The Valley fire is spreading fast in Calaveras County
Mark Twain celebrated
A Jumping Frog in Calaveras County
in a Tale he wrote long ago
when winters there more often brought snow----
a very welcome watery thing
after it melts in Spring.
Today, what jumps there
in choking smoky air,
is a raging conflagration
which, with mounting desperation,
is destroying homes and trees
on every puff of breeze
smothering lungs and burning faces
of those daring to brave it
hoping to save it,
but too often leaving ashes, exhaustion and tears
as their only reward from "the worst fires in thirty years".
HZL
9/14/15
Twain first wrote the title short story at the request of his friend Artemus Ward, for inclusion in an upcoming book. Twain worked on two versions, but neither was satisfactory to him—neither got around to describing the jumping frog contest. Ward pressed him again, but by the time Twain devised a version he was willing to submit, that book was already nearing publication, so Ward sent it instead to The New York Saturday Press, where it appeared in the November 18, 1865 edition as "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog".[2] Twain's colorful story was immensely popular, and was soon printed in many different magazines and newspapers. Twain developed the idea further, and Bret Harte published this version in The Californian on December 16, 1865; this time titled "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", and Smiley's name was changed to Greeley.[3]
Further popularity of the tale led Twain to use the story to anchor his own first book, which appeared in 1867 with a first issue run of only 1,000 copies. The first edition was issued in seven colors (with no priority): blue, brown, green, lavender, plum, red, and terra-cotta, and is sought after by book collectors, as it fetches thousands of dollars at auctions.[4] In the book version, Twain changed Greeley back to Smiley.[3]
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/.../The_Celebrated_Jumping_Frog_of...
Wikipedia
"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain. It was his first great success as a writer and brought him national ...
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