28 July 1884 • Elmira, N.Y. (MS, in pencil: NN-BGC, UCCL 02585)
Yes, we want an advance-agent of course—I forgot it.
Circular received. You want to say nothing special about original sketches written specially for this series, for that is too decided a confession of weakness. It confesses that we know we can’t draw just on our names alone, but have got to add something extraordinary to persuade the people to come.
I may possibly get up one or two original things for the series, but I shan’t want the fact mentioned that they are new. I think it dangerous policy to let the public suppose we need any attraction but just our names alone.
With the corrections which I have marked in the proof I think the circular is good & all right.
Goodness knows I would gladly run 20 weeks, & I did my best to persuade the madam, but did not succeed. So that idea is killed. She almost said I might read again next year if I didn’t read too long this time, so I thought I better not press the matter too far.
References
- New York Public Library, Albert A. and Henry W. Berg Collection, New York
- Machlis, Paul, ed. Union Catalog of Clemens Letters. Edited by Paul Machlis. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. [In some cases, UCCL catalog numbers cited in this volume supersede those assigned in 1986 and reflect corrections or additions to the catalog since publication. An updated version of the catalog can be consulted via the Letters Search page at MTPO.] 1986
- Microfilm Edition of Mark Twain’s Previously Unpublished Letters. Prepared by Anh Quynh Bui, Victor Fischer, Michael B. Frank, Robert H. Hirst, Lin Salamo, and Harriet Elinor Smith. 8 vols. Berkeley: The Bancroft Library. 2001
MS, in pencil, NN-BGC.
MicroPUL, reel 2.