Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Mark Twain, 1871 photo portrait
Pseudonym:	Mark Twain
Born	November 30, 1835(1835-11-30) Florida, Missouri, United States
Died	April 21, 1910 (aged 74) Redding, Connecticut
Occupation	Author
Nationality	American
Genres	Historical fiction, non-fiction, satire, essay
Influences	Artemus Ward, Charles Dickens, Thomas Paine, Alexander Macfarlane, Josh Billings
Influenced	Kurt Vonnegut, Gore Vidal, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, H. L. Mencken, Hunter S. Thompson, Hal Holbrook, Jimmy Buffett, Ron Powers, Ralph Ellison

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910),^[1] better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humanist,^[2] humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel,^[3] and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is also known for his quotations.^[4][5] During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, leading industrialists and European royalty. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 382 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (521 × 818 pixels, file size: 86 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Date Photographed Feb 7, 1871. ... For other uses, see Alias. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Florida is a village in Monroe County, Missouri, United States, best known as the birthplace of writer Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) in 1835. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[3] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[2] Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... This article is about work. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... Look up historical fiction in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the book by Chuck Palahniuk titled Non-fiction, see Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... For other uses, see Essay (disambiguation). ... Charles Farrar Browne, (April 23, 1834 _ March 6, 1867) was a United States humorous writer, best known under his nom de plume of Artemus Ward. ... Dickens redirects here. ... For other persons of the same name, see Thomas Paine (disambiguation). ... Alexander MacFarlane (1851 - 1913) was a Scottish-Canadian logician, physicist, and mathematician. ... Humorist and lecturer Josh Billings Josh Billings was the pen name of humorist born Henry Wheeler Shaw (20 April 1818 - 14 October 1885). ... Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (born October 3, 1925) (pronounced and , ) is an American author of novels, stage plays, screenplays, and essays, and the scion of a prominent political family. ... Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ... William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American novelist and poet whose works feature his native state of Mississippi. ... H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken (September 12, 1880, Baltimore – January 29, 1956, Baltimore), was a journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a student of the American English. ... Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. ... Harold Rowe Holbrook, Jr. ... James William Jimmy Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is a singer, songwriter, author, businessman, and recently a film producer best known for his island escapism lifestyle and music including hits such as Margaritaville (No. ... Ron Powers (born 1941) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and non-fiction writer. ... Ralph Ellison (March 1, 1913[1] – April 16, 1994) was a scholar and writer. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... Look up Humanist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A humorist is an author who specializes in short, humorous articles or essays. ... List of satirists below - writers, cartoonists and others known for their involvement in satire - humourous social criticism. ... A lecture on linear algebra at the Helsinki University of Technology A lecture is an oral presentation intended to teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. ... A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) by Mark Twain is commonly accounted as one of the first Great American Novels. ... The Great American Novel is the concept of a novel that perfectly represents the spirit of life in the United States at the time of its publication. ... The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 novel about a young boy growing up in the Antebellum South on the Mississippi River in St. ...

Twain enjoyed immense public popularity, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. American author William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature."^[6] William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American novelist and poet whose works feature his native state of Mississippi. ... American literature refers to written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and Colonial America. ...

Biography

Early life

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835 to a Tennessee country merchant, John Marshall Clemens (August 11, 1798–March 24, 1847), and Jane Lampton Clemens (June 18, 1803–October 27, 1890).^[7] He was the sixth of seven children. Only three of his siblings survived childhood: his brothers Orion (July 17, 1825–December 11, 1897) and Henry (July 13, 1838–June 21, 1858) and his sister Pamela (September 19, 1827–August 31, 1904). His sister Margaret (May 31, 1830–August 17, 1839) died when Twain was four years old, and his brother Benjamin (June 8, 1832–May 12, 1842) died three years later. Another brother, Pleasant (1828–1829), died at the age of six months. ^[8] Florida is a village in Monroe County, Missouri, United States, best known as the birthplace of writer Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) in 1835. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the U.S. state of Tennessee. ... is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1798 (MDCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... is the death of infants in the first year of life. ... is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1825 (MDCCCXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1832 (MDCCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

