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Mark Twain's final and uncensored masterpiece, presented in three volumes, is a landmark publication in American literature.
“Twain will begin to seem strange again, alluring and still astonishing . . . in ways that still resonate with us.”—New York Times
“His crystalline humor and expansive range are a continuous source of delight and awe.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"I've struck it!" Mark Twain wrote in a 1904 letter to a friend. "And I will give it away—to you. You will never know how much enjoyment you have lost until you get to dictating your autobiography." Thus, after dozens of false starts and hundreds of pages, Twain embarked on his "Final (and Right) Plan" for telling the story of his life. His innovative notion—to "talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment"—meant that his thoughts could range freely. The strict instruction that many of these texts remain unpublished for 100 years meant that when they came out, he would be "dead, and unaware, and indifferent," and that he was therefore free to speak his "whole frank mind." The year 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Twain's death. In celebration of this important milestone and in honor of the cherished tradition of publishing Mark Twain's works, UC Press is proud to offer for the first time Mark Twain's uncensored autobiography in its entirety and exactly as he left it. This major literary event brings to readers, admirers, and scholars the first of three volumes and presents Mark Twain's authentic and unsuppressed voice, brimming with humor, ideas, and opinions, and speaking clearly from the grave as he intended.
Editors:
Harriet E. Smith, Benjamin Griffin, Victor Fischer, Michael B. Frank, Sharon K. Goetz, Leslie Myrick
“Twain will begin to seem strange again, alluring and still astonishing . . . in ways that still resonate with us.”—New York Times
“His crystalline humor and expansive range are a continuous source of delight and awe.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"I've struck it!" Mark Twain wrote in a 1904 letter to a friend. "And I will give it away—to you. You will never know how much enjoyment you have lost until you get to dictating your autobiography." Thus, after dozens of false starts and hundreds of pages, Twain embarked on his "Final (and Right) Plan" for telling the story of his life. His innovative notion—to "talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment"—meant that his thoughts could range freely. The strict instruction that many of these texts remain unpublished for 100 years meant that when they came out, he would be "dead, and unaware, and indifferent," and that he was therefore free to speak his "whole frank mind." The year 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Twain's death. In celebration of this important milestone and in honor of the cherished tradition of publishing Mark Twain's works, UC Press is proud to offer for the first time Mark Twain's uncensored autobiography in its entirety and exactly as he left it. This major literary event brings to readers, admirers, and scholars the first of three volumes and presents Mark Twain's authentic and unsuppressed voice, brimming with humor, ideas, and opinions, and speaking clearly from the grave as he intended.
Editors:
Harriet E. Smith, Benjamin Griffin, Victor Fischer, Michael B. Frank, Sharon K. Goetz, Leslie Myrick
Price: $45.00
Pages: 760
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Series: Mark Twain Papers
Publication Date:
15 November 2010
Trim Size: 10.00 X 7.00 in
ISBN: 9780520267190
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
“Sometimes the autobiography seems Twain’s letter to posterity. At other times, reading it feels like eavesdropping on a conversation he is having with himself. . . . This first installment of Twain’s autobiography brings us closer to all of him than we have ever come before.”
— New York Review Of Books
Harriet Elinor Smith is an editor 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 Editor Robert H. Hirst, the Project's editors are producing the first comprehensive edition of all of Mark Twain's writings.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN
An Early Attempt
My Autobiography [Random Extracts from It]
The Latest Attempt
The Final (and Right) Plan
Preface. As from the Grave
The Florentine Dictations
Autobiographical Dictations, January–March 1906
Appendix: Preliminary Manuscripts and Dictations
Samuel L. Clemens: A Brief Chronology
Family Biographies
References
Excerpt from Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2
Introduction
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN
An Early Attempt
My Autobiography [Random Extracts from It]
The Latest Attempt
The Final (and Right) Plan
Preface. As from the Grave
The Florentine Dictations
Autobiographical Dictations, January–March 1906
Appendix: Preliminary Manuscripts and Dictations
Samuel L. Clemens: A Brief Chronology
Family Biographies
References
Excerpt from Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2