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How to Tell a Story and Other Essays
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31 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2012
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About the author
Mark Twain
8,928 books18.5k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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 - 30 of 132 reviews
March 22, 2023
What an intriguing little book to describe the art of telling ‘the story’, as the distinction is made between the humorous story and the telling of a comic or a witty one.
There is no ambiguity about Twain’s dislike for the comic or witty story in favour of the humorous one, which takes longer to deliver and more skill to illicit the right response from the audience, Twain alleges. Not a view I wholly share though, but he does draw some really interesting observations which could be relevant for all entertaining, amusing or funny stories. Here are some examples..
The humorous story is “..told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it, but the teller of the comic story tells you beforehand that this is one of the funniest things he has ever heard”
“To string incongruities and absurdities together in a wandering and sometimes purposeless way, and seem innocently unaware that they are absurdities, is the basis of the American art”.
“The Humorous story depends for its effect upon the MANNER of the telling; the comic story and witty story upon the MATTER”
That last quote got me thinking and questioning the differences and the merits ...
Twain also explains the significance of dropping a studied remark apparently without knowing, thinking out loud, and even the timeliness and the duration of that all-important…pause in storytelling which are all designed to elicit the maximum impact and laughter from the viewers.
And why I don’t buy into this notion that the humorous story is more of an art form than the others is because of that all important pause and getting the ending or the punch line right whether it is a humorous story or a comic one.
This is a personal view, but I feel the hardest thing to do must be to stand in front of a demanding audience, who want to be entertained and then tell a joke, comedy sketch, or humorous story that could go wrong and for that reason there is little distinction in the talent needed, in my humble opinion. Any of these storytellers would die a death if that 'pause', delivery, timing and subject is not pulled off to perfection and the shorter the story, the 'gag' or the joke the less maneuverability and recovery time you would have if you got it wrong.
To combine simplicity, innocence, humour, relevance, and amusing lines with the right tone that are well timed is an art form in itself and an admirable one for me - whatever the story.
Intriguing, interesting, and thought provoking. I didn’t expect to be analysing the comic or humorous story as much as I have done after reading this.
3.5 rounded down
There is no ambiguity about Twain’s dislike for the comic or witty story in favour of the humorous one, which takes longer to deliver and more skill to illicit the right response from the audience, Twain alleges. Not a view I wholly share though, but he does draw some really interesting observations which could be relevant for all entertaining, amusing or funny stories. Here are some examples..
The humorous story is “..told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it, but the teller of the comic story tells you beforehand that this is one of the funniest things he has ever heard”
“To string incongruities and absurdities together in a wandering and sometimes purposeless way, and seem innocently unaware that they are absurdities, is the basis of the American art”.
“The Humorous story depends for its effect upon the MANNER of the telling; the comic story and witty story upon the MATTER”
That last quote got me thinking and questioning the differences and the merits ...
Twain also explains the significance of dropping a studied remark apparently without knowing, thinking out loud, and even the timeliness and the duration of that all-important…pause in storytelling which are all designed to elicit the maximum impact and laughter from the viewers.
And why I don’t buy into this notion that the humorous story is more of an art form than the others is because of that all important pause and getting the ending or the punch line right whether it is a humorous story or a comic one.
This is a personal view, but I feel the hardest thing to do must be to stand in front of a demanding audience, who want to be entertained and then tell a joke, comedy sketch, or humorous story that could go wrong and for that reason there is little distinction in the talent needed, in my humble opinion. Any of these storytellers would die a death if that 'pause', delivery, timing and subject is not pulled off to perfection and the shorter the story, the 'gag' or the joke the less maneuverability and recovery time you would have if you got it wrong.
To combine simplicity, innocence, humour, relevance, and amusing lines with the right tone that are well timed is an art form in itself and an admirable one for me - whatever the story.
Intriguing, interesting, and thought provoking. I didn’t expect to be analysing the comic or humorous story as much as I have done after reading this.
3.5 rounded down
February 6, 2012
Rather abrupt changes with little to no flow between them, although the anecdotes themselves are fine. It wasn't quite what I was expecting; I had assumed the "other essays" mentioned were essays about writing, when in reality they were just whatever Twain had thought of at the moment, including his views on ESP.