When Twain was four, his family moved to Hannibal,^[9] a port town on the Mississippi River that would serve as the inspiration for the fictional town of St. Petersburg in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.^[10] At that time, Missouri was a slave state in the Union, and young Twain became familiar with the institution of slavery, a theme he later explored in his writing. Hannibal is a riverfront city of 17,757 (2000 census), located in Marion and Ralls County, Missouri. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... The free and slave states as of 1861, with free states in blue and slave states in red. ... In this map:  Union states prohibiting slavery  Union territories  Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery  Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

In March 1847, when Twain was 11, his father died of pneumonia^[11]. The following year, he became a printer's apprentice. In 1851, he began working as a typesetter and contributor of articles and humorous sketches for the Hannibal Journal, a newspaper owned by his brother, Orion. When he was 18, he left Hannibal and worked as a printer in New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. He joined the union and educated himself in public libraries in the evenings, finding wider sources of information than he would have at a conventional school^[12]. At 22, Twain returned to Missouri. On a voyage to New Orleans down the Mississippi, the steamboat pilot, Horace E. Bixby, inspired Twain to pursue a career as a steamboat pilot; it was a richly rewarding occupation with wages set at $250 per month^[13], equivalent to $155,000 a year today. This article is about human pneumonia. ... Typesetting involves the presentation of textual material in an aesthetic form on paper or some other media. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ... Union generally refers to two or more things joined into one, such as an organization of multiple people or organizations, multiple objects combined into one, and so on. ... Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is self-education or self-directed learning. ... Librarians and patrons in a typical larger urban public library A public library is a library which is accessible by the public and is often operated by civil servants and funded from public sources. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... For other uses, see Steamboat (disambiguation). ...

The library of the Mark Twain House, which features hand-stenciled paneling, fireplaces from India, embossed wallpapers and an enormous hand-carved mantel that the Twains purchased in Scotland (HABS photo)

Because the steamboats at the time were constructed of very dry flammable wood, no lamps were allowed, making night travel a precarious endeavor. A steamboat pilot needed a vast knowledge of the ever-changing river to be able to stop at any of the hundreds of ports and wood-lots along the river banks. Twain meticulously studied 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of the Mississippi for more than two years before he received his steamboat pilot license in 1859. While training, Samuel convinced his younger brother Henry to work with him. Henry was killed on June 21, 1858, when the steamboat he was working on exploded. Twain had foreseen this death in a detailed dream a month earlier^[14], which inspired his interest in parapsychology; he was an early member of the Society for Psychical Research^[15]. Twain was guilt-stricken over his brother's death and held himself responsible for the rest of his life. However, he continued to work on the river and served as a river pilot until the American Civil War broke out in 1861 and traffic along the Mississippi was curtailed. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x735, 128 KB) Historic American Buildings Survey Mark Twain House File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Mark Twain Mark Twain House ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x735, 128 KB) Historic American Buildings Survey Mark Twain House File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Mark Twain Mark Twain House ... South view of the Mark Twain House The Mark Twain House was the home of Mark Twain (a. ... HABS photograph: First Bank of the United States, Philadelphia HABS drawing: James Madisons Montpelier HAER photograph: Tacoma Narrows Bridge HALS drawing: Hale O Pi Ilani Heiau, Maui This article is about the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), a program of the U.S. National Park Service. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Early parapsychological research employed the use of Zener cards in experiments designed to test for possible telepathic communication. ... The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a non-profit organization which started in the United Kingdom and later acquired branches in other countries. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

Travels and family

Missouri was a slave state and considered by many to be part of the South, but it did not join the Confederacy. When the war began, Twain and his friends formed a Confederate militia (depicted in an 1885 short story, "The Private History of a Campaign That Failed"), which drilled for only two weeks before disbanding.^[16] Twain joined his brother, Orion, who had been appointed secretary to the territorial governor of Nevada, and headed west. The free and slave states as of 1861, with free states in blue and slave states in red. ... Historic Southern United States. ... Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem (none official) God Save the South (unofficial) The Bonnie Blue Flag (unofficial) Dixie (unofficial) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Religion... Lebanese Kataeb militia A Militia is an army composed of ordinary [1] citizens to provide defense, emergency or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ... The Private History of a Campaign that Failed is one of Mark Twains sketches (1885), a short memoir of a two-week stint as a Confederate irregular in the West. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ...

