The Stolen White Elephant and Other Detective Stories (1882, 1896, 1902) (The Oxford Mark Twain) [Paperback]

Mark Twain (Author), Shelley Fisher Fishkin (Series Editor), Walter Mosley (Introduction), Lillian S. Robinson (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 1997 | Series: The Oxford Mark Twain

Three detective stories by Mark Twain with an introduction by Walter Mosely, the modern master of mystery writing, and an afterword by noted scholar Lillian S. Robinson. "The Stolen White Elephant" is a broad farce mocking the self-proclaimed omniscience of many fictional detectives, told entirely in the form of a series of ridiculous telegraphs. Revolving around the theft of a literal white elephant, the gift of the King of Siam, this manifestly absurd story is nevertheless modeled after the real life efforts of a blundering New York Police Department to recover the corpse of one Alexander T. Stewart, stolen from his family vault in 1878. "A Double-Barreled Detective Story" is another delightful spoof of the mystery genre, then in its infancy, this time introducing the reader to Sherlock Holmes as he has never been seen before or since. Far from his usual elegant London haunts, the great detective is caught up in a melodramatic murder mystery of love, betrayal, and vengeance in a rough California mining town. Finally, in "Tom Sawyer, Detective," Twain gives us a lively adventure featuring Tom Sawyer as the great detective and Huck Finn as his Watson, investigating diamond thefts and murders back in Hannibal. Three delightful stories, all with Twain's trademark wit and sense of fun.

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 6, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195114175
• ISBN-13: 978-0195114171
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,378,170 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.