This makes sense, however: at the time this was published, Twain was going completely bankrupt. He was churning out piece after piece to make ends meet, these essays among them. The diminishing quality truly does show.
This makes sense, however: at the time this was published, Twain was going completely bankrupt. He was churning out piece after piece to make ends meet, these essays among them. The diminishing quality truly does show.
May 1, 2014
Above all, this was entertaining and fun to read out loud. Mark Twain really has a knack for knowing how to make a story aurally sound good.
February 18, 2014
Nice short essays that convey Mark Twain's belief on how to tell a humorous story, the American way. A quick and enjoyable read.
June 29, 2020
“There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind--the humorous. I will talk mainly about that one. The humorous story is American, the comic story is English, the witty story is French. The humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling;
the comic story and the witty story upon the matter.”
the comic story and the witty story upon the matter.”
February 2, 2018
Twain explains how to tell long, humorous tales.
May 8, 2019
The stories are fun. The literary criticism shows why bad romantic novels and biographies are, well, bad.
May 17, 2021
A mighty little book, really one essay. The gist is this. The thing about funny American writers, according to Twain, is that they focus more on the manner in which a story is told rather than on the subject matter of the story. American writers turn literal story telling into an art in itself. I'll forget everything but from memory I think what Twain says is that if you want to tell a story in this fashion, it's good to delay the punch of the story and to make it seem as though it came about naturally. It's also good to meander in the story and let known irrelevant details that keep the readers and listeners enticed regarding where the story is going. It's also good to pause delivering the punch of the story. And he advises to throw in little bits of homespun wisdom throughout the tale but deliver it so the audience doesn't know the storyteller knows the story's insightful.
All told, this is a decent little set of tricks and could make for a useful tool kit for a comedian or storyteller.
All told, this is a decent little set of tricks and could make for a useful tool kit for a comedian or storyteller.
December 5, 2017
A short book, but possibly one of the funniest I've ever read! I laughed nearly the whole way through, particularly at the story which Twain wrote concerning the Limburger cheese incident towards the end of the book. I'd recommend this one to anybody!
September 9, 2024
There is an interesting section where Mark Twain is trying to describe how to be funny by attempting to step through how to tell an anecdote to a group of people. It reads in a humorous way that you would expect something from the 1800s to read but it’s surprisingly relevant!
September 15, 2018
cute or whatever.
July 12, 2025
Big fan of the man and the phenomenon that is Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but this did not make any sense to me; the style is sloppy, the anecdotes are just that; lame and not worthy of the wit and brilliance I know from Mark Twain; skip this one and not be the lesser for it.
September 9, 2020
The ingredients of a well told humorous story that he specified might also apply to the subtle art of stand-up comedy. ‘The Invalid’s Story’ is one of the funniest I’ve ever read. Incredible how you could make a story out of dead(ly) cheese!
December 20, 2015
As a whole, this made for a nice time filler. Nothing blew me away but it had its charm.
There were some pleasant and unpleasant stories, mostly filled with Mark Twain's signature wit. I found the Golden Arm highly unpleasant, but otherwise I have no major complaints
I would recommend it for anyone looking to read some Twain..
There were some pleasant and unpleasant stories, mostly filled with Mark Twain's signature wit. I found the Golden Arm highly unpleasant, but otherwise I have no major complaints
I would recommend it for anyone looking to read some Twain..
May 10, 2021
Pointless and unfunny
Mark Twain wrote this?? A couple of "spooky" coincidences and a painfully long tale of a train ride in company of a smelly cheese thought to be a ripe corpse? Where is Twain's legendary wit? Avoid.
Mark Twain wrote this?? A couple of "spooky" coincidences and a painfully long tale of a train ride in company of a smelly cheese thought to be a ripe corpse? Where is Twain's legendary wit? Avoid.
October 24, 2012
Prijemne citanie o veciach, ktore pre Marka Twaina mali vyznam, napisane sposobom, aky Markovi Twainovi svedci.
