Mark Twain (Samuel Langhome Clemens) has the dual distinction of being among America's most important writers and among its funniest. He was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835, and four years later moved to Hannibal, on the Mississippi River. As a young man he worked at a variety of jobs, including printer's typesetter and apprentice steamboat pilot (actually attaining a pilot's license in 1859), before heading West in search of fortune and adventure.

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Renowned as a novelist, journalist, and humorist, Mark Twain is not only one of the most widely read and admired American writers, he is also among the most quoted. Wit and repartee permeate his work--from the short, light pieces to his great novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and even later, in dark meditations on the human condition where his humor takes on a cynical, satirical twist.

This remarkably inexpensive volume gathers together hundreds of Twain’s most memorable quips and comments on life, love, history, culture, travel, and a diversity of other topics that occupied his thoughts over 50 years of writing and lecturing. Among the quotations included here:

Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough. He is now fast rising from affluence to poverty. Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.

More than one cigar at a time is excessive smoking.

              ... and many more.

An invaluable, ready reference for writers, speakers, and others in search of amusing and insightful quotes, this entertaining and thought-provoking compilation is also an ideal introduction to Twain’s inimitable style and thought.

Men, Women, Children, Human Nature

Love, Marriage, Romance

Virtue, Vice, Conduct

Politics, History

Religion

Youth, Aging

Truth, Honesty, Lies, Illusion

Reading, Writing, Education

Health, Exercise

Money, Business

Travel

Various Subjects