Extracts From Adam's Diary

by Mark Twain, Frederick Strothmann (Creator), Oliver Wendell Holmes Library Collection (Creator)

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Genres: Fiction, Classics, Short Stories, Humor, 20th Century, Satire, Biblical Fiction

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1893

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

[Dave Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know this hidden gem existed until browsing through the table of contents for a Twain anthology I picked up for my Kindle. I had to stifle my laughter in order not to disturb my partner who was sleeping next to me while I devoured this quick read in bed. Very, very funny stuff.

I read it along with his companion piece, Eve's Diary, which I also enjoyed though not nearly as much. Perhaps that speaks to the criticism in some corners that Twain never understood women; maybe it suggests that I don't understand them. When my sweetie wakes up, I'm going to recommend them both to her. Perhaps then I'll have an answer to that conundrum. In the meantime, I strongly recommend these short pieces to anyone with a sense of humor.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful, humorous, chipper and lighthearted. Very smart take on good ole’ Adam.

[Owlseyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful, fictionalized version of the Genesis story of Adam and Eve, though, with some "tricks". Somehow Twain managed to decipher Adam's hieroglyphs. One can really wonder about a lone-Adam and how he would react when facing Eve for the first time.

This is a story which would deserve a Jungian analysis. Maybe some day I will do it, because it touches on archetypes, male and female, but also on prejudice.

The first reactions of Adam to the new "creature" are: "she" cries, she's always talking, she eats too much fruit, she prefers another name for Garden of Eden: Niagara Falls Park. He's puzzled about the use of "we". She's also always doing experiments with animals and looking in the pond.

Most importantly is that Adam had warned her to stay away from a certain tree, the snake had recommended her to take fruit from. Here's the trick. The serpent had told Eve it wasn't an apple, the forbidden fruit, but chestnuts. You go figure.

The end is beautiful. Adam concludes "I was mistaken about Eve". Truly, it seems it's better to live outside the Garden with her, than alone in the Garden. At her graveyard you may find: "Wherever she was; there was Eden."

Obviously, it's mandatory to read Eve's version, to get the whole picture.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why haven't I heard of this wonderful book before? I stumbled upon it by accident while reading one of Helen's Keller's autobiographies. She mentioned visiting Mark Twain and how he read some excerpts from "Eve's Diary" to them. That made me curious; I found Eve's Diary on Google Books as well as Extracts from Adam's Diary. Figured I should read that one first. It was absolutely charming; the illustrations were delightful. Only Mark Twain could have infused so much humor into the story of Adam and Eve. What a treasure!

[Benja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Twain's Extracts from Adam's Diary reads exactly as what it sounds like: a brief account of the Book of Genesis (beginning with Eve's inception in 2:21 and ending with Abel's birth in 4:2, by my estimate), as narrated in the first person by Adam himself in his diary. It begins thus:

"Monday. This new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way. It is always hanging around and following me about. I don't like this; I am not used to company. I wish it would stay with the other animals... Cloudy to-day, wind in the east; think we shall have rain... We? Where did I get that word?... I remember now - the new creature uses it."

Despite being a relatively minor (and lamentably short) work from the author's latter days, Twain remains at his satirical sharpest, comical and observant as always. The first half of the story tells of Adam's dismay for fretful Eve, who takes the role of William Blake's Urizen as a force of law and conventional reason, slowly leeching Eden's purity while tripping affable Adam with guilt and self-doubt.

"I advised her to keep away from the tree. She said she wouldn't. I foresee trouble. Will emigrate."

The second half, taking place after Adam and Eve's corruption, focuses on Adam's perplexity at his first-born, an "unclassifiable zoological freak" that mystifies and disturbs him. As the story ends, Adam finally comes to terms with Eve and her offspring. I'm still not sure if this is intended as a happy or tragic outcome.

EDIT: And can I just say, Frederick Strothmann's illustrations for the story are adorable. There's a one-page doodle for every diary entry, summarizing it stupendously while imbuing it with jovial charm. Strothmann is Quentin Blake to Twain's Roal Dahl: the story and the illustrations accompany each other.

