Books with title Minn of the Mississippi

An invaluable companion to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi is Mark Twain's inimitable portrait of 'the great Father of Waters'. Part memoir, part travelogue, it expresses the full range of Twain's literary personality, and remains the most vivid, boisterous and provocative account of the cultural and societal history of the Mississippi Valley, from 'the golden age' of steamboating to the violence wrought by the Civil War. This new edition of Life on the Mississippi contains a comprehensive introduction, extensive annotations and a guide to further reading designed to appeal to both the student and the general reader.

"Life on the Mississippi" is Mark Twain's depiction of his life on the Mississippi river as a steamboat pilot; beginning with a brief history of the river, continuing with a depiction of his early training as a steamboat pilot and following many years later with a description of his trip on a steamboat from St. Louis to New Orleans. Combined with many tall tales "Life on the Mississippi" is a charming depiction of a bygone era in American history.

First published in 1883, “Life on the Mississippi” is Mark Twain’s depiction of his life on the Mississippi river as a steamboat pilot. The work begins with a brief history of the river from the perspective of notable Americans and Europeans starting with Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1542. The narrative continues with Twain’s memoir of his time as an apprentice under the stewardship of experienced steamboat pilot, Horace E. Bixby. While he was twenty-one at the time, Twain portrays himself as much younger, romanticizing his youthful exuberance for his adventures aboard the steamboats of the Mississippi. The second half of the book details a trip along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans in the years following the American Civil War. A charming depiction of a bygone era in American history, combined with many tall tales and humorous anecdotes, “Life on the Mississippi” is one of Mark Twain’s most famous works of non-fiction, one which would establish him as one of 19th century America’s premier humorists. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

At once a romantic history of a mighty river, an autobiographical account of Twain's early steamboat days, and a storehouse of humorous anecdotes and sketches, here is the raw material from which Mark Twain wrote his finest novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.Hannibal, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River, was host to riverboat travelers from around the world, providing a vigorous and variable atmosphere for the young Samuel Clemens to absorb. Clemens became a riverboat pilot and even chose his pen name—Mark Twain—from a term boatmen would call out signifying water depth at two fathoms, meaning safe clearance for travel. It was from this background that Life on the Mississippi emerged. It is an epochal record of America’s growth, a stirring remembrance of her vanished past. And it earned for its author his first recognition as a serious writer. With an Introduction by Justin Kaplanand an Afterword by John Seelye