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Mark Twain’s semi-autobiographical travel memoir, “Roughing It” was written between 1870-1871 and subsequently published in 1872. Billed as a prequel to “Innocents Abroad”, in which Twain details his travels aboard a pleasure cruise through Europe and the Holy Land in 1867, “Roughing It” conversely documents Twain’s early days in the old wild west between the years 1861-1867. Employing his characteristically humoristic wit and flare for regional dialect, Twain crafts a story which at once explores the magnificence of the wild west and dispels its romanticized mythology. Called out west to help his brother, Orion, who has been appointed secretary of Nevada, the two travel from their homes in Missouri aboard the Overland Stage. In relating the trip, the rugged brilliance of the open frontier of the American West is beautifully depicted. Parting ways with his brother, Twain continues on from Salt Lake City to San Francisco and ultimately the kingdom of Hawaii. Along the way numerous anecdotes of humorous adventures and mishaps of Twain’s experiences with Mormons, Native Americans, mining, and real estate speculation are satirically told. A classic travelogue, “Roughing It” is one of Twain’s greatest non-fictional works. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First serialized in “The Century Magazine” between 1893 and 1894, Mark Twain’s “Pudd’nhead Wilson” is a murder mystery set before the American Civil War in Missouri, more specifically, in a town on the banks of the Mississippi River. During infancy, a light-skinned black baby and a white-skinned baby were switched at birth by a slave mother. Because the black baby grows up thinking he is white, he is highly racist toward his slaves. The white baby, who thinks he is a slave, grows up with no guidance and makes a living stealing, drinking, and doing other immoral things. During a murder trial, the town lawyer Puddn’head Wilson, who is seen as a peculiar fellow by the townsfolk, is able to expose the boys’ true identities. “Puddn’head Wilson” is a story carried by themes of racism, Southern customs, and questions of identity. On the surface it is a witty and satirical tale but as one digs deeper a biting social commentary of racial inequality can be found. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is a much loved and classic work of American literature. It is the story of Tom, a rambunctious young lad who lives with his Aunt Polly. Tom is a boy who doesn’t much like going to school and throughout the book does everything he can to get out of it. Near the beginning of the novel Tom exhibits his keen wit by convincing some boys to paint his Aunt Polly’s fence that he has been punished with having to do for skipping school. “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is a story of young love. Tom falls for Becky Thatcher, the daughter of the town Judge, and tries to woe her throughout the novel. It is also the tale of boyhood adventure and camaraderie. Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn witness a murder, become pirates, are thought to be dead, and search for lost treasure. Set within the Mississippi river valley of Twain’s youth, the novel is a witty portrayal of 19th century American life. This edition is illustrated by Worth Brehm, includes introductions by Percy Holmes Boynton and Bertha Evans Ward, and a biographical afterword.

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Mark Twain’s first attempt at historical fiction, “The Prince and the Pauper”, was first published in 1881. It is a story set in the time of Prince Edward, of house Tudor, who at age nine would become King Edward VI. When young Prince Edward meets a Pauper, Tom Canty, who likes a lot like him, he convinces the two to switch clothes so that they can be mistaken for each other and end up switching places. While they play out their new roles, Prince Edward learns of the struggles of the commoners of England while Tom discovers what it is like to be a Prince and then a King. Twain wrote with regards to his novel that, “My idea is to afford a realizing sense of the exceeding severity of the laws of that day by inflicting some of their penalties upon the King himself and allowing him a chance to see the rest of them applied to others. . .” A delightfully comedic tale, “The Prince and the Pauper” is at its heart a social commentary on judging others simply by their appearance. This edition includes the illustrations of Franklin Booth.

