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Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2: The Complete and Authoritative Edition (Autobiography of Mark Twain series) by [Mark Twain, Benjamin Griffin, Harriet E. Smith, Victor Fischer, Michael Barry Frank]

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Mark Twain

Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2: The Complete and Authoritative Edition (Autobiography of Mark Twain series) 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Mark Twain (Author), Benjamin Griffin (Editor), Harriet E. Smith (Editor), Format: Kindle Edition

293 ratings

Book 2 of 3: Autobiography of Mark Twain Series

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Mark Twain’s complete, uncensored Autobiography was an instant bestseller when the first volume was published in 2010, on the centennial of the author’s death, as he requested. Published to rave reviews, the Autobiography was hailed as the capstone of Twain’s career. It captures his authentic and unsuppressed voice, speaking clearly from the grave and brimming with humor, ideas, and opinions.

The eagerly-awaited Volume 2 delves deeper into Mark Twain’s life, uncovering the many roles he played in his private and public worlds. Filled with his characteristic blend of humor and ire, the narrative ranges effortlessly across the contemporary scene. He shares his views on writing and speaking, his preoccupation with money, and his contempt for the politics and politicians of his day. Affectionate and scathing by turns, his intractable curiosity and candor are everywhere on view.

Editors: Benjamin Griffin and Harriet E. Smith
Associate Editors: Victor Fischer, Michael B. Frank, Sharon K. Goetz and Leslie Diane Myrick

ISBN-13

978-0520272781
Edition

1st
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

University of California Press
Publication date

October 5, 2013
Language

English
File size

18167 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Images and Insights from Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2

Samuel L. Clemens. Redding, Connecticut, 1908. Photograph taken by Isabel Lyon, Clemens’s secretary. Courtesy of the Mark Twain Papers, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

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Samuel Clemens in Ontereora, NY. 1900. Courtesy of the Mark Twain Papers, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

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Samuel L. Clemens, 1851 or 1852. Reproduced from a print in the Mark Twain Papers, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, which appears on the jacket of The Autobiography of Mark Twain: Volume 2 published by University of California Press (2013).

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Samuel L. Clemens with kitten. Photography by Underwood and Underwood, 1907, Tuxedo Park, New York. Courtesy of the Mark Twain Papers, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

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Extract of a letter from Samuel L. Clemens to his wife Olivia, 1874, London, England. Courtesy of the Mark Twain Papers, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

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Transcription of a letter from Samuel L. Clemens to his wife Olivia, 1874, London, England. Courtesy of the Mark Twain Papers, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

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--This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In the second volume of this meticulously edited autobiography, readers hear Twain contrast his work with autobiographies giving readers “an open window” showcasing the famous people in the authors’ lives. His autobiography, Twain explains, serves not as a window but as “a mirror, and I am looking at myself in it all the time.” To be sure, this volume—comprising material Twain dictated between April 1906 and February 1907, two years before ending his dictation—does afford glimpses of notable contemporaries, including Bret Harte, James Russell Lowell, and Helen Keller. But the narrative repeatedly shows the novelist scrutinizing himself: watching, for instance, how he scowls at the depredations of Jay Gould, how he smiles at the antics of a pet cat, how he grieves at the anniversary of his wife’s death. The episodes of self-examination spin out—as Twain acknowledges—like an “excursion . . . that sidetracks itself” unpredictably. But Griffin and Smith’s careful annotations clarify the chronology running through Twain’s reflections about the face looking back at him from his mirror—now set in the perfect deadpan of a master humorist, now contorted with the acute anguish of a distressed soul. A treasure deserving shelf space next to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. --Bryce Christensen --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

Praise for Volume 1

“It feels like a form of time travel. One moment you’re on horseback in the Hawaiian islands — or recovering from saddle boils with a cigar in your mouth — and the next moment you’re meeting the Viennese maid he called, in a private joke, ‘Wuthering Heights.’ We can hardly wait for Volume 2.”— New York Times

“Twain's autobiography, finally available after a century, is a garrulous outpouring—and every word beguiles.”— Wall Street Journal

“I start reading Twain’s Autobiography at any page and don’t want to stop, for the sheer voluptuous pleasure of the prose.”— Roger Ebert --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

"The great American author, aided by his scholarly editors, continues to spin out a great yarn covering his long life. . . . Twain admirers will find this volume indispensable and wil eagerly await the third volume." STARRED REVIEW ― Kirkus Reviews Published On: 2013-07-01

"Meticulously edited. . . . A treasure deserving shelf space next to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer." STARRED REVIEW -- Bryce Christensen ― Booklist Published On: 2013-09-15

"Twain is incapable of going more than a few paragraphs without making you laugh or think hard. . . . Don't loan this book out: you'll never see it again." ― Bloomberg Pursuits Published On: 2013-10-01

"Another delightful round of humor and candor, reminiscence and insider sketches of the people and politics of Twain’s day."
― The Sacramento Bee Published On: 2013-09-28

"Contains more of Twain’s ranging, astute, and unfailingly candid portrayals of his private and public lives. Excoriations of politicians appear next to affectionate family stories and bemused observations on the absurdities of life, helping to fill out our understanding of America’s greatest humorist." ― The New Yorker, Page-Turner Published On: 2013-10-02

