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Founded in 1866 by William Conant Church (1836 - 1917) and his brother Francis Pharcellus Church (1839 - 1906), THE GALAXY became one of America's leading monthly magazines for a short time during the 19th century. Mark Twain contributed two stories to the magazine in 1868. In 1870 Twain accepted an arrangement with the Church brothers to write a department for the magazine called "MEMORANDA." Twain's contributions usually ran about ten pages in length. Twain's "MEMORANDA" appeared monthly from May 1870 - April 1871. The column did not appear in March 1871. (An item in the May 1871 issue was reprinted years later and attributed to Mark Twain. It is included in this collection for research purposes.) In August 1871, an additional contribution titled "About Barbers" appeared in "THE GALAXY CLUB-ROOM" department. THE GALAXY ceased publication in 1878 and sold its subscription list to the ATLANTIC MONTHLY. Francis "Frank" P. Church later worked as an editorial writer for the New York Sun newspaper. Today Francis P. Church is best known for his Christmas editorial that appeared in the Sun on September 21, 1897 commonly referred to as "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."

Original GALAXY magazine from the Dave Thomson collection.

THE GALAXY  February 1868	General Washington's Negro Body-Servant
THE GALAXY  May 1868	My Late Senatorial Secretaryship
THE GALAXY  May 1870	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: Introductory The Facts in the Case of the Great Beef Contract George Wakeman About Smells Disgraceful Persecution of a Boy The Story of the Good Little Boy Who Did Not Prosper Short miscellaneous items - includes items on Professor Silliman; City of Hartford, Oneida, Engagement Rings
THE GALAXY  June 1870	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: A Couple of Sad Experiences - includes The Petrified Man and My Famous Bloody Massacre The Judge's "Spirited Woman" Higgins Hogwash A Literary "Old Offender" in Court with Suspicious Property in His Possession Post Mortem Poetry Wit-Inspirations of the "Two-Year-Olds" Short miscellaneous items - includes items on Murphy, A Patriarch, Lady Franklin
THE GALAXY  July 1870	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: How I Edited an Agricultural Paper Once The 'Tournament' in A.D. 1870 Enigma Unburlesquable Things The Late Benjamin Franklin The Editorial Office Bore Johnny Greer A Daring Attempt at a Solution of It To Correspondents
THE GALAXY  August 1870	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: A Memory Personal Explanation Portrait
THE GALAXY  September 1870	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: Political Economy John Chinaman in New York The Noble Red Man A Royal Compliment The Approaching Epidemic Favors from Correspondents Short miscellaneous items - includes items on Beef Contract, Funeral, Obituary, Enigma
THE GALAXY  October 1870	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: The Reception at the President's Goldsmith's Friend Abroad Again, Letters I - IV Curious Relic For Sale Science vs. Luck Favors from Correspondents Short miscellaneous items - includes items on Obituary, Johnny Skae, Baby, How Is This for High?, Obituary, Some Other Favors
THE GALAXY  November 1870	Mark Twain's Map of Paris [special feature]  MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: Riley - Newspaper Correspondent Goldsmith's Friend Abroad Again, Letters V - VI A Reminiscence of the Back Settlements A General Reply Favors from Correspondents
THE GALAXY  December 1870	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: An Entertaining Article History Repeats Itself Running for Governor The "Present" Nuisance Dogberry in Washington My Watch - An Instructive Little Tale Favors from Correspondents Short miscellaneous items - includes items on A Colt, Whitney, Brigham Young, Divorce, Epitaph, the Map, Art
THE GALAXY  January 1871	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: The Portrait The Facts in the Case of George Fisher, Deceased A "Forty-niner" Doggerel Goldsmith's Friend Abroad Again, Letter VII Mean People A Sad, Sad Business Concerning a Rumor Agassiz
THE GALAXY  February 1871	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: The Coming Man A Book Review The Tone-Imparting Committee The Danger of Lying in Bed One of Mankind's Bores A Falsehood The Indignity Put Upon the Remains of George Holland by the Rev. Mr. Sabine
THE GALAXY  April 1871	MARK TWAIN'S MEMORANDA - Includes: Valedictory and My First Literary Venture About a Remarkable Stranger
THE GALAXY  May 1871	attributed item likely written by Donn Piatt: THE GALAXY CLUB-ROOM - The Mabille and Majesty
THE GALAXY  August 1871	THE GALAXY CLUB-ROOM - About Barbers

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