Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1: The Complete and Authoritative Edition

Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authorized Edition #1

by Mark Twain, Harriet E. Smith (Editor), Benjamin Griffin (Editor)

"I've struck it!" Mark Twain wrote in a 1904 letter to a friend. "And I will give it away--to you. You will never know how much enjoyment you have lost until you get to dictating your autobiography." Thus, after dozens of false starts and hundreds of pages, Twain embarked on his "Final (and Right) Plan" for telling the story of his life. His innovative notion--to "talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment"--meant that his thoughts could range freely. The strict instruction that many of these texts remain unpublished for 100 years meant that when they came out, he would be "dead, and unaware, and indifferent," and that he was therefore free to speak his "whole frank mind."

The year 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Twain's death. In celebration of this important milestone and in honor of the cherished tradition of publishing Mark Twain's works, UC Press is proud to offer for the first time Mark Twain's uncensored autobiography in its entirety and exactly as he left it. This major literary event brings to readers, admirers, and scholars the first of three volumes and presents Mark Twain's authentic and unsuppressed voice, brimming with humor, ideas, and opinions, and speaking clearly from the grave as he intended.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, History, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Humor

736 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2010

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

[Linda Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in the audiobook version.
The editors’ long and tedious explanation of the autobiographical material takes up most of the first part of this three-part audiobook. I believe that Mark Twain would have had a good laugh at the pomposity of the editors and their footnotes; unfortunately I found it insufferably boring and a very poor use of audio. If I had been reading a print version I would have skimmed or skipped this beginning all together.

I wanted to read Twain’s writing not what all those other folks think I should get out of reading it. A very brief "We got this stuff from lots of different places and times and some of it's literal and some of it isn't. Enjoy," would have been fine with me. Twain does an excellent job of explaining himself.

A mishmash of writing by Mark Twain. Some made me smile, some was historically interesting and some made me shake my head in wonder that so little has changed in 100 years.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 5 out of 5]

5★
I know he played it safe and wouldn't allow his estate to release this until 100 years after his death, but it has missed an audience that would have revelled in his gossip, much of which has lost a lot of its meaning over the years.

Clemens became a very important and popular public figure, attended countless lunches, dinners, and meetings and was a highly sought-after speaker.

His reminiscences are full of famous people, (and he really seems to enjoy being a name-dropper, since he mixed with the rich and the powerful), but the names don't carry nearly the weight these days as they would have even 50 years ago. History buffs will recognise a lot of them, but other than that, we have to take his word for it that it was a real coup to be received by Mrs So-and-So.

My dad would have loved it, and I admit to a bit of a thrill when I saw one of his books as one of the MANY references! I grew up with Twain all around me, (since he was my father's speciality), so it was kind of like reading about a famous distant relative.

He's a good storyteller, but mostly it's the absolutely beautiful command of the language that is such a joy. I just had to read some sentences or episodes aloud.

Gee, I wish people could still write like that.

[NOLaBookish aka blue-collared mind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well let me start off by saying I have always disliked Garrison Keillor and now feel certain that it would be reciprocal if say we met at a party.
For those of you not aware of why a review about Mark Twain's autobiography starts with a my dislike of Keillor, feel free to check out Keillor's take on this book in the New York Times.
And then do remember that Twain was a great American writer who popularized the travelogue, the American historical novel and was a master of creating sketches of American life, while lampooning the stubborn, the crass and sometimes the hateful or desperate in our world.
GK on the other hand, has mined middle america for a type of ironic cornpone that affords a chuckle of recognition over his knowledge of cultural mileposts for a tiny group of people that may have existed for 30-40 years, if they ever existed at all. He might have begun that crap as satire, but his own limited abilities to create a fine point have made his believers see his homespun b.s as truth that middle-country caucasians are god's gift to the world. Oh, that he has a style there is no doubt, but so did Henry Luce and Leni Reifenstahl. And Sarah Palin who probably tunes in regularly.
In contrast, the sketches throughout this book and the sense that Twain went at this a few different ways is exactly why this book is worthwhile. The chance to pick up this hefty book (it's main drawback if you can call it that) and be drawn into a story about a Venetian house Twain has rented that he puzzles over (why are the stables right below the bedrooms? why are the walls all the ugliest yellow?) is priceless. Twain says:"I shall go into details of this house, not because I imagine it differs from any other old time place or new-time place on the continent of Europe, but because every one of its crazy details interest me..." This by the way, was a particular area that GK moaned over in the book, asking why we would care. I am not sure I understand his point. Have you read Twain before? Did you not expect details galore?
I would say, I'd like less of Suzy, Twain's daughter in this, but that is to be expected from a very proud father. But stories like the story of being spied on without clothes by girls at a young age and then remaining terrified all of his childhood that they would tease him in front of their group is simple truth. And then when he runs into one of the girls as old people--that's the type of tale that I WOULD stand in the middle of the room at a party to enjoy.