September 14, 2018
I love Twain's humorous narrative style, but these essays and short stories are much ado about nothing, and quite frankly, boring. Nowhere near his best work.
June 7, 2022
Contents
-HOW TO TELL A STORY
-THE WOUNDED SOLDIER.
-THE GOLDEN ARM.
-MENTAL TELEGRAPHY AGAIN
-THE INVALID’S STORY
Huge Twain fan, but this is not his best stuff.
-HOW TO TELL A STORY
-THE WOUNDED SOLDIER.
-THE GOLDEN ARM.
-MENTAL TELEGRAPHY AGAIN
-THE INVALID’S STORY
Huge Twain fan, but this is not his best stuff.
September 22, 2023
He's got a point but I didn't find the last story "humoristic" at all. Minus 2 stars because it was anticlimactic.
April 30, 2024
How to Tell a Story --
The main thrust of this essay is to show the difference between what is termed a "humorous" story and one that is merely "comic" or "witty". His claims that the first concerns itself with the manner of how the story is told and the second with the matter of what the story tells; he further claims that the humorous story is more artistic, or, at least, can only be created by an artist.
In Defense of Harriet Shelley -- (this is the best part of the book)
This is possibly the longest essay in the book. It takes a look at the tragic life of Harriet Shelley, lesser known wife to Percy Bysshe Shelley (lesser known compared to Mary Shelley). In essence, Twain attempts to critique a biographical work on Percy that puts the majority of the blame of his infidelity on his wife. He does so convincingly, showing the enormity of the black spot that was Shelley's infidelity toward his first wife and his affairs with both Cornelia and Mary. This essay is funny, filled with wit, and has a right proper moral indignation about it that shows Twain's heart.
The Literary Offenses of Fennimore Cooper --
I read this a long time ago and cannot really comment.
Travelling with a Reformer --
A terribly funny piece about a reformer of petty problems. The general philosophy this gentleman uses is to benefit the public good via minor acts of diplomacy--mostly, in this case, ethical arguments and lies--that result in the "reform" of bad actors without getting them fired. The first example, in which the Major (our titular Reformer) convinces a slacking telegraph boy to send of telegrams more promptly via tacitly threatening to inform the branch owner of what occurred is possibly as much as is necessary to know in a general review like this. The use of violence midway through the work is also absolutely amazing, delineating the comic nature of the Major's character and showing subtly in his reasoning.
The Private History of the "Jumping Frog" Story --
Weird. I don't know if the story he relates about the ancient origin of the jumping frog tale is true. The French translation is, one must imagine, a total joke on Twain's part.
What Paul Bourget Thinks of Us & A Little Note to M. Paul Bourget --
Twain critiques some writing by Paul Bourget on America. He thinks that Bourget's experiences in American and the conclusions that he draws are erroneous--not just erroneous, but that he has been played a fool by some very bad people who knew a) that he was a foreigner and b) that he was writing such-and-such about American customs. What is most striking, however, is that not only do these people do this, but that Bourget is seemingly incapable of penetrating even a little into the true nature of their plans, going so far as to accept as truth many things incapable of being true on their face. He states, for instance, that "there is not in all the United states an entirely nude statue."
Twain's idea seems to be mainly that it is only the naturally or native born persons in a culture that can understand it; it is not the naturalist, who analyzes the bug, that finds the proper understanding by examining it--it is the bug itself, it's own person. It does not seem possible to me that Twain is right.
In the second essay related to Bourget, the Twain pokes fun at the author for having supposedly written a Reply to Twain's piece that was incoherent and didn't deal with any of his points directly; he rubs in the stuff that seemed to hurt the supposed author the most--namely, a joke about French and American descent--, and, by doing so, proves that what he was saying had some life to it, as the joke doesn't work if reversed.
The main thrust of this essay is to show the difference between what is termed a "humorous" story and one that is merely "comic" or "witty". His claims that the first concerns itself with the manner of how the story is told and the second with the matter of what the story tells; he further claims that the humorous story is more artistic, or, at least, can only be created by an artist.
