Great Short Works of Mark Twain (Perennial Classics) - Softcover

Twain, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060727861 ISBN 13: 9780060727864

Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2004

Synopsis

Selected works of humour and criticism by a revered American master.

Beloved by millions, Mark Twain is the quintessential American writer. More than anyone else, his blend of scepticism, caustic wit and sharp prose defines a certain American mythos. While his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is still taught to anyone who attends school and is considered by many to be the Great American Novel, Twain's shorter stories and criticisms have unequalled style and bite.

In a review that's less than kind to the writing of James Fenimore Cooper, Twain writes: "Every time a Cooper person is in peril, and absolute silence is worth four dollars a minute, he is sure to step on a dry twig. There may be a hundred handier things to step on, but that wouldn't satisfy Cooper. Cooper requires him to turn out and find a dry twig; and if he can't do it, go and borrow one." It's difficult to imagine anyone else writing in quite this style, which is why Twain's legacy only continues to grow.

About this title

About the Author:

Mark Twain, who was born Samuel L. Clemens in Missouri in 1835, wrote some of the most enduring works of literature in the English language, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc was his last completed book—and, by his own estimate, his best. Its acquisition by Harper & Brothers allowed Twain to stave off bankruptcy. He died in 1910. 

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0060727861
• ISBN 13: 9780060727864
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400