[Vaishali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lol !!! Absolutely brilliant. I read this twice in a row just to laugh again, and it was actually better the second time. A huge contender for my "favorites" list.

And there's even this gemstone :
"I find that principles have no real force except when one is well-fed."

[Suzanne Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read.

I do love Twain's humor. There is something so true about being human, funny without being cruel, and always a good lesson to learn. In this case about the relations, the similarities, the differences between the sexes, albeit with a Victorian era slant.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This just might be my favorite of Mark Twain's work. And I've arranged my thoughts into a haiku:

"Superintending,
So pensively gullible,
While Eve sets the score."

[Samanta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A downright hilarious story of the "first couple", written from Adam's point of view. His diary entries are short and to the point. Feels like reading a scientific journal. The funniest part is him trying to figure out WHAT exactly Cain and Abel are and where they came from. It's was refreshingly positive and funny after reading Eve's Diary, which is somewhat melancholic.

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witty, enjoyable, with a sprinkle of the wisdom. Sadly much much too short like to me. I would like to read longer and more specific Adam's diary.

[I have been listening to Mr. Baby Man reading from LibriVox.]

[Lynn Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I was confused, then amused, then I was entertained. And by the end, I swooned a little.

[Márcio Ricardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Os segredos jamais revelados.

Mark Twain resolveu nos dar outros prismas sobre a história de Adão e Eva. Temos a versão de cada um. Temos até a versão do diabo, que não parece tão diabólico assim. Deus não aparece.

O livro tem nuances muito boas, mas em alguns momentos deixa a desejar. Vale a pena ler pela fina e suave ironia e também por sua originalidade em vários pontos.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This text is as exact as it sounds it's from Adams point of view completely read like diary entry's rather than read for the audiences enjoyment. I love the way he writes very boldly about his days especially his annoyance when Eve first finds him and forces her company on him. He doesn't call her Eve though he often refers to her as the new creature or the annoying creature, he finds her presence frustrating and annoying because she seems interested in naming everything whereby he's not. The first half of this book tells of mainly his dislike for Eve and how she follows him around forcing her presence on him even after he tries escaping and building another lone abode, she comes and finds him and well I guess guilts him into coming back to share the first one. He's a lot like a sulking child who can't get his own way and the way he talks of Eve isn't so endearing, after reading Eves account before Adams now reading this makes me feel sorry for her especially as she merely wanted his company and affections. The second half of the book is obviously after they're corrupted and focuses mainly on Adams confusion of his first born child, he doesn't even recognise it as a human thinks it a fish at first and wants to analyse it and work out how it works in a logical way, he also can't understand how or why Eve has changed her behaviour towards what he calls "unclassifiable creature" and even less so when it develops and he then proceeds to believes it to be a kangeroo and when that theory doesn't work out he goes on the hunt through the woods to try and find another of the creature so he can study them more closely.

Eventually as it skips through ahead of time Adam finds himself accepting Eve and "creature" even finding endearing qualities in it occasionally. I feel this was cut short and could have been extended slightly as it ends as Adam finally starts to feel for Eve now that she i assume from his way of talking has died and he misses her.

I enjoyed reading both parts of the story and a snippet into this kind of world even though I'm not very religious it was still an intriguing and interesting read and a good take on how they might well be feeling back when it was rumoured to be how it was created.

[superawesomekt · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It used to be so pleasant and quiet here." - Adam

[Craig Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super quick read, but really entertaining! I loved Adam's curious nature, especially in regards to the first time he sees a baby (which Eve claimed to have "found" while hunting), since it doesn't resemble a grown person as he knows it, he mistakes it for a fish, a kangeroo, a bug, before eventually settling on a type of bear. This is a cute, clever spoof of the Genesis story, and I look forward to reading Eve's Diary next!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, relatively short story purported to be an extract from Adam's diary.
Eve (so SHE calls herself, and she's a she not an it) talks too much. She's overly fond of naming things with no rhyme nor reason. (A dodo is a dodo because it looks like a dodo.) And she's attached a little too much to Cain, which Adam first thinks is a fish, then a strange kangaroo, then a bear.
It ended rather abruptly and I would have enjoyed a bit more.
Recommend. Free Kindle download.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Twain gives us a very amusing recount of how Adam's first days were as was translated from the original manuscript. I chuckled quite a bit through this and I thought he did a good job on this.

