Product Description
"I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I had ajolly time. I would not have fooled away any of it writing lettersunder any consideration whatever." --Mark Twain

So Samuel Langhorne Clemens made his excuse for late copy to theSacramento Union, the newspaper that was underwriting his 1866trip. If the young reporter's excuse makes perfect sense to you, jointhe thousands of Island lovers who have delighted in Twain's effortswhen he finally did put pen to paper. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Informative reading for the visitor to Hawaii

Written in 1866, at the front end of his career, these letters provide a nice overview of Twain's talents. There are the obligatory humorous stories, but there are also perceptive descriptions of the Hawaian economy that foreshadow "Life on the Mississippi," itself a precursor of "Huckleberry Finn." Other letters deal with the Hawaiian scenery at the time and its mode of government, in most ways similar to state politics in California. If you're planning on a trip to Hawaii, especially to Oahu, reading this book will enrich your visit. Even if you're not, you'll have the pleasure of viewing a fine mind at work.

A Newbie's View of Hawaii Life
The book itself cam in better shape than described. It appears to be brand new and unread.

The young Mark Twain is a character I hadn't met before. He was fresh from the goldfields and San Francisco -- and was fascinated by the beauty andgrace of Hawaiian life. He wasn't Politicaly Correct in his view of the Native Peoples, but then - - seeing them as equals was not thinkable in the 1860s.

Nevertheless, his descriptions of songs, dances, chants, and especially hula are a valuable view of the authentic artistry. I have always questioned if hula and chants had become distorted during their periods of banishment by the Missionaries. I feared that what I saw at festivals today had been corrupted and "interpreted" by today's cultural masters.

Not to worry.What Twain described seems to be identical to what I see and hear today. The arts may have gone underground, but they were tended and cherished by genius.

A culture is termed "wealthy" if it has enough leisure time to develop a high art.By these terms, the Haida of the Pacific Northwest and the Native Hawaiians were as wealthy as any Aztec.They just didn't have metal to work with, and didn't need it, actually.

Twain went to visit Kilauea Volcano, then, as now, in eruption.

His enjoyment of social events, both high and low, make his stay in the islands what every traveller dreams of. He was enchanted.

Usually I pass on used books; but this one is a keeper.

Beverly in Honolulu

Excellent
This is the audiobook edition of a collection of dispatches that Mark Twain wrote, as a newspaper correspondent, to the Sacramento Daily Union in 1866 during his 7-month sojourn in Hawaii. Mark Twain impressionist McAvoy Layne very ably does the reading for the audiobook edition, bringing Mark Twain's written narrative to life.

Letters from Hawaii provides a fascinating look at 19th century Hawaii -- the people, royalty, customs, culture, neighborhoods, infrastructure, commerce, government, volcanos, valleys, beaches, sea -- as well as a sprinkling of Mark Twain's inimitable humor. History buffs and Hawaiiana buffs will find Twain's first-hand, boots-on-the-ground observations of 19th century Hawaii uniquely satisfying.

I found almost every dispatch riveting. One that comes to mind now as I write this mini review is Mark Twain's account of his visit to the active volcano, Kilauea, on the Big Island, which he viewed both during the daytime and at night. In addition to Twain's powerful visual imagery describing the lava flows, he also interestingly describes the sounds of the volcano. "It makes three distinct sounds - a rushing, a hissing, and a coughing or puffing sound; and if you stand on the brink and close your eyes it is no trick at all to imagine that you are sweeping down a river on a large low pressure steamer, and that you hear the hissing of the steam about her boilers, the puffing from her escape pipes and the churning rush of the water abaft her wheels. The smell of sulfur is strong, but not unpleasant to a sinner."

Whether you are a Mark Twain buff, history buff, travel story buff, kama'aina or a malihini, chances are you will find this book enjoyable.

Great Insight Into The Hawaii of Yesteryear
This book is easy and interesting reading. Anyone who enjoys learning about historical backgrounds will be enthralled by this book. It provides great first person perspective of what Hawaii was like before being tainted by the outside world. I highly recommend it!

