"Some Thoughts on the Science of Onanism" is a speech delivered by Mark Twain in Paris at the Stomach Club in spring, 1879. The Stomach Club was a collection of U.S. expatriate writers and artists, such as Edwin Austin Abbey. The speech satirically dealt with masturbation ("

onan Onan ''Aunan'' was a figure detailed in the Book of Genesis chapter 38, as the second son of Judah and Shuah, and the brother of Er and Shelah. After being commanded by Judah to procreate with the late Er's wife Tamar, he instead "spilled his s ...

ism") and the perceived bane it is on society. Long suppressed, it was "first circulated by the Twain specialist, Franklin J. Meine, in typewritten copies during the 1940's, and by Chicago advertising man, George Brownell, in twenty-five mimeographed copies circulated among members of the Mark Twain Society of Chicago in 1952. It was first actually printed in

Ralph Ginzburg Ralph Ginzburg (October 28, 1929 – July 6, 2006) was an American author, editor, publisher and photo-journalist. He was best known for publishing books and magazines on erotica and art and for his conviction in 1963 for violating federal obsce ...

's ''Fact'' magazine (New York, March 1964 Vol. 1, No. 2: pages 18-21...." The first printed copies appeared in 1952 as an accordion-folded version limited to 100 copies. In 1976, the speech was published as "Some Remarks on the Science of Onanism" in ''The Mammoth Cod and Address to the Stomach Club''.Twain, Mark, ''The Mammoth Cod and Address to the Stomach Club'' with an introduction by G. Legman, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Maledicta, Inc., 1976.

References

{{Mark Twain Essays by Mark Twain American satire 1879 in France 1879 speeches