In Defense of Harriet Shelley -- (this is the best part of the book)
This is possibly the longest essay in the book. It takes a look at the tragic life of Harriet Shelley, lesser known wife to Percy Bysshe Shelley (lesser known compared to Mary Shelley). In essence, Twain attempts to critique a biographical work on Percy that puts the majority of the blame of his infidelity on his wife. He does so convincingly, showing the enormity of the black spot that was Shelley's infidelity toward his first wife and his affairs with both Cornelia and Mary. This essay is funny, filled with wit, and has a right proper moral indignation about it that shows Twain's heart.
The Literary Offenses of Fennimore Cooper --
I read this a long time ago and cannot really comment.
Travelling with a Reformer --
A terribly funny piece about a reformer of petty problems. The general philosophy this gentleman uses is to benefit the public good via minor acts of diplomacy--mostly, in this case, ethical arguments and lies--that result in the "reform" of bad actors without getting them fired. The first example, in which the Major (our titular Reformer) convinces a slacking telegraph boy to send of telegrams more promptly via tacitly threatening to inform the branch owner of what occurred is possibly as much as is necessary to know in a general review like this. The use of violence midway through the work is also absolutely amazing, delineating the comic nature of the Major's character and showing subtly in his reasoning.
The Private History of the "Jumping Frog" Story --
Weird. I don't know if the story he relates about the ancient origin of the jumping frog tale is true. The French translation is, one must imagine, a total joke on Twain's part.
What Paul Bourget Thinks of Us & A Little Note to M. Paul Bourget --
Twain critiques some writing by Paul Bourget on America. He thinks that Bourget's experiences in American and the conclusions that he draws are erroneous--not just erroneous, but that he has been played a fool by some very bad people who knew a) that he was a foreigner and b) that he was writing such-and-such about American customs. What is most striking, however, is that not only do these people do this, but that Bourget is seemingly incapable of penetrating even a little into the true nature of their plans, going so far as to accept as truth many things incapable of being true on their face. He states, for instance, that "there is not in all the United states an entirely nude statue."
Twain's idea seems to be mainly that it is only the naturally or native born persons in a culture that can understand it; it is not the naturalist, who analyzes the bug, that finds the proper understanding by examining it--it is the bug itself, it's own person. It does not seem possible to me that Twain is right.
In the second essay related to Bourget, the Twain pokes fun at the author for having supposedly written a Reply to Twain's piece that was incoherent and didn't deal with any of his points directly; he rubs in the stuff that seemed to hurt the supposed author the most--namely, a joke about French and American descent--, and, by doing so, proves that what he was saying had some life to it, as the joke doesn't work if reversed.
March 12, 2022
This is a collection of a couple of essays, one containing two stories, and one independent story. It is quite short, to the point where I almost feel guilty calling it a book, but it's offered as a book on Kindle, so there it is.
The title essay is specifically about how to tell a humorous story, as opposed to a comic or witty story. The humorous story, Twain says, is a uniquely American creation, which depends heavily on the manner of the telling, and the twists of the story itself. The right pause, just long enough; the voice raised just so much; that sort of thing. He gives an example of a humorous story, "The Wounded Soldier", and discusses how such a story might be told to get the maximum impact from the audience. He concludes with another story that is written (and to be told) in a "Negro" accent, complete with "Den" and "Dey" for "Then" and "They, and worse. It would probably be quite humorous if I weren't mentally cringing.
The second essay is called "Mental Telegraphy Again," and contains a series of examples of what he means by the term, and which most of us would put down to coincidence, however improbable.
The independent story, "The Invalid's Story", _is_ very funny, and concerns a man who accompanies his friend's coffin on a train trip to where he will be buried; only there was an accidental swap, and he finds himself in a closed car with a box full of stinky cheese, whose pong the other person in the car says is clearly decay. Hilarity ensues.
What can I say? It's Twain, and I've never read anything by Twain I didn't like, even the dead earnest _Joan of Arc_. I liked it. Well, except for that one story.
