a.k.a. thomas jefferson snodgrass

It's Mark Twain's birthday today! 
(Thanks google.) 

I LOVE Mark Twain. Earlier this year, Tony read Tom Sawyer to me, and I was a fan immediately. Now we're working on Huckleberry Finn, among others though, so it's slow going.

I decided to research him a little today and read that Haley's Comet was visible in the sky both on the night that Mark Twain was born and on the night he passed away. 

I just love these chair photos...

Here are some good quotes from the man of the day:

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." 

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." 

"When in doubt, tell the truth." 


"Always do right. That will gratify some of the people, and astonish the rest."

And look! This is the only known video footage of him! According to the uploader, this is "silent film footage taken in 1909 by Thomas Edison at Stormfield (CT) at Mark Twain's estate. Twain  is shown walking 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."

This is my favorite. Gotta love kittens.

And the last interesting thing I found today, was that his older brother's name was Orion. I like that.

Have a lovely literary day! 


~love, nico