A Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D.C.
October 15, 1902
Sir:
Prices for the customary kinds of winter fuel having reached an altitude which puts them out of the reach of literary persons in straitened circumstances, I desire to place with you the following order:
Forty-five tons best old dry government bonds, suitable for furnace, gold 7 per cents., 1864, preferred.
Twelve tons early greenbacks, range size, suitable for cooking.
Eight barrels seasoned 25 and 50 cent postal currency, vintage of 1866, eligible for kindlings.
Please deliver with all convenient despatch at my house in Riverdale at lowest rates for spot cash, and send bill to
Mark Twain, Who will be very grateful, and will vote right.
The Story Behind the Words
Context that deepens your understanding
Historical Context
Written in October 1902, this humorous letter satirizes the high cost of heating fuel by requesting government financial instruments be delivered for use as kindling and furnace fuel. Text sourced from [Wikisource](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Letter_to_the_Secretary_of_the_Treasury).
Significance
A classic example of Twain's satirical wit, using humor to comment on economic hardship and the struggles of literary persons to afford basic necessities like heating fuel.
About Mark Twain
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens, 1835-1910) was America's foremost humorist and social critic. By 1902, he was living in Riverdale, New York, and had already achieved international fame.