Mark Twain's Letters

By Mark Twain

"Mark Twain's Letters Volume 1" includes the correspondences of Mark Twain from 1853-1866.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Classics
• Release date: Dec 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781627938181

Mark Twain

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. 

Reviews for Mark Twain's Letters

[eltomaso · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Scince fiction by Mark Twain," you say! Yes! Read it!

[devil_llama · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

By far one of Twain's all time bests. The master humorist turns his attention to the strange conditions of human belief, and a series of short stories and essays addresses the condition Twain has referred to as the "damn human race". He begins with the title story, a tale as told by the devil himself, visiting earth and reporting back (with much amusement) to heaven. Then he follows that up with the history of the "Adam family", including exerpts from Eve's autobiography and Methuselah's diary. In the hands of such a master satirist, the result is uproraringly amusing, and yet at the same time profound enough to make you think about things in a way you've never thought about them before.

[martinbodek · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book because I was seeking inspiration in three ways: 1) I wanted to read some good religious satire to motivate further writing for my TheKnish.com website. 2) I wanted to observe some editor methods as this work was compiled in expert ways by a single resource. 3) I wanted to see if Twain himself covered ground on a sequel idea I have for one of his works. To the first point, I found exactly what I was looking for, and some idea germs have begun generating, though some of his work is almost too clever. To the second point, I found what I was seeking as well. The footnotes at the end reveal fascinating approaches to curating disjointed writings, exactly what I needed. To the third point, I am delighted to find that Twain actually abandoned the idea that I have in my head to pursue other works. I am, therefore, really excited.

[steadfastreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first set of essays 'Letters from the Earth' are excellent. The essays then (inexplicably) continue into different topics. Some of them are fantastic and some are just 'eh. Overall - this is classic Twain and defintely worth the read.

[bicyclewriter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The version I read seemed to have a number of additional pieces at the end of Letters from the Earth. I loved Letters from the Earth, but the stuff added on in the second half was hit and miss. It's easy to see why Twain thought this work would never be published due to censorship. He pulls no punches as he takes on religion with satyrical vengeance. I really enjoyed it a lot. If you don't want your religious views challenged - no matter what they are - you probably want to shy away from this one.

[sandydog1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Typical Twain. Brilliance amid some blather. The opening essay was outstanding, the autobiography of Eve, was very familiar and often hilarious, and the last unfinished story was superb Sci Fi resembling Asimov's, The Fantastic Voyage.

[pussreboots · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The essay on Cooper's prose style (or lack there of) made me go read the Deerslayer. Twain was right on that. I also remember a story about the worlds most annoying poem or some such involving a ticket taker (Punch, Brother, Punch)

[librarianbryan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gloves off Twain is always better than hokey Twain and man the gloves are off for this one. The first half is letters Lucifer sent home to his angel buddies back in heaven. Lucifer has been exiled. Bored of swooping through galactic emptiness he visits God's experiment Earth. He is flabbergasted by what he finds there. Eat your heart out C.S. Lewis. Though I plan on protecting my children from the vulgarities of monotheistic religion, I would consider these for bed time stories.

The letters are cuttingly funny, but the similarly themed essays which accompany them make this work a little one note. You could always just listen to Lucifer's letters and leave it at that.

Carl Reiner does a terrific job capturing Twain's cadence. He lit Twain's prose on fire.

[jessiqa_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of short pieces written by Twain and unpublished until 1938. As a fan of Twain, this is fantastic. I first learned about this set years ago when sorting through some old LIFE magazines at the local library. There was a title story about the first publication of these unpublished works. I spent some time reading the selection in LIFE when I should have been working on continuing to sort magazines and have had a desire to read the whole thing ever since. The title story was the first in the collection. I understand that many will regard it as a work of genius due to the level of satire it exhibits, however it simply struck me as bitter: the satire was so scathing, so angry, that it was quite off-putting. The rest of the stories I enjoyed. Some were incomplete since Twain had a habit of not finishing every story that he started. I especially enjoyed "Letter To The Earth" in which a regular human receives a letter from heaven in response to a prayer. The letter has everything quantified, it reads more like a report from an accountant. Very funny.I definitely recommend this book for any fan of Twain. I'm not sure this would be the best introduction to Twain's work, for it is not necessarily his typical work. There's not as much of the playfulness that one finds in Tom Sawyer or The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Still, good times wait within for anyone who wishes to read this book.

[garypatella · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This particular edition contains a number of short stories by Mark Twain. Most of them are quite enjoyable, but not all of them. It begins with his short story of Adam and Eve. This was the one that seems to drag a bit.The rest of the book, however, is very good. The best section is the approximately 70 pages containing the Letters From The Earth. It begins with God creating the universe, the solar system, and the Earth. Satan, being disrespectful, is banished to live beneath the Earth. From there, he starts writing letters to his former angel friends describing the people he watches from below. There is a lot of humour, and some parts that are clear indictments of religious beliefs. I recommend reading it.