1874 engraving of Twain

Twain and his brother traveled for more than two weeks on a stagecoach across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, visiting the Mormon community in Salt Lake City along the way. These experiences became the basis of the book Roughing It, and provided material for The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Twain's journey ended in the silver-mining town of Virginia City, Nevada, where he became a miner.^[16] Twain failed as a miner and found work at a Virginia City newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise.^[17] On February 3, 1863, he signed a humorous travel account "LETTER FROM CARSON - re: Joe Goodman; party at Gov. Johnson's; music" with "Mark Twain".^[18] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Stagecoach in Switzerland A stagecoach is a type of four-wheeled enclosed passenger and/or mail coach, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, widely used before the introduction of railway transport. ... For other uses, see Great Plains (disambiguation). ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ... This article is about the history and use of the word Mormon. For information about the religious beliefs and culture of Mormons, see Mormonism. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... Roughing It is a semi-non-fiction work written by American author Mark Twain. ... The Front page of booklet for The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County... Can A CON CON a CON? The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain. ... View of Virginia City, Nevada, from a nearby hillside, 1867-68 Virginia City is a city located in Storey County, Nevada. ... This article is about mineral extractions. ... The Territorial Enterprise, founded in 1858, is a newspaper currently published in Virginia City, Nevada. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Twain then traveled to San Francisco, California, where he continued as a journalist and began lecturing. He met other writers such as Bret Harte, Artemus Ward and Dan DeQuille. An assignment in Hawaii became the basis for his first lectures.^[19] In 1867, a local newspaper funded a steamboat trip to the Mediterranean. During his tour of Europe and the Middle East, he wrote a popular collection of travel letters which were compiled as The Innocents Abroad in 1869. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Portrait of Bret Harte - oil painting by John Pettie (1884)[1] For the professional wrestler, see Bret Hart. ... Charles Farrar Browne, (April 23, 1834 _ March 6, 1867) was a United States humorous writer, best known under his nom de plume of Artemus Ward. ... Dan DeQuille (William Wright) William Wright (1829-1898), better known by the pen name Dan DeQuille or Dan De Quille, was an American author, journalist, and humorist. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... For other uses, see Steamboat (disambiguation). ... Mediterranean redirects here. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Innocents Abroad cover The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims Progress was published by American author Mark Twain in 1869. ...

Twain met Charles Langdon, who showed him a picture of his sister Olivia; Twain claimed to have fallen in love at first sight. They met in 1868, were engaged a year later, and married in February 1870 in Elmira, New York.^[19] She came from a "wealthy but liberal family", and through her he met abolitionists, "socialists, principled atheists and activists for women’s rights and social equality", including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass and the utopian socialist William Dean Howells^[20]. Olivia Langdon Clemens (November 27, 1845 - June 5, 1904) was the wife of famous American author, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (known as Mark Twain). ... Location in Chemung County in the state of New York Coordinates: , Country State County Chemung County Government  - Mayor John S. Tonello (D) Area  - City  7. ... Feminism is a diverse, competing, and often opposing collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerning the experiences of women. ... Social equality is a social state of affairs in which certain different people have the same status in a certain respect, minimally at least in voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and property rights. ... Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American abolitionist and novelist, whose Uncle Toms Cabin (1852) attacked the cruelty of slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential, even in Britain. ... Frederick Douglass, ca. ... Utopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern Socialist thought. ... William Dean Howells (March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist author. ...

The couple lived in Buffalo, New York from 1869 to 1871. Twain owned a stake in the Buffalo Express, and worked as an editor and writer. Their son Langdon died of diphtheria at 19 months. Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State Coordinates: , Country State County Erie Government  - Mayor Byron Brown (D) Area  - City 52. ...

In 1871^[21], Twain moved his family to Hartford, Connecticut, where starting in 1873 he arranged the building of a dramatic house for them, which local admirers saved from demolition in 1927 and eventually turned into a museum focused on him. There Olivia gave birth to three daughters: Susy, Clara (c1875-1962) ^[22], and Jean. The couple's marriage lasted 34 years, until Olivia's death in 1904. Hartford redirects here. ... South view of the Mark Twain House The Mark Twain House was the home of Mark Twain (a. ... Jean Clemens (July 26, 1880–December 24, 1909) was the youngest of the three daughters of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain. ...

During his years in Hartford, Twain became friends with fellow author William Dean Howells. William Dean Howells (March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist author. ...

Later life and death

Mark Twain in his gown (scarlet with grey sleeves and facings) for his DLitt degree, awarded to him by Oxford University.

