Twain, Mark: Following the Equator. v1, 3 Jan 2008

[Madam Broshkina]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:


Following the Equator (American English title) or More Tramps Abroad (English title) is a non-fiction travelogue published by American author Mark Twain in 1897.

Twain was practically bankrupt in 1894 due to a failed investment into a "revolutionary" typesetting machine. In an attempt to extricate himself from debt of $100,000 (equivalent of about $2 million in 2005) he undertook a tour of the British Empire in 1895, a route chosen to provide numerous opportunities for lectures in the English language.

In Following the Equator, an account of that travel published in 1897, the author unmasks and criticizes racism, imperialism and missionary zeal in observations woven into the narrative with classical Twain wit.

This work is assumed to be in the Life+70 public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. Copyright laws differ throughout the world, and it may still be under copyright in some countries. Before downloading, please check your country's copyright laws. If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.

To report a copyright violation you can contact us here.

[tsgreer]

On a side note, any hints on why the "revolutionary" typesetting machine failed? Seems like Mark Twain was a pretty smart fellow, so I was surprised to find out that he made a bad business decision....

[Madam Broshkina]

Originally Posted by tsgreer

On a side note, any hints on why the "revolutionary" typesetting machine failed? Seems like Mark Twain was a pretty smart fellow, so I was surprised to find out that he made a bad business decision....

I think the problem was caused by the fact that only a certain type of paper could be used on the "revolutionary" typesetting machine. The paper was designed so that the ink automatically disappeared after what was printed was read. If one wanted to read it again they would have to repurchase the book. Publishers at the time were all for it, but it never caught on with the public. This is probably one of the first cases where Digital Rights Management caused a public uproar.