MARK TWAIN was born Samuel Langhorn Clemens in Florida, Missouri, in 1835. He was born two months prematurely and faced health complications for the first ten years of his life. Beginning at age eleven, he worked at a variety of jobs to support his family after his father died.
In 1863, Clemens began using the pen name Mark Twain, a river term for water just barely safe for navigation. He largely focused on humor writing. In 1865, he wrote a letter to his brother saying that he was not “proud” of his “ ‘call’ to literature of a low order—i.e. humorous,” but it was his “strongest suit.” His greatest books include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper (1881), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889).
The stories in this collection span Clemens’s writing career, with the first predating his use of the pseudonym Mark Twain. The publication dates of the stories range a century, from 1862 to 1962, with two stories published posthumously. “Petrified Man” was originally published in the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise on October 4, 1862. “Earthquake Almanac” was originally published in the San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle on October 17, 1865. “From the ‘London Times’ of 1904” was originally published in The Century Magazine in November 1898. “The Loves of Alfonzo Fitz Clarence and Rosannah Ethelton” was originally published in the Atlantic Monthly in March 1878. “Mental Telegraphy” was originally published in Harper’s Magazine in December 1891. “Mental Telegraphy Again” was originally published in Harper’s Magazine in September 1895. “Extracts from Adam’s Diary” was originally published by Harper & Brothers, New York, in 1906. “Eve’s Diary” was originally published by Harper & Brothers, New York, in 1906. “The Great Dark” was originally published by Harper & Row, New York, in 1962. “Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven” was originally published in Harper’s Magazine in December 1907 and January 1908. “The Mysterious Stranger” was originally published by Harper & Brothers, New York, in 1916.
Clemens knew setbacks and hardship in his life, including the death of his son, Langdon, in 1872, and his later years were particularly difficult. He declared bankruptcy in 1894. His daughter Susy died of spinal meningitis in 1897. His wife, Olivia, died in 1904. His daughter Jean, who had suffered from epilepsy, died in 1909. Despite having to contend with so much loss, Clemens was appreciated in his final decade. He received honorary degrees from Yale University, the University of Missouri, and Oxford University. He passed away in 1910, survived by only his daughter Clara.
Mark Twain is remembered as one of the most important and funniest American writers. Owing to his clever sense of humor, his authentic representation of American characters, and his strong command of spoken language, Twain’s novels, short stories, and other writing continue to be beloved and revered.