Beyond a few sketches, Clemens did very little literary work that summer, but he planned a trip to Europe, and he invented what is still known and sold as the “Mark Twain Scrap-Book.”

He wrote to Orion of his proposed trip to England, and dilated upon his scrap-book with considerable enthusiasm.  The idea had grown out of the inconvenience of finding a paste-jar, and the general mussiness of scrap-book keeping.  His new plan was a self-pasting scrap-book with the gum laid on in narrow strips, requiring only to be dampened with a sponge or other moist substance to be ready for the clipping.  He states that he intends to put the invention into the hands of Slote, Woodman & Co., of whom Dan Slote, his old Quaker City room-mate, was the senior partner, and have it manufactured for the trade.

About this time began Mark Twain’s long and active interest in copyright.  Previously he had not much considered the subject; he had taken it for granted there was no step that he could take, while international piracy was a recognized institution.  On both sides of the water books were appropriated, often without profit, sometimes even without credit, to the author.  To tell the truth, Clemens had at first regarded it rather in the nature of a compliment that his books should be thought worth pirating in England, but as time passed he realized that he was paying heavily for this recognition.  Furthermore, he decided that he was forfeiting a right; rather that he was being deprived of it:  something which it was in his nature to resent.

When ‘Roughing It’ had been ready for issue he agreed with Bliss that they should try the experiment of copyrighting it in England, and see how far the law would protect them against the voracious little publisher, who thus far had not only snapped up everything bearing Mark Twain’s signature, but had included in a volume of Mark Twain sketches certain examples of very weak humor with which Mark Twain had been previously unfamiliar.

Whatever the English pirate’s opinion of the copyright protection of ‘Roughing It’ may have been, he did not attempt to violate it.  This was gratifying.  Clemens came to regard England as a friendly power.  He decided to visit it and spy out the land.  He would make the acquaintance of its people and institutions and write a book, which would do these things justice.

He gave out no word of his real purpose.  He merely said that he was going over to see his English publishers, and perhaps to arrange for a few lectures.  He provided himself with some stylographic note-books, by which he could produce two copies of his daily memoranda—­one for himself and one to mail to Mrs. Clemens—­and sailed on the Scotia August 21, 1872.