As you can imagine, I have not finished the book and do not expect to. Sort of like a child's pool in the backyard in hot August, the idea is to dip in as needed. It also seems like a nice neighborly book to keep around the other books, allowing them to look with awe at its massive bulk and feel comforted that they were all in a house that appreciated diversity and had no truck with coordinated displays on shelves. And of course, if a certain radio hack in love with his own voice happens by one fine day I can always use it for a quick chuck. It will survive the anger. And flourish in spite of it, of that I have no doubt.

[Jen H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the whole thing cover to cover (minus the appendix notes, which I merely browsed). And as massive as it was, I was genuinely sad when the last page came. That's all? I'm ready for volume two right now.

I feel so fortunate to be alive in 2010 and get to read these words Twain didn't want published until 100 years after his death. Actually, much of it has been published before so there was a lot I was already familiar with. But it was almost magical to read Twain's thoughts, musings, and more-than-occassional ramblings that have never been made public before. When else does this happen with favorite artists, musicians, writers who are long dead? Almost never.

Twain is all over the place here -- the topics are random and far flung. But his voice rings true on every page. His lovely, cranky, cynical, hilarious, insightful, entertaining, voice. I simply can't get enough.

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of three volumes in the Complete and Authoritative Edition of Mark Twain's massive autobiography. Though various editions of Twain’s Autobiography have been published throughout the years, this is the first to be painstakingly edited, formatted, and published according to his detailed instructions. Foremost among them was his stipulation (ignored in other editions) that it not be published until 100 years after his death.

Mark Twain created his own unique technique for his autobiography. He abandoned chronological order, viewing it as boring and conventional, and instead told the stories of his life and work as they occurred to him, in no particular order. As such, this autobiography feels very much like sitting down with an aging Mark Twain and listening to him ramble through the stories of his life.

I listened to all these volumes on audiobooks. I would highly recommend doing this to others. It first has the advantage of highlighting the story teller feel of the book — it creates the illusion that Mark Twain is telling his stories to you personally. Also, not all the material here is of the same quality — some of his stories simply don't have the same punch or are repetitive. With the audiobook, you can tune out as you listen, catching some details but letting your attention wander until the next story begins which may be a humdinger.

This autobiography is as unique as its celebrated author. It contains humor, cantankerousness, wisdom, balderdash, and not a little bitterness. Much of the material in this edition has never before been published. No fan of Mark Twain should miss this experience.

[Sheri · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is a sorry day when I have to write a review of anything by Mark Twain and say I didn't like it, given that I adore Twain and pretty much all of his (previously) published works. So why didn't I like this book? And why will I boycott Volumes 2 and 3 when (presumably) they're published? Because this book is the literary equivalent of what you see when a famous musician dies and his/her copyright heirs rush to release every garage recording ever made by the dead musician. The only difference here is that Twain's folks waited until he'd been dead 100 years, purported in accordance with Twain's own instructions. So then, if the only issue is the century of delay, why is the quality poor? It's poor because Twain never actually wrote a "book" called his autobiography. Repeatedly throughout his life he'd start an autobiography, dictate a few chapters, and then drop it. Twain never completed any book that he would have said was his autobiography, much less edited or polished any of the snippets he'd dictated. This book is really the work of a committee of Twain scholars who have patched together numerous bits & pieces (including letters) that Twain wrote and never published, and then appended to them seemingly every snippet Twain ever dictated in his many attempts to write an autobiography of himself. Would that it WERE an autobiography. But since it's not, if you're really interested in Twain's life, read a biography of him written by a real author.

[Pseudonymous d'Elder · Rating 3 out of 5]

__________________________
“The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened.” ― Mark Twain.

Everyone knows that Mark Twain had white bushy hair, white bushy eyebrows, and a white bushy mustache. He was born that way, I expect, and his mother has never denied it.

This is his autobiography. Well, it is the third version of Twain’s autobiography, but it made up for being last by being the most expensive. The 2010 hardcover version I read is over 700 pages long, though only about 400 pages of that volume were penned by Twain. The rest of the book is filled with tons of notes, footnotes, forwards, backwards, afterwards, introductions, dedications, and academic miscellanea.

In the early 1900s, Twain instructed his literary heirs that some of the unpublished writings in his files were so full of hell fire and brimstone that they shouldn’t be published until 100 years after his death.