[davidpwithun_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There's nothing quite like reading Mark Twain that helps one to remember what American literature could and should be, but, unfortunately, isn't. Mark Twain was the best America has ever produced. Satire as a literary genre might as well not exist today when compared with that of Twain. This particular book is a collection of perhaps simultaneously some of the funniest, most insightful, most uncomfortably true, and most challenging short stories and essays that Twain wrote. Forget Colbert and Stewart; if you want real satire of the absurdities of the modern world and of the American people and government (still relevant, even if written a hundred and more years ago), this is the place to go. Forget Hitchens and Dawkins; if you want a critique of Christian faith and practice that is really relevant, challenging, and insightful, this, again, is the place to go. I recommend this book for those with a good sense of humor, a decent head on their shoulders, and a little intestinal fortitude.

[quantum_flapdoodle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

By far one of Twain's all time bests. The master humorist turns his attention to the strange conditions of human belief, and a series of short stories and essays addresses the condition Twain has referred to as the "damn human race". He begins with the title story, a tale as told by the devil himself, visiting earth and reporting back (with much amusement) to heaven. Then he follows that up with the history of the "Adam family", including exerpts from Eve's autobiography and Methuselah's diary. In the hands of such a master satirist, the result is uproraringly amusing, and yet at the same time profound enough to make you think about things in a way you've never thought about them before.

[taobrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely hilarious and still as biting as it was when first published. Twain's Letters from the Earth is a collection of letters written by the Archangel Satan to the other archangels, chronicling the follies of human beings and the god they've created in their own image. It's no wonder he didn't publish them in his lifetime, but it's great to have them available now.

[diwanna_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As always to be expected from Mr. Twain, this is a humorous satire on the human condition and the Christian religion, as told from Satan. This book is a collection of letters that Satan wrote to his brothers Gabriel and Michael while on "vacation" on Earth.

[brendancarroll_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A rather blasphemous look at Satan's relationship with God. A humorous perspective though probably not meant to be humorous at the time it was written.

[waldheri_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reading the other reviews, I should first mention that I read a different version than most reviewers did. Mine (EZ Reads) only included the actual letters, and not other essays like The Damned Human Race or Eve's autobiography. This is too bad, and should warn you to get a different version that does include these essays.Letters from the Earth is a very small book which can be read in one session - it took me about 2 hours to read the whole thing. It is easy to read, but I can't compare it to his usual writing style as I lack the experience. The subject is pretty straightforward: Twain sets out to critique Christianity in general and parts of Genesis in particular, touching on Adam and Eve and Noah and the flood. Think of the contents of the bastard son of Nietzsche's Antichrist and Paine's The Age of Reason, but less sophisticated. Those familiar with anti-religious writings will find not many new ideas or objections to religious thought or doctrine, but Twain's humour-clad satirical style make it worth the read. I think the pious will not be charmed by Twain's attempts to characterize their beliefs as absurd and their conduct as lacking of reflection. Furthermore, Twain is not afraid to satirize that almighty god the way he views him: the Great Criminal, the Head Pauper. In conclusion, this was an easy, fleeting read - an enjoyable one, but not very sophisticated, nor very novel.

[jennyo_587543 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've had this book on my shelf for ages and finally got around to reading it. We're discussing it at book club tonight. It's a collection of essays and stories that were published after Twain died. Some of them were incomplete, and the book sort of skips around a bit. It's also a bit redundant at times. Still, it's Twain, so it's funny. I'm thinking the poor guy was an anti-humanist, if there's such a thing. He thought the whole human race was going to hell in a handbasket, and I'm not sure he was wrong, though I do prefer to look on the brighter side of things.Twain razzes everything in this book. The first section makes fun of religion, later ones make fun of politics, Darwin's theory of natural selection, and society as a whole. There's very little he doesn't poke fun at at one time or another.Still, I had a hard time finishing the book. I don't know if it's because it just wasn't cohesive like most of Twain's stories are, or what. But by the end, I was glad to be finished. I think I'll read more Twain later, but give him a rest for a while.

[blondestranger · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After much encouragement from friends and family, I finally got over reading a "children's book" in my 20's and picked up the first Harry Potter. I couldn't put it down. Great concept, well throughout, and fantastic story-telling.

[egonzalez111_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is a very humorous and does a good job of poking fun at the religious and biblical figures and events within it. Twain has a great way of taking on the character of Lucifer, and has a great deal of fun ridiculing the so called "monkeys" of the Earth (Humans!!) for their sometimes ridiculous and pety beliefs.

[blankenbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the book that turned my head and helped me realize that Twain was more than just a humorist and author of "boy's" books like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I read this book as a junior in high school, and suddenly realized that Twain was much deeper and more complex than I had theretofore realized. His biting sarcasm and sharp wit shone through even as he spoke in despairing terms about the state of humanity as he viewed it in his later years. From that moment on, I was hooked on Mark Twain!