Mark Twain Archive
November 30, 2011
Happy Birthday Mark Twain
Check out Google’s birthday card. It won’t last long....Read all of "Happy Birthday Mark Twain"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:35 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
September 8, 2011
Mark Twain Archaeology
Yep, there is such a thing! A dig is starting at the John Adams Quarles farmstead where Twain spent some time as a child. Quarles was Twain’s uncle. I do wonder if there is some motive other than just recovering...Read all of "Mark Twain Archaeology"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:17 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
July 4, 2011
Mark Twain On Patriotism (repost)
Shirley and I are off to a 4th of July party so I decided to repost this from a couple of years ago. A few select quotations presented without comment or context. Well, without much comment or context. Man is...Read all of "Mark Twain On Patriotism (repost)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:30 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
March 10, 2011
“Like Rock Stars With A First Hit Record”
The Los Angeles Times has an abnormally interesting article on the editors of the Autobiography of Mark Twain. Thrust into a publishing success about which other academics can only fantasize, Smith and her colleagues at UC Berkeley's Mark Twain Papers...Read all of "“Like Rock Stars With A First Hit Record”"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:23 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
January 7, 2011
One Person’s Response To A Sanitized Huck Finn
One Person’s Response To A Sanitized Huck Finn Well, I hope this action of Mr. Gribben's in no way distracts from the two editions I have planned of Huckleberry Finn coming out in the spring. One is a legal/military redacted...Read all of "One Person’s Response To A Sanitized Huck Finn"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:09 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (2)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
January 4, 2011
What Jim Was and What He Wasn’t.
There is a lot of discussion of a forthcoming version of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Both Twain scholars and the popular press have joined the fray. As I understand it, a major feature of this new version is...Read all of "What Jim Was and What He Wasn’t."
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:18 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (4)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
December 24, 2010
A Journey To Bethlehem
Because I’m busy lazy today, I decided to repost my December 24th post from last year. On this day before Christmas, I thought I'd share Mark Twain's report of his visit to Bethlehem. He and a group of other innocents...Read all of "A Journey To Bethlehem"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:45 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
December 20, 2010
On Not Seeing Your Ears
In "A Fable," Mark Twain has the cat express the moral, "You can find in a text whatever you bring, if you will stand between it and the mirror of your imagination. You may not see your ears, but they...Read all of "On Not Seeing Your Ears"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:19 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
November 12, 2010
Mark Twain On Deception
“[W]hen a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive other people.” - Mark Twain, February 14, 1906, dictation, Autobiography of Mark Twain, I, 357 I’ve added this to the list of Mark Twain quotations...Read all of "Mark Twain On Deception"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:19 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (3)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
October 21, 2010
A Person’s Life
What a wee little part of a person’s life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself. All day long, and every day, the mill of his...Posted by Duane Smith at 8:51 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
October 20, 2010
Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1, Now Online
The Mark Twain Project has now released Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1 free online. And an amazing presentation it is. In addition to making the whole volume available without charge, the online version contains many explanatory notes that are...Read all of "Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1, Now Online"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:53 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
October 17, 2010
Thought Of The Day
As I said I would do, I am reading Autobiography of Mark Twain and wondering. One of the things I am wondering is what my library would be like if Brill sold 736 page books on the ancient Near East...Read all of "Thought Of The Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:11 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
October 16, 2010
Wow! And A Month Early
The first volume of Autobiography of Mark Twain has just arrived, all 736 pages of it. And a wonderful production it is. The chapters which immediately follow constitute a fragment of one of my many attempts (after I was in...Read all of "Wow! And A Month Early"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:29 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
October 7, 2010
I Can Hardly Wait!
I’ve mentioned before that volume 1 of the Autobiography of Mark Twain is about to be published. Excitement is in the air. It is also at This is Mark Twain, a University of California sponsored website, and at Amazon. The...Read all of "I Can Hardly Wait!"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:56 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
June 14, 2010
A Little Twain For Flag Day
Mark Twain sent this letter to the Hartford Flag Committee, [Elmira], N. Y., Sept. 8, 1879. Gentlemen of the Committee— Out of the poverty left on hand by an interminable European trip, I very gladly put up the enclosed $25...Read all of "A Little Twain For Flag Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:19 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
May 24, 2010
UC Berkeley To Publish Mark Twain’s Autobiography
The Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley houses the manuscript(s) for this work. They will release the first of three planned volumes in November. As The Independent says, The creator of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and some of the most frequently...Read all of "UC Berkeley To Publish Mark Twain’s Autobiography "
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:55 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
May 9, 2010
On Motive, Moral and Plot
Mark Twain posted the following warning among the front matter of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, PERSONS attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting...Read all of "On Motive, Moral and Plot"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:58 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
May 3, 2010
America’s Criminal Class
Mark Twain famously wrote, “It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.” Well, if James A. Traficant Jr. gets (re)elected to Congress the support for Twain’s contention will...Read all of "America’s Criminal Class"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:51 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
April 21, 2010
Mark Twain: How To Celebrate?