The 2010 edition contains some of those hellish rants, but they really doesn’t smell all that sulfurous and chthonic to me, and for the most part those angry tirades are personal attacks on people who offended him in some way. For example, he spends pages and pages angrily execrating his land lady in Italy. She probably deserved it, but the feud is not of particular interest to the general reader.

One jeremiad that appears in the 2010 edition that really should have been published in the early 1900s was about an incident in the Filipino–American War (1899-1902). Perhaps you have never heard of Filipino–American War. I wasn’t aware of it until deep into my college studies, and it was never mentioned in my high school history texts––out of shame, I assume.

Here’s what happened. In the Spanish-American war (1898), the U.S. beat up Spain and stole its lunch. It also took away some of its colonies, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. The people of the Philippines objected to the benevolent Americans taking over their country and wanted to be an independent nation, and this resulted in a conflict in which the American government tried to convince the Filipinos about the advantages of freedom, truth, and the American way by shooting at them.

One of the most egregious incidents of this conflict was a battle in which an American army unit surrounded a tribe of 300 “naked” indigenous people (the Moros)––it was a group which included women, children, and babes in arms. The 150 or so native Filipino warriors were armed with extremely sharp sticks, but the 600 U.S. soldiers only had rifles, cannons, and Gatling guns. It took a couple of days for the American forces to entirely wipe out the naked savages, including the vicious children and the murderous infants. President Theodore Roosevelt lauded this battle as one of the most valorous feats of arms in American history. Twain wrote a scathing editorial about the massacre but was apparently afraid to publish it at the time due to a possible (and probably likely) adverse public reaction to Twain’s assailing the popular “My country right or wrong” trope. That editorial was published in this autobiography about 110 years too late.

This ★★★ hardcover edition might be valuable for those interested in the more academic aspects of Twain’s works, but if you are looking for a version to read for enjoyment, I highly recommend the 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 1959 version of the autobiography that was edited by Charles Neider. Neider’s version is arranged in chronological order, while the 2010 version follows an annoying stream of consciousness arrangement of presenting incidents in the order Twain wrote about them rather than in the order that the events actually occurred. Also, while the 2010 edition includes many of Twain’s ad hominem rants it omits many of the more interesting and amusing incidents that appear in Neider’s edit.

Note: The 2010 hardcover tome does make a fine stepstool, though.

There is too much human nature in people––Mark Twain

[Lubinka Dimitrova · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm saddened to say, I'm glad it's over. This loosely organized collection of rough drafts, unfinished sketches, false starts, essays about other people and dictated notes about random events met with a terrible fate at the hands of the editors, who obviously thought that we'd be just as thrilled to read their take on this autobiography. We are not. More than 200 pages of tedious ramblings about what a great job they did is not my idea of quality editing. Yeah, I realize it's an academic edition, so it's supposed to be like that, including the long introduction and the detailed description of prior autobiographical attempts, but chasing down each scrap of autobiographical notes (AND informing us in detail about the whole process) is a bit too much. I wonder whether I, as a reader, would prefer to have a more austerely edited variant of the book (meaning that trivial and uninteresting parts would be left out), so that I'm granted the ability to preserve my opinion of Twain's writing, or whether I'd feel that I'm missing out on something important (I'm afraid I'm not, though). I won't be reading the next volumes - I think it's preferable for me to just stick to his other works.

[Megan Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

To tell the truth, I'm not really sure what version of this I read. It was on the kindle I still have on long-term loan from a friend (thanks again, Amy!), and I'm not going to wade through to try to figure out which one exactly it is. I read some of Mark Twain's autobiography.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

It's funny, I think, how random the process can sometimes be of who we as a culture decide to remember for decades or sometimes centuries after their time, and who we tend to forget just a generation or two after their death, no matter how famous they were when alive; take for example Samuel Clemens, who I'll be referring to for the rest of this essay by his pen-name Mark Twain, no more notorious in the late 1800s than a hundred other people who served as his peers, but now a century later with 90 percent of those peers forgotten by the general public, but with Twain still thought of in an almost godlike fashion, pretty remarkable for a failed journalist and a bit of a crank who is best known for a series of folksy populist tales about a romanticized American past. But then again, once you stop and think about it, Twain actually accomplished a lot more than these businessmen and politicians around him who have now faded into obscurity; because for international readers who might not know, Twain came of age in a period of American history very similar in my opinion to what a place like India is going through right now -- a period when the US was dragging itself from second-world to first-world status for the first time, and was desperate to establish its first generation of artists, writers and thinkers to have a truly global effect on culture, artists who espoused an entirely new school of thought apart from what they learned simply by traveling to the already established parts of the cultured world. And Twain was one of these people, who at first became an international hit by writing post-Civil-War "pastoral" tales about a quaint and innocent rural America that had never actually existed, then honed his skills in his later years into a series of brilliantly satirical tales challenging the status quo, establishing a type of unique "American humor" (snarky, political, pop-culture-infused) that many Americans fondly look at as an integral part of our entire national spirit.

