Evening star., 1935-12-01
LIBRARY OBSERVES.
MARK TWAIN DAY
Crowds Inspect Pictures,
Books and Manuscripts
of HumoriSt.
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.

Yesterday-the centenary of the
writer's birth-was Mark Twain day
at the Library of Congress. Crowds
of admirers of his works visited the
building to inspect a commemorative
display of books, manuscripts and pic
lures relating to his career.
As arranged by Martin A. Roberts,
superintendent of the reading rooms,
David C.. Mearns and v. w. Clapp,
the show occupies the entire north
hall of the main floor, fills 70 divisions
of nine large cases. totals approx
mately 300 different items, and ranges
through the whole life of the man
known as Americas most popular
author"
Much of the material is unique.
Included are the original title pages
of almost a score of Mark Twain's
books as submitted for copyright under
the law which formerly required such
registration Many of these notations
were made by the writer n his own
hand.
Mississippi Is Depicted.
Rare old photographs of Mark
Twain's several homes, at Florida and
Hannibal, Mo-. Elmira, N. Y; Redding
and Hartford, Conn, also are on view.
and with these are valuable prints
of the famous Currier and Ives series
representing the Mississippi Valley as
it was in the period when Twain,
under his real name of Samuel Lang
horne Clemens. was river pilot. OF
special interest is facsimile of his
pilots license, dated April 9, 1859.
Long before that date Mark had
made his debut in the field of letters
The Library displays copy Of THE
Dandy Frightening the Squatter." !"
published in the Carpet Bag for May
/. 1852. and signed with the initials
S. L. C.
To illustrate the accident" which
resulted in Twain's entrance into lit
erature, there is copy of his story.
The Turning Point of My Life"
printed in Harper's Bazaar for Feb
ruary, 1910. in which he attributes
to an attack Of measles when he was
IL years old his decision to write.
Other Works Nearby.
In adjacent cases are copies of "The
Adventures of Thomas jefferson
Snodgrass," which appeared in the
Keokuk Post in 1856 and 1857;
"Forty-three Days in an Open Boat. -
from Harper's Magazine, December,
1866: THE Celebrated Jumping Frog. "
1867: "A Yankee in the Orient.
1867; the first Of about so letters to
the Daily Alta Californian, 1867; BY
Rail Through France" Overland
Monthly, July, 1858; a letter from "A
Passenger" on the Quaker City to the
New York Herald. and a copy of the
first edition Of "Innocents Abroad,
1869.
Likewise there is photostat of
Mark Twain's application for a pass
port, dated May 20. 1867. in which
he described himself as being 81,
feet 81. inches tall, and having a
/ high forehead. medium nose, gray
/ eyes. dark brown hair and fair COM
| plexion.
With the material on the limo
/
cents" the library exhibits spirited
letter from the author to DR.. Oliver
Wendell Holmes, dated September 80
1869 The text includes a reference
to the agreeable young lady who
later became Twain's wife.
Hoax Is Perpetuated.
Nearby are editions of Beadle's
Dime Pocket Joke Book and Mast
Comic Almanac, to which Mark con-
tributed, and a file of Bret Harte's
Californian, for which he wrote the
notorious hoax concerning The Ex-
traordinary Meteoric Shower" No.
vember 10, 1864.
Twain's experiences in the Civil
War are represented by a copy OF
his Private History of a Campaign