A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage
Encyclopedia
A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage is a short story written by Mark Twain
in 1876. It was published in a very small, unauthorized edition in 1945, with an authorized edition not appearing until 2001. Initially Twain proposed to William Dean Howells
that they entice twelve authors, including himself, to each write a short story to the same plot. The scheme failed, and Twain was the only one to flesh out the plot. The resulting manuscript remained unpublished until it was purchased by Lew D. Feldman. Mr. Feldman held that ownership of the original manuscript gave him the right to publish. To test this theory, in 1945 he brought out a limited edition of 16 copies of the printed story. The case went all the way to the U.S. Court of Appeals before it was determined that "Ownership of a manuscript does not include the right of publication".
It wasn't until 2001 that publication rights were settled, and the story was finally published in the Atlantic Monthly. This was followed by a book edition by W.W. Norton (ISBN 0393043762).
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
in 1876. It was published in a very small, unauthorized edition in 1945, with an authorized edition not appearing until 2001. Initially Twain proposed to William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells was an American realist author and literary critic. Nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters", he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the Atlantic Monthly as well as his own writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day" and the novel The Rise of...
that they entice twelve authors, including himself, to each write a short story to the same plot. The scheme failed, and Twain was the only one to flesh out the plot. The resulting manuscript remained unpublished until it was purchased by Lew D. Feldman. Mr. Feldman held that ownership of the original manuscript gave him the right to publish. To test this theory, in 1945 he brought out a limited edition of 16 copies of the printed story. The case went all the way to the U.S. Court of Appeals before it was determined that "Ownership of a manuscript does not include the right of publication".
It wasn't until 2001 that publication rights were settled, and the story was finally published in the Atlantic Monthly. This was followed by a book edition by W.W. Norton (ISBN 0393043762).