# Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby — The Autobiography of Mark Twain character guide

> Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby in The Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** Nasby

**First appearance:** 0020-volume-i-old-lecture-days-in-boston

## Who they are

Pen name of humorist David Ross Locke.

## In the story

### [Old Lecture Days in Boston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se/chapters/volume-i-old-lecture-days-in-boston)

Civil War satirist whose Nasby letters were widely copied; delivered the same lecture 'Cussed be Canaan' hundreds of times from manuscript, with a mechanical delivery and a thundering voice.

### [Ralph Keeler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se/chapters/volume-i-ralph-keeler)

Listed as one of the 'good drawing names' in Redpath's lecture bureau.

### [Wednesday, February 7, 1906](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se/chapters/volume-ii-wednesday-february-7-1906)

Critics repeatedly compared Twain's appearance to Nasby's, a comparison Twain resented.

## Links

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- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se/characters