Mark Twain
Author, Entrepreneur, Writer
Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens (1835–1910), was an American writer and humorist. His hometown of Hannibal, Missouri, inspired The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and he wrote the travel book The Innocents Abroad.
Mark Twain's 15 Book Recommendations
- The Life of Samuel Johnson: “Johnson (Boswell's), because I like to see that complacent old gasometer listen to himself talk (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- The Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson: “2. The same for the girl, after striking out Crusoe & substituting Tennyson. (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2: “1. Macaulay ; Plutarch ; Grant's Memoirs ; Crusoe ; Arabian Nights ; Gulliver. (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Hartford, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- Gulliver's Travels: “1. Macaulay ; Plutarch ; Grant's Memoirs ; Crusoe ; Arabian Nights ; Gulliver. (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Hartford, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- Selected Dialogues of Plato: “Jowett's Plato... I should be sure of these (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- The Oxford Shakespeare: “In my list I know I should put Shakspeare ; & Browning ; & Carlyle (French Revolution only) ; Sir Thomas Malory (King Arthur)... (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant: “1. Macaulay ; Plutarch ; Grant's Memoirs ; Crusoe ; Arabian Nights ; Gulliver. (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Hartford, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- Robinson Crusoe: “1. Macaulay ; Plutarch ; Grant's Memoirs ; Crusoe ; Arabian Nights ; Gulliver. (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Hartford, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- The Arabian Nights: “1. Macaulay ; Plutarch ; Grant's Memoirs ; Crusoe ; Arabian Nights ; Gulliver. (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Hartford, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- Don Quixote: “A curious exemplification of the power of a single book for good or harm is shown in the effects wrought by 'Don Quixote' and those wrought by 'Ivanhoe.' The first swept the world's admiration for the medieval chivalry-silliness out of existence (Life on the Mississippi, ch. 46, 1883)”
- The Story of My Life: “I am charmed with your book--enchanted. (Letter to Helen Keller, Riverdale, March 17, 1903; Mark Twain Project UCCL 06599)”
- Indian Summer: “I have just read Part II of Indian Summer, and to my mind there isn't a waste line in it... It is a beautiful story, and makes a body laugh all the time, and cry inside (Letter to W. D. Howells, Elmira, July 21, 1885; Mark Twain's Letters, ed. Paine)”
- Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings: “Uncle Remus is most deftly drawn, and is a lovable and delightful creation; he, and the little boy, and their relations with each other, are high and fine literature, and worthy to live (Letter to Joel Chandler Harris, Elmira, Aug. 10, 1881; Mark Twain's Letters, ed. Paine)”
- The French Revolution: A History: “In my list I know I should put Shakspeare ; & Browning ; & Carlyle (French Revolution only)... I should be sure of these (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Jan. 20, 1887)”
- Le Morte d'Arthur: Volume 1: “In my list I know I should put... Sir Thomas Malory (King Arthur)... I should be sure of these (Letter to Rev. C. D. Crane, Jan. 20, 1887)”