Entertaining early writing by Twain
Having just finished reading Twain's Roughing It, and having received this book as a gift, I decided to read them back to back.This is a compilation of the correspondence Mark Twain was hired to write from Hawaii (then the Sandwich Islands) for the California newspaper the Sacramento Union.These letters were written before he had published his first book, so he was still young and inexperienced as a writer.Yet all the elements of classic Twain are in here--the humour, the keen observation, the ear for vernacular speech.It is informative to notice that he used much of the material from these letters--at times verbatim--to create the last few chapters of "Roughing It".I would almost recommend reading "Roughing It" instead of these letters because the writing is more polished and edited for more readability, were it not for the fact that the letters contain some very interesting material that does not appear in "Roughing It".Specifically, Twain does an excellent job covering the trade and commerce of the Islands, specifically the whaling and sugar industries (I am a sucker for 19th century whaling stories), and delivers an exclusive report on the fate of the clipper ship 'Hornet', a ship that completely burned while on the open sea, stranding 31 men in open boats near the Equator.One boat made it to Hawaii and Twain was able to get a report off to California, the first anyone there had heard of it.This report later bacame the source for his piece "Forty-Three Days in an Open Boat".

I would recommend this book to those interested in early Hawaiian, or even California, history and those who would enjoy some early Mark Twain.The subject matter jumps around a bit, as is the nature of this kind of compilation.The introduction by A. Grove Day is very informative and helpful for placing the readings in context.The reading is not always easy but usually entertaining. ... Read more

Product Description
Foreword by Anne Ficklen. Terrific of the best of Twain includes his masterpieces--The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court,--with his burlesque Autobiography and selections from Sketches. Illustrated in black and white. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Satisfaction
I was well pleased with the condition of this book and the timliness of delivery.

Classics
Everyone knows them, but most of us have forgot them. These classics bring back memories of the stories we "Had" to read during our formal education years. Now as an adult one can really appreciate the humor and styling of Twain. Kinda of like watching kids cartoons nowadays....these stories are really more for the older reader/viewer than the kids, no wonder I disliked it so much when I was younger.

Above average
For Twain enthusiasts definitely recommended. For others the book may be found lacking. There are definitely some highlights here for everybody, but mostly the Twain devotees.

If you're not a big fan of Twain I'd skip it. if you are an admirer of the Great One, then dig in.

A Classic
I was never interested in reading when I was in school. I started reading after I graduated high school. Good thing too. Now, I can't stop reading. And I'm actually interested and understand better today. Mark Twain's stories may seem..... old. But still a VERY good read.

Great collection
What a great book to have when you want to have some of Twain's finest stories.This should be a must-have for any reader's library. ... Read more

Product Description
Sketches New and Old, Part 2. is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Mark Twain is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Mark Twain then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Mark Twain, who was often photographed with a cigar, once remarked that he came into the world looking for a light. In this new biography, published on the centennial of the writer's death, Jerome Loving focuses on Mark Twain, humorist and quipster, and sheds new light on the wit, pathos, and tragedy of the author of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In brisk and compelling fashion, Loving follows Twain from Hannibal to Hawaii to the Holy Land, showing how the southerner transformed himself into a westerner and finally a New Englander. This re-examination of Twain's life is informed by newly discovered archival materials that provide the most complex view of the man and writer to date. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

something old,little new,much borrowed,nothing blue
I think the title of my review is the review .Except for the pictures most of it is old stuff but as it is always a pleasure reading about Mr. Clemens the subject saves the book

Very well researched, but boring....
Exellent job of research, but boring to the point that I could not get into this without skipping around.Some wonderful passages but overall, I much preferred Lighting Out for the Territory....

A very tedious book
It is so detailed in relating every little bit of Twain's life to some
character or incident in his writings that one cannot "get on" with the
narrative.Unless you recall every detail of Twain's writings, these
references mean little and the whole is like working your way through a
long recipe. ... Read more

Product Description
Kindle Edition of Mark Twains classic story. This edition includes an active table of contents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The introduction was the best part.
I took interest in this because it was about twins, by Mark Twain and it was free.When I read it, I laughed out loud at the introduction.As an adult twin, I've been asked numerous times, "What's it like to be a twin?" and answered, "I don't know, I've never not been a twin.".I enjoyed reviewing well written details about being a twin.It sounded like the story was going to be a "good twin vs evil twin" story, but showed that both twins had their strengths.The story itself is silly, Twain admits himself that it was pointless.It was a quick and entertaining read.

