Shelley Fisher Fishkin will read from her newest Mark Twain’s Book of Animals at 7 p.m. tonight, at the Peninsula Humane Society Auditorium, 12 Airport Boulevard, in San Mateo, and sign books afterwards. The Stanford Bookstore will be on hand to sell copies of the book at a 20 percent discount, and Shelley will donate $5 to the Peninsula Humane Society/Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for every book sold tonight. More on the event here.
I know, I know: We’ve written about Shelley before, but this event gives us an excuse to quote controversial Princeton ethicist Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation and The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty:
“For those unaware — as I was until I read this book — that Mark Twain was one of America’s early animal advocates, Shelley Fisher Fishkin’s collection of his writings on animals will come as a revelation. Many of these pieces are as fresh and lively as when they were first written, and it’s wonderful to have them gathered in one place.”UPDATE: And a nice plug for the event in the San Francisco Chronicle here.
It was a special treat to be able to read from the book at an institution Twain himself admired enormously. The year after the ASPCA was founded Twain followed its founder (Henry Bergh) around for a day, observing his successful efforts to combat cruelty to animals. In the article Twain wrote about what he saw for the San Francisco Daily Alta California, he asserted: “One of the most praiseworthy institutions in New York, and one which must plead eloquently for it when its wickedness shall call down the anger of the gods, is the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.” The PHS/SPCA is still doing the kind of work Twain found praiseworthy 143 years ago.
A acquaintance of mine has a site that is committed to educating the public about puppy mills. I saw your site and appreciate what you are doing. Too many individuals don’t understand how much animal cruelty is going on today. Thanks for aiding the effort.