The Complete Essays of Mark Twain Author:Charles Neider, Editor Mark Twain, a giant of American letters, reveals the complete range of his genius in his famous essays, collected in one volume for the first time. — Emerging from this remarkable collection is the man himself...masculine, tender, sarcastic, nostalgic, and humorous. As a critic of his age, Mark Twain probed deeply into the character and conscien... more »ce of the world about him. When he put his pen to paper, no one was safe, not the president of the United States, not the missionaries in China, not even Shakespeare. He is often outraged at the absurdities of government, human stupidity, and cruelty. In "Disgraceful Persecution of a Young Boy," he exhibits how ferocious and deadly inspired his sarcasms can be. In "Defense of Harriet Shelley," he is a knight in shining armor. As the defender of Satan he is outrageously funny, "I have no special regard for Satan; but I can at least claim that I have no prejudice against him. It may even be that I lean a little his way, on account of his not having a fair show. All religions issue bibles against him, and say the most injurious things about him, but we never hear his side."
The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, housing seventy-seven of his provacative essays in one volume, is an important contribution to American literature. Here is the full smile of the man, the full frown, the full force of his genius.« less