The Rest of Pudd'nhead Wilson
At one time this was published with Pudd'nhead Wilson.As explained in Twain's introduction, this story started out as part of that story, but the Twins were later -- um, separated.In some ways I think it's a better and more entertaining story.Give it a try. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Fun Way to Introduce a Classic Tale
Our 4 year old son is captivated by the storyline and sits contently for the telling of the whole story.Well written interpretation of the classic story in a condensed and easy to understand form. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Authors, American; Authors, American/ 19th century/ Biography; Twain, Mark; Authors, American - 19th century - Biography; Biography ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

thank you...
this is a must book for anyone really interested in mark twain... thank you for publishing it...

Affectionate biography by an old friend
If you really want to know Mr. Clemens, don't stop with the modern biographies.Read this one by his long-time good friend and consultant.Howells wrote this book in 1910, the year Clemens died.It is a fond recollection of the 44 years he had known the author. Clemens was a complicated man and Howells admits that he did not always understand him.But Howells, a great writer himself, comes close to describing the multi-faceted person that Clemens was.Yes, he was Mark Twain, but that was just one part of a man who surely must be one of the most interesting Americans who ever stood in the spotlight of the world.He was a superstar before radio, TV, and movies.This is certainly not an unbiased account of his life.Howells was clearly in awe of Clemens, a man who was unlike himself in so many ways.He was fascinated by Clemens and drawn to him.How lucky we are that we have this insightful and personal biography, beautifully written by someone who obviously wanted to get it right.Howells put Clemens at the top of the list:"Emerson, Longfellow, Lowell, Holmes - I knew them all and all the rest of our sages, poets, seers, critics, humorists;they were like one another and like other literary men; but Clemens was sole, incomparable, the Lincoln of our literature."
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

A great gift
Mark Twain is simply a genius. This wonderful collection of timeless and witty sketches has never failed to cheer me up. I like that there is a good mix of short and long sketches. There are a lot of small sketches which I read when I don't feel like reading a lengthier one.
I think it makes a lovely gift.

good quality,quick delivary ,high reliability.
the book was at good condition,delivered quick,although the first book had been returned back to the vendor-the second shipment arrived quickly.I'll continue to by from Amazon. Thank you Amir

The best ever intro to Mark Twain
My dad had the original hardback edition of this book in the early 60's, when it was first compiled.I read this book dozens of times, to the point where the covers were torn off and pages were missing.

This softback is the reissue, and is marvelous. It is a compilation of short sketches taken from his novels, newspaper articles and other published sources.

If you are only looking for the "funny stuff" from Mark Twain, without reading the accompanied novels it is all here. "Curing a Cold" is an early stand alone sketch, while "Guying the Guide" comes from "Innocents Abroad."Both of these are worth the price of the book.After reading this, you might consider "The Unabridged Mark Twain, Vol. I and II."

A great companion to this book is the "Complete Essays of Mark Twain."You'll find much less familiar material of a mostly serious nature.Great essays dealing with mental telepathy, international events and one brilliant, touching essay called "The Death of Jean," Mark Twain's thoughts when he found that his adult, epileptic daughter had died.

These two books together make reading in short bursts very meaningful when you don't have the time to read the entire novel.They serve to document the genius of a writer only America could have produced.

A distressingly funny book, inappropriate for quiet areas
This collection features stories so humourous that there should be a warning for heart patients. Ranging from advice for "Curing a Cold" to an angry article "Concerning Chaimbermaids", thisset of articles will provide so much laughter aerobics will be unneccessaryduring the duration of the reading. ... Read more

Product Description
America's master of satiric observation wrote some of the wittiest and sharpest prose of the century, enjoyed by both children and adults. Two volumes offer the original, unaltered versions of Twain's work in chronological order. Volume #1 includes such treasures as "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, and THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Best There Is!
I would never be so presumptuous as to write a review of Mark Twain. I can only comment on the editor's presentation of Volume 1 of his complete works. Somehow, I came upon Volume 2 many years ago, and enjoyed it completely, to the point of saying, "I must get the first volume." I finally found it, to my ongoing contentment with the organization and presentation of this great man's works. The book is clearly laid out, background info is brief, but helpful, with no intent by the editor to add self-serving comments (which I hate). Volume 2 has been a traveller, going on vacations to Costa Rica, Alaska, Washington State, and many hours down by the Ohio River, which is 5 miles from my house. Volume 1 will now also join my travel club.

Best Twain compendium I know of
If you're here because you haven't read Mark Twain's novels and are considering it, then buy this or whatever you can find, and read it. That's probably not the case though, so I'll review this volume.

