluonal chapters constructed by John
Camden Hotten, | feel as if | wanted
TO take a broom straw and 90 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." Il
hold that there is no affictiUn in this
world that makes a man feel so down
trodden and abused as the giving him
a 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 insuperabie obstacle in the
way.
Ies-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 embitters his Gus
toners against one Of the most inno-
cent Of men. Messrs. George Rout.
ledge d Sons are the only English
publishers who pay me- any copyright,
and, therefore, if my books are to dis
siminate 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 spectacle calmly As
the dividends came in.
| am, sir etc.,
SAMUEL l.. CLEMENS, Marx Twain. |
London, sept. 20, 1872.