"Set aside all ideas of starting at the beginning and reading through to the end. This is a book to keep on your bedside table, or in the kitchen, or the garage, or anyplace else you might want to pick it up. Follow Clemens' own advice in reading it, as he did in writing it: Start reading at no particular point; wander at your free will all over it; read only about the thing that interests you for the moment; drop it the moment its interest threatens to pale; and turn your eye upon the new and more interesting thing that has intruded itself into your gaze meantime. Believe me, there are plenty of these in this wonderful volume." ― The Hartford Courant Published On: 2013-10-03

"One sees a mind bubbling and hears a uniquely American voice." ― Literary Review Published On: 2013-10-01

"Twain traveled extensively and befriended many luminaries, and his colorful experiences give the book the same Dickensian scope as the first volume, and presents a vivid picture of America in the 19th century and Twain’s indelible mark on it." ― Publishers Weekly Published On: 2013-10-01

"This is vintage Twain―timeless, and still germane." ― BookPage Published On: 2013-10-04

"Twain is frequently sad and cynical in these late-in-life writings (just a few years before his death) but his devastating wit and sharp-eyed commentary are on full display as well." ― Christian Science Monitor

"The publishing sensation of the year." -- Jonah Raskin ― San Francisco Chronicle Published On: 2013-10-11

"What we’ve inherited is no ordinary book. You may begin at the beginning and read to its end; you may reach into it like a grab bag and enjoy whatever you pull out. It doesn’t matter." ― Dallas Morning News Published On: 2013-10-12

"Twain ambles through eternal truths and trivia, telling of world events and personal piques. Witticisms appear at random intervals, and the ensuing laughter can be dangerous to the lower extremities if one doesn’t have a vicelike grip on this weighty tome." ― The Christian Science Monitor Published On: 2013-10-16

"In case you had any doubt about it, the new book demonstrates that Twain dictated as well as he wrote." ― The Washington Post Published On: 2013-10-13

"One of the more marvelous literary projects of our time."

― The Buffalo News Published On: 2013-10-20

"As much a sensitive and articulate historical work as an autobiography, the book is almost inexhaustible in its content. . . . What seems like a mountain of anecdotal scraps and opinions results in a clear picture of Clemens as Twain." ― Library Journal Published On: 2013-11-15

"If you surrender yourself to the sound of his voice, the pleasure of Twain’s company proves pretty hard to resist. His narrative may be loose, but at least it never loses sight of its subject." ― The New Yorker, Page-Turner Published On: 2013-11-14

"Because this edition of The Autobiography of Mark Twain is rich and open-ended even as it provides a text built with incredible insight and care, it is likely, indeed, to live up to its billing as the "Complete and Authoritative Edition."" ― Resources for American Literary Study Published On: 2015-01-01 --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Volume 1

“It feels like a form of time travel. One moment you’re on horseback in the Hawaiian islands ― or recovering from saddle boils with a cigar in your mouth ― and the next moment you’re meeting the Viennese maid he called, in a private joke, ‘Wuthering Heights.’ We can hardly wait for Volume 2.”― New York Times

“Twain's autobiography, finally available after a century, is a garrulous outpouring―and every word beguiles.”― Wall Street Journal

“I start reading Twain’s Autobiography at any page and don’t want to stop, for the sheer voluptuous pleasure of the prose.”― Roger Ebert --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

About the Author

Benjamin Griffin and Harriet Elinor Smith are editors at the Mark Twain Project, which is housed within the Mark Twain Papers, the world’s largest archive of primary materials by this major American writer. Under the direction of General EditorRobert H. Hirst, the Project’s editors are producing the first comprehensive edition of all of Mark Twain’s writings. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DCCQEBW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; 1st edition (October 5, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 5, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 18167 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 773 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #354,313 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #502 in Humorous Literary Fiction
- #580 in Biographies & Memoirs of Authors
- #1,992 in Author Biographies

Customer Reviews:
293 ratings

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Mark Twain

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Mark Twain is the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 - 1910). He was born and brought up in the American state of Missouri and, because of his father's death, he left school to earn his living when he was only twelve. He was a great adventurer and travelled round America as a printer; prospected for gold and set off for South America to earn his fortune. He returned to become a steam-boat pilot on the Mississippi River, close to where he had grown up. The Civil War put an end to steam-boating and Clemens briefly joined the Confederate army - although the rest of his family were Unionists! He had already tried his hand at newspaper reporting and now became a successful journalist. He started to use the alias Mark Twain during the Civil War and it was under this pen name that he became a famous travel writer. He took the name from his steam-boat days - it was the river pilots' cry to let their men know that the water was two fathoms deep.

Mark Twain was always nostalgic about his childhood and in 1876 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published, based on his own experiences. The book was soon recognised as a work of genius and eight years later the sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was published. The great writer Ernest Hemingway claimed that 'All modern literature stems from this one book.'

