Customer Reviews

Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1

5 star:		(111)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

The potential reader for this edition should be aware of several items. First, this autobiography is an oversize hardbook which means it may not fit into a bookshelf with other more traditional hardbooks. Second this is an academic press which means that there is a long introduction and discussion of prior autobiographical starts by Mark Twain (1870-1905) for two hundred pages. The actual autobiography of Mark Twain is only 270 pages of transcriptions from his dictation of his 1906 attempt to write his life story. Following the narrative are an additional 150+ pages of notes, index and appendixes. Two more volumes will be published later. Third, this edition is a rambling text with no chronological sequence. Mark Twain told stories as he remembered as they came to his memory. None of these observations are negative but the reader should be aware of these differences.

This book aims to be the definitive edition by publishing everything that Mark dictated or wrote after 1905 in the order that it came into creation. Prior publications were much shorter as various editors organized what they thought was interesting, had his family's approval and was in some chronlogical sequence (Charles Neider did the best overall job of this fifty years ago). What the reader has here is Mark Twain's true speaking voice -- he is doing a monologue in your presence, going wherever his memory takes him.

Fifteen minutes ago I finished reading Volume One of the newly published "Autobiography of Mark Twain". It is no more possible to adequately describe this massive book as to attempt to fully capture the full, intricate realities of a vast range of wild mountains.

Twain tried for many years to write his autobiography, but time and again his efforts ground to a halt and were abandoned, although fragments were kept for eventual use (and presented as part of this Volume One). It was not until Twain fixed upon the mode of orally dictating his autobiography that he found a method that really worked for him and allowed him to complete the project to his own satisfaction. The first portion of these 1906 dictations (plus explanatory editorial notes) form the heart of the present volume (two more volumes will eventually be released to complete the "Autobiography"). The result certainly does not follow a standard autobiographical approach (which Twain characterizes as a "plan that starts you at the cradle and drives you straight for the grave, with no side-excursions permitted on the way. Whereas the side-excursions are the life of our life-voyage, and should be, also, of its history.") The "Autobiography" as dictated instead is all side-excursion, almost stream of consciousness. Twain's intent was that it not be published in unexpurgated form until a hundred years after his death, leaving him free to say whatever he wished about whomever he wished to speak. Portions of it have indeed been published from time to time, in a highly edited form bearing little resemblance to what Twain intended as the true "Autobiography".

In approaching the "Autobiography" the reader should not expect a conventional, chronologically arranged, continuous narrative in the traditional style. Twain strove intentionally, and successfully, to avoid that, instead reaching for an entirely novel style suitable for avoiding what he considered to be the usual "lying" (perhaps especially lying to oneself) found in standard autobiographies. The present volume is presented in four distinct parts: First is a lengthy explanatory section from the editors, providing the background for the "Autobiography" and explaining what Twain was aiming for; this section is probably necessary for better appreciating what Twain eventually achieved, but also may not be the best place to begin browsing. Second are the fragments of autobiographical material Twain wrote over the last few decades of the 19th century, fragments left over from his failed attempts to create an autobiography but retained by him as containing enough material and honesty to satisfy his desires. Third is the real heart of the book: oral dictations that left Twain free to dart and drift wherever his thoughts led him, free of any rigid structure; this section is most open to casual browsing. And fourth are lengthy notes and comments from the editors on Twain's text and dictations, correcting factual errors and expanding upon details.

Reading the dictations is as near as one could hope to be sitting in a room with Twain, listening to him ramble along, mixing trivial events of forty or sixty years before with headlines from today's newspaper -- an effect that Twain was deliberately creating -- and dizzyingly flipping the pages of the calendar back and forth. Imagine Twain sitting there with a cigar and perhaps a glass of Scotch whiskey. Imagine yourself with the cigar and Scotch. It is wonderful, in the true, fundamental sense of that word.