Twain made a second tour of Europe, described in the 1880 book, A Tramp Abroad. His tour included a visit to London where, in the summer of 1900, he was the guest of newspaper proprietor Hugh Gilzean-Reid at Dollis Hill House. Twain wrote of Dollis Hill that he had "never seen any place that was so satisfactorily situated, with its noble trees and stretch of country, and everything that went to make life delightful, and all within a biscuit's throw of the metropolis of the world ^[23]." He returned to America in 1900, having earned enough to pay off his debts. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (580x805, 62 KB)Official portrait of Mark Twain in his DLitt (Doctor of Letters) tat, awarded by Oxford University (pre-1900s). ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (580x805, 62 KB)Official portrait of Mark Twain in his DLitt (Doctor of Letters) tat, awarded by Oxford University (pre-1900s). ... A Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... A Tramp Abroad was a work of non-fiction travel literature published by American author Mark Twain in 1880. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Äž: For the film, see: 1900 (film). ... Hugh Gilzean Reid (1836-1911), was a Scottish journalist and politician. ... Dollis Hill House is an early Nineteenth-Century farmhouse located in the North London suburb of Dollis Hill. ... Dollis Hill is an area of north-west London. ...

In 1906, Twain began his autobiography in the North American Review. Oxford University awarded him an Doctorate of Literature a year later. Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ... First issue of the North American Review with signature of its editor William Tudor (1779-1830). ... The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... A Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree. ...

Twain outlived Jean and Susy. He passed through a period of deep depression, which began in 1896 when his favorite daughter Susy died of meningitis. Olivia's death in 1904 and Jean's death on December 24, 1909, deepened his gloom.^[24] In everyday language depression refers to any downturn in mood, which may be relatively transitory and perhaps due to something trivial. ... Meningitis is the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the central nervous system, known collectively as the meninges. ... is the 358th day of the year (359th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

In 1909, Twain is quoted as saying:^[25]

Twain died of a heart attack on April 21, 1910 in Redding, Connecticut. Upon hearing of Twain's death, President Taft said:^{[26] [27]} This article is about the comet. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. ... For other persons named William Howard Taft, see William Howard Taft (disambiguation). ...

Mark Twain is buried in his wife's family plot in Elmira, New York. American literature refers to written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and Colonial America. ... Location in Chemung County in the state of New York Coordinates: , Country State County Chemung County Government  - Mayor John S. Tonello (D) Area  - City  7. ...

Life as a writer

Career overview

Twain began his career writing light, humorous verse but evolved into a grim, almost profane chronicler of the vanities, hypocrisies and murderous acts of mankind. At mid-career, with Huckleberry Finn, he combined rich humor, sturdy narrative and social criticism. Twain was a master at rendering colloquial speech and helped to create and popularize a distinctive American literature built on American themes and language. Many of Mark Twain's works have been suppressed at times for various reasons. When an anonymous slim volume was published in 1880 entitled 1601: Conversation, as it was by the Social Fireside, in the Time of the Tudors., Twain was among those rumored to be the author. The issue was not settled until 1906, when Twain acknowledged his literary paternity of this scatological masterpiece. Huckleberry Finn has been repeatedly restricted in American high schools, not least for its frequent use of the word "nigger", which was a common term when the book was written. Look up Colloquialism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... American literature refers to written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and Colonial America. ... [Date: 1601. ... Huckleberry Finn is the protagonist of Mark Twains famous book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. ... // Nigger is a racial slur used to refer to dark-skinned people, especially those of African ancestry. ...

Early journalism and travelogues

Mark Twain’s first important work, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, was first published in the New York Saturday Press on November 18, 1865. The only reason it was published there was because his story arrived too late to be included in a book Artemus Ward was compiling featuring sketches of the wild American West. The Front page of booklet for The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County... Can A CON CON a CON? The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Charles Farrar Browne, (April 23, 1834 _ March 6, 1867) was a United States humorous writer, best known under his nom de plume of Artemus Ward. ... The cowboy, the quintessential symbol of the American Old West, circa 1887. ...

