Now that's what I call a great first date

As a boy in Hannibal, [Mark] Twain read the works of Charles Dickens. Years later, on New Year’s Eve, 1867, Twain accompanied the Langdon family to a reading by Dickens in New York City’s Steinway Hall. Since Twain would later marry Olivia Langdon, you might say that the Dickens reading was their first “date.”

Cindy Lovell, "Your Museum: All roads lead to Mark Twain," Hannibal Courier-Post, August 21, 2009

Comments

[Christopher Harris]

Gina, what a wonderful little piece of trivia! I had no idea. One can only imagine how wonderful it must have been to have actually heard Charles Dickens reading selections from his works aloud! Wow! Cheers! Chris

[Gina]

And sitting by Mark Twain, too! :-)

[Christopher Harris]

This reminds me of how much that I enjoyed the description of Dickens's public readings and the crowd reactions that Dan Simmons included in his recent novel "Drood." I'd bet that quite a number of poets and authors attended these readings; after all, how could the 'literati' of the day not gone to see what the 'buzz' was all about. What an amazing man Dickens was!

[Nibs]

I think this first paragraph may be Twain's own account of that visit - at least one visit to a Dickens reading:

http://www.twainquotes.com/18680205.html

It doesn't sound like he likes it much, unfortunately!

[Rob Velella]

I just love, love, love this sort of thing when authors cross paths!