So no wonder, then, that Twain's century-in-waiting autobiography has unexpectedly become such a huge hit (see this fascinating NYT article for more -- turns out that the academic press who put this out went with an original print run of only 7,500 copies, thinking that the 800-page tome would be of interest to scholars only, but with it in actuality selling a third of a million copies in just its first few months); not just because of Twain's still near-holy status with most Americans, but because of the instantly intriguing hook behind its publication, the fact that Twain demanded that it not be published until a full hundred years after his death, so that he could feel free to write whatever nasty little stuff about the people around him that he wanted. Now, granted, this hasn't quite held true in the resulting century -- four smaller versions of this behemoth manuscript were published at various points throughout the 20th century -- but here on the literal centennial of his death, we are finally seeing the full and uncensored version for the first time, a publicist's wet dream that has made for dozens of fevered headlines from a lazy mainstream press.

But there are several important things to know about this book before reading it (technically only volume one of a coming three-book set), things that will help temper your enthusiasm down to a reasonable level; for example, of that giant bound volume now in stores, a full half of it is merely obsessive notes concerning the condition of the "Mark Twain Papers" when they were unearthed again for this project, with there turning out to have been three different physical copies in the vaults with multiple sets of notes, their authors and ages often in doubt, which was then further complicated by the fact that Twain sometimes out-and-out lied in these reminisces, sometimes exaggerated the truth, and sometimes in his old age simply got details wrong when transcribing them. And that's the second important thing to know -- that far from this being a traditional bio written in a linear or thematic order, Twain constructed these notes in the years before his death by dictating them to a stenographer from his bed in the mornings, three hours a day, nearly every day for four years straight, which he found such a delightful arrangement that he decided not to give his thoughts any kind of order at all, but rather ramble on about whatever struck his fancy that particular moment, no matter how little it might correspond to what he was talking about the day before. And pardon the trendiness of saying something like this, but that really does make this book less of a "biography" and more like the world's first blog, one that had maybe a dozen real-time readers back when he was first writing it, and especially when you add the literal clipped newspaper articles that Twain included in these transcripts, to further illustrate whatever little topic he was talking about that day. (In fact, Twain addresses this very issue in a highly meta way, spending several days discussing the tiny little scandal that was rocking the nation that week [some middle-class mom accidentally getting snubbed at some White House event], then musing on whether anyone was going to remember this incident even a decade from then, much less the "high future" of the early 2000s he was envisioning when writing it.)

And that's really the third important thing to understand about this book -- that despite the salacious reports from a contemporary media industry desperate to prove its own relevance, there's not really anything in Twain's autobiography that's going to come as a big shock, with his hundred-year delay done mostly to protect the feelings of little nobodies who Twain was angry at in his grumpy old age, such as the chapter on the horrible Italian woman who once rented his family a run-down house one summer. I mean, yes, Twain definitely unloads at various points on famous peers like, say, Jay Gould (banking magnate and the ninth richest man on the planet at his death); but Gould was one of the most hated men in the country by that point, the exact kind of tycoon that Twain skewered in his vicious The Gilded Age, so it comes as no surprise that he would dump on him in his "secret" memoirs as well. Now add a scholarly 60-page introduction to the entire thing, plus a copy of all the failed attempts Twain made at this autobiography in the years before this dictation process, and you quickly realize that the meat of this volume really only lays in a 300-page section right in the middle of it, a much more manageable challenge than what this doorstop of a book suggests.

But still, there's plenty of interesting things to read about in that 300-page core, including lots of stories about his childhood in rural Missouri and how they relate to his fictional books about that period; lots of invective against the various schemers, dreamers and other inventors who essentially bankrupted Twain several times over the course of his life; plenty of anecdotes about contemporaries like U.S. Grant, Booker Washington and Grover Cleveland; plenty of stories about family life, the ins and outs of marriage and fatherhood, and the various places they all lived over the decades; and on and on like this, most delivered in the same trademark style that make his public books so loved as well, a combination of optimism and fatalism that Twain was a master of spinning and twisting so much that you find yourself eventually laughing out loud from its sheer pathos. And that, frankly, may be Twain's best and last laugh of all, that he would have the balls to assume that these digressions would be such a hot item even a century after his death, and the talent to prove himself right. It was a fine read that I'm glad I took on, one I'd recommend to others, although only to those who already know a bit about his life and works; and I have to say that I'm now eagerly looking forward to the other two volumes in this series, hitting stores slowly over the next five to six years.