After this burst of popularity, Twain was commissioned by the Sacramento Union to write letters about his travel experiences for publication in the newspaper, his first of which was to ride the steamer Ajax in its maiden voyage to Hawaii, referred to at the time as the Sandwich Islands. These humorous letters proved the genesis to his work with the San Francisco Alta California newspaper, which designated him a traveling correspondent for a trip from San Francisco to New York City via the Panama isthmus. All the while Twain was writing letters meant for publishing back and forth, chronicling his experiences with his burlesque humor. On June 8, 1867, Twain set sail on the pleasure cruiser Quaker City for five months. This trip resulted in The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrims' Progress. Logo used for many decades by the daily The Sacramento Union was a newspaper founded in 1851 in Sacramento, California. ... The Sandwich Islands was the name given to Hawaii by Captain James Cook on his discovery of the islands on January 18, 1778. ... Alta California (Upper California) was formed in 1804 when the province of California, then a part of the Spanish colony of New Spain, was divided in two along the line separating the Franciscan missions in the north from the Dominican missions in the south. ... Two Panamax running the Miraflores Locks Te Panama Canal (Spanish: ) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Innocents Abroad cover The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims Progress was published by American author Mark Twain in 1869. ...

In 1872, Twain published a second piece of travel literature, Roughing It, as a semi-sequel to Innocents. Roughing It is a semi-autobiographical account of Twain's journey to Nevada and his subsequent life in the American West. The book lampoons American and Western society in the same way that Innocents critiqued the various countries of Europe and the Middle East. Twain's next work kept Roughing It's focus on American society but focused more on the events of the day. Entitled The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, it was not a travel piece, as his previous two books had been, and it was his first attempt at writing a novel. The book is also notable because it is Twain's only collaboration; it was written with his neighbor Charles Dudley Warner. Roughing It is a semi-non-fiction work written by American author Mark Twain. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... Charles Dudley Warner (September 12, 1829 - October 20, 1900), American essayist and novelist, was born of Puritan ancestry, in Plainfield, Massachusetts. ...

Twain's next two works drew on his experiences on the Mississippi River. Old Times on the Mississippi, a series of sketches published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1875, featured Twain’s disillusionment with Romanticism. Old Times eventually became the starting point for Life on the Mississippi. Old Times on the Mississippi is a non-fiction work by Mark Twain. ... The Atlantic Monthly (also known as The Atlantic) is an American literary/cultural magazine that was founded in November 1857. ... Romantics redirects here. ... Life on the Mississippi cover Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain detailing his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. ...

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

Twain's next major publication was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which drew on his youth in Hannibal. The character of Tom Sawyer was modeled on Twain as a child, with traces of two schoolmates, John Briggs and Will Bowen. The book also introduced in a supporting role the character of Huckleberry Finn, based on Twain's boyhood friend Tom Blankenship. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 novel about a young boy growing up in the Antebellum South on the Mississippi River in St. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of characters in the Tom Sawyer series#Thomas Sawyer. ...

The Prince and the Pauper, despite a storyline that is omnipresent in film and literature today, was not as well received. Pauper was Twain’s first attempt at fiction, and blame for its shortcomings are usually put on Twain having not been experienced enough in English society and the fact that it was produced after such a massive hit. In between the writing of Pauper, Twain had started Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (which he consistently had problems completing^{[citation needed]}) and started and completed another travel book, A Tramp Abroad, which follows Twain as he travels through central and southern Europe. The Prince and the Pauper was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the united states. ... // Regular Context The line of a story. ... A Tramp Abroad was a work of non-fiction travel literature published by American author Mark Twain in 1880. ...

Twain’s next major published work, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, solidified him as a noteworthy American writer. Some have called it the first Great American Novel. Finn was an offshoot from Tom Sawyer and proved to have a more serious tone than its predecessor. The main premise behind Huckleberry Finn is the young boy’s belief in the right thing to do even though the majority of society believes that it was wrong. The book has become required reading in many schools throughout the United States because Huck ignores the rules and mores of the age to follow what he thinks is just (the story takes place in the 1850s where slavery is present). Four hundred manuscript pages of Huckleberry Finn were written in the summer of 1876, right after the publication of Tom Sawyer. Some accounts have Twain taking seven years off after his first burst of creativity, eventually finishing the book in 1883. Other accounts have Twain working on Finn in tandem with The Prince and the Pauper and other works in 1880 and other years. The last fifth of Finn is subject to much controversy. Some say that Twain experiences—as critic Leo Marx puts it—a "failure of nerve." Ernest Hemingway once said of Huckleberry Finn: “If you read it, you must stop where the Nigger Jim is stolen from the boys. That is the real end. The rest is just cheating.”^[28] Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) by Mark Twain is commonly accounted as one of the first Great American Novels. ... The Great American Novel is the concept of a novel that perfectly represents the spirit of life in the United States at the time of its publication. ... Leo Marx is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an author known for his works in the field of American studies. ... Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ...

