Unpublished Mark Twain Trove Goes Public

Mark Twain died 100 years ago today and Sotheby's auction house is marking the occasion with a preview of an unpublished stash of his writings to be sold off in June. Twain scholars say the gem of the collection is "A Family Sketch," a 64-page tribute to Olivia, the daughter who inspired two of his stories and died of meningitis at age 24, the AP reports.

The collection, which belonged to late media exec James Copley, is expected to fetch roughly $1 million. Among the hundreds of letters and manuscripts is a letter Twain wrote to his future father-in-law defending his character. "As to what I am going to be, henceforth, it is a thing which must be proven & established," he wrote. "I am upon the right path—I shall succeed, I hope. Men as lost as I, have found a Savior, & why not I?" (More Mark Twain stories.)