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain’s death. To celebrate you might want to read one of the many recent articles about his life and impact. Here is but a small sampling. 100 years after his death, Mark Twain's...Read all of "Mark Twain: How To Celebrate?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:07 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
April 19, 2010
Twain As A “Marginal” Literary Critic
Yesterday I mentioned Mark Twain as poet. Even more than a poet, Twain was a literary critic. The New York Times has a nice piece by Alison Leigh Cowan, “Scrawled in the Margins, Signs of Twain as a Critic.” Kevin...Read all of "Twain As A “Marginal” Literary Critic"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:14 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
April 18, 2010
If You Prove Right and I Prove Wrong
A poem on the afterlife in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain’s death: Mark Twain and his friend, Julia (Mrs. Thomas K.) Beecher, had a dispute about the afterlife. Julia Beecher was the wife of the clergyman who...Read all of "If You Prove Right and I Prove Wrong"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:10 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
April 2, 2010
Mark Twain Playing Around
The Bancroft Library has an online exhibit, “Mark Twain at Play.” As the exhibit’s home page says, Mark Twain was a hardworking and prolific writer, but how did he spend his time when the "bread-and-butter element" was put aside and...Read all of "Mark Twain Playing Around"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:20 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
March 19, 2010
Resources For Mark Twain's Journal Publications
As was common at the time, Mark Twain published much of his work, including whole novels, in journals like the Atlantic Monthly, the Saturday Evening Post, or The North American Review. Terry Ballard has reposted and expanded his collection of...Read all of "Resources For Mark Twain's Journal Publications"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:25 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
February 18, 2010
Happy Birthday Huckleberry Finn
Well, happy US publication day to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As generally reckoned, February 18, 1885, one hundred twenty five years ago today, Charles L. Webster and Company issued the US publication of what some consider Mark Twain’s finest work....Read all of "Happy Birthday Huckleberry Finn"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:20 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
January 25, 2010
Profaning A Name
I sometimes kid around about swearing but no one did it as well a Mark Twain. I mean no one kidded about swearing as well as Mark Twain. I also think he was very skilled in the noble craft itself....Read all of "Profaning A Name"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:08 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
January 18, 2010
Twain Didn't Have Much To Say About Babylonia Or Assyria
When I'm not wasting my time with other things, I'm plugging away at my Babylonian Prayer allocation. Recently, I submitted the draft of my first effort. Alan Lenzi, editor in chief, made a few thousand, hundred, dozen comments that I'm...Read all of "Twain Didn't Have Much To Say About Babylonia Or Assyria"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:16 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (2)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
December 17, 2009
Who Is This Guy and Where Did He Get His Name?
Rambler W. Epaminandos Adrastus Blab also abbreviated W. E. A. B. W (= W. Epaminandos Adrastus Blab?) Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass Sergeant Fathom Josh Sieur Louis de Conte Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens used all these...Read all of "Who Is This Guy and Where Did He Get His Name?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:39 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (2)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
November 30, 2009
Mark Twain's America
If you need an extra helping of Mark Twain biography today, check out Terry Ballard's "Mark Twain's America" at Google Maps. Via the Mark Twain Forum....Read all of "Mark Twain's America"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:21 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
Happy Birthday - Mark Twain
Actually, today marks Samuel Langhorne Clemens' birthday. Clemens was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. Mark Twain was born couple of decades later (February 3, 1863 as far as anyone knows) in Carson City, The Territory of Nevada....Read all of "Happy Birthday - Mark Twain"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:45 AM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
September 24, 2009
What To Do About The Petrified
Earlier this evening I was thinking about the issue of narrative distance in literature in general, and in Mark Twain's Joan of Arc and Plato's Phaedo in particular. I was interested to see if Twain ever mentioned Plato's Phaedo. So...Read all of "What To Do About The Petrified"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:43 PM
| Read more on Mark Twain |
| Abnormal Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
| Abnormal Archive Link |
Titles Only From Here On
August 14, 2009
Why Study Mark Twain?
July 22, 2009
Twainical Archaeology
July 21, 2009
On Becoming A Criminal
June 9, 2009
Just What I Always Wanted
May 30, 2009
A Boring Post On Mark Twain and Joan of Arc
May 15, 2009
On Dining At The Twains'
February 2, 2009
The Mark Twain Project
January 5, 2009
Mark Twain at Stormfield, the Film
July 14, 2008
Mark Twain Loafed Here
July 4, 2008
Rational Patriotism
February 26, 2008
Michelle Obama Meet Mark Twain
November 30, 2007
Happy Birthday, Mark Twain
November 1, 2007
Mark Twain on Waterboarding
September 29, 2007
Mark Twain on One of My Abnormal Interests
September 27, 2007
Mark Twain, The Sea of Galilee and Lake Tahoe
July 21, 2007
Mark Twain on Horses and Mules
February 16, 2007
I Don't Seem to Meet the Minimum Qualifications
February 2, 2007
On the Theology of Swearing
December 18, 2006
Did Mark Twain Really Say This?
September 3, 2006
Thrice Scooped on Rediscovering Homer
May 12, 2006
The Report of the Quotation is an Exaggeration
March 22, 2006
Twain on Peace of Mind
February 28, 2006
If it Sounds Like That I Will Never Do it Again!
February 24, 2006
How did Mark Twain Sound When He Swore?
January 8, 2006
Quote Mining and Me
June 18, 2005
The Folly of Another Person's Religion
April 12, 2005
Did Mark Twain Use Pot or Hash?
March 26, 2005
Mark Twain on the Bible
March 8, 2005
The Ethics of Indifference
March 2, 2005
Mark Twain in Bermuda