Near the end of Huckleberry Finn, Twain wrote Life on the Mississippi, which is said to have heavily influenced the former book.^{[citation needed]} The work recounts Twain’s memories and new experiences after a 22-year absence from the Mississippi. The book is of note because Twain introduces the real meaning of his pseudonym. For other uses, see Alias. ...

Later writing

After his great work, Twain began turning to his business endeavors to keep them afloat and to stave off the increasing difficulties he had been having from his writing projects. Twain focused on President Ulysses S. Grant's Memoirs for his fledgling publishing company, finding time in between to write "The Private History of a Campaign That Failed" for The Century Magazine. The name of his publishing company was Charles L. Webster & Company, which he owned with Charles L. Webster, his nephew by marriage.^[29] Ulysses S. Grant,[2] born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869–1877). ... are an autobiography of Ulysses S. Grant, focused mainly on the generals actions during the American Civil War. ... The Century Magazine was first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City as a successor to Scribners Monthly Magazine. ...

Twain in his old age

Twain next focused on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which featured him making his first big pronouncement of disappointment with politics. The tone become cynical to the point of almost being a rant against the established political system of the day (which would have been in King Arthur’s time), and eventually devolved into madness for the main character. The book was started in December 1885, then shelved a few months later until the summer of 1887, and eventually finished in the spring of 1889. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1186x1478, 202 KB) From [1], the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs collection (reference number LC-USZ62-5513), copyrighted May 1904. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1186x1478, 202 KB) From [1], the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs collection (reference number LC-USZ62-5513), copyrighted May 1904. ... A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ...

Some say^{[attribution needed]} that this work marked the beginning of the end for Twain, as he fell into financial trouble and eschewed his humor vein. Twain had begun to furiously write articles and commentary with diminishing returns to pay the bills and keep his business intentions afloat, but it was not enough because he filed for bankruptcy in 1894. His next large scale work, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (also known as Those Extraordinary Twins), drew on his sense of irony, though it has been misconstrued.^{[citation needed]} There were parallels between this work and Twain’s financial failings, notably his desire to escape his current constraints and become a different person. Puddnhead Wilson is a novel by Mark Twain. ...

Twain’s next venture was a work of straight fiction that he called Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc and dedicated to his wife. Twain had long said that this was the work of which he was most proud, despite the criticism he received for it. The book had been a dream of his for a very long time, and he eventually thought it to be the work to save his publishing company. His financial adviser, Henry Huttleston Rogers, squashed that idea and got Twain out of that business altogether, but the book was published nonetheless. Mark Twains work on Joan of Arc is titled in full Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by the Sieur Louis de Conte who is identified further as Joans page and secretary. ... Henry Huttleston Rogers (January 29, 1840 – May 19, 1909) was a United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. ...

Twain’s wife died in 1904, and after an appropriate time Twain allowed himself to publish some works that his wife, a de facto editor and censor throughout his life, had looked down upon. Of these works, The Mysterious Stranger, which places the presence of Satan, also known as “No. 44,” in various situations where the moral sense of humankind is absent, is perhaps the best known. This particular work was not published in Twain’s lifetime. There were three versions found in his manuscripts made between 1897 and 1905: the Hannibal version, the Eseldorf version, and the Print Shop version. Confusion between the versions led to an extensive publication of a jumbled version, and only recently have the original versions as Twain wrote them become available. De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... The Mysterious Stranger is an unfinished work written by the American author Mark Twain that was worked on periodically from roughly 1890 up until his death in 1910. ... This article is about the concept of Satan. ...

Twain’s last work was his autobiography, which he dictated and thought would be most entertaining if he went off on whims and tangents in non-sequential order. Some archivists and compilers had a problem with this and rearranged the biography into a more conventional form, thereby eliminating some of Twain’s humor and the flow of the book. Published by Harper & Brothers Publishers, Mark Twain’s Autobiography was a two volume set and was purposely published over ten years after the authors death in order to protect the “guilty. ...

