H Lewis Allways

My excerpt of a letter from GB Shaw to M Twain.

I am persuaded that the future historian of
America will find your works as indispensable
to him as a French historian finds the political
tracts of Voltaire. I tell you so because I am the
author of a play [John Bull’s Other Island] in
which a priest says “Telling the truth’s the funniest
joke in the world,” a piece of wisdom which
you helped to teach me.

yours ever
G. Bernard Shaw

Excerpted from a letter linked by The Library of America. Via the only thing readable (i.e. only headline without salacious all-caps) thing on huffpo today. I shant look again lest I spoil this internet win.

To Susy Clemens, in Berlin:

MENTONE, Mch 22, ‘92.

SUSY DEAR,—I have been delighted to note your easy facility with your pen and proud to note also your literary superiorities of one kind and another—clearness of statement, directness, felicity of expression, photographic ability in setting forth an incident—style—good style—no barnacles on it in the way of unnecessary, retarding words (the Shipman scrapes off the barnacles when he wants his racer to go her best gait and straight to the buoy.) You should write a letter every day, long or short—and so ought I, but I don’t.

Mamma says, tell Clara yes, she will have to write a note if the fan comes back mended.

We couldn’t go to Nice to-day—had to give it up, on various accounts—and this was the last chance. I am sorry for Mamma—I wish she could have gone. She got a heavy fall yesterday evening and was pretty stiff and lame this morning, but is working it off trunk packing.

Joseph is gone to Nice to educate himself in Kodaking—and to get the pictures mounted which Mamma thinks she took here; but I noticed she didn’t take the plug out, as a rule. When she did, she took nine pictures on top of each other—composites.

With lots of love.
PAPA.

MARK TWAIN’S LETTERS 1886-1900, VOLUME IV.