Thomas F. (hardtack) -
I have been a fan of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (aka Mark Twain), for most of my life, probably since my early teenage years. So we're looking at slightly over 60 years. Despite reading almost all his books, I really didn't know much about his years on the frontier from 1861 until he returned from the West in the late 60s. I say that because, even if you read most of his books, including "Roughing It" which covers those years, you learn not to believe everything Twain wrote. This book remedies that lack of knowledge.
Fleeing San Francisco for his health, having made some dangerous enemies, he went to Hawaii, then called The Sandwich Islands. After several months, he then returned to San Francisco to give lectures on his travels there. Despite having participated in more different career paths then I can count on my ten fingers, Twain now found himself as a lecturer and writer. Although he convinced some of his friends to sit in on his first lecture and laugh when it was appropriate, it was unnecessary, as the newspaper reviews of his talk were more then 5-star raves.
I won't write more, except to repeat an introduction about Twain made by a miner before an audience Twain was to speak to during his lecture tour of the West. The miner stated, " I only know two things about this man, "First, he hasn't been in the penitentiary. And second, I don't know why not." Twain couldn't have said anything better about himself than that.
Fleeing San Francisco for his health, having made some dangerous enemies, he went to Hawaii, then called The Sandwich Islands. After several months, he then returned to San Francisco to give lectures on his travels there. Despite having participated in more different career paths then I can count on my ten fingers, Twain now found himself as a lecturer and writer. Although he convinced some of his friends to sit in on his first lecture and laugh when it was appropriate, it was unnecessary, as the newspaper reviews of his talk were more then 5-star raves.
I won't write more, except to repeat an introduction about Twain made by a miner before an audience Twain was to speak to during his lecture tour of the West. The miner stated, " I only know two things about this man, "First, he hasn't been in the penitentiary. And second, I don't know why not." Twain couldn't have said anything better about himself than that.