The title essay is specifically about how to tell a humorous story, as opposed to a comic or witty story. The humorous story, Twain says, is a uniquely American creation, which depends heavily on the manner of the telling, and the twists of the story itself. The right pause, just long enough; the voice raised just so much; that sort of thing. He gives an example of a humorous story, "The Wounded Soldier", and discusses how such a story might be told to get the maximum impact from the audience. He concludes with another story that is written (and to be told) in a "Negro" accent, complete with "Den" and "Dey" for "Then" and "They, and worse. It would probably be quite humorous if I weren't mentally cringing.
The second essay is called "Mental Telegraphy Again," and contains a series of examples of what he means by the term, and which most of us would put down to coincidence, however improbable.
The independent story, "The Invalid's Story", _is_ very funny, and concerns a man who accompanies his friend's coffin on a train trip to where he will be buried; only there was an accidental swap, and he finds himself in a closed car with a box full of stinky cheese, whose pong the other person in the car says is clearly decay. Hilarity ensues.
What can I say? It's Twain, and I've never read anything by Twain I didn't like, even the dead earnest _Joan of Arc_. I liked it. Well, except for that one story.
April 14, 2024
Esai.. Maka buat saya, buku ini tidak semudah itu untuk dimengerti dan harus dibaca dalam mode konsentrasi penuh. Di buku ini juga dijelaskan timeline kehidupan Twain hingga wafat berikut karya-karyanya yang fenomenal.
Kumpulan esai ini juga salah satunya berisi kritik pada seorang penulis, yang menurut Twain memiliki kemampuan pengamatan yang sangat buruk. Karyanya tidak memenuhi kaidah penulisan. Namun, karyanya dinilai fenomenal dengan ulasan dan rekomendasi sangat baik.
Twain juga menulis satir dalam esai, "Mencalonkan Diri sebagai Presiden". Jika semua bakal calon dalam kancah politik, cenderung menuliskan segala hal positif tentang dirinya dan menjual 1.001 janji, dalam esai ini Twain menuliskan sisi gelap remeh temeh di luar nalar, dengan semangat menyampaikan kejujuran. Jika saja portofolio balon pemimpin negara dan wakil rakyat disampaikan sedemikian gamblang atau tanpa tedeng aling-aling, maka mungkin saja kita bisa memilih dengan semangat "less evil".
Kumpulan esai ini juga salah satunya berisi kritik pada seorang penulis, yang menurut Twain memiliki kemampuan pengamatan yang sangat buruk. Karyanya tidak memenuhi kaidah penulisan. Namun, karyanya dinilai fenomenal dengan ulasan dan rekomendasi sangat baik.
Twain juga menulis satir dalam esai, "Mencalonkan Diri sebagai Presiden". Jika semua bakal calon dalam kancah politik, cenderung menuliskan segala hal positif tentang dirinya dan menjual 1.001 janji, dalam esai ini Twain menuliskan sisi gelap remeh temeh di luar nalar, dengan semangat menyampaikan kejujuran. Jika saja portofolio balon pemimpin negara dan wakil rakyat disampaikan sedemikian gamblang atau tanpa tedeng aling-aling, maka mungkin saja kita bisa memilih dengan semangat "less evil".
January 6, 2025
Mark Twain pontificates on the art of storytelling and specifically, comedic storytelling. I'm not sure I fully agree with him, but I grant that he may be fully correct for the audiences of his time. The essay was skillfully done and I learned from it. I might listen to the audiobook again.
For a more detailed treatment on comedy I recommend the Great Course, "Take My Course, Please! The Philosophy of Humor" by Steven Gimbel.
For a more detailed treatment on comedy I recommend the Great Course, "Take My Course, Please! The Philosophy of Humor" by Steven Gimbel.
August 22, 2025
Not my cup of tea at all. The initial pages about writing humorous stories and timing were interesting - I could relate to Twain's advice on pauses and storytelling mechanics. Brian Troxell's narration was fine too.
But after that, it just became gibberish to me. Couldn't connect with the content at all. Maybe it's the old writing style or the topics, but I kept zoning out. The storytelling advice at the beginning was the only useful part.
