[Original Autograph Letter, Signed ("Mark") To Willard Church] by Clemens, Samuel L - 23 December [1870].

Buffalo, NY, 23 December [1870].. Two full pages, in ink, on recto and verso of octavo sheet of lined paper. Ca. 150 words. Folded for mailing, and slightly fragile at folds, short, closed tear in blank upper margin, otherwise about very good. To Willard C. Church, in his capacity as editor/publisher of THE GALAXY magazine. A well-known letter, quoted in large part in Mott's chapter on THE GALAXY in A HISTORY OF AMERICAN MAGAZINES (1938), concerning the challenge and wager stemming from a writer in the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER having been deceived by Clemens' own parody - published in the Dec. issue of THE GALAXY - of a LONDON SATURDAY REVIEW notice of INNOCENTS ABROAD. Clemens writes, in part, about placement of an update in the next issue: "Oh, please don't fail to put this delicious thing in - now don't ... I've got these 'Enquirer' idiots just where I wanted somebody -- don't you see why? Because half the people don't know now whether to believe I wrote that thing or not or whether it was from the Review, or whether it is all a sell, & no criticism ever was in the London paper. Now over the shoulders of this Cincinnati fool I'll make the whole thing straight. Don't you let that paragraph get lost for your life ...." Signed: "Yrs Ever, Mark." Mott, A HISTORY OF AMERICAN MAGAZINES 1865- 1885, pp. 365-7.