This is essentially like most of the inexpensive but nice-looking collections of old literature that you see in book stores, with the leatherette covers and super shiny gilt page edges. Not super impressive, but looks good on the bookshelf.

The best part about this volume is that it contains the vast majority of Twain's works that most people would want to read, including Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, The Innocents Abroad, The Prince and the Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It also includes some classic short pieces, like The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses. In total, there is relatively little chaff in here. There is a second volume to go with this one, but it is nowhere near as good.

If you want a good Twain collection to put on the bookshelf, I recommend this one.

Some of the very greatest American literature
Samuel Clemens is one of the greatest American writers ever, and this collection contains most of his best work. It is better than volume II of the collection. I am working my way through the book again for the third time in 15 years. It is worth every penny you will pay for it.

The unabridged Mark Twainis timeless reading
I've been reading Mark Twain for thirty years and always enjoy his sharp, acerbic wit and profound observations. The Unabridged Mark Twain is a collection of some of his best stories and essays dealing with life on the Mississippi River, travels, political commentary and general good fiction.I think one of the hallmarks of a good author is that their writings become timeless and issues pertinent then can be found today. Highly recommended reading. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. Illustrated with scans of the First Edition engravings.Amazon.com Review
Nearly nine decades after his death, Mark Twain remains an international icon. His white-maned, mustachioed image is instantly identifiable throughout the world, the very picture of probity and high spirits (which explains why he's become the poster boy for products as diverse as beer, billiard tables, sewing machines, pizza, and real estate). Perhaps more importantly, Twain's books have retained all their power to amuse and enrage. How is it possible for the creator of a 19th-century "boy's holiday book" (Twain's own description of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) to raise so many contemporary hackles? The answer is that Twain is a contemporary writer. Not, of course, from a chronological point of view--he was born in Missouri in 1835 and died in 1910 (having insisted that "annihilation has no terrors for me"). But Twain was the first writer to elevate the American vernacular to a high art. Sidestepping the starched-shirt diction of his peers, he created an idiom that resembled (but did not precisely duplicate) the wayward, slangy, ungrammatical music of American conversation. No serious reader of Twain will want to do without the Oxford Mark Twain. This 29-volume leviathan includes not only the major works but also a treasure trove of essays and short pieces, many of them unavailable for decades. Throw in the introductions to each volume (by such heavyweights as Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, Cynthia Ozick, Gore Vidal, George Plimpton, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Walter Mosley), as well as the original illustrations, and you've got the book bargain of the millennium. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Great Book, But Don't Buy Quill Pen Classics Version
First of all, this is a great book that has made me laugh countless times. I live in Germany and Mark Twain's observations are so insightful and witty that this book is truly timeless.

I give one star to the 2008 version published by "Quill Pen Classics." The typesetting in this book is atrocious. It's like someone printed it on their home computer. It is an uneven eyesore and very unpleasant to read. Actually the cover of mine looks like the one available for the Kindle version, but it is a 2008 version from "Quill Pen Classics." Apparently this company takes books in the public domain and sells overpriced, poor quality versions of them. $16.95 is a crime both to the consumer and to Mark Twain.

I will not buy another book from "Quill Pen Classics" without looking inside first. I suggest you do the same.

Paperback of poor quality
I purchased the paperback version of the book.The binding is of exceedingly poor quality.The first pages fall out one by one as they are read.I expect the book itself to be very good.Don't buy the paperback.

Funniest travel journal I've ever read
Mark Twain's account of his year and a half spent traveling through a couple countries in Europe, despite a great deal of fictional embellishment, makes a remarkably lucid and informative travel journal.Twain describes his adventures in Germany, Switzerland, the French Alps, and finally northern Italy.His account of Germany takes up half the book so the coverage is somewhat lopsided, but I think this was simply a result of realism setting in: It's an awful lot of work to write a daily journal in detail and I'm sure that Twain began to grow weary of having to take time out of every day to record events.Time spent writing could be better spent living and enjoying one's vacation.I know the feeling since I do keep a daily journal; I let it slip for days or weeks and then have to catch up, and that takes a lot of time.

Ok, the main thing to note is that the account is absolutely HILARIOUS.A delightful way to pass an hour reading during lunchtime or on the beach during a vacation.I read this quite a few months ago so I've forgotten much of the content.The stories that I still remember pretty vividly:
- The bloody fencing matches at the university in Heidelberg
- The raft ride down the Neckar
- A couple tragic accounts of past failed attempts at climbing certain mountains
- The over-the-top story of Twain's expedition to climb the Riffelberg
- The hilarious appendix on the German language

I sell most of my books after reading them but I have such fond memories of the stories in "A Tramp Abroad" that I'm hanging on to it.