Out of 10: 9.3

[Fred Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twain requested that his publisher wait 100 years after his death to publish his Autobiography because he wanted to vent about some of the people he knew in his lifetime, but didn't necessarily want to instigate libel suites. So I was ready for some classic, vintage Twain, and as soon as I was aware of the book I ordered it.

Well, after slogging my way through most of it I can say that, for me, there is a lot of auto, and not a lot of biography in the book. Twain is unable to write anything without injecting a humorous observation or two into the mix, and this he does with alacrity. And for the most part I enjoyed reading his comments and observations. But when he spends about 50 pages going on about the villa he rented in Italy and how disappointing it was, maybe because of things not having to do with the villa at all, he started losing me.

The editors did an outstanding job of pulling his writings into a form that makes sense, and added notes where the notes would add needed clarification. I found the notes helpful in understanding what Twain was going on about at times.

While I can't say I really enjoyed the 967 page book, I think I did come away with a better appreciation for Samuel Clemens. He lived in an exciting time in American History, and seems to have met most of the important people who shared this time with him. His descriptions of the people he knew reveals him to have been quite a humanist, even though he couldn't resist taking a few humorous shots at nearly everyone he talks about in the book. His world was filled with opportunists, scam artists, adventurers, near-do-wells, as well as the famous and well-educated. To be a successful author in his time, a writer needed to be 90% shrewd businessman, and 10% author. Twain was certainly that, although he reveals himself to be an overly optimistic speculator himself.

Overall, I think if you have read Twain's classic novels and enjoyed them, you will probably also enjoy this Autobiography. It is, after all, classic Twain.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This volume is a wonder. For one thing, it provides something like a mystery novel perspective on the archeology of Samuel Clemens'/Mark Twain's autobiography. He wrote fragments to be part of this document over a period of four decades. Simply getting a sense of the architecture for this work desired by Twain is a contribution of this work.

Also, Twain notes that he is unable to be consistently honest about his life. Nice candor! He demanded that his version not be published until 100 years after hsi death. Figuring out exactly what his version was represents a major effort by the editor and others involved in this project.

But it is the end result presented by the editor, Harriet Elinor Smith, that makes this volume so important. Twain comes across as cantankerous, humorous, politically savvy. . . . Early on, he makes comments about slavery. His acerbic commentaries on friends and family show a real edge to his writing.

I find this a remarkable work, providing a view of Twain that is hardly candy coated, but yet seemingly gives us insights into his nature, life, and his genius. Well worth looking at. . . .

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just spent several hours browsing this book drawn from Twain's intermittent writing, typing and dictating over 30 years or so. It strikes me as a ponderous academic folly. For all the time spent editing these papers the result is a formless jumble of outtakes and emphemera.

Much of it is obviously sketches that Twain intended to revise later or never wished to publish.
Example from page 240 about Villa de Quarto:

"There is a history of the house somewhere, and some time or other I shall get it and see if there are any details in it which could be of use in this chapter. I should like to see that book, for as an evolutionist I should like to know the beginning of this dwelling and the several stages of its evolution." (It goes on: Why I am reading this?)

Let's see, I left those reading glasses ... somewhere.

A big clue is the dry as dust 58-page introduction which, as other Goodreads reviewers have observed, Samuel Clemens would have mocked. There is doubtlessly great stuff in here but why wade through it when you can read a narrative gem like Life on the Mississippi or Roughing It and not have to squint through midget type for 743 page.

This recalls one of those 23-cd jazz box sets where you get 12 alternate takes of "Night in Tunisia" including one recorded with a kazoo lead and another where the drummer keeled over in drug haze 2:33 into the take.

[wally · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a big chunk of book! the autobiography begins on page 200 give or take...there's approximately the same amount of pages at the end...notes, indexes, explanations, apologies? heh!

i dunno if...

...well, first off, i picked this up awhile back. had to order it at the local ma/pop...or maybe it is ma/ma...old man/young boy....man/animal...whatever kind of bookstore....not yet franchised though i'm certain they are working on it...have had the book for a time. figured to read here there whenever...have yet to install it in the bathroom though...perhaps.

i'm going to read what twain wrote and forego all the other...introductions, explanations, and apologies.


there is a time when he talks about almost drowning...someone was there to pull him out each time...wait now...one was a preacher man...so maybe that was a baptism?

