Description:

Samuel L. Clemens
New York, NY, March 12, 1895
Samuel Clemens 3x Signed ALS, Signed As Both Samuel Clemens & Mark Twain! Great Provenance
ALS

A 2pp autograph letter signed a total of three times by American humorist Samuel L. Clemens (1835-1910), using both his real name as well as his pen name. The first and second signatures appear within the text in the third person and appear as "Mark Twain" and "S.L. Clemens"; and the third signature is written in closing as "SL Clemens." March 12, 1895. Written at the home of Twain's friend Henry Huttleston Rogers, at 26 East 57th Street, New York, NY. Inscribed on plain cream paper, with numerous contemporaneous underlines found in the text. Pencil-docketed in another hand in the upper left corner of the first page. Expected wear including flattened folds, isolated corner wrinkles, and a minor paper clip impression along the top. A slight ink smear just touches two words on the first page. Else near fine. 5.125" x 8." The largest item in this lot measures 12.125" x 17.75." Provenance: This item comes along with material related to Brick Row Book Shop (New Haven, Connecticut) which will be elaborated below; as well as extensive historical research compiled by a former collector.

Twain had returned to the United States from Europe in early March 1895. About two weeks later, he wrote this letter to Charles W. Dayton (1846-1910), a New York lawyer and local politician, now serving as Postmaster of New York City (1893-1897). Twain explains that he had inadvertently conveyed the wrong forwarding address to family left behind in Europe. He asks Dayton to help him forward any misdirected mail to the correct address, 26 East 57th Street, which was the home of Henry Huttleston Rogers (1840-1909), Twain's host, close friend, and benefactor.

Twain's letter is full of his characteristic humor, this time in the form of a little gentle self-deprecation. He wrote in full:

"26 East 57th St. Mch 12 / 95

My Dear Mr. Dayton:

Letters for 'Mark Twain' + for S.L. Clemens are very likely to go to 26 West 57th (a No. which does not exist) + from there to the Dead-Letter Office, because I cabled the wrong address to Paris from Southampton eleven days ago, (to my family.)

Won't you please protect me from the consequences of my carelessness + order my letters to be delivered at 26 East 57th?

There's a lot of letters due, + I am afraid that that Dead Letter Office is capturing them.

Sincerely yours,

SL Clemens."

Twain feared the Dead Letter Office - that place of philatelic limbo where undeliverable letters were sent in cases of illegible handwriting, the incorrect recipient's address, or insufficient postage. He jested about it, but in fact Twain's correspondence dating from around the same time conveys a certain level of anxiety about missing important communications. On March 9, 1895, in a letter to editor of the "North American Review" Lloyd S. Bryce, Twain writes about a "basketful of unforwarded letters" which suddenly appeared at his NYC address. On March 11, 1895, in a letter to his beloved wife Livy, Twain mentions that he had received her note after the "address [had been] corrected at the Postoffice" but that he "must make some inquiries, for two letters are due from other folk beside those which you have doubtless written." Twain's "making inquiries" no doubt consisted of contacting Mr. Dayton to look out for all his missing mail.

The close friendship between Henry Huttleston Rogers, Clemens host at the time, and Samuel Clemens, is well-documented. The pair met in 1893 and enjoyed almost 20 years of aimable companionship before Rogers' death. It has been suggested that Rogers and his family became Clemens' surrogate family following several deaths and misfortunes in the Clemens' household. Rogers routinely put up Clemens at his New York City townhouse (as we can see from this letter), and also at Rogers' Fairhaven residence, and aboard Rogers' yacht, "Kanawha." Rogers' biographer Earl J. Dias summed up the pair's deep-seated affinity: "Rogers and Twain were kindred spirits - fond of poker, billiards, the theater, practical jokes, mild profanity, the good-natured spoof." Rogers and Clemens also collaborated in their philanthropic efforts, furthering the education of Helen Keller at Radcliffe in the year of this letter, 1895. In addition to fostering their close interpersonal connection, Rogers intervened to help Clemens sort out the deplorable state of the author's legal and economic affairs in the 1890s, when investment losses and copyright disputes threatened Clemens with bankruptcy.

The ALS is accompanied by a bonus item: a literary work sometimes attributed to Mark Twain. This is a 1p typescript on blue newsprint entitled, "A Ballotd. Owed Phor The Tymz; not the knusepaper. By Twark Main, Skulemarster." May 16, 1871. Hartford, Connecticut. Comprised of four printed columns of a rhyming poem, featuring a horrible array of typographical errors and phonetic spelling mistakes assembled for comedic effect. Flattened creases with some splits, with one horizontal split at the top repaired. Isolated minor chips and browning. 12.125" x 17.75." For more information, see Jacob Blanck, "Bibliography of American Literature, Vol. II, George W. Cable to Timothy Dwight" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957), p. 236.

Provenance:

The Twain letter comes with the following items and additional research:

A 1p typed letter signed on watermarked blue paper with "The Brick Row Book Shop, Inc." letterhead, dated January 7, 1921. [New Haven, Connecticut.] Addressed to the Twain letter's buyer, T.F.H. Tenney of Branford, Connecticut. Signed, possibly as "J.A.L. DeLacey" at lower right. Flattened transmittal folds, else near fine, 5.5" x 8.5."

2. An archival folder from the Brick Row Book Shop, inscribed in part on the front cover: "Autograph of / Samuel L. Clemens / Page + a half letter - March 12 - / 90" [sic]. (We contend that the letter in fact dates from 1895.) Uneven toning and isolated wrinkles and chips, 10" x 13.75."

3. An extensive amount of historical research printouts assembled by a former collector, relating to Twain's letter recipient, the Brick Row Book Shop, and the letter's buyer in 1921, Thorvald (sometimes spelled Thorwald) Frederick Hammer Tenney (1892-1984), who was described as a broker in the 1930 Greenwich, Connecticut U.S. Census.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: largest item: 12.125" x 17.75"
  • Medium: ALS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

May 6, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000