You could tell it was Twain with your eyes closed (might be hard to read, though)
When Twain is funny, he is laugh-out-loud, read-it-out loud funny.When he isn't, he's obscure, topical, or dated.He's usually funny in an unmistakable style that you could identify as Twain with your eyes closed (I.e. without being told who wrote it)!

Disappointed after liking "The Innocents Abroad"
I listened to the audio version of both books, and will admit up front that the narrator for this one is not one of my favorites, but I got past that after a while.
Twain seemed to be "padding" the narrative with an awful lot of folktales and legend, rather than his own experience. There's a lengthy (and highly annoying) "fantasy" sequence - I suppose he was trying for parody - as well. I found myself fast-forwarding through almost a full cassette of a gory description of two deuls (near the beginning); he delights in recounting grisly mountaineering stories later on during the novel. The storyline ended abruptly at the end of cassette 11 of 13; the last two were the appendix, which I skipped.
I really liked "Innocents" and am planning on purchasing "Following the Equator" (I looked through it at a bookstore and it seemed pretty interesting), but I wish I'd skipped this one. Three stars for the humor when he actually describes his own experiences. ... Read more

Product Description
Mark Twain, the American comic genius who portrayed, named, and in part exemplified America's "Gilded Age," comes alive -- a presence felt, an artist understood -- in Justin Kaplan's extraordinary biography.

With brilliant immediacy, Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain brings to life a towering literary figure whose dual persona symbolized the emerging American conflict between down-to-earth morality and freewheeling ambition. As Mark Twain, he was the Mississippi riverboat pilot, the satirist with a fiery hatred of pretension, and the author of such classics as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. As Mr. Clemens, he was the star who married an heiress, built a palatial estate, threw away fortunes on harebrained financial schemes, and lived the extravagant life that Mark Twain despised. Kaplan effectively portrays the triumphant-tragic man whose achievements and failures, laughter and anger, reflect a crucial generation in our past as well as his own dark, divided, and remarkably contemporary spirit.

The book begins as the thirty-one-year-old Mark Twain, carrying bottled within himself the experience of his boyhood in Hannibal and his coming-of-age on the Mississippi and on Nevada's silver-rush frontier, quits San Francisco and the old elemental America of the open spaces. He is heading east for the burgeoning new urban America of commerce, invention, finance, and status, where he is destined to marry well, hobnob with the rich and influential, throw away fortunes on tragically alluring schemes...and produce literary works that fulfill and go beyond the vocation he has already acknowledged: "to excite the laughter of God's creatures."

He is heard, seen, made palpable. The texture of his marriage with Olivia Langdon, the protean presence of Mark Twain on the lecture platform, his friendships and enmities -- virtually all his closest relationships partook of both -- spring to life. His writing and publishing experience is organically re-created. His endurance in the face of personal tragedy, his unrivaled charm, his compulsion to quarrel, his humility and his vanity are evoked and felt. His wit rings through the book.

"Honest poverty is a gem that even a King might be proud to call his own, but I wish to sell out. I have sported that kind of jewelry long enough." Thus the young Mark Twain, on the eve of world fame, spoke his disgust at a money-centered society in that blatantly philistine voice that he chose for his most savage satirical declarations. But all his life -- racked by his own ambivalences -- he was to embrace the values of that society.

Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain brilliantly conveys this towering literary figure who was himself a symbol of the peculiarly American conflict between moral scrutiny and the drive to succeed. Mr. Clemens lived the Gilded Life that Mark Twain despised. The merging and fragmenting of these and other identities, as the biography unfolds, results in a magnificent projection of the whole man; the great comic spirit; and the exuberant, tragic human being, who, his friend William Dean Howells said, was "sole, incomparable, the Lincoln of our literature." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Ultimate Twain biography.
Wordy in places, but still the best, most comprehensive biography of Samuel Clemens.

Samuel Clemens Unveiled
It's no wonder this book won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. This is a serious, entertaining and informative treatment of one of the greatest American writers, and, in terms of his life and attitude, one of the best representations of 19th century America. In detail that becomes adornment to its subject, the author proceeds to map out the course of Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, as he progresses as a writer and as a person. Great insights are revealed of his social behavior and, inasmuch as possible and believable, his thoughts. This is a great book; a must for any serious reader.