Mark Twain was soon famous all over the world. He made a fortune from writing and lost it on a typesetter he invented. He then made another fortune and lost it on a bad investment. He was an impulsive, hot-tempered man but was also quite sentimental and superstitious. He was born when Halley's Comet was passing the Earth and always believed he would die when it returned - this is exactly what happened.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5

293 global ratings

5 star		88%
4 star		7%
3 star		1%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Writer Reader

Absolutely awesome

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 3, 2022

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I believe no author was better placed in time and location to tell the stories contained in this autobiography. It is less about Twain himself and more about what was going on around him, in this country, and in the world. Twain's personal experiences give us a better history than most history books. If I were a school teacher, I would make it assigned reading.

Helpful

Emberweave

Excellent Publication, but use two bookmarks

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 20, 2016

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I have read all three volumes of Mark Twain’s autobiography and, while it was a monumental task, it was incredibly enjoyable. It really was like getting to sit and listen to the man talk. He is extremely sharp and funny. His descriptive abilities are unsurpassed. Since he knew this would not be published until a century after his death, he was not censored in his opinions. He is acerbic and funny and, I’m sure if we actually knew the people he talks about, dead on accurate. His comments about Theodore Roosevelt are hilarious. Twain’s self-awareness of his own ego and foibles also provides many humorous observations and comments.

Because it’s such a long autobiography, I’m sure the editors had a difficult time deciding when to end each volume. Volume One ends with a better sense of narrative completion than Volume Two, which ends on a more random note (I read each of these as they were published) Now that all three volumes are available, new readers won’t have to deal with the feeling of being left hanging. My only quibble with Volume Three is that I wish the Ashcroft-Lyon Papers had been inserted into the autobiography to correspond with the time they were written. As I was reading, I had wondered why there was such a huge gap in diary entries during the summer of 1909, which is explained in the introduction to the A-L Papers. I also wished that Twain’s final words were of his daughter Jean, rather than Ashcroft and Lyon. It’s a minor thing, but I thought I’d mention it.

I can’t understand the complaints from other reviewers that the writing was too long or too rambling. (stay away from Dickens!) Twain says at the very beginning that he isn’t going to do a “normal” autobiography. This is not a book to be read from cover to cover in one or two sittings. I read this book while reading other books over the course of several months. I would read two to four entries at a time and absorb what he said. I really got a feel of that era and I enjoyed the history as much as Twain’s own words. The reason why I say the reader should use two bookmarks is this: I kept one bookmark at Twain’s entries and the other bookmark at the descriptive notes in the back. I’d read one entry and then immediately read the corresponding notes. This gave me a better feel for the subject and who people were. It really enriched the reading experience.

I’m extremely impressed with the hard work that went into publishing these volumes and they do not disappoint. If you’re a fan of Mark Twain these books are totally worth it.

33 people found this helpful

Helpful

Just As Fascinating as the First Volume

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 2, 2014

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If you only know Mark Twain from a vague memory of having read "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" or "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" when you were in school, you don't know Mark Twain.

Author, critic and playwright William Dean Howells--and Twain's friend for more than four decades--referred to Twain as "the Lincoln of our literature." But that was only one facet of Twain's life. He was a journeyman printer, steamboat pilot, newspaper reporter, prospector, world traveler, platform lecturer, inventor, businessman, family man, and at the time of his death he was the most recognizable man on the planet.

For almost forty years, I taught "Huck Finn" to my high school students and read everything about Mark Twain that I could find, including the original edition of his autobiography as well as published collections of his letters and biographies by Justin Kaplan ("Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain) Ron Powers ("Mark Twain: A Life").

Just when you think you have learned everything about Twain, the University of California Press comes out with the definitive version of his autobiography. Vol. 1, which came out four years ago during the centennial year of Twain's death, shined a light in corners of Twain's life that had not yet been exposed. This second volume does more of the same.

This is not for the casual fan. (The would better be served by Powers' excellent biography mentioned earlier.) But if you want to know Twain on an intimate level, you will want nothing less than each installment of this sprawling autobiography. Much of this may be seen as ephemera, like Twain's commentary on a passage from Susy's Biography regarding how numerous the houseflies were at the Hartford home. To the delight of the children, Olivia placed a bounty on flies, and the children went so far as to recruit neighbor children to provide them with flies to collect the bounty. Through each of these hundreds of anecdotes we get a glimpse of this remarkable 19th century renaissance man. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

24 people found this helpful

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Michael L. Van Hoven

Twain Autobiography

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 2, 2021

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A great continuation of Twain's autobiography. Twain presents a picture of a complex man who loved his family and hairbrained get-rich quick ideas. Ironically we would not have as much production from Twain with respect to writing and performances had he not worked off all the debt he owed. He didn't have to pay off the debt as he declared bankruptcy, yet he felt it only right to pay it off. We are richer for his sense of honor.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mr A D Sutton

Every bit as engaging as vol. 1.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 30, 2013

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It is truly amazing how contemporary this writing is. Twain seems to have caught the essence of The American Century right at the inception. This volume is as well annotated as the first and printed to the same high quality. Buy vol.1 first and find yourself a real friend in this perceptive humidifier and chronicler.

3 people found this helpful

P. Noons

Very Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 8, 2017

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Brilliantly written

Derek Flyn

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 21, 2016

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