Mark Twain's Helpful Hints for Good Living: A Handbook for the Damned Human Race (Hardcover)

by Mark Twain (Author) "All through the first ten years of my married life I kept a constant and discreet watch upon my tongue while in the house, and..." (more)
Key Phrases: autobiographical dictation, extract from chapter, New York, Miss Lyon, The Innocents Abroad (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This wonderful book illustrates precisely why we can never have enough Twain. His humor is timeless, his wisdom about all things without equal." - Ken Burns; "If you are wrestling with how to advance stimulating dinner conversation, what to do with unwanted magazine subscriptions, how to deal with the 'odious flummery' of fashion, or whether or not to bring your dog to the next funeral, Twain is here to offer his gentle guidance." - John Boyer, Executive Director of The Mark Twain House and Museum; "A delightful display of Mark Twain's wit and humor. This is the perfect gift book for any aficionado of Mark Twain, any connoisseur of the risible, or any stuffed shirt who needs to lighten up." - Gregg Camfield, editor of The Oxford Companion to Mark Twain"

Product Description
Irreverent, charming, eminently quotable, this handbook-an eccentric etiquette guide for the human race-contains sixty-nine aphorisms, anecdotes, whimsical suggestions, maxims, and cautionary tales from Mark Twain's private and published writings. It dispenses advice and reflections on family life and public manners; opinions on topics such as dress, health, food, and childrearing and safety; and more specialized tips, such as those for dealing with annoying salesmen and burglars. Culled from Twain's personal letters, autobiographical writings, speeches, novels, and sketches, these pieces are delightfully fresh, witty, startlingly relevant, and bursting with Twain's characteristic ebullience for life. They also remind us exactly how Mark Twain came to be the most distinctive and well-known American literary voice in the world. These texts, some of them new or out of print for decades, have been selected and meticulously prepared by the editors at the Mark Twain Project. Illustrations: 36 b/w photographs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 221 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (October 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520242459
• ISBN-13: 978-0520242456
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,080 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure, February 10, 2007

By	David Montgomery (Beaufort, North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here are some useful living tips, advice and observations from that quintessential American literary figure Mark Twain, real name Samuel L. Clemens. This compilation contains a delightful mix of humorous writings on the mundane and sometimes very unusual occurrences that reflected his many gifts as a writer/humorist. Many of these snippets are from some of his more famous works, while others are from personal sketches and writings not as well known. The tarantulas escape, a borrowed overcoat, a lecture to a youth group, the use of foul language, a note to a burglar, and so many other little anecdotes, observations, and etc will elicit periods of laughter from the reader, as it did for me. A wonderful little treasure.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Etiquette requires us to respect the human race", February 22, 2006

By	Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Mark Twain in his writing very often surprises us and makes us laugh. His greatest gift is his humor. And the wisdom he provides on various aspects of daily living however sarcastic and cynical it may seem at times is grounded in a sane realistic view of humanity.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mark Twain Sampler, March 20, 2009

By	G. Schmauch "Coug123" (Spokane Valley, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoyed the assortment of stories and quotes in this book. It gives you a flavor of Mark Twains writing beyon Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer that many of us have read.

Mark Twain has a great depth and is humor. This book will give you a flavor of his writting and perhaps make you want to read more of his writing.