A split personality!
Kaplan's National Book Award and Pulitzer winner starts with Samuel Clemens' arrival in the East already quite famous due to the popularity of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Almost immediately Clemens sets off to earn his living as a humorous lecturer. Kaplan shows us the many techniques he used such as the extended pause and how carefully he orchestrated his performances.

Clemens' first literary success was INNOCENTS ABROAD about his trip accompanying a group of pilgrims to the Holy Land. It was always one of his most successful books. It was also published by subscription, which means that it was sold pretty much door-to-door.

For me, one of the most entertaining parts of the book was Clemens' courtship of coal heiress Livy Langdon, whose brother, Charlie, had been one of the pilgrims on the INNOCENTS ABROAD trip. She rejected him,telling him she could never love him. He convinced her theirs could be a brother/sister relationship. Then he fell out of his carriage and she had to nurse him back to health.

Much of the book details Clemens' obsession with James W. Paige's typesetting machine, which eventually bankrupted him. According to Kaplan, Clemens always led a duel existence (hence the title), with Mark Twain, the famous writer and social critic, and Samuel Clemens, the incompetent entrepreneur, always at loggerheads.

Kaplan is almost offhandish when it comes to the early deaths of Clemens' daughters Susy and Jean. Clemens never recovered from Susy's death and Jean's preceded his own by just a few months. His wife Livy had been an invalid several years before her death, partly due to heart problems and partly because of nervous prostration brought on by her relationships with Clemens, but they were married for thirty-four years.

The pictures leave a bit to be desired. We never get a good look at Livy as an adult and Jean and Clara are not shown at all, somewhat surprising since Ken Burns found several for his PBS documentary.

Never a Better Twain Shall Meet
This scholarly and readable life of Twain begins with his thirties and carries the master humorist through the glorious successes and bitter tragedies that would haunt him. Well written and full of insightful analysis into his real character this book brings to life a persoanlity solarge that it took a new era (Gilded Age) and two centuries to contain it!For his boyhood try Deep Waters- an equally good review of his wit andlife. ... Read more

Product Description
"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." -- Mark Twain

Mark Twain (1835-1910) was the first American writer to capture the unique and colorful vernacular of his country's populace. Instead of striving to perfect any particular literary form, Twain strove to precisely imprint on paper the colloquial speech, mannerisms and experiences of the American people.

Twain's books earned him an enduring reputation as a satirist and humorist, but he also wrote great short stories. These stories, with their wonderful characters and witty turns-of-phrase, have defined in Americans' minds what it means to have been at a time in our country which was at once optimistic, exploratory and recklessly exploitative.

Listeners can still benefit today from hearing Mark Twain's stories and selections from his novels as they become again what they originally were: the oral history of our uniquely American consciousness.

Includes selections from Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Roughing It, and The Autobiography of Mark Twain, and the short stories The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, The £1,000,000 Bank-Note, The Joke That Made Ed's Fortune, A Dog's Tale, A Story Without an End and many more.

Performed by Ed Begley, Sr., Walter Brennan, Brandon de Wilde, Will Geer, and David Wayne

Customer Reviews (3)

Stories from another era
This collection presents a few of your favorite Clemens stories, just as they must have been read aloud by generations of enthralled readers.I enjoyed it greatly and wish the rest of his works were offered in the exact same format.

Some stories great, some not so well done.
Life on the Mississippi is done wonderfully.
The Jumping Frog of Calveras County is done
with such an affected "old codger" accent that
it's not funny at all, which is almost impossible
for that story.Everything else spans the
range.

The CD is a compilation of several actors,
which doubtless explains the variability.

The Diaries of Adam & Eve: Translated by Mark Twain
Great buy....just as described...quick delivery ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG-- [The Old Man and the Young Man had been conversing. The Old Man had asserted that the human being is merely a machine, and nothing more. The Young Man objected, and asked him to go into particulars and furnish his reasons for his position.] Old Man. What are the materials of which a steam-engine is made?Young Man. Iron, steel, brass, white-metal, and so on.O.M. Where are these found?Y.M. In the rocks. O.M. In a pure state?Y.M. No - in ores.O.M. Are the metals suddenly deposited in the ores? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Vintage Mark Twain
Mark Twain was a superb observer and chronicler of Americana."What is Man" is a compilation of his later writings, and these essays still have meaning today.Because they tend to be reflective, they provide an insight into Mark Twain himself.Thoroughly enjoyable.