It really should be made clear just what this book is and isn't. It is a completist's edition of a project Twain talked about for years but never actually sat down and wrote. In this scholarly volume, roughly one-third of the massive book details the process of its compilation, by Twain and by the editors (his contemporaries as well as the present ones), and includes what might today be called "outtakes" (several of which are quite interesting and enjoyable), pieces determined not to be intended as part of the Autobiography. One reader commented that "the book needs an editor". That misses the point; the scholarly editing is masterful. It COULD not credibly be edited in the sense of cutting it down as one might a contemporary manuscript to make it suitable for publication.
Another one-third of the tome consists of scholarly notes explaining many of the references in the text. Many of these are clarifications of people (some major, some insignificant)to whom Twain refers, or locations. In many cases these are extraneous to all but the most scholarly or the compulsive who needs to know who EVERYbody is and cannot determine it by context. In some cases, they correct lapses in Twain's memory (he clearly didn't research or check many of his facts)
Only one-third of this volume is the Autobiography itself, and it is only mildly interesting. It is certainly not a chronological narrative, much of it was dictated by an aging and bitter man(part of its sardonic charm), and much of it--- amazingly--- is drawn from a biography of Twain written, as a child, by his beloved daughter, which Twain explicates, albeit through the filter of the subsequent and ongoing grief Twain suffered since her youthful death.
My eyesight is lousy but I was untroubled by the type. I read it in book form, but I can see where it might be problematic on kindle; one has to skip back and forth between the text and the notes, and kindle may not lend itself to that (I wouldn't know). The sheer bulk of the book is indeed troublesome, and one will need two bookmarks, one for text and one for notes (as I often use in reading History).
Lastly, what remains as the "Autobiography"--- the reason, I think, most people would read this edition---is not terribly interesting nor funny. Fortunately, there is so much of Twain that is, and that is in print and easily available, and if one wants to read of Twain's earlier life, I would suggest reading or rereading Life on the Mississippi or his other (in a sense and ironically) more "autobiographical" works. The Library of America volume including Life... (as well as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer) contains copious but manageable notes and biographical information. My opinion is that it would make a better gift than this to all but academics and (pardon me) twainiacs.

Through this autobiography I am coming to gain even greater respect for this person I have admired for most of my own 74 years. A marvelous account of his life.

However, because of poor eyesight I am reading the ebook version on my iPad using the Kindle reader. About 30% of the book is composed of clarifications and annotations by editors of the work. Unfortunately, those notes are in a separate section of the book and reference Twain's commentary by page number. However, the ebook version for the Kindle eliminates ALL traces of page numbering in favor of a digital code for each line. Thus there is no possible way to find the information that is being referred to in the editors comments. If possible stick to the hard copy or find a different digital ebook which retains the page references....I will for volumes 2 and 3.

Publication of the unabridged, uncensored autobiography of America's greatest writer is not only the American literary event of the century, it is the American literary event of THREE centuries: the 19th, during which most of the events occurred; the 20th, during the first decade of which Twain actually wrote it; and the 21st, during which it is finally seeing the light of day.

Having previously read the excerpts from the autobiography published in Twain's lifetime, I can honestly say that IMO they rank in the top tier of Twain's work in terms of quality of writing, insight, humor, provocation, emotional power, and just pure verbal delight.

Typical of Twain's relentless thrusting off the shackles of tradition and convention even while exploring his past, Twain intentionally wrote (actually, dictated) his autobiography in a sort of stream of consciousness manner, rather than telling the story chronologically. Brilliantly done. At any given moment in the writing (dictation), he talked about what interested him the most and what most vividly came to his mind, resulting in a most powerful, fascinating addition to one's Twain library.

I do, however, share the criticism of some other reviewers about the font (typeface) size. It is quite small, small enough to be daunting to readers not already as enthusiastic about Twain as someone like myself. Oddly, the over 200 pages of explanatory notes and appendices are the same size font as Twain's manuscript - that material could've been printed in reduced typeface to permit more pages and more readable font for Twain's words!

We know of Samuel Clemens as Mark Twain and his legacy as an author has endured with high esteem in the hundred years that have followed Clemens's death in 1910. What an extraordinary book this is...the first of three volumes about Samuel Clemens. At long last, the public is allowed to witness this remarkable man in his own words and it is an undeniable treat of the first order.

Clemens is introduced by editor Harriet Elinor Smith, who explains the process of how Clemens wanted to be remembered. It would not be an autobiography beginning at birth and proceeding sequentially throughout his life, but rather one that was prompted by reminiscenses that sprang to mind. In this way, his thoughts became more collective and certainly more jubilant.

The anecdotes that Clemens tells are an outright riot! Many of them are "laugh out loud" remembrances as he fiddles with the German language, suffers with memories of the conniving Countess in Florence, plays practical jokes (the one with President Cleveland's wife at the White House is one of my favorites) and sneers at wealthy men of his era. Along the way he comments on famous people whom he knows, including General Grant and Theodore Roosevelt. Clemens is an astute observer of his peers...his descriptions, both physical and psychological...are uncanny and hilarious. When his friend, the Reverend Joseph Twichell, inadvertently dies his hair green and must appear before his congregation on Sundays trying to suppress the deed, well....you can imagine the reaction from his flock.

