Life on The Mississippi begins with a brief history of the river as reported by Europeans and Americans, beginning with the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1542. It continues with anecdotes of Twain's training as a steamboat pilot, as the 'cub' (apprentice) of an experienced pilot, Horace E. Bixby. He describes, with great affection, the science of navigating the ever-changing Mississippi River in a section that was first published in 1876, entitled "Old Times on the Mississippi."
Life on The Mississippi begins with a brief history of the river as reported by Europeans and Americans, beginning with the Spanish explorer Hernando ...
Extract: The Knighted Knave of Bergen] One day it occurred to me that it had been many years since the world had been afforded the spectacle of a man adventurous enough to undertake a journey through Europe on foot. After much thought, I decided that I was a person fitted to furnish to mankind this spectacle. So I determined to do it. This was in March, 1878. I looked about me for the right sort of person to accompany me in the capacity of agent, and finally hired a Mr. Harris for this service. It was also my purpose to study art while in Europe. Mr. Harris was in sympathy with me in this....
Extract: The Knighted Knave of Bergen] One day it occurred to me that it had been many years since the world had been afforded the spectacle of a man...
Life on the Mississippi is Twain's happiest book. Written early in his career, before the difficulties of his personal life had a chance to color his perception, and filled with reminiscent celebration of his time as a boy and man, as an apprentice and as a Mississippi steamboat pilot, it is a lively, affectionate tribute hardly muted by the fact that the world of the romantic pilots of the Mississippi had disappeared forever during the Civil War and the development of the railroads. It is a great grab-bag of a book. It starts formally enough, with a sonorous history of the river that reveals...
Life on the Mississippi is Twain's happiest book. Written early in his career, before the difficulties of his personal life had a chance to color his ...
Acknowledgements Although I have had several opportunities to see a bull-fight, I have never seen one; but I needed a bull-fight in this book, and a trustworthy one will be found in it. I got it out of John Hay's Castilian Days, reducing and condensing it to fit the requirements of this small story. Mr. Hay and I were friends from early times, and if he were still with us he would not rebuke me for the liberty I have taken. The knowledge of military minutiae exhibited in this book will be found to be correct, but it is not mine; I took it from Army Regulations, ed. 1904; Hardy's...
Acknowledgements Although I have had several opportunities to see a bull-fight, I have never seen one; but I needed a bull-fight in this book, and a t...
Chapter I Hadleyburg enjoys the reputation of being an -incorruptible- town known for its responsible, honest people that are trained to avoid temptation. However, at some point the people of Hadleyburg manage to offend a passing stranger, and he vows to get his revenge by corrupting the town. The stranger's plan centers around a sack of gold (worth around $40,000) he drops off in Hadleyburg at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Richards, to be given to a man in the town who purportedly gave him some life-changing advice (and 20 dollars in a time of need) long ago. To identify the man, a letter with...
Chapter I Hadleyburg enjoys the reputation of being an -incorruptible- town known for its responsible, honest people that are trained to avoid temptat...
In London, about the middle of the sixteenth century, the young Edward, Prince of Wales and son of Henry VIII, aged about twelve years, would like to escape the etiquette of the Court and have fun outside with Children of his age. At the same time, Tom Canty, poor kid of the streets, dreams of escaping his condition. Fate brings together the two children who, taking advantage of a striking resemblance, exchange their respective "roles," not without risks, for the Count of Hertford conspires against the throne: he attempts to have the Prince murdered In favor of his escapade, and to take Tom,...
In London, about the middle of the sixteenth century, the young Edward, Prince of Wales and son of Henry VIII, aged about twelve years, would like to ...
Introduction The novel begins with a -Translator's Preface, - a translator note on the -Peculiarity of Joan of Arc's History, - and a foreword by Sieur Louis de Conte. The -Translator's Preface- offers a condensed overview of Joan of Arc's life, with heavy praise (-the character of Joan of Arc ... occupies the loftiest possible to human attainment-). The -Peculiarity- note explains that Joan of Arc's life is preserved in court documents and that the particulars are provided by Louis de Conte, who, the Translator assures us, is reliable. The Foreword is Sieur de Conte's writing from 1492 (Joan...
Introduction The novel begins with a -Translator's Preface, - a translator note on the -Peculiarity of Joan of Arc's History, - and a foreword by Sieu...
This collection includes over 600 excerpts from Mark Twain's works, some well-known, others obscure, but always interesting. The book is divided into three sections: wit, wisdom (aphorisms), and criticism, and spans Twain's entire writing life: from a love letter written in the 1850s to political essays written in the last years of his life. Hours of entertainment and a smorgasbord of food for thought are contained within this collection of Twain's most memorable writings.
This collection includes over 600 excerpts from Mark Twain's works, some well-known, others obscure, but always interesting. The book is divided into ...
The American Claimant is an 1892 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. Twain wrote the novel with the help of phonographic dictation, the first author (according to Twain himself) to do so. This was also (according to Twain) an attempt to write a book without mention of the weather, the first of its kind in fictitious literature. Indeed, all the weather is contained in an appendix, at the back of the book, which the reader is encouraged to turn to from time to time. The American Claimant is a comedy of mistaken identities and multiple role switches. Its cast of characters include...
The American Claimant is an 1892 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. Twain wrote the novel with the help of phonographic dictation, the ...
