Life on the Mississippi

Mark Twain

Dec 2015 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

A stirring tribute to America’s mightiest river by one of its greatest authors

Before Samuel Clemens became Mark Twain, world-famous satirist and the acclaimed creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, he trained to be a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River.
 
In this captivating memoir and travelogue, Twain recounts his apprenticeship under legendary captain Horace Bixby, an exacting mentor who teaches his charge how to navigate the ever-changing waterway. The colorful details of life on the river—from the reversals of fortune suffered by riverboat gamblers to the feuds waged by towns seeking to profit from the steamboat trade—fascinate Twain, and in his hands become the stuff of legend. Years later, as a passenger on a voyage from St. Louis to New Orleans, he vividly describes the stunning changes wrought by the Civil War and the steady advance of the railroads.
 
A valuable piece of history and a revealing look at the origins of a national treasure, Life on the Mississippi is a true classic of American literature.
 
This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

Ratings and reviews

An absolutely great work. Many historical nuggets buried here, but the overwhelming impression is that Clemens would have understood our present time better than most. It is long, but at least to me, worth it. Look up some of the sidelights he brings up, which seem fantastical but actually happened. Of course, there is the complete BS wag here and there also, but there are far more true oddities than the fabrications. And through it, it's Twain. My wife got a glimpse into male psyche with some of stories that shocked her. Which somewhat surprised me since she has three brothers and has dealt with me for nearly thirty years. I guess she thought I was just pulling her leg, but here it's in print... Loved it.

About the author

Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910), who grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, and worked as a printer, riverboat pilot, newspaperman, and silver miner before his short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” brought him international attention. He would go on to write two of the great American novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and many other enduring works of fiction, satire, and travelogue. He is one of the most widely recognized figures in US history.