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Mark Twain's Letters, Volume 1: 1853-1866
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953 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1912
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About the author
Mark Twain
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Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 12, 2012
The first volume of Mark Twain's letter ends right after his trip to the Sandwich Islands and right before his Innocents Abroad trip on the Quaker City. Sam Clemens grows from printer's apprentice to steamboat pilot to Western miner to professional writer in these letters. His first taste of fame comes with The Jumping Frog. His early writng career is for newspapers and periodicals, consisting mostly of sketches and travel pieces.
This volume is the first step in my personal tribute to Professor Michael Kiskis. Michael died (too young at 56) in May 2011. He taught at Elmira Collge for 18 years and was a true Mark Twain Scholar. Many years ago, he suggested a way of reading Huck Finn. Twain wrote Huck Finn in three different periods of creativity over several years. As he often suggested, the method Michael suggested was to read Huck Finn and the other work by Twain from the period in the order in which they werewritten, not the order in which they were published. Michael suggested adding the autobiographical material, mostly in the form of letters.
By understanding Twain's life, you can better understand Huck Finn. By understanding Huck Finn, you can better understand Twain's life.
So my Michael Kiskis Tribute will be to read:
The Letters, Vol. 1, 1835-1866
The Letter, Vol. 2, 1867-1875
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (stopping in the middle of Chapter 18)
The Letters, Vol. 3, 1876-1885 (reading through 1880)
A Tramp Abroad
The Letters, Vol. 3, 1876-1885(reading 1881)
The Prince and the Pauper
Huck Finn (Chapters 18[and-a-half] to 22)
The Letters, Vol. 3, 1876-1886 (reading 1882-1883)
Life on the Mississippi
Huch Finn (finish)
The Letters, Vol. 3, 1876-1885 (reading 1884-1885)
The Letters, Vol. 4, 1886-1900
The Letters, Vol. 5, 1901-1906
Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review (edited by Michael Kiskis)
The Letters, Vol. 6, 1907-1910
For the Letters, I'm reading the version edited by Albert Bigelow Paine, published in 1917. Many letters have been published since then, but reading the most up-to-date volume of letters is a project for the future. The Paine edition is available free on Kindle.
This volume is the first step in my personal tribute to Professor Michael Kiskis. Michael died (too young at 56) in May 2011. He taught at Elmira Collge for 18 years and was a true Mark Twain Scholar. Many years ago, he suggested a way of reading Huck Finn. Twain wrote Huck Finn in three different periods of creativity over several years. As he often suggested, the method Michael suggested was to read Huck Finn and the other work by Twain from the period in the order in which they werewritten, not the order in which they were published. Michael suggested adding the autobiographical material, mostly in the form of letters.
By understanding Twain's life, you can better understand Huck Finn. By understanding Huck Finn, you can better understand Twain's life.
So my Michael Kiskis Tribute will be to read:
The Letters, Vol. 1, 1835-1866
The Letter, Vol. 2, 1867-1875
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (stopping in the middle of Chapter 18)
The Letters, Vol. 3, 1876-1885 (reading through 1880)
A Tramp Abroad
The Letters, Vol. 3, 1876-1885(reading 1881)
The Prince and the Pauper
Huck Finn (Chapters 18[and-a-half] to 22)
The Letters, Vol. 3, 1876-1886 (reading 1882-1883)
Life on the Mississippi
Huch Finn (finish)
The Letters, Vol. 3, 1876-1885 (reading 1884-1885)
The Letters, Vol. 4, 1886-1900
The Letters, Vol. 5, 1901-1906
Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review (edited by Michael Kiskis)
The Letters, Vol. 6, 1907-1910
For the Letters, I'm reading the version edited by Albert Bigelow Paine, published in 1917. Many letters have been published since then, but reading the most up-to-date volume of letters is a project for the future. The Paine edition is available free on Kindle.
June 12, 2015
I've read all six volumes of Mark Twain's letters and although some obviously are more interesting than others, they are a must for anyone interested in Mark Twain, the man.
These letters give us the background to his works and show him to us as a complex personality with very pronounced weaknesses and strengths : his deep and constant love for his wife Livy, his great capacity for true and loyal friendship, his impetuosity, his restlessness, his extravagance, his occasional childishness, his impatience, moodiness, vanity, generosity, tolerance, honesty, enthusiasm, etc. etc.
I also found Albert Bigelow Paine's annotations very helpful.
These letters give us the background to his works and show him to us as a complex personality with very pronounced weaknesses and strengths : his deep and constant love for his wife Livy, his great capacity for true and loyal friendship, his impetuosity, his restlessness, his extravagance, his occasional childishness, his impatience, moodiness, vanity, generosity, tolerance, honesty, enthusiasm, etc. etc.
I also found Albert Bigelow Paine's annotations very helpful.
December 30, 2017
Insightful
Letters left me with more questions than answers, but that would be expected this many years after they were written. Still very intriguing with all the unknowns. Delightful read.
Letters left me with more questions than answers, but that would be expected this many years after they were written. Still very intriguing with all the unknowns. Delightful read.
October 26, 2018
Perfect complement to the Mark Twain biography,by Ron Powers. Amazing insights when taken from Twain's own hand. Looking forward to Part II.
February 24, 2020
THIS MAN WAS TURELY A GENIUS. LOVE HIS WORK.
June 27, 2012
Great.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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