Customer Reviews

Mark Twain: The Gilded Age and Later Novels: The Gilded Age / The American Claimant / Tom Sawyer Abroad / Tom Sawyer, Detective / No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger (Library of America)

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This collection of five Mark Twain novels is the sixth volume of his works published by the Library of America (LOA). Once again, the LOA has performed their usual impressive work of scholarship and quality craftsmanship.

The first five volumes comprised his classics and well known short stories, novels and essays. With this volume, the reader is introduced to five of his least famous novels. The Gilded Age was his first novel (1873) and the only one he ever collaborated with another writer on (Hartford neighbor Charles Warner). The other four books were written toward the end of his career (from the 1890's on).

Three of the novels were sequels : "The American Claimant" was itself a successor to "The Gilded Age" as it follows the further misadventures of Colonel Sellers; "Tom Sawyer, Abroad" and Tom Sawyer, Detective" continues the exploits of Tom and Hucklebery Finn. The final book, "The Mysterious Stranger" was never published in Twain's lifetime as it reflects the tragic darkness of his family life with it dark haunting gloom.

This volume is a must for the Mark Twain fan (along with the other five LOA volumes of his writings). While I do not consider this collection to be Mark Twain at his best, even Mark Twain at 3/4 strength is better than most other writers at their peak. The humorous satire of human nature (and of politics in the first two novels) is present in all five books.

I have to confess that I seem to be about the only person on the face of the planet who's not a big Mark Twain fan. But after the Enron debacle, and in light of the affluenza sweeping our consumerist society, I recently went back to reread *The Gilded Age*. The more things change, the more they stay the same! Twain's dissection of unscrupulous tycoons wanting to get richer, corrupt senators jumping in bed with the tycoons by cutting them sweet political deals, and get-rich crazy middle class types who kiss up for their cut of the pie could've all been taken from last night's news. A brilliant and occasionally hilarious portrait of what happens to individuals in a souless age mesmerized by the almighty buck. A good warning to us today. I wish it could be required reading for everybody coming of age in these fast-paced times. (It's probably too late to do much good for Enron-type execs.)

One of the bonuses of this Library of America edition is that it includes *The American Claimnant,* a sequel to *Gilded Age*. I'd never heard of it before, and in all honesty didn't enjoy it as much as *Gilded*. But it's a good read for anybody with an afternoon of leisure time.

Here Twain gives us some lesser known works, but not less quality. This volume from the Library of America is superb American Literature. Human comedy, satire, vision, invention, and new adventures for Tom and Huck across the Atlantic make this a must for Tom and Huck fans...

Twain in his writings is about being truly human with all it's foolishness and hope. He strikes out into the unknown of life with a gusto. You'll need little baggage or money, just a willing spirit and some common sense to accompany him on his journeys and you'll be wiser if not more content with your little span of living in this wonderful "Guilded" land full of con artists, manupalators, sinners, and a few saints.