Mark Twain's Book For Bad Boys and Girls [Hardcover]

R. Kent Rasmussen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

Mark Twain's Book for Bad Boys and Girls is the first-ever compilation of Twain's own wise and witty essays, sketches, and stories on the joys and rewards of misbehavior.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is the first compilation of Twain's wise essays and stories on the joys of misbehavior. Themes are introduced; then Twain's own words take over in a fine treatise presenting the best of his humor and tongue-in-cheek observations. -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author

McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809233983
• ISBN-13: 978-0809233984
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,177,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Twain (1835-1910) was an American humorist, satirist, social critic, lecturer and novelist. He is mostly remembered for his classic novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming, fun, instructive, November 10, 2003

By 

Nicolas S. Martin (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mark Twain's Book For Bad Boys and Girls (Hardcover)

Even a book this small reveals how wonderful was the pen of Mark Twain. It is brimming with good-natured mischief and well-told yarns. It is the perfect antidote to the smarmy nonsense plopped onto the bookshelves by The Gambling Gourmand, William Bennett. A perfect gift for an intelligent youngster, and a delight for adults.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better, Much Better Than William Bennett, December 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Mark Twain's Book For Bad Boys and Girls (Hardcover)

This is a great little book. A gift to kids that will touch their minds and set off mini-explosions of laughter and possibility. William Bennett, the idiot of our times, could never have thought of this stuff and doesn't have the intellect or imagination to be able to write this well. Let's buy this book and dismiss William Bennett. Mark Twain is an American original.

4 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I had hoped to read..., July 31, 2006

By 

Chad Oberholtzer (Boalsburg, PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mark Twain's Book for Bad Boys and Girls (Hardcover)

I have always appreciated the work of Mark Twain. He manages to combine a witty, sardonic pen with a quality narrative approach that has always kept me engaged in his wonderful stories. So, I had hoped that this little collection of snippets from his works would be equally charming.

Unfortunately, I came to realize about halfway through this book that Twain's biting sarcasm is only pallatable in sporadic doses. In this book, there is no narrative to follow and no characters to develop. Instead, his many biting comments about morality, the church, and virtue are slammed up against each other, to a rather jarring effect. He repeatedly lambasts anyone and everyone who would encourage young people to make good choices, with no breather in between.

In this form, I found Twain to be mean-spirited, arrogant, and offensive. Though there are a few touching moments that prevent me from rating it with 1 star, I would not recommend this book to anyone, especially not to children. The nasty side of Twain's wit is exposed for all of its ugliness, and I did not enjoy the view.