I haven't finished it....go a page or two to six and so forth. Twain never fails to entertain.

[Brian Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candidly and spontaneously, Mark Twain set about writing his autobiography. But here's the extraordinary thing: he's DICTATING it. So every entry here is a rough draft more or less (most likely with a quick edit of certain words). The result is an authentically riotous AND at times heartbreaking (in his personal life) and refreshingly honest. But that was Twain's voice.

This first volume opens with a through explanation by the editors (not as tedious as some here are saying) about the circumstances of the writing and publication of the book. Twain is so throughly honest about some of his adversaries and his despisal of swindlers that he required it not to be published until 100 years after his death. And here we are exactly one hundred years later. He has scores to settle and only Shakespeare has such an hilarious command of insults. He assesses other authors and personages with insight, clarity, perspicacity, and evenhandedness, including Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, other politicians, conmen, swindlers, and his own family. He quotes very freely and frequently from his daughter Susie's book about him (she had recently passed away).

Of note: the editors included scraps of the autobiography that are essentially "false starts" as prefatory for about 200 pages, though they feel like they fit in and are worth reading. This includes his championing of Ulysses S. Grant writing his memoirs in his fatal illness and saving him from swindle by a cheap contract. His portraiture of the general President is worth it alone. But then, Twain found his methodology. Saying that memoirs should not be linear and "cradle-to-the-grave" but rather what we would now call "stream-of-consciousness", saying "whatever comes into your mind", Twain dictates whatever subject he feels like covering from day to day. Sometimes, it's a portraiture of people (great and diabolical), sometimes politics, sometimes almost essays on aspects of life and particularly America, and the characteristics and adorable components of his family and their life.

About midway in Volume 1, he starts covering his childhood but in no particular order. By the end, he's talking about the Spanish American War, his brother Orion and his financial misadventures and death, and ends with an insightful portrait of meeting Helen Keller.

It's a romp that achieves its purpose. We're in the mind of Mark Twain and he empties it out.

(Side note: the Grover Gardner reading on Audible is so very, very good. The guy's inflections are masterful and he has a voice that sounds like it is soaked in cigars and whiskey, like Twain. Worth it as a companion.)

[Chrissie]

******************

*The Diaries of Adam and Eve 4 stars
*The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 4 stars
*Joan of Arc 3 stars
*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 3 stars
*The Innocents Abroad 3 stars
*Life on the Mississippi TBR

*Mark Twain by Ron Powers TBR
or
I think I will read these instead:
*Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1: The Complete and Authoritative Edition
*Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2: The Complete and Authoritative Edition
*Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 3: The Complete and Authoritative Edition

[Donna Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially I was surprised not to have seen the autobiography of such a famous individual before. Twain, I learned at the outset, composed his memoir with the stipulation that it not be published until 100 years following his death, because he wanted to be entirely frank about some situations and persons without incurring the displeasure of them, their children, or their grandchildren. Twain died in 1910, and his memoir had been finished just four months. For those of us living now, it was worth the wait. Although I was fortunate enough to snare the DRC for volume 3, I had to go out and hunt down volumes 1 and 2. It’s well worth obtaining and reading for those with the attention span and literacy skills it requires.

There is a lot of material here, and you may be tempted to sample bits here and there using the table of contents. I strongly advise against it. Some of Twain’s most brilliant writing regards things you would not expect to care about. The dispute with a landlord in Italy as his wife lay dying in the villa has the full intensity, concentration, and fire he has to offer. Although I will never know for sure, I suspect that Twain was one of those rare individuals who became even more savagely articulate when angry. The heat of his rage is tremendous and oh so eloquent.

A lot of this writing is gut-bustingly funny, but some of it is also really subtle, and if you rush, you may miss it. I enjoyed reading what he thought of Jay Gould and John Rockefeller; of President Theodore Roosevelt; and of Satan, for whom he confesses that he feels a tremendous sympathy. In other passages he becomes poignant, particularly in speaking of the deaths of his wife and daughter. Nobody but Twain could say it just like this.

Should the reader ignore my advice and choose to jump around, thus missing occasional references to things mentioned earlier in the text, at least do this: be sure to read his remarks about dueling.

The memoir is not linear. He tried several times to sit down and write his life end-to-end, and destroyed some drafts; others he merely abandoned, and they made the assembly of the autobiography, most of which he dictated, all the more complicated as a result. The University of California has done a splendid job of isolating the random repetitious bits at the back of the book in an appendix, while putting the rest of it together in a way that while not linear, makes sense. There are a few interesting photos at the end as well.