It takes all kinds... Twain reveals how
Mark Twain has a knack for explaining reality without any of its grand notions.That's why I love this book.It's a bible that you can read in one sitting and reveals why people act as they do.Unlike the other reviewer, I know you can be a happy person before reading this book and come out the other end a happy person.

Also check out the "misterious stranger" by the same author
This book is not for everyone. If you believe what is happiness,
and you're happy w/ your life w/ no dought, skip this book.
If you doubt everything including your feelings (especially
happiness and satisfaction), then this book provides some idea
to fill up the hole (at least partially).

There is a book by the same author called "the Misterious Stranger" which is much easier to read. It's enjoyable. So I
recommend you guys to try out the misterious stranger first.
Then, if you like the story, and you'd like to know more
about the philosophy behind it, read this one

The book that changed my idea of Mankind
After having read the first few pages of What Is Man? I knew that I would not be able to let it go just like that. In the form of a dialogue Mark Twain raises a bunch of questions about Mankind and the way the mind works. And without revealing too much I can safely say that these are not regular everyday questions!

Whether or not one finds the questions and ideas raised in the book outrageous or greatly revolutionary, one will still be able to get many hours of reading satisfaction out of it. With his usual wit, Twain has created a beautiful dialogue that in many ways can be compared to that in Plato's The Republic. And I would be amazed if this book doesn't put your brain to work. In my case I spend hours, days and even weeks discussing the book with friends and family. I simply wanted to get other people's conceptions and opinions of the ideas raised.

What Is Man? is not just a great piece of art. It is a somewhat behaviouristic philosophy and a way of looking at Mankind. In my opinion a must in every personal library. In my own case I'll need it as an e-book on my laptop for when I'm on the road and as hard back on the book shelve when I'm sitting in my easy chair relaxing after a long day. ... Read more

Product Description
Other volumes in this set include ISBN number(s): 0766161374. Volume 1 of 2. In this autobiography, Mark Twain is speaking from the grave, literally. He would not allow the book to be published until after his death, so that he could speak freely, as in a love letter. In the manner in which Twain is so well-known, his autobiography is really not an autobiography at all, but a series of entertaining stories and opinions, dinner table talks, such as he had always delivered in his own home and elsewhere, and with about the same latitude and elaboration. Twain's narrative is not in any sense a mere fairy tale, many of the chapters, especially the earlier ones, are vividly true in their presentation. The things he told of Mrs. Clemens and Susy are marvelously and beautifully true in spirit and aspect, and the story as a whole is amazingly faithful in the character picture it presents of the man himself. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Great Read
I'm not a huge fan of Mark Twain and his works, but I do love this story. The religious overtones and distant settings blend to make a very good, witch trial/McCarthy feel that hits close to home. It is really a "can't put it down" read. ... Read more

Product Description
Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is, according to many critics and fond readers, the great American novel. Full of vibrant American characters, intriguing regional dialects and folkways, and down-home good humor, it also hits Americans in one of their greatest and on-going sore spots: the fraught issue of racism. As Huck and Jim float down the Mississippi and encounter all manner of people and situations, and as Huck struggles mightily with his conscience concerning Jim, the novel strongly invites a moral and religious perspective. In this new edition, Mary R. Reichardt's introduction places the book in its historical and biographical context, and several critical articles examine such issues as the book's moral implications, religious contexts, and status as an American epic. Mary R. Reichardt, the editor of this edition, is a professor of literature in the Catholic Studies department at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul MN. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great new edition of a great book
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn truly deserves its reputation as one of the greatest American novels. It's a deep and complex work; despite its humor and entertainment value, Twain wanted to comment on various aspects of human nature and society. (Not "slavery is bad," as they tend to harp on in high schools today. Slavery was long gone by the time this was written.) Unlike Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn is NOT a children's book, but was written for adults; many people seem to have forgotten this, and are then disappointed when their kids don't take to it.

