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Sam Clemmons might have been a good student if he had the opportunity to be a student at all. After his father's death he became a printer's apprentice at the age of 12. He was clearly a good observer and a quick learner as he began almost immediately contributing articles and by age 17 had published in a literary magazine. He also became a river boat pilot in his twenties which was the inspiration for his pseudonym of Mark Twain.

The pilots (on the Mississippi in this case) using a plumbline measured the depth of water. They would call out the depth in fathoms. "By the mark -- twain" meant the water was two fathoms or 12 feet deep. OR a more fun answer. . . Mark Twain could stand for Twain's obsessive drinking and his calling for two beers by saying Mark Twain or Mark Two (Source Mark Twain: His Amazing Adventures by A&E 1997 by Director Bill Harris)

Carla Heine of Haunted Sonoma adds: Mark Twain was as close to the shore as a riverboat could get safely. As the plumb boy Sam Clemens, to call "Mark Twain!" up to the Captain of the steamboat was to tell him "all is well'" As a riverboat captain, Sam Clemens was always glad to hear this call from his plumb boy. Anything less than Mark Twain meant the boat was headed for a scrape at best. As a newspaper reporter Samuel Clemens ruined two of his careers with his caustic sarcasm, and alienated many former friends and relatives. Changing his name to Mark Twain gave him a fresh start in the writing trade, and also recalled old times when all really was well.

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14y ago

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