Life on the Mississippi: Amazon.ca: Mark Twain: Books

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Book Description

It's Time to Rediscover the Wonderful Books We All Cherish.

"The Mississippi is well worth reading about. It is not a commonplace river but on the contrary is in all ways remarkable."-- Mark Twain

0riginally published in 1883, Life on the Mississippi is Mark Twain's memoir of his youthful years as a cub pilot on a steamboat paddling up and down the Mississippi River. Twain used his childhood experiences growing up along the Mississippi in a number of works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but nowhere is the river and the pilot's life more thoroughly described than in this work. Told with insight, humor, and candor, Life on the Mississippi is an American classic.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Ingram

Mark Twain's own story of his youthful years as a cub-pilot on a steamboat plowing up and down the Mississippi River. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Jun 2 2002

By

Curtis Lane (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life on the Mississippi (Mass Market Paperback)

The best work by Twain I've read to date. This combination history, memoir, travelogue, and collection of sketches is both humorous and entertaining. I have also learned a great deal about Twain, his time, and the history of steamboating and the Mississippi. Written later in his life, this work is mature in style as well as content in spite of its loose organization and focus. Highly recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Mark Twain's Tribute to the Mississippi River, Sep 24 2001

By

T. W. Fuller (Wheeling, IL. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Life on the Mississippi (Mass Market Paperback)

"Life On the Mississippi" is Mark Twain's tribute to the Mississippi River, which surrounded the earlier part of his life. Mark Twain had been in awe of the river for many years; and inspired him to become a river boat pilot - explained in length in this book; much of which is quite humorous, while other parts are heartbreaking, including that of the horrible death of his brother, Henry.

One of the main complaints about this book that some people have is that is uses too many facts and figures, which tends to bog the reader down. This is true. Yet, the avid reader, and Mark Twain enthusiast, will not bypass these chapters. We will revel in them, and read them with inspired intent; simply because the Mississippi River has been such an integral part of Mark Twain's life, that the more we get to know about the river, the more we get to know about the real Mark Twain.

"Life on the Mississippi" is a work of nonfiction; perhaps Twain's truest account of historical fact concerning his life. For those who are just getting interested in knowing about Mark Twain's writings, I would recommend reading "Roughing It"; as it is humurous throughout. "Life on the Mississippi" would be the second book I would recommend.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Twains Greatest!, April 14 2003

By

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Life on the Mississippi (Mass Market Paperback)

This book--at times disjointed, rambling, self-referential, and irreverent--is decades ahead of its time. It's an interdisciplinarian's dream as Twain takes on economics, geography, politics, ancient and contemporary history, and folklore with equal ease. Mostly though, one appreciates his knack for exaggeration, the tall tale, and the outright lie. It's a triumph of tone, as he lets you in on his wild wit, his keen observation, and his penchant for bending the truth without losing his credibility as a guide.

The book's structure is also modern: He recounts his days as a paddlewheel steam boat "cub," piloting the hundreds of miles of the Mississippi before the Civil War, then, in Part 2, returns to retrace his paddleboat route. Although a few of his many digressions don't work (they sometimes sound formulaic or too detailed) most of the narrative is extremely entertaining. Twain seems caught between admiration and disdain for the "modern" age-but he also rejects over-sentimentality over the past. He writes with beauty and cynicism, verve and humor. Very highly recommended!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Mark Twain's Finest Writing
I read this recently after having kept a copy around for years; I now wish I had read it years ago. Read more

Published on Jun 26 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Twain's Mississippi River Recollections..........
In Life on the Mississippi, Twain recounts his river experiences from boyhood to riverboat captain and beyond. Read more

Published on April 2 2003 by nto62