Clemens, Samuel L.:

$3,850 · Offered by William Reese Company

[Autograph Letter, Signed ("SL Clemens"), to Richard Watson Gilder]. To "My Dear Gilder," in the recipient's role as editor of CENTURY MAGAZINE: "Do you want a powerful readable short article (about 5,000 words at a rough guess?) And will you pay a higher rate than of yore (for reasons explainable when I see you) if you accept it? And will you crowd it into the March No.? If there's any hurry... use the telegraph - because I want to take a day, or maybe two, to knock out adjectives & polish up...." Signed: "Yr sincerely SL Clemens [flourish]." A four line postscript follows: "Praps [sic] I don't want it in next number - I can't quite tell, yet. But am tolerably sure I do." The article in question was, most likely, "English as She is Taught," which appeared in the April issue of CENTURY MAGAZINE.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.