15 July 1870 • Elmira, N.Y. (MS: CU-MARK, UCCL 00489)
Per contract I must have another 600-page book ready for my publisher Jan. 1, & I only began it to-day Ⓐemendation.1explanatory note The subject of it is a secret, because I may possibly change it. But as it stands, I propose to do up Nevada & Cal., beginning with the trip across the country . Ⓐemendation in the stage. Have you a memorandum of the route we took—or the m names of any of the Stations we stopped at? Do you remember any of the scenes, names, incidents or adventures of the coach trip?—for I remember next to nothing about the matter. Jot down a foolscap page of items for me.2explanatory note I wish I could have two days’ talk with you.
I suppose I am to get the biggest copyright, ever this time, ever paid on a subscription book in this country.3explanatory note
Give our love to Mollie. Mr. Ⓐemendation Langdon is very low.
Orion Clemens Esq | Night Editor “Democrat”4explanatory note | St Louis | Mo.return address: return to j. langdon, elmira, n. y., Ⓐemendation if not delivered within 10 days. postmarked: elmira n.y. jul 16
Bliss had gone to Elmira to draft this contract, dated 15 July 1870, which was fulfilled with Roughing It (see Book Contract for Roughing It click to open letter). Clemens did not actually begin writing the book until late August (2 Sept 70 to OC, n. 1click to open letter).
See 27 July 70 to JLC and familyclick to open letter, 2 Sept 70 to OCclick to open letter, and 11 Nov 70 to OCclick to open letter.
Clemens had requested “half profits,” but Bliss persuaded him that the seven and a half percent copyright (royalty) specified by the 15 July contract was the equivalent: see RI 1993 , 806–8. Clemens’s royalty on The Innocents Abroad was five percent ( L2 , 421).
Orion was apparently promoted to this position from proofreader sometime after mid-April, at which time he had been seeking a better job. His pay increased by two dollars—to twenty-seven dollars per week (21 Apr 70 to OC, n. 1click to open letter; 11 Nov 70 to OCclick to open letter).
MS, Mark Twain Papers, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley (CU-MARK).
L4 , 171–172; MTB , 1:421, with omissions; MTL , 1:174–75.
see Mark Twain Papers in Description of Provenance.