Essays and Sketches

by Mark Twain, Stuart Miller (Selected by)

The fifty-two selections in Essays and Sketches of Mark Twain recast the image of Twain the white-suited, wisecracking misanthrope. Here he is revealed as a man with a wide range of social and literary concerns. Though very much of his time, his observations are sometimes uncannily modern.

Twain was bemused, often confounded, by the human race. In "My Watch," he turns the act of resetting a watch into a fable about our propensity for never leaving well enough alone. In "Eve's Diary," he looks into the origins of human foible: no one has ever taken Eve's side quite so fully, nor has Adam, in any other context, made readers smile with such empathy.

"Is Shakespeare Dead?" constructs a spirited argument against the likelihood of Shakespeare'' authorship of the plays and offers at the same time a gloss on Twain'' own authorial authenticity. Amused by the British, Twain the world traveler is also exasperated by the French and admiring of the Germans, no matter how much he may rant about "The Awful German Language." Twain the educator is in top form in "How to Make History Dates Stick," where he concocts an ingenious-and interactive-way to make history come alive for his children.

Essays and Sketches of Mark Twain has eight sections that carry Twain forward thematically as well as chronologically, providing a portrait of the man that is cut of whole cloth.


About the Author

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, or Mark Twain, as he was better known was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri, the sixth child of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. His father ran a dry goods and grocery store, practiced law and involved himself in local politics after the family's move to Hannibal, Missouri, when Sam was four years old.

Hannibal seems to have been a good place for a boy to grow up. Sam was entranced by the Mississippi River and enjoyed both the barges and the people who traveled on them. When Sam was just eleven his father died and Sam went to work for his brother at the Hannibal Journal first as a printer's apprentice and later a compositor. While still in his teens Sam went on the road as an itinerant printer. In 1857 he conceived a plan to seek his fortune in South America but on the way he met a steamboat captain, Horace Bixby who took him on as a cub riverboat pilot and taught him until he acquired his own license.

This enjoyable style of life, which Twain always spoke of later with special warmth was ended by the Civil War. Twain went west with his brother Orion to prospect in Nevada but in 1862 joined the staff of the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, a paper to which he had already begun submitting his work. Later Twain went to California and submitted "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" to the New York Saturday Press.

By 1871 Twain had published Innocents Abroad and had married Olivia Langdon, the sister of a friend from a socially prominent New York City family. He and his wife moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where they made their family home for the next 20 years.

Books that he wrote in Hartford confirmed his popular reputation but despite their success Twain found himself in financial difficulty primarily because of his investments in the Paige typesetting business as well as his own publishing company. Eventually Twain was forced to declare bankruptcy.

Twain's last major books were successful commercially but they also reflect his increasing pessimism. His satire becomes at times more biting and mean-spirited than it is humorous. Despite the downturn in Twain's outlook in later life and despite the unevenness of much of his work, he remains one of the major writers of the American nineteenth century, and one who has been enormously influential on subsequent writers.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Classics, Humor, Literature, Classic Literature

477 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This set is not the best of his stories; many were uninspiring. Still it contained a few I hadn’t read, and a couple of these were good ones I’m glad I’ve now read.

[Adam Gossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to read this at least 10 more times.

[Keith.94928 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Topical essays do not always wear well with time, however, his sarcastic sense of humor is very modern.

[SteveR · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Mark Twain, I found this a terrific book. It is a collection, as the name implies, of short essays written by Twain when he was a journalist and world traveler. Some of the stories were beyond my understanding – due to the time it was written, the complexity of the subject or Twain's odd sense of humor, but several pieces are outstanding.

“My Debut as a Literary Person” recounts the amazing and harrowing tale of the survivors of a clipper-ship that sinks when one of the lifeboats arrives in Hawaii.

In “A Majestic Literary Fossil” Twain shares hilarious thoughts on the absurdity of ancient medical practices like blood letting – "[the doctor:] took a hack at every patient whom he found still alive."

“Is Shakespeare Dead?” provides Twain's views and a very convincing argument on the “real” Shakespeare. Upon deeper thought, it also provides some interesting comparisons to Twain’s own rise as a famous writer.

“The Death of Jean” is a moving essay on the death of Twain’s daughter. In this piece you feel the pain of his loss.

[Garrett Zecker]

A good collection of Twain's most basic nonfiction. What I think is interesting about this collection, however, is that in the same amount of pages, there coulf have certainly been more texts included. The editorial efforts of miller were good, but I think they fall short. I suppose that a primary reason that I felt this way was that I had to consult other volumes often enough in order to gain some of his other texts. This book lacks some of Twain's most important writing such as "What is Man?" and "To the Person Sitting in Darkness." I suppose if it was found for a dollar on the bargain rack at your local bookstore, I would snag it, but the Library of America has done a much better job in compiling much of his important texts over two volumes with the only exception that it includes no editorial commentary. Regardless of that, if you are interested in digesting the nonfiction of Twain, I would pick up the LOA's books which are complete and comprehensive in two volumes. They are also really just good books in construction and feel; ISBN: 0940450739 and 0940450364.

[Ryan McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of Mark Twain's nonfiction covers a range of topics including youth, travel, human nature, the learning process, and much else. I found myself slogging through many of the essays without any real appreciation for Twain's sense of humour, but there were a few gems in the bunch, which made reading the book worth while.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaron and I love this one for one essay alone:
Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses

You will laugh out loud. If you don't, you are too enamored with James Fenimore Cooper. I love this essay.

The Adam and Eve ones are very funny too. A good book to read out loud and enjoy.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all of the bits are golden, but the ones that hit really hit. Especially fond of the little bits of the Diaries of Adam and Eve that made it into this collection. I would highly recommend this for an occasional read.

[K Kamath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good traveling book. Short pieces and slightly longer things not readily found in other Twain collections. I found myself laughing out loud often. Moral pieces also interestingly I had not found in the other works.