Those engaged in the teaching of college level creative writing, of simile, metaphor and other figurative language may indeed want to read this magnificent memoir and pluck some favorite passages for use as examples.

Twain’s life story is not for those with limited focus or who need immediate gratification with minimal effort. This volume, all 738 pages apart from the appendix, kept me company at bedtime when everyone else in our home had the lights turned out and I was the only one still awake. In those small quiet hours I studied the prose of the master, and occasionally had to leave the bedroom in order to laugh out loud, lest I wake my spouse. I would be sorry to have finished, but volumes 2 and 3 still await my attention.

For those that love the English language, and for those with an eye for history, this memoir is not to be missed!

[Andres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is volume one of what is supposed to be a 3-volume work, but as of this writing is the only volume that has been published. A few days ago the news that some idiot is publishing a sanitized (censored) version of Huckleberry Finn made headlines. The idea is to expunge the word "nigger" from the book. While I can understand that the term is charged with emotional energy due to its derogatory use, it is nonetheless part and parcel of the history of the time, and Huckleberry Finn, as a beautiful example of the literary heritage of our nation should not be tampered with in any way. Hopefully readers will be cultured enough to recognize it is a product of its time, written by a man who supported abolition even before it was in vogue. Revisionism is a nasty thing, whether it be holocaust deniers or literary censors.

Now, I did just finish reading Volume 1, and in the same article that made reference to the above, this volume is mentioned as a surprise best-seller. I am having trouble understanding why Twain's autobiography doing well would surprise anyone. He was a fascinating man, living at a fascinating time, and with a talent for humor that anyone would kill for. His autobiography, what has been published so far, is very readable, and filled as much with humor as with the pathos of Clemens's many tragedies. Reading his funny asides on the events of his time, along with his biting commentary on the evil and common stupidity he saw, interspersed with his anguish and despair at the loss of his wife and several of his children was a rare experience.

The only thing I could complain about is that the tome has more notes and appendixes than actual autobiography, but that is par for the course in a work of this nature. Mark Twain left instructions that his autobiography not be published until a 100 years after his death. I am just happy I happen to be alive at the time, and also hope they hurry up with the other two tomes.

[Mark Mikula · Rating 2 out of 5]

It makes me feel uncomfortable to admit that I did not get much out of the Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1. With the exception of a handful of passages, I thought it was a dreary mess, not worth publication. For someone as revered and iconic as Mark Twain, I expected to enjoy this so much more.

I am reminded occasionally in revisiting Twain about how frequently he impresses me with his skill with the language--especially with verbs--though. The verbs really crackle in his writing, primarily when he is responding to some sort of slight or insult.

Overall, though, I think it becomes evident that Twain wouldn't have wanted this to be his legacy in terms of an autobiography. For as much effort as the editors of this work put into curating this collection of writings, it really comes off badly. It seems the intention was to just amass anything and everything that Twain had written with the vaguest autobiographical component and stuff it into this work. Twain may have had it in mind to include a nonfiction article about a group of survivors of an incident at sea in his autobiography, but its inclusion, especially, reveals very little about Twain himself. Many of the other selections are more worthy of inclusion, but the dull parts that are included out of deference to an ever-shifting vision of a memoir really make this unappealing.

Completists who aspire to read everything Twain has ever written will likely forgive the duller sections of this "memoir." For anyone else approaching the material, I would recommend being very selective with the text.

[Mr. Mullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

For full disclosure, I am biased towards Twain, and though many may not like the unconventional structure or all the academic discussion surrounding the actual voice of Twain, I enjoyed it tremendously. His voice was there in the text. It was as one poster pointed out like sitting down with him and having a conversation. It flowed from one item to the next as he wished it to often with acute insight into historical figures he had dined with or met and his wide travels. I look forward to what comes next whenever the next 2 volumes appear. I have marked my book with interesting passages to go back to like visiting that sardonic uncle with cigar smoke wafting around his hair.

[Natalie]

Why leave your autobiography unpublished for 100 years? so you can be "dead, and unaware, and indifferent" by the time anyone reads it according to Mark Twain! I am looking forward to this first volume of uncensored autobiography to be released Oct 29th! Might be a time capsule of quotes or a revelation of the goings on a century ago, or neither .. . but it's tempting stuff nonetheless.

