ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To PARAPHRASE THE WORDS of a famous fictional character, authors often depend on the kindness of strangers. They also rely heavily on their friends. Acknowledgments are born of the gap between this dependence and the paltry means most writers have to repay their debts.
The generosity of large numbers of people, and of the institutions in which they work, have helped see this book into print. Time to write is the most precious gift a teacher can receive, and two institutions have been especially instrumental in giving me this time. First is the Henry E. Huntington Library in San Marino, California, which supported my work with a Summer Research Stipend in 1995 and then became the home for my National Endowment for the Humanities Grant in 1999–2000. Roy Ritchie, Director of Research at the Huntington, encouraged me to set my sights on a full year off from teaching and other responsibilities. The National Endowment for the Humanities provided the financial means. And the long-term fellows at the Huntington added sociability and discernment to my year of intellectual nirvana.
Many people who work at the Huntington were supportive of my project, including Alan Jutzi, Curator of Rare Books, Carolyn Powell, Assistant to the Director of Research, and Virginia Renner, now retired from her position as the Head of Reader Services. I also thank the current Head of Reader Services, Romaine Ahlstrom, and her staff, including Christopher Adde, Jill Cogen, Susi Krasnoo, and Mona Shulman, for the many courtesies that make working at the Huntington so satisfying. Sarkis Badalyan presides over the daily entry and exit into the library with gentle grace.
Scholars who work at the Huntington are called readers. Many readers too numerous to mention listened to snippets of my work with interest. One of my favorite parts of the day at the Huntington was lunch, where lively dialogue, social commentary, cultural and political observations, and humorous repartee gave me a boost for meeting the intellectual demands of the afternoon.
The second institution that has been especially supportive of my research is also the place where I teach: California State University, Fuller-ton. Without the support of former Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Don Castro, Associate Dean Kurt Swanson, and their administrative assistant, Bunny Casas, as well as my department chair, Jesse Bat-tan, I would not have been able to take a full year off to work on the book. The university also supported my research on this book with two Summer Faculty Research Awards and a semester of sabbatical leave.
Another institution that has been central to this project is the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California, Berkeley. The director, Robert Hirst, took time out from his demanding schedule to explain the intricacies of Twainian copyright. He generously granted me permission to quote from unpublished manuscript sources and also allowed me to reproduce photographs from the collection. Over the years, other scholar-editors at the Mark Twain Papers have been helpful, including Victor Fischer, Kenneth Sanderson, and Robert Pack Browning.
The University of California Press believed in my book, beginning with the reassuring support of Jim Clark, the now-retired director, and his assistant, Mari Coates. Mary Severance skillfully assumed responsibility for the book during the later stages of editing and production. I have been blessed with an extraordinary editor, Ellen F. Smith, whose commitment and dedication to the craft of writing is priceless. She was indefatigable in her efforts to improve my work and pushed me to dig for the telling little detail as well as to strive for the most exacting clarity of exposition. She polished off the rough spots and pushed for changes that at times no doubt saved me from myself. I am especially grateful for her work on my preface, which helped to get at the heart of my intentions. Her probing questions and guidance on matters of style and content have combined to make this a better book.
Several friends have made unique contributions to my project. Paul Zall introduced me to Jean Clemens's diaries and took seriously my ambition to write a book on Twain. He allowed me to use a partial typescript of Jean's diaries that he had banged out on his venerable Remington typewriter. Leila Zenderland and Allan Axelrad read a draft of my manuscript and made suggestions that improved the final work, even if I did not always follow their advice. Bob Middlekauff read a later draft and gave me valuable assistance in the late stages of my project. He has
I was also a grateful beneficiary of the editorial skills of Martin Ridge. Martin's nitty-gritty suggestions came at a crucial stage in the writing process. I am indebted to him for this, as well as for his incisive intelligence, unfailing humor, and generosity of spirit. Even his expressions of cantankerous exasperation with my fretting were somehow reassuring. Martin's death on September 22, 2003, has left his friends with a great vacancy, a hollow space that will not be easily filled; he had a rare kindness that he combined with a razor-sharp intellect, an ever youthful curiosity, and a fierce dedication to the craft of writing history. He took unselfish delight in furthering the work of younger scholars and his legacy is reflected in their accomplishments as well as in his own. He will be greatly missed.
Several people shared the names of their agents and editors, which I gratefully acknowledge. These include: Joan Bromberg, Richard and Marilyn Buel, Michael Fellman, Donna Munker, Walter Nugent, and Charles Royster. Other friends and colleagues—Tom Madden, Carol Srole, Sarah Stage, Brian Stryer, Joan Waugh, Sean Wilentz—invited me to speak on my Twain project at seminars, conferences, and university lecture series. They provided an invaluable opportunity to take my findings “on the road.” Finally, I had one conversation with Ellen Dwyer years ago about my project that has continued to inspire me. Her admirable scholarship on epilepsy allowed me to resolve some key dynamics in Twain's inner circle.
I wish to thank my colleagues in the American Studies Department at California State University—Allan Axelrad, Jesse Battan, Leila Zen-derland (again); also Wayne Hobson, John Ibson, Michael Steiner, Pamela Steinle, Terry Snyder, and Scott Tang—for valuing my work and for making research and writing an integral part of our collective endeavor. Students who enrolled in my Mark Twain seminar shared their insight and enthusiasm for Twain's work as well as their disillusionment and frustration with some of his life choices. I have also been the grateful beneficiary of the questions, advice, and encouragement of Douglas Temple, a member of the staff at Fullerton. Even his daily trivia question, which I hardly ever got right, has cheered me on my way.
Many other friends provided encouragement through their questions, enthusiastic observations, and cheerful assumption that the book was
Pat and Jim McPherson took me on a road trip to visit Hartford, Connecticut, to tour the house where Twain lived in his prime. We also went to Elmira, New York, Twain's summer home for twenty years. Making a pilgrimage to his gravesite in Elmira, where his entire family is buried, was a moving experience, and visiting these landmarks with the McPhersons was a highlight of my work on Twain.
“To write is to sit in judgment on oneself,” a wise author once remarked. One is lucky to have family and friends who are sympathetic and who temper their expectations with affection. My parents, Jim and Lily Lystra, are among the most unselfish and generous-minded people I have ever met. Their unfailing support has been sustaining. My siblings, Torrey Lystra and Gaylen Mollet, and their spouses, Carol Lystra and Ralph Mollet, have always taken an open and nonjudgmental approach to my work.
Finally, I wish to express my appreciation for all the scholars in the field of Mark Twain criticism, biography, and textual editing whose work I have drawn on and in many cases cited in my notes. I know very few of you personally, and I sometimes disagree with your interpretations of Twain's late years, but your labors on Twain have made my biography possible, and I salute you.