AUTHOR'S OTHER WORKS (SELECTED)

The Celebrated Jumping Frog and Other Sketches (1867)
This is a collection of stories drawn from Twain's experiences while he was a reporter in the West. It includes retellings of "tall tales" and brief anecdotes centered on eccentric frontier characters.

The Innocents Abroad (1869)
This is Twain's first travel book, and the early basis of his reputation as a writer. It's a collection of humorous commentaries on his trip to Europe and Jerusalem in 1867.

Roughing It (1872)
This is an account of Twain's westward journey in the early 1860s from St. Louis, through Nevada, on to San Francisco, and to the Sandwich Islands. Like The Innocents Abroad, the book has Twain's sharp humor running through it.

The Gilded Age (1873)
Twain's first novel, coauthored with Charles Dudley Warner, it's about the shakeup in American values and traditions that followed the Civil War. Its title has been used by historians to label that period in American history.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
Twain's "hymn to boyhood," it is now thought of mostly as a children's book. It was, however, the precursor to Twain's most important work, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

A Tramp Abroad (1880)
This is an account of a walking trip Twain took through Europe in 1879

The Prince and the Pauper (1882)
This is an extended commentary on social classes. The plot deals with a monumental prank that backfires. When the young king of England meets a beggar who looks just like him, the king insists that they change places as a joke. The prank works so well that the boys can't get anyone to believe who they really are.

Life on the Mississippi (1883)
This is an autobiographical account of Twain's early life, during which he learned to be a riverboat pilot. The second half tells of the trip he made back home looking for material he could use in future books.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)
This is a satire in which a mechanic is knocked unconscious and wakes up in the court of King Arthur. He meets Merlin, Lancelot, Galahad, and other famous characters from that era, and Twain gets a chance to make fun of the romanticized Arthurian legends he found so irritating.

The Tragedy of Puddn'head Wilson (1894)
This is a relentless-and unhumorous-attack on slavery. It deals with a murder trial in Missouri in the 1830s (the time of Huck Finn's story). The identity of the killer is entwined with the question of race.

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories and Essays (1900)
The title story contains some of the bitterest comments Twain ever made on the human race. It deals with a town widely known for its honesty, and a man determined to corrupt its inhabitants because some of them had treated him badly.

The Mysterious Stranger (1916)
This is Twain's most pessimistic work. It's a series of diatribes against the weakness, stupidity, and greed that he felt characterized the human race, and notes the pointlessness of human existence.

Mark Twain's Autobiography (1924)
This is more a collection of pieces about the author than a real autobiography. Still, many people consider it a great book because of its humor, its perceptive comments on dozens of topics, and the style that made Mark Twain one of America's best writers.

Any further distribution without the written consent of PinkMonkey.com is strictly prohibited.

Table of Contents | Message Board | Printable Version | MonkeyNotes