A Meet and Greet with Helen Keller

Minnesotastan read the entire first volume of The Autobiography of Mark Twain and posted a review. The short version is that he’s not putting it on his recommended book list. However, he reprinted a story from the book in which Twain meets the then 14-year-old Helen Keller. He labeled the story with the tag “impressive.” Link, Via: Neatorama

Mark Twain's autobiography to be finally published, 100 years after his death

Goodblood sez, "Just before he died, Mark Twain stipulated that his autobiography should only be published 100 years after he died, and that's now. Exciting!" LINK: Boingboing

After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain will finally reveal all (Thanks, GoodBlood!)

(Image: Mark Twain picture from Appleton's Journal July 4, 1874, Wikimedia Commons)

Mark Twain at Stormfield, 1909 (Edison film)

Silent film footage taken in 1909 by Thomas Edison at Stormfield (CT) at Mark Twain's estate. Twain is shown walkng around his home and playing cards with his daughters Clara and Jean. The flickering is due to film deterioration, but this is the only known footage of the great author.

Mark Twain died a year after this footage was filmed, but here we are—over a century later—watching him walk and laugh. [YouTube, Via: Open Culture, Via: Roger Ebert, Via: Gizmodo]

And Tesla the Twain Shall Meet

Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla: The most powerful of minds, and the best of friends. Here, a captivated Sam Clemens tests Tesla's inductively powered incandescent lamp. The mad scientist lurks in the background, like, well, a mad scientist.

It's not terribly surprising that the two men were friends, since they were both revered figures in Gilded Age New York City, but it's endlessly fascinating to read about how these two men came to be friends—essentially, as mutual fanboys.

There's also a lesson to modern day science and tech luminaries: spend your famous friend currency wisely. [TheOpenEnd]. Via: Gizmodo

Mark Twain on Film

Silent film footage taken in 1909 by Thomas Edison at Stormfield (CT) at Mark Twain's estate. Twain is shown walkng around his home and playing cards with his daughters Clara and Jean. The flickering is due to film deterioration, but this is the only known footage of the great author. LINK: Via: Youtube