[Artur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lighthearted and genuinely funny reimagination of a Biblical story of Adam and Eve from Adam's perspective. Brilliant.

[Verónica · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Quem me dera poder fazê-lo entender que um coração cheio de amor é um tesouro, é tesouro que baste e que sem ele o intelecto é uma pobreza. (…) Porque o amo, então? Acho que é unicamente porque ele é masculino. No fundo ele é bom, e eu amo-o por isso, mas poderia amá-lo mesmo que ele não fosse. Caso ele me batesse ou abusasse de mim, mesmo assim ainda continuaria a amá-lo. (…) Ele é forte e bonito e amo-o por isso e admiro-o e tenho orgulho nele. Mas também poderia amá-lo se não tivesse essas qualidades. Se ele fosse dor, eu amá-lo-ia. Se ele fosse um destroço, eu amá-lo-ia. E trabalharia para ele e seria sua escrava e rezaria por ele e velaria à sua cabeceira até à hora da minha morte. Sim, creio que o amo simplesmente porque ele é meu e é masculino. (…) A vida sem ele, não seria vida, ora como poderia aguentá-la? Esta prece também é imortal e não deixará de ser dita e pensada enquanto a minha espécie subsistir. Eu sou a primeira esposa e na última esposa estará a minha réplica.”

[Rodrigo Ferrão · Rating 4 out of 5]

"É sempre melhor comprovar as coisas pela experiência do que apenas saber. Porque se se depende da adivinhação ou suposição ou de conjecturas, nunca se fica educado. Há coisas que não podemos descobrir mas nunca perceberemos se são desse tipo se não experimentarmos. Pois é, temos de ser pacientes e perseverar na experiência até compreendermos que não podemos compreender. E é maravilhoso quando assim é, torna o mundo tão interessante. Se não houvesse nada para descobrir seria uma chatice. Só mesmo o tentar descobrir e não conseguir é tão interessante como o tentar descobrir e consegui-lo, se calhar até mais, não sei."

- o génio de Twain à solta

[Nungari Kahura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on 1001 Greatest Love and Family Stories
https://podcasts.apple.com/ke/podcast.....

It's a witty take on the story of creation, from Adam's point of view. There's a new addition to his estate. An "it" that wishes to be addressed as a "she", who speaks non-stop and won't give him his space. He's even more intrigued by her discovery of a new "species", their two sons, who come when he's away and who morph and resemble different species as they grow up. Quite an entertaining read (listen)!

[Manuel Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this gem in the library, published in 1908 by the one and only Mark Twain, and to be honest, I had never heard of it. This is Twain at his most humorous Midwestern self placing the Genesis narrative (from Adam's perspective) in early antiquarian America. Loved it! To fans of Twain who have never crossed it's path, read it!

[Mika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on Adam and Eve and quite funny. Though I don't like the grumpy husband with chatty wife stereotype dynamic. I wanted to give one star, but then Cain came into existence, and it became funnier and less grumpy.

[Nderitu Pius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty funny book showing relationship with man and woman and how funny Adam gets in paradise and after paradise. This is so funny tho!!!

[Lina Kerbelyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

...interesting perspective :)...

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply hilarious. Great short work by Twain

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Twain; simple, cutting, hilarious and finally profound.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing but very short; a Twain trifle.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, not something I'd previously been aware Twain wrote, but interesting. Read a manuscript on Project Gutenberg, so possibly not this edition.

[Eddy Ainsley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quick read - hella boring