A Private History of the 'Jumping Frog' Story

Twain claims that Artemus Ward gave Clapp the Jumping Frog story as a "present," and "Clapp put it in his Saturday Press, and it killed that paper with a suddenness that was beyond praise."

Twain recounts how "Professor Van Dyke, of Princeton" sought to show him that the "Jumping Frog" story was thousands of years old (446). Twain concedes that the story the "professor" sent him is the same as his own, "in every essential. It is not strung out as I have strung it out, but it is all there" Twain gives several reasons why this is both "curious" and "interesting" (447). Twain then presents both the Greek and Californian stories for the "reader's examination" (448-50). Twain also presents his re-translations of the story from the French back to English (451-53).

Twain claims "I used to tell the story of the Jumping Frog in San Francisco, and presently Artemus Ward came along and wanted it to help fill out a little book which he was about to publish; so I wrote it out and sent it to his publisher, Carleton; but Carleton thought the book had enough matter in it, so he gave the story to Henry Clapp as a present, and Clapp put it in his Saturday Press, and it killed that paper with a suddenness that was beyond praise" (450).