Finance, science, and inventions

Twain made a substantial amount of money through his writing, but he spent much of it in bad investments, mostly in new inventions. He was fascinated with science and scientific inquiry. He developed a close and lasting friendship with Nikola Tesla, and the two spent much time together in Tesla's laboratory. His book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court features a time traveler from contemporary America, using his knowledge of science to introduce modern technology to Arthurian England. Twain inventions included a bed clamp for infants, a new type of steam engine, and the kaolatype (or collotype, a machine designed to engrave printing plates). The Paige typesetting machine was a beautifully engineered mechanical marvel that amazed viewers when it worked, but was prone to breakdowns; before it could be commercially perfected it was made obsolete by the Linotype. He patented an improvement in adjustable and detachable straps for garments. A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)[1] was a world-renowned Serbian inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. ... Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... Collotype is a dichromate- based process in photography developed for large volume mechanical printing before the widespread use of cheaper offset lithography. ... Linotype (Deutsches Museum) In the printing industry, the Linotype machine, pronounced Line-O-Type, []) uses a keyboard consisting of 91 keys to create an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line of type. ... A man wearing classic suspenders, which hook directly into the trousers instead of using clips. ...

Twain in the lab of Nikola Tesla, spring of 1894

Twain also lost money through his publishing house, which enjoyed initial success selling the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant but went bust soon after, losing money on an ill-advised idea that the general public would be interested in a Life of the Pope. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (727x918, 225 KB) Summary Twain in the lab of Nikola Tesla, spring of 1894 Taken in the spring of 1894, and originally published as part of an article by T.C. Martin called Teslas Oscillator and Other Inventions that appeared... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (727x918, 225 KB) Summary Twain in the lab of Nikola Tesla, spring of 1894 Taken in the spring of 1894, and originally published as part of an article by T.C. Martin called Teslas Oscillator and Other Inventions that appeared... Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)[1] was a world-renowned Serbian inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. ... 1. ... Ulysses S. Grant,[2] born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869–1877). ... For other uses, see Pope (disambiguation). ...

Twain's writings and lectures combined with the help of a new friend enabled him to recover financially.^[30] In 1893, he began a 15-year-long friendship with financier Henry Huttleston Rogers, a principal of Standard Oil. Rogers first made Twain file for bankruptcy. Then Rogers had Twain transfer the copyrights on his written works to his wife, Olivia, to prevent creditors from gaining possession of them. Finally Rogers took absolute charge of Twain's money until all the creditors were paid. Twain then embarked on an around-the-world lecture tour to pay off his creditors in full, despite the fact that he was no longer under any legal obligation to do so.^[31] Henry Huttleston Rogers (January 29, 1840 – May 19, 1909) was a United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. ... Standard Oil was a predominant integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. ...

Friendship with Henry H. Rogers

While Twain credited Henry Rogers, a Standard Oil executive, with saving him from financial ruin, their close friendship in their later years was mutually beneficial. Clemens lost three of his four children and his beloved wife, and the Rogers family increasingly became a surrogate family for him. He became a frequent guest at their townhouse in New York City, their 48-room summer home in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and aboard their steam yacht, the Kanawha. Standard Oil was a predominant integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Fairhaven is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. ... Kanawha, built in 1899, was the luxury steam yacht of Henry Huttleston Rogers, builder of the coal-hauling Virginian Railway from the Kanawha River in West Virginia to coal piers on Hampton Roads near Norfolk, Virginia. ...

A late life friendship for each, Mark Twain and Henry Huttleston Rogers in 1908.

The two men introduced each other to their acquaintances. Twain was an admirer of the remarkable deafblind girl, Helen Keller. He first met her and Anne Sullivan at a party in the home of Laurence Hutton in New York City in the winter of 1894. Twain introduced them to Rogers, who, with his wife, paid for Keller's education at Radcliffe College. It was Twain who is credited with labeling Sullivan, Keller's governess and companion, a "miracle worker." His choice of words later became inspiration for the title of William Gibson's play and film adaptation, The Miracle Worker. Twain also introduced Rogers to journalist Ida M. Tarbell, who interviewed the robber baron for a muckraking expose that led indirectly to the break-up of the Standard Oil Trust. On cruises aboard the Kanawha, Twain and Rogers were joined at frequent intervals by Booker T. Washington, the famed former slave who had become a leading educator. Image File history File links Twain_and_rogers_1908. ... Image File history File links Twain_and_rogers_1908. ... Henry Huttleston Rogers (January 29, 1840 – May 19, 1909) w