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First published in 1889, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” was inspired by a dream in which the author, Mark Twain, imagined himself as knight in the time of chivalry. The book relates the tale of Hank Morgan, an engineer from 19th century Hartford Connecticut, who is inexplicably transported to the early medieval England of King Arthur. While there he uses his knowledge of modern technology to appear as though he is a magician. Despite his best intentions, Hank’s attempts to modernize the past bring about a tragic end. A bittersweet depiction of the Arthurian legend through the eyes of a 19th century American, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” satirizes the romanticized notions of chivalry and the idealization of the middle ages, in a delightful and enchanting way, exemplifying Mark Twain at his satirical best. This edition includes an introduction by E. Hudson Long.

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This vintage book (first published in 1948) contains a short biography of Mark Twain, with a wonderful selection of humourous and often aphoristic quotations taken from his writings. This concise and easy-to-digest text is full of interesting and entertaining information concerning Mr. Twain, and is highly recommended for those with an interest in his life and mind. A profusely illustrated antiquarian volume, this book is not to be missed by the discerning collector. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910) better known by his pseudonym, Mark Twain, was a seminal American writer and humourist. Many antiquarian books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

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Referring to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, H. L. Mencken noted that his discovery of this classic American novel was «the most stupendous event of my whole life»; Ernest Hemingway declared that «all modern American literature stems from this one book,» while T. S. Eliot called Huck «one of the permanent symbolic figures of fiction, not unworthy to take a place with Ulysses, Faust, Don Quixote, Don Juan, Hamlet.»The novel's preeminence derives from its wonderfully imaginative re-creation of boyhood adventures along the Mississippi River, its inspired characterization, the author's remarkable ear for dialogue, and the book's understated development of serious underlying themes: «natural» man versus «civilized» society, the evils of slavery, the innate value and dignity of human beings, and other topics. Most of all, Huckleberry Finn is a wonderful story, filled with high adventure and unforgettable characters.

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Whether forming a pirate gang to search for buried treasure or spending a quiet time at home, sharing his medicine with Aunt Polly’s cat, the irrepressible Tom Sawyer evokes the world of boyhood in nineteenth-century rural America. In this classic story, Mark Twain re-created a long-ago world of freshly whitewashed fences and Sunday school picnics into which sordid characters and violent incidents sometimes intruded. The tale powerfully appeals to both adult nostalgia and young imaginations. Readers explore this memorable setting with a slyly humorous born storyteller as their guide.Tom and Huck Finn conceal themselves in the town cemetery, where they witness a grave robbery and a murder. Later, the boys, feeling unappreciated, hide out on a forested island while the townspeople conduct a frantic search and finally mourn them as dead. The friends triumphantly return to town to attend their own funeral, in time for a dramatic trial for the graveyard murder. A three-day ordeal ensues when Tom and his sweetheart, Becky Thatcher, lose their way in the very cave that conceals the murderer.With its hilarious accounts of boyish pranks and its shrewd assessments of human nature, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has captivated generations of readers of all ages. This inexpensive edition of the classic novel offers a not-to-be-missed opportunity to savor a witty and action-packed account of small-town boyhood in a bygone era.

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These memoirs recount the writer and humorist's scuffling years, during which he beat a path across the American West and all the way to Hawaii. His spirited narrative relates a series of triumphs and misadventures and profiles a many-faceted succession of personalities and locales: the stage drivers and desperadoes of the Great Plains; Mormon society; the mines and miners of Nevada; the climate and characteristics of San Francisco; and the amusing and unexpected traits of Sandwich Island civilization. Twain finds drollery in every corner of his travels, but the sincerity and humanity of his reminiscences provide a realistic vision of now-vanished worlds.

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"It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt."«When in doubt, tell the truth.»"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."One of America's greatest storytellers, Samuel Clemens had something witty and wise to say on just about every topic. Gathered from his classic novels, diary entries, newspaper articles, and correspondence, this collection of wry quips and quotes reflects his keen observations on animals, critics, doctors, laughter, politics, youth, and other topics. Arranged alphabetically — «Abroad to Ax,» for example, along with «Madness to Mystery» and «Uncle to Utah» — the subjects are also conveniently indexed and cross-referenced by topic. 

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