T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed Hear that Train Whistle Blow! How the Railroad Changed the World (Landmark Books) on + 323 more book reviews
This curious offering from the Landmark children's series chronicles the early life of young Samuel Langhorne Clemens, AKA Mark Twain, and his formative years in small-town Missouri in the mid-nineteenth century. This series devotes a good number of its offerings to the biographies of notable American figures, perhaps not surprisingly, emphasizing their early years, which makes sense for a series written for young adults.
This volume is one of the more humorous ones, drawing heavily from Clemens' own reportings on his early life, which, strictly speaking, is somewhat problematic, given his propensity for confabulation! Perhaps that's easily forgivable, however, as many of his stories were undoubtedly drawn from his own life and experiences, and those of the people he grew up with, many of whom were translated in some form or fashion into his literature. A girl he fancied in childhood became his heroine Becky Thatcher, for example. Much of the book is seemingly drawn from "Life on the Mississippi," his 1883 memoir which described his life and travels as a steamboat pilot and general adventurer.
Clemens was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, which became the backdrop for his most notable works, including "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn," another character drawn from life, a childhood friend "Tom," described in this book. Clemens was apparently a notable jokester in his childhood years, by his own admission, at least, incessantly getting into some form of mischief with his friends.
From the obligatory hunting, fishing, exploring and other outdoor activities common for a child from a small rural town, Clemens certainly had material to draw from for his world-renowned literature, which became so famous that he has been called the Father of American Literature.
This short biography describes Clemens' life with his family, which was no stranger to adversity. Three of his siblings did not survive childhood, and he describes some pretty frightening events which he experienced in childhood, including witnessing a murder, discovering corpses, surviving pandemics, and himself coming close to drowning in the river on multiple occasions. It seems that drownings were a fairly common form of death in that part of the country.
The book also describes Clemens' seeming obsession with steamboats on the Mississippi river from childhood. He left school after the fifth grade, following the death of his from pneumonia when he was eleven. Clemens then did an apprenticeship in printing, eventually becoming a typesetter, and later served as a writer for his older brother Orion's newspaper. He did reach his childhood goal of becoming a riverboat pilot, but, somewhat surprisingly, that venture was fairly short-lived.
It seemed that Clemens was more fond of newfound adventures and seeking his fortune in far-flung places. He followed his older brother west, and settled in Virginia City, Nevada, where he became a miner on the Comstock Lode. That, too, was short-lived, however, and he went back to what he knew, obtaining a job at the local newspaper. He later wrote another semi-autobiography, "Roughing It" (1870-71), which described this period of his life. It's fortunate for the rest of us that Clemens was seemingly cognizant of how significant his life experiences in early America were to others. In many ways, his story is the story of nascent America, especially the opening of the West.
This volume doesn't get into his later years much, but rather focuses on the humorous accounts which shaped his later life, when he traveled even further afield, to Europe and the Middle East. He eventually settled in Hartford, Connecticut, where he wrote his most famous works, including Tom Sawyer (1876) and Huckleberry Finn (1884). Many don't know that he was a close friend of Nikola Tesla. As such, he spent a fair amount of time in Tesla's laboratory. Clemens was an inventor himself: his most famous offering was a self-adhesive scrapbook, which sold 25,000 units.
Because it reads very much like one of Clemens' novels, this short book is a fun read and certainly sets the stage for the reading of his highly influential literature. It provides a good background and describes the events and environments that shaped his life, which are heavily reflected in his books. Highly recommended as a good introduction to Mark Twain's immense body of literature.
This volume is one of the more humorous ones, drawing heavily from Clemens' own reportings on his early life, which, strictly speaking, is somewhat problematic, given his propensity for confabulation! Perhaps that's easily forgivable, however, as many of his stories were undoubtedly drawn from his own life and experiences, and those of the people he grew up with, many of whom were translated in some form or fashion into his literature. A girl he fancied in childhood became his heroine Becky Thatcher, for example. Much of the book is seemingly drawn from "Life on the Mississippi," his 1883 memoir which described his life and travels as a steamboat pilot and general adventurer.
Clemens was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, which became the backdrop for his most notable works, including "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn," another character drawn from life, a childhood friend "Tom," described in this book. Clemens was apparently a notable jokester in his childhood years, by his own admission, at least, incessantly getting into some form of mischief with his friends.
From the obligatory hunting, fishing, exploring and other outdoor activities common for a child from a small rural town, Clemens certainly had material to draw from for his world-renowned literature, which became so famous that he has been called the Father of American Literature.
This short biography describes Clemens' life with his family, which was no stranger to adversity. Three of his siblings did not survive childhood, and he describes some pretty frightening events which he experienced in childhood, including witnessing a murder, discovering corpses, surviving pandemics, and himself coming close to drowning in the river on multiple occasions. It seems that drownings were a fairly common form of death in that part of the country.
The book also describes Clemens' seeming obsession with steamboats on the Mississippi river from childhood. He left school after the fifth grade, following the death of his from pneumonia when he was eleven. Clemens then did an apprenticeship in printing, eventually becoming a typesetter, and later served as a writer for his older brother Orion's newspaper. He did reach his childhood goal of becoming a riverboat pilot, but, somewhat surprisingly, that venture was fairly short-lived.
It seemed that Clemens was more fond of newfound adventures and seeking his fortune in far-flung places. He followed his older brother west, and settled in Virginia City, Nevada, where he became a miner on the Comstock Lode. That, too, was short-lived, however, and he went back to what he knew, obtaining a job at the local newspaper. He later wrote another semi-autobiography, "Roughing It" (1870-71), which described this period of his life. It's fortunate for the rest of us that Clemens was seemingly cognizant of how significant his life experiences in early America were to others. In many ways, his story is the story of nascent America, especially the opening of the West.
This volume doesn't get into his later years much, but rather focuses on the humorous accounts which shaped his later life, when he traveled even further afield, to Europe and the Middle East. He eventually settled in Hartford, Connecticut, where he wrote his most famous works, including Tom Sawyer (1876) and Huckleberry Finn (1884). Many don't know that he was a close friend of Nikola Tesla. As such, he spent a fair amount of time in Tesla's laboratory. Clemens was an inventor himself: his most famous offering was a self-adhesive scrapbook, which sold 25,000 units.
Because it reads very much like one of Clemens' novels, this short book is a fun read and certainly sets the stage for the reading of his highly influential literature. It provides a good background and describes the events and environments that shaped his life, which are heavily reflected in his books. Highly recommended as a good introduction to Mark Twain's immense body of literature.
