The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Mark Twain (Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companions) - Softcover

McAllister, Pam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826418139 ISBN 13: 9780826418135

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, 2008

Synopsis

This entertaining survey of Twainiana is a tribute to the world's first global celebrity and most quotable American. Chock full of illustrations, the lively text follows Sam Clemens from his early days as a "printer's devil" to his Mark Twain days as a "devil's advocate." Provided here are summaries of Twain's works, long and short; a filmography; a crossword puzzle based on Twain's colorful quips; a map of Huck and Jim's trip down the Mississippi River; and short takes on long controversies. Pam McAllister (who has co-authored books in the Companion series on Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, and Sherlock Holmes), answers such questions as:

? Why did Twain stop going to school when he was only twelve?? What national catastrophe ended his stint as a riverboat pilot?? What public humiliation inspired him to move his family to Europe for ten years?? What book did he think was his best? (Hint: the main character is a girl!)? Where is there a toilet seat with the sign mark twain sat here?

YOU KNOW that Mark Twain's real name was Sam Clemens, BUT DID YOU KNOW that he...~ is believed to be the first author to submit a typewritten manuscript?~ had red hair, a funny talk, and an odd (Chaplainesque) waddle-walk?~ started smoking at age 7 and often smoked 40 cigars a day?~ was born (two months premature) under Halley's comet and died at the comet's next return?

YOU KNOW all about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, BUT DID YOU KNOW that Twain ....~ died in 1910, but had a newly-published bestseller in 1962?~ wrote science fiction stories, (including several gender-benders) as well as an antiwar book, several animal-rights stories, and a number of anti-imperialist rants?~ once sardonically suggested that the U.S. change its flag from the stars and stripes to the skull and crossbones?~ wrote about television and long-distance telephoning before these were invented?~ was initially best known for his travel books?

About this title

About the Author

Pam McAllister is the author of ten books, including three others in Continuum's Bedside, Bathtub &Armchair Companion series which she co-authored with Dick Riley, on Shakespeare (2001), Sherlock Holmes (1999), and Agatha Christie (1979). Her other books include Death Defying: Dismantling the Execution Machinery in 21st Century U.S.A. (Continuum, 2003) about ending capital punishment and two books about women's use of nonviolent action for social justice. In 1982, she edited the groundbreaking anthology Reweaving the Web of Life: Feminism and Nonviolence (New Society Publishers), which the Village Voice called "one of the most important books you'll ever read." She currently writes a column for The Progressive Christian magazine.

Review

Of the growing number of literary "companions" to Mark Twain, this lively labor of love by Pam McAllister must surely be the most companionable. Although not weighted down by scholarly apparatus, it is both thorough and reliable, as a good companion should be. Better still, it's consistently full of fun and surprises. McAllister not only has an unerring sense of what needs to be said, she never fails to make her points engaging; even her plot summaries are compelling. The fresh personal perspectives that she brings to Mark Twain's life and works guarantee that this particular "companion" is one that students, scholars, and even casual fans of Mark Twain will want to keep near at hand. — R. Kent Rasmussen, author of Mark Twain A to Z, Critical Companion to Mark Twain, and other works about Mark Twain

Of the growing number of literary "companions" to Mark Twain, this lively labor of love by Pam McAllister must surely be the most companionable. Although not weighted down by scholarly apparatus, it is both thorough and reliable, as a good companion should be. Better still, it’s consistently full of fun and surprises. McAllister not only has an unerring sense of what needs to be said, she never fails to make her points engaging; even her plot summaries are compelling. The fresh personal perspectives that she brings to Mark Twain’s life and works guarantee that this particular "companion" is one that students, scholars, and even casual fans of Mark Twain will want to keep near at hand. — R. Kent Rasmussen, author of Mark Twain A to Z, Critical Companion to Mark Twain, and other works about Mark Twain

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0826418139
• ISBN 13: 9780826418135
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240