[Richard Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, this is not a book to be...completed. At least not in a linear fashion. Rather, it is a collection of the observations of the nineteenth century's most formidable speaker, novelist and pundit. Mr. Clemens -- Twain if you prefer -- is still, 100 years after his death, a remarkably honest, gifted and very funny writer. The volume begins with almost 5/8" of literary authenticity and notes regarding the inception of this particular attempt at publishing it all. Thumb past it quickly, unless you enjoy your reading very dry and factual. Keep in mind as you begin to fall into a deep sleep, that this is not by the author, but rather by the legion of pu8blishers, editors and the like who have collaborated to present the author's words. Or to put it another way, unless you are a Doctoral candidate in American Letters, thumb right past it into the initial collection of musings regarding the publishing industry as revealed in his work with President U.S. Grant and his memoirs. his continues with comments about Clemens' sad business involvement with an early typesetting machine and its quirky, slightly unhinged inventor, then on to notes about his time in London and Vienna. I was almost rolling on the floor reading the comments about Londoner's willingness to patronize the musical and comic arts.

The book then launches into a version of a previously attempted publishing of a partial manuscript...you get the idea, of his life. This is an amazing, unvarnished look at where we all came from and is particularly useful to any writer interested in capturing an authentic voice of the last half of that century and the beginning of the twentieth.

All in all, this is highly entertaining, almost clairvoyant in it's conclusions, pertinent to our time and also colored with a distinctively period sensibility. It should be in every American writer or reader's bookshelves. pick it up, find a chapter or section of interest and read away. Twain's words will stay with you much longer than the fatigue in your arms from hefting it in the first place. But isn't that appropriate for the first truly universally known media celebrity?

[Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

The five stars is for the actual autobiography itself. The book is over 700 pages, but about half of that is introduction, preliminary manuscripts and notes, additional notes, etc etc. I think the editors went a bit overboard with that side of it. But Twain's actual content is terrific. Simply terrific. He led a most amazing life and relates it in such a way it feels like anyone could also achieve it. I look forward to the future volumes - especially if it's easier to avoid all the editorial material....

[Michael Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just re-read my highlights in the book. No question there's a lot of info here, probably too much to absorb by reading.

I recommend this excellent abridged version that covers all of Twain's life....

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Or an audio version, which my connection, Karen, had success with.

[Illiterate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. Twain is rambling and repetitive, often on dreary topics such as his plans for this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this audiobook. Grover Gardner's narration felt like Mark Twain was reading to me. I deducted a star for the introduction (2 hours long!). Otherwise, it was wonderful!

[Donna Kremer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audio version narrated by Bronson Pinchot had me laughing out loud! The creativity, animosity, and insightfulness of the author/narrator duo was complete pleasure to my ear and soul. Mark Twain would have heartily agreed. I need more of this duo to keep me on my literary high.

[Adam Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceedingly enjoyable, and probably the first book I've ever read where the explanatory notes are not only essential to a full and rich reading of the text, but they're actually in many cases just as pleasurable. Twain (or Clemens, if you rather--the editors actually refer to him throughout by his given name) takes mostly a stream-of-consciousness approach to his autobiography rather than topical or chronological. As a result, he occasionally circles back on events he's already covered, but with fresh insights so it always feels like new territory. His humor and wit are, of course, ubiquitous and as brilliant as we would expect. This volume is enormous and is a lot to take in. We have not only his biographical dictations but we also have ancillary texts the editors have included. I'm hard-pressed to summarize my experience with it all, but I can point out some favorite moments. There's Clemens's strong indictment of US military action in the Philippines and its ruthless slaughter of a much disadvantaged indigenous people. He approaches this from the point of view of a back-handed, sarcastic vote of support for this action and the way the press represented it. I also very much enjoyed his excoriating of a misguided editor of his introduction to a biography of Joan of Arc. As a writer (and editor, actually) who has had to sit idly by and given tacit approval when I'm not allowed to disagree with an incompetent editor's own bastardization of a perfectly comprehensible text, I can very much relate to his indignation. Twain knew his strengths as a writer, and he would not suffer fools to think they knew better than he. My other favorite part came at the very end of the official dictations, when Clemens recounts first meeting Helen Keller. This is such a beautiful encounter that I'll just recommend it without expanding. Looking forward to the next two volumes!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd! Goodreads indicates I read this in 2010. I found it on the shelf today at the Woodbury Central Library, October 27, 2021. A friend led a class today at the Woodbury City Center, covering the details of Mark Twains life and writings.
So many of Twain's works have been banned by many libraries, a review of why he wrote, and why he delayed this release until 100 years after his death interests me.

[Brian Butler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've tried. Really I have. I made it about 2/3 of the way through and I have to stop before it taints my view of Mr. Twain. There are a few moments where the genius shines through but it's usually when he's telling a story about someone else. The rest is a tedious examination of the history and form of the book, combined with an excruciating and also tedious account of the details of his life that threaten to make me like and respect him less. I had high hopes but was very disappointed.