If you're into classic literature or Twain specifically, you might enjoy it. For me, it was a struggle to finish. Would only recommend if you're really interested in Twain's essays - otherwise, skip it.
But after that, it just became gibberish to me. Couldn't connect with the content at all. Maybe it's the old writing style or the topics, but I kept zoning out. The storytelling advice at the beginning was the only useful part.
If you're into classic literature or Twain specifically, you might enjoy it. For me, it was a struggle to finish. Would only recommend if you're really interested in Twain's essays - otherwise, skip it.
February 5, 2019
Well-written yet disappointing
It's certainly well written in terms of language and technique.
However the perspective is very narrow and Twain makes a lot of sweeping assumptions, as demonstrated by his rather pompous and unfounded categorization of the comic, witty, and humorous stories as English, French and American, respectively.
Also, it was very short. From such a celebrated author and with such a promising title, I was expecting a lot more from this book.
It's certainly well written in terms of language and technique.
However the perspective is very narrow and Twain makes a lot of sweeping assumptions, as demonstrated by his rather pompous and unfounded categorization of the comic, witty, and humorous stories as English, French and American, respectively.
Also, it was very short. From such a celebrated author and with such a promising title, I was expecting a lot more from this book.
September 17, 2020
Not at all what I was expecting. I suppose I took the title a little too literally. But even that first essay wasn't so much of an essay as a story. These arent essays, they are stories. There is no exposition of Twain's ideas about writing. This is not his version of Orwell's Politics and the English Language, or even his Why I Write. If I was looking for some Of Twains short stories then this might have better fit the bill - especially if the book were so renamed.
October 31, 2022
A very short read, with a mixture of essays and short stories. The first essay is about telling a humorous story, and Mark Twain differentiates American humor with British comedy and French wit, and speaks highly of the first. I am not sure if this was the case when Twain wrote this but I didn't buy it today.
There are some general tips that could be useful for standup comedians. Of the couple of short stories, I enjoyed The Invalid's Story. But that's about it
There are some general tips that could be useful for standup comedians. Of the couple of short stories, I enjoyed The Invalid's Story. But that's about it
August 2, 2023
Sorry,Mark Twain but I will never follow your advice if I want to write.
This was so boring and I hate mark twain’s writing so why would I follow his advise??His writing is annoying as it keeps screaming words at random and the conservations between the characters in the stories he talks about have literal NPCS as characters as their conversation feels so robotic.
Anyway,yeah I hated this,waste of paper.
This was so boring and I hate mark twain’s writing so why would I follow his advise??His writing is annoying as it keeps screaming words at random and the conservations between the characters in the stories he talks about have literal NPCS as characters as their conversation feels so robotic.
Anyway,yeah I hated this,waste of paper.
February 11, 2024
🖍️ Artemus Ward pops up once again, this time in the following passage:
I first heard of Artemus Ward in the book, Why Lincoln Laughed, and here he was mentioned in an essay by Twain.
How to Tell a Story and Other Essays is amusing and short.
📙Published in 1897.
🟢The e-book version can be found at Project Gutenberg.
🟣 Kindle.
＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
Very often, of course, the rambling and disjointed humorous story finishes with a nub, point, snapper, or whatever you like to call it. Then the listener must be alert, for in many cases the teller will divert attention from that nub by dropping it in a carefully casual and indifferent way, with the pretence [sic] that he does not know it is a nub. Artemus Ward used that trick a good deal; then when the belated audience presently caught the joke he would look up with innocent surprise, as if wondering what they had found to laugh at. Dan Setchell used it before him, Nye and Riley and others use it to-day.
I first heard of Artemus Ward in the book, Why Lincoln Laughed, and here he was mentioned in an essay by Twain.
How to Tell a Story and Other Essays is amusing and short.
📙Published in 1897.
🟢The e-book version can be found at Project Gutenberg.
🟣 Kindle.
＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
Want to read
July 5, 2020In How to Tell a Story and Other Essays, iconic American author Mark Twain discusses his own experience as a writer and his personal style. In various essays in the collection he attacks a contemporary of his, defends a maligned dead woman and defends ordinary citizens against the insults of train conductors.
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