The Complete Short Stories [Hardcover]

Mark Twain stands out as one of the giants of America letters. Many of the 20th Century greats -- Falkner, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald just to name a few -- pointed to him as their literary inspiration. If you think it odd that writers of such diverse styles can all point back to the same author in such a way, then you haven't read Twain recently. While we often think of Twain for his folksier prose, it his extraordinary versatility of voice (as well as his humor and productivity) that stands out in these stories.

As a collection this demonstrates the Everyman's Library's usual commitment to quality. In an age when too many volumes feel almost disposable, this one is designed to last with a lovely binding and high quality paper. The introduction hits the right tone for most readers, interesting without going too long or becoming overly academic. And, in my favorite feature of this series, the volume includes an excellent timeline that reviews Twain's personal and literary life as well as significant events of his day. While I cannot be sure, I do however, have a sense that some stories are in fact missing, though I will admit I may be mistakenly recalling some of Twain's more literary essays as fiction.

My favorite thing about this collection, however, is that it runs chronologically. Readers will find much fascination in watching Twain's evolution over time. Also of interest is how his politics creeps (and sometimes shrieks) from his stories; we've too often excised from this author the strong stances he took on the issues of his day, many of which continue to resonate in our own time. More than anything this was my regret; though I cannot hold it against this volume I felt myself wishing that it covered the entirety of Twain's vast bibliography -- essays, novels, etc -- so that it was possible to view his complete evolution.

As I said, this would be an unfair expectation from this volume. Whether a reader or a writer, young or old, whether new to Twain or previously familiar, this book is a wonder to enjoy.

What? Only four stars for Mark Twain? Well, this is not Huckleberry Finn under review, it's a collection of Twain's short stories. These stories vary dramatically in quality, with some displaying some of the same humor and moral punch that has made Huckleberry Finn such an enduring classic. Others, though, are tedious or lack much point. In a useful introduction, Adam Gopnik, a writer for the New Yorker, notes that Twain had a reputation for giving humorous public lectures even before he developed a reputation as a writer. Of course, no one now alive has ever heard Twain give a public lecture, but many people have seen Hal Holbrook's "Mark Twain Tonight." I can envision Holbrook delivering many of the anecdotes contained in these stories in a way that would make them much more appealing than they are on the printed page. Unfortunately, as readers all we have is the printed page.

This edition apparently reprints a collection published by Doubleday in 1957 and edited by Charles Neider. I assume that Neider contributed an introduction to the Doubleday volume, but it is not reprinted in this edition. That omission is unfortunate because, among other matters that might have been covered in that introduction, it is unclear whether this volume really does reprint every story Twain ever wrote. It would also have been nice to know where these stories were originally printed. The dates are given but the sources are only given for those stories reproduced from Twain's book "Roughing It." It also seems a curious decision to have labeled as short stories several excerpts from "Roughing It." If Neider decided to include excerpts from that book, why not include excerpts from other books? Perhaps he explained his reasoning in the missing introduction. At any rate, Everyman's Library has the goal, I think, of providing handy collections of works by well-known authors and unlike, say, the Library of America, they are less interested in discussing bibliographical details.

This is a nicely produced volume, well bound, with a fabric bookmark sewn in. I should note, though, that the typeface is rather small. So if you have vision problems, you should definitely check out a copy in a store before ordering it.

One final note: In his useful introduction, Gopnik says that Henry James "has played Willie Mays to Twain's Mickey Mantle for more than a century." I'm a big baseball fan, but I have no idea what that means. Does it mean Willie Mays was admired more by baseball analysts and Mickey Mantle was admired more by the general public? Not sure the comparison works.

Any collector of literature will love this volume of Mark Twain's short stories. It is an Everyman's Library edition with a cloth like hardcover surrounded by a wonderful dust jacket of Twain looking off into the distance. Complete with a built in book mark to keep track of what story you are on. The introduction is by Adam Gopnik for those of you who are interested. The wonderful whit of Twain is easily captured in his stories. These short stories are steeped with the culture of the times and the dialogue that makes them seem to come alive. I was wonderfully surprised to see a story I teach each year during our Drama unit collected as the actual story and not the screen play that is collected in our Literature books at school. There is something for everyone here but for those true fans of literature especially American this collection is a real treat and will look good on any shelf. If you have never read Twain you are missing out! A great storyteller with an excellent sense of humor. To generate interest with the students I describe him as one of the founding fathers of what is stand up comedy. He was a great lecturer but he drew them to his lectures only because of his writings. Enjoy!