Mark Twain in the Movies: A Meditation with Pictures

by John Seelye

Images of and commentary on American author Mark Twain

189 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Garrett Zecker]

An extremely interesting book that is as entertaining as it is postmodern. This book basically collects all of the various images that have been taken, drawn, and depicted of Twain throughout his existence and basically organizes them into a entertainingly digestible book. As whimsical as it is serious, the only complaint that I have about the book is its strange lack of any organization; but this is forgivable as it does have a lot of things going for it regardless of this very down side - there is even a complete flip book in the text of the Edison film of Twain at Stormfield! In addition to this, there are many previously unpublished images of himself and his family. The commentary and divisions in the chapters also seems a bit misguided... But it really is a great book for anyone interested in gaining some great perspectives of the man and being able to really attach a face and personality to the name. I particularly also liked the amount of commentary Twain wrote on his own photos that are also reproduced in the book, and photos of him at his billiard table with his cat who was playfully jumping in and out of the pockets of the table. A great book, but not so academic. It is a really great entertainment, though.