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Add to My Citations To Moncure D. Conway
30 December 1875 • Hartford, Conn.
(Henkels 1916, lot 55; Parke-Bernet 1941, lot 127, UCCL 09659)
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To [Friend ] [Conway: ]

Who will kindly remember that the [billiard-odds ] lay with him, & Victory with his gratified friend & [servant, ]

Mark [Twain. ]

[Hartford, ] New [Year’s ] 1876.1

Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary

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1 For the circumstances of this note, which Clemens postdated, see 16 Dec 75 to Conway, n. 2.



glyphglyphSource text(s):glyph
No copy-text. The text is based on two transcripts, each of which derives independently from the MS:
P1 Henkels 1916, lot 55
P2 Parke-Bernet 1941, lot 127
P1 and P2 agree in wording, but each text preserves some punctuation that is characteristic of Clemens. P1 is broken into five lines, the format adopted in the present text; P2 does not include these breaks.

glyphglyphPrevious publication:glyph L6, 607.

glyphglyphProvenance:glyphThe letter was inscribed in a first-edition copy of Mark Twain’s Sketches, New and Old (American Publishing Company, 1875). When offered for sale in 1916 the MS was owned by Conway’s son, Eustace. When offered for sale again in 1941 it was part of the collection of John Gribbel.

glyphglyphEmendations, adopted readings, and textual notes:glyph

No copy-text. The text is based on two transcripts, each of which derives independently from the MS:

P1 and P2 agree in wording, but each text preserves some punctuation that is characteristic of Clemens. P1 is broken into five lines, the format adopted in the present text; P2 does not include these breaks.


Friend (P1) • friend (P2)

Conway: (P1) • Conway‸ (P2)

billiard-odds (P2) • billiard—odds (P1)

servant, (P2) • servant. (P1)

Twain. (P1) • Twain‸ (P2)

Hartford, (P2) • Hartford‸ (P1)

Year’s (P2) • Years (P1)