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When I (left) met Mark Twain in Hannibal, Missouri, in 1902, I got the latter's informal approval to write the books described below. Mark Twain's own favorites are
Mark Twain A to Z
, because it contains so many pictures of him, and
The Quotable Mark Twain,
because it distills so much of his wisdom. (
N.B.:
The photograph of us together is explained on the Photo Album page)
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Mark Twain A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and
Writings
is a 576-page encyclopedic reference work
covering virtually all aspects of Mark Twain's complex life and
diverse writings. With more than 430,000 words of text spread
through more than 1,230 alphabetically arranged entries, the book
covers subjects ranging from Mark Twain's friends and relatives
to his business ventures and travels, and from characters in his
fiction to his stories, essays, and books. The book also has more
than 130 photographs and engravings--including many never
published before--an original map of Mark Twain's travels
throughout the United States, a 15-page table with the most
detailed chronology of Mark Twain's life ever published, and
bibliographies of books by and about Mark Twain.
Facts On File published the original hardcover edition in 1995.
The book won the American Library Association's "Outstanding
Reference" award in 1996, and Oxford University Press published a
large-format paperback edition the same year. The OUP edition is
a photo-duplicated version of the FOF edition, with corrections
and some additional information.
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The Quotable Mark Twain: His Essential Aphorisms,
Witticisms
&
Concise Opinions
is a 356-page collection of
more than 1,800 Mark Twain quotations, at least half of which
have never been collected before. The quotations are organized
under alphabetically arranged subject headings, beginning with
"accident," "actors," "Adam," "Adam and Eve," and "adjectives,"
and concluding with "Young, Brigham," "youth," and "Zola, Emile."
Unique features of this collection include the most rigorous
editing standards ever applied to a collection of Mark Twain
quotes, precise page references to the most authoritative sources
available, 17 pages of bibliographical notes explaining which
published versions of Mark Twain's writings are most
authoritative, and a 34-page subject and keyword index to help
readers find quotations. The quotation collection is also unique
in being lavishly illustrated, with more than 100 woodcuts from
original Mark Twain books.
Contemporary Books of Chicago published
The Quotable Mark
Twain
in both soft and hardcover editions in 1998 (the
copyright page incorrectly gives 1997).
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Mark Twain's Book for Bad Boys and Girls.
Published
by Contemporary Books in 1995, this little book contains 45 short
pieces and extracts from longer works that appeal to the
subversive instincts in children of all ages. The selections are
arranged under these headings: Advice to Young People; Risky
Business; Nasty Tricks; Defying Authority; Taking Care of
Business; What Becomes of Good Children; What Becomes of Bad
Children; Stretching the Truth; Divine Providence; How to Get to
Heaven; Cheating Death; Habits, Good
&
Bad; Reforming Sinners; A
Whisper to Parents.
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Buy
Mark Twain A to Z
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Buy
The Quotable Mark Twain
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Buy
Mark Twain's Book for Bad Boys
&
Girls
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