It is this personal humor that makes the autobiography shine. We often think of the Victorian era (even in the United States) as a rather staid time, devoid of laughter and full of polemics and retributions. But Clemens refutes any notion to the contrary. His life bursts with energy and although his narrative is presented to the reader in the jargon of the day, it nonetheless carries the day with vibrancy, color and wit. I highly recommend this autobiography's first volume and await the remaining ones. It is one of the best treasures of the year.

"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 his death. Figuring out exactly what his version was represents a major effort by the editor and others involved in this project.

The book is divided into several sections. First, a sixty page introduction, where we learn of the origins of the autobiography and how it developed. Also, the assumptions underlying this version. Next, "preliminary manuscripts and dictations, 1870-1905." The raw material of Twain's autobiography. Then, the first volume of the autobiography.

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. Even the photo on the dust jacket suggests that this work is about a real person and is not just a "feel good" work.

This is not a strictly chronological sequence. Twain moves back and forth in time. As he notes (Page 220): ". . .I hit upon the right way to do an Autobiography: start it at no particular time of your life; wander at your free will all over your life; talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment; drop it the moment its interest threatens to pale, and talk about the new and more interesting thing that has intruded itself into your mind meantime."

This volume ends with a letter from Helen Keller, suggesting how untraditional this work is. It can almost be described as "pastiche," where Twain brings in bits and pieces of material to make the points that he wishes to make. After the autobiographical portion, we read the explanatory notes (which flesh things out).

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. I find this work almost overwhelming. Well worth looking at. . . . Clearly a major work.

What a privilege to be alive for the release of this first volume of Twain's autobiography. How sad that some readers are unable to find their way around the apparatus of the volume; there is a table of contents, yes? Ah, what would Twain say? One can but imagine.

I found the explanation of the recording and assembling of the "Auto" extremely interesting. The business of book publishing hasn't changed much, the complications of assembling and tracking manuscript sections, the copyright dilemmas--all germaine to anyone who writes. And the images of the places and circumstances in which Twain dictated-- The reader perches on the porch stair in Dublin NH, or drinks a second coffee while Twain in his heavy silk nightshirt, leans back against his bedpillows, and speaks.

The book is lively, agile, brilliant. Twain's voice seems cleaer and stronger, or richer, than in other works. What hilarious story telling, fierce opinions, indignation, humanity and wit. I have been laughing out loud while reading, and still burst into giggles picturing the 14-year-old Twain stark naked, dancing like a bear, not knowing he's being watched. What writer hasn't wanted to remonstrate, line by line, against fatuous editing? And with such cutting, snarky wit. I'm scarcely 200 pages into Twain's actual work, and I'm reading more and more slowly, dreading the end of the volume and all the while thinking of people to whom to give the book when Christmas comes.

I often despair about the world at the beginning of the 21st century--but Twain's new work released this year brightens the atmosphere significantly--

Other reviews have said what can be said about the content of this book. It is an immensely enjoyable read. having been a fan of Mark Twain's non-fiction writing for many, many years, I've thoroughly enjoyed this. This is a five-star book, I shall not rate the content on the choices of the publisher.

On that, while the print is small, the book itself is enormous for a book of less than 800 pages. The weight of the paper contributes heavily to that. While I appreciate the need to relate the weight of the work in physical form, I believe better choices could have been made to use larger print on thinner paper in the same spacial volume.

But I bought this book for its content, not its presentation. And the content is exceptional. I cannot wait for the other volumes.

Whether you are a fan of Mark Twain or not this book is a history buffs dream come true. the bits and pieces and anecdotes are about the real world Sam Clemens lived in. An added bonus are the many pieces that give great insight into many, many important characters who lived in that period and who were friends, and sometimes not of Mark Twain. You will see quite clearly how Clemens perfected and kept the 'Mark Twain' persona distinct from himself. Not the most brilliant man in history, but one of the most astute students of the human psyche that has ever lived. Modern day psychologists are a joke when set against him.

One caveat on reading the book. The first 200 pages are really only for the academic bibliophile and those retentive types concerned with the provenance of the sources. GO directly to page 200 or so and dive in...you won't regret it.