Life on the Mississippi

by Mark Twain

Categories:  Autobiography  Classics  History

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Description

Before he became one of America's best-loved authors, Mark Twain lived out his own adventures as a steamboat captain on the Mississippi River. The waterway that would run through the heart of some of his most famous novels defines this autobiographical work. We read of formative experiences on the river and we revisit the Mississippi many years later with Twain as he travels aboard a steamboat, reflecting on the changes he has witnessed in a growing, developing, nation. Twain's signature "tall tales" feature prominently throughout this integral American work, sure to be enjoyed for its most unique blend of nonfiction, autobiography, and pure fancy.

About the Author

Born Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain (1835-1910) was and is an American legend. A prolific journalist, essayist, and writer of short stories and novels, Twain had a unique gift for capturing and often laughing at the young American nation he knew. Growing up in Missouri, Twain spent his early years on the Mississippi River, which would figure prominently in the world of his later fiction. Twain worked as a riverboat pilot as a young man, but headed west when the Civil War broke out. His trip across the country and eventual years in Nevada and California became fodder for some of Twain's best works. Settling eventually in Connecticut, Twain enjoyed many fruitful years of writing, travel, and family life until he left the world, as he had vowed, with the return of Halley's Comet in 1910. Perhaps best known for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huck Finn, Twain is the author of many other works, including Life on the Mississippi, Letters From the Earth, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Innocents Abroad.

Opening Lines (Experimental)

THE Mississippi is well worth reading about. It is not a commonplace river, but on the contrary is in all ways remarkable. Considering the Missouri its main branch, it is the longest river in the world--four thousand three hundred miles. It seems safe to say that it is also the crookedest river in ...

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