This Ignatius critical edition does a good job of helping readers get much more out of the book than they might otherwise. The essays especially focus on some less-obvious dimensions of the book's moral content. Unlike some critical editions, the essays here are not mired in academic gobbledygook but are easy for casual readers, high-school students, and undergraduates to read and understand.
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Product Description
"Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand," Mark Twain once wrote. In this sixth volume in The Library of America's authoritative collection of his writings-the final volume of his fiction-America's greatest humorist emerges in a surprising range of roles: as the savvy satirist of The Gilded Age, the brilliant plotter of its inventive sequel, The American Claimant, and, in two Tom Sawyer novels, as the acknowledged master revisiting his best-loved characters. Also in this volume is the authoritative version of Twain's haunting last novel, No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger, left unpublished when he died.

The Gilded Age (1873), a collaboration with Hartford neighbor Charles Dudley Warner, sends up an age when vast fortunes piled up amid thriving corruption and a city Twain knew well, Washington, D.C., full of would-be power brokers and humbug. The novel also gives us one of Twain's most enduring characters, Colonel Sellers, who returns in The American Claimant (1892), an encore performance that moves beyond the worldly satire of its predecessor into realms of sheer inventive mayhem.

Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894) and Tom Sawyer, Detective (1896) extend the adventures of Huck and Tom. No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger (1908), an astonishing psychic adventure set in the gothic gloom of a medieval Austrian village, offers a powerful and uncanny exploration of the powers of the human mind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Timely, Timeless, For All Times, Our Times Too
Twain in his writings is about being truly human with all it's foolishness and hope.He strikes out into the unknown of life with a gusto. You'll need little baggage or money, just a willing spirit and some common sense to accompany him on his journeys and you'll be wiser if not more content with your little span of living in this wonderful "Guilded" land full of con artists, manupalators, sinners, and a few saints.

The Sixth Volume of L of A's Masterpiece Series!!
Here Twain gives us some lesser known works, but not less quality. This volume from the Library of America is superb American Literature. Human comedy, satire, vision, invention, and new adventures for Tom and Huck across the Atlantic make this a must for Tom and Huck fans...

Mark Twain's Lesser Known Novels by Library of America
This collection of five Mark Twain novels is the sixth volume of his works published by the Library of America (LOA). Once again, the LOA has performed their usual impressive work of scholarship and quality craftsmanship.

The first five volumes comprised his classics and well known short stories, novels and essays. With this volume, the reader is introduced to five of his least famous novels. The Gilded Age was his first novel (1873) and the only one he ever collaborated with another writer on (Hartford neighbor Charles Warner). The other four books were written toward the end of his career (from the 1890's on).

Three of the novels were sequels : "The American Claimant" was itself a successor to "The Gilded Age" as it follows the further misadventures of Colonel Sellers; "Tom Sawyer, Abroad" and Tom Sawyer, Detective" continues the exploits of Tom and Hucklebery Finn. The final book, "The Mysterious Stranger" was never published in Twain's lifetime as it reflects the tragic darkness of his family life with it dark haunting gloom.

This volume is a must for the Mark Twain fan (along with the other five LOA volumes of his writings). While I do not consider this collection to be Mark Twain at his best, even Mark Twain at 3/4 strength is better than most other writers at their peak. The humorous satire of human nature (and of politics in the first two novels) is present in all five books.

Be afraid--be very, very afraid
I have to confess that I seem to be about the only person on the face of the planet who's not a big Mark Twain fan.But after the Enron debacle, and in light of the affluenza sweeping our consumerist society, I recently went back to reread *The Gilded Age*.The more things change, the more they stay the same!Twain's dissection of unscrupulous tycoons wanting to get richer, corrupt senators jumping in bed with the tycoons by cutting them sweet political deals, and get-rich crazy middle class types who kiss up for their cut of the pie could've all been taken from last night's news.A brilliant and occasionally hilarious portrait of what happens to individuals in a souless age mesmerized by the almighty buck.A good warning to us today.I wish it could be required reading for everybody coming of age in these fast-paced times.(It's probably too late to do much good for Enron-type execs.)

One of the bonuses of this Library of America edition is that it includes *The American Claimnant,* a sequel to *Gilded Age*.I'd never heard of it before, and in all honesty didn't enjoy it as much as *Gilded*.But it's a good read for anybody with an afternoon of leisure time. ... Read more

Product Description
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Part 2. is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Mark Twain is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Mark Twain then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

its by mark twain....what can possible go wrong?
Hey,all classics are pretty boring.But give this one a chance.Besides its FREE!You dont get a lot of free things these days.Take advantage of it while you can.

Too much work
This free book is divided into 8 sections.You can get a complete Mark Twain collection - 300+ books for 99 cents.Do yourself a favor and spend the buck. ... Read more