Mark Twain: Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, and Essays: Volume 2: 1891-1910 (Library of America) [Hardcover]

Mark Twain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1992

A collection of Twain's writings from his later years includes first-rate pieces that should be better known, as well as previously uncollected works that reflect the inner workings of one of the keenest minds in American history.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1050 pages
• Publisher: Library of America; First Edition edition (October 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940450739
• ISBN-13: 978-0940450738
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, July 25, 2010

By 

Bill R. Moore (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mark Twain: Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, and Essays: Volume 2: 1891-1910 (Library of America) (Hardcover)

Most people know Mark Twain as a writer of humorous tales, Mississippi bildungsromans, travelogues, and historical romances. This approximates his career through the early to mid-1890s, but he then took a drastic turn that lasted until his 1910 death. A combination of personal tragedies (the deaths of his wife, several children, and close friends as well as bankruptcy) and tragic political events (American imperialism, oppression in Russia and the Congo, the Dreyfus affair, etc.) made him very bitter, cynical, and angry. This is reflected in his late writings, many of which went unpublished because they were too politically, theologically, or morally radical. Few writers have been so savagely misanthropic or irreverent; these works are hard reading for anyone with faith in humanity. That said, Twain was always deeply contradictory, and the era also saw him become unprecedentedly political. Showing a strong humanitarian streak, he risked a carefully built reputation to defend the oppressed - racial minorities, women, the politically despised, and others. Perhaps most remarkably, unlike nearly all artist, Twain was not only perhaps more prolific than ever in old age but also at least as great. Those who treasure his light-hearted humor or vivid antebellum South depictions may be disappointed. Some may even be shocked; this is certainly not the Twain turned into cartoons and family films. His unparalleled satire remained, but he moved beyond burlesque into theology, philosophy, politics, and other weighty areas, making clear that he was a formidable intellect and man of deep conscience. Anyone alive to his genius will find much to appreciate in his late work.

This book is a fantastic collection covering the era - 80 pieces over nearly 1,000 pages. The title page's "Collected" somewhat overstates things, as the book excludes Twain's late novels and a significant amount of shorter pieces and speeches, but the inclusiveness is remarkable. The works are given chronologically, which is fascinating. The first few are the kind of light-hearted fare for which Twain was famous, but the works get darker and darker until they are nearly unbearable. Twain's anger at humanity and God knew no bounds, and he refused to spare anyone. However, though often incendiary and always insightful, he is never didactic and rarely noticeably heavy-handed. More importantly, the quality is astonishingly consistent; I long ago decided that even Twain's grocery list would be worth reading, and these pieces certainly are. Whether writing about heavy subjects like politics and religion or discoursing on tobacco and turkey hunting, he is entertaining, informative, and thought-provoking - and, yes, often funny. The pieces also have a remarkable variety of subjects and forms. The title is somewhat misleading in that few works are tales in any conventional sense, though those that are ("The One Million Pound Banknote," "The $30,000 Bequest," "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg," "A Dog's Tale," "Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven," etc.) are among his best. There are also only a few speeches. Many selections can be broadly called essays, including some of his most brilliant: "To the Person Sitting in Darkness," "The United States of Lyncherdom," etc. Some, such as "The War Prayer," are somewhere between tale and essay. Most are hard to classify, basically being speculative non-fiction in semi-fictional form, including masterworks like "The Czar's Soliloquy," "King Leopold's Soliloquy," and "Letters from the Earth." There are even a few (surprisingly good) poems and several dialogues, notably What Is Man? The book closes with several dozen unparalleled maxims, including some very famous ones. The collection has some of Twain's greatest works, many of which deserve to be as famous as his best-known.

There is nothing here unavailable elsewhere, but the book is extremely convenient in collecting pieces spread over a dozen or so collections. The edition is also extremely fine. There is a significant number (over 30 pages) of endnotes, though there probably should be more. We also get substantial detail about each piece's publishing history and the most extensive biographical outline (48 pages!) that I have seen out of hundreds or thousands of books. The book itself is also very high quality; the binding is very durable, and we even get a built-in bookmark.

All told, this is essential for anyone interested in Twain. His most famous works should be read first, but this should follow immediately.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Insightful Musings by Twain, May 30, 2010

By 

Kevin M. Derby (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mark Twain: Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, and Essays: Volume 2: 1891-1910 (Library of America) (Hardcover)

The Library of America should be commended for this collection of essays from Mark Twain's later years. Twain's last years contained a number of tragedies but he retained a sharp writing style and his trademark humor. The work contains some of the funniest attacks in American literature--witness Twain's two essays on "Fennimore Cooper's Literary Offenses" which are both contained in this collection. But there are also much darker essays in the collection-Twain's stunning "King Leopold's Soliloquy" is a serious take on a haunting subject-Belgian atrocities in the Congo. Twain's anti-imperial, almost pacifistic, views are shown in this essay in "The War Prayer." But there are also joyful looks and appreciations as Twain writes on smoking, a turkey hunt when he was a young man gone horribly wrong, the benefits of growing old and offers glowing praise to his friend William Dean Howells. This book only confirms what is widely known--Mark Twain was one of the greatest writers America ever produced.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good enough to purchase twice!, May 3, 2006

By 

I. Peek (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mark Twain: Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, and Essays: Volume 2: 1891-1910 (Library of America) (Hardcover)

I came across this book in a used bookstore on a college campus. I purchased it without more than a few quick page flips to see the type of content. It didn't really matter, though as Twain is my favorite author. The "student" who owned this book previously underlined several passages extensively, and sloppily at that. If they had spent time reading Twain instead of trying to underline every phrase, it might have made a difference. On the other hand, perhaps they were blind, and wanted to underling the important phrases. It makes half of the book virtually illegible. So I purchased it new from amazon.com, along with the first volume, which I am sure will be as delightful.

This is a wonderful book (reading the legible half), and is now one of my favorites. Twain's essays and humorous bits are hilarious, and provide an excellent view into his opinions and life. His piece on cigars is hilarious, and the Adam's Diary selection is a must read.