Bewitching Place
The Story of the Mark Twain House in Hartford
Published on 21. October 2025
184 pages
978-1-4930-9111-9 (ISBN)
Description
A Bewitching Place: The Story of the Mark Twain House in Hartford is the official guide to The Mark Twain House & Museum, an institution dedicated to preserving the author's home, literary legacy, and life story. Author Steve Courtney, the organization's Publicist and Publications Editor, conducts a journey back to the Gilded Age, when the celebrated author and humorist was known as Mr. Samuel Clemens of Hartford, Connecticut. Readers can venture inside "a bewitching place" for an illustrated tour that offers intimate glimpses of the writer, his wife, and their daughters within their Victorian mansion.
Abundantly illustrated with architectural drawings and period photos, this volume also features dozens of recent color images. Built in the American Gothic tradition, the richly appointed house features the decorative work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and contains many souvenirs of family trips to Europe. During the seventeen years that he lived in the Hartford home, Sam Clemens completed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), along with The Prince and the Pauper (1881)and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889), in addition to countless lectures, magazine pieces, and stories improvised for the children's delight. The narrative traces the house's history beyond the Clemens family's residence, from its 1903 sale to its current status as a lovingly preserved and restored National Historic Landmark.
This updated edition includes two new chapters and additional full color photos throughout.
Abundantly illustrated with architectural drawings and period photos, this volume also features dozens of recent color images. Built in the American Gothic tradition, the richly appointed house features the decorative work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and contains many souvenirs of family trips to Europe. During the seventeen years that he lived in the Hartford home, Sam Clemens completed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), along with The Prince and the Pauper (1881)and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889), in addition to countless lectures, magazine pieces, and stories improvised for the children's delight. The narrative traces the house's history beyond the Clemens family's residence, from its 1903 sale to its current status as a lovingly preserved and restored National Historic Landmark.
This updated edition includes two new chapters and additional full color photos throughout.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
47 BW Photos, 91 Color Photos
File size
23,07 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4930-9111-9 (9781493091119)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
approx. 09/2025
Globe Pequot Press
€28.50
Not yet published
Person
Author Steve Courtney is Publicist and Publications Editor at the Mark Twain House and Museum. For over 20 years he was associated with the Hartford Courant as bureau chief, copyeditor, book reviewer, and writer on scientific, historic, and literary subjects.
Content
- Intro
- Contents
- Foreword to the 2011 Edition
- Introduction
- Preface: A TOUR WITH MARY MASON FAIRBANKS
- 1. "Am Pretty Well Known, Now-Intend to Be Better Known"
- 2. "That Birth-Place of Six-Shooters"
- 3. "They Preferred Mr. Potter to Everyone Else"
- 4. A Tour of the House
- 5. "The House Is Still Full of Carpenters"
- 6. "O Never Revamp a House!"
- 7. "I Wish There Was Some Way to Change Our Manner of Living"
- 8. "I Knew Mark Twain"
- Backstage at a Bewitching Place
- Bibliography
- About the Author
