Book Cover of Life on the Mississippi

Life on the Mississippi

by Mark Twain

Starting with a humorous and informative history of the river, Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain continues to describe piloting that waterway. In the same home-down style established by all of his more well known works, Twain paints a brightly-colored portrait of that long river with all its twists, turns, rapids, shallows and landmarks. The book traces river travel from the time that the river pilot was almost a god to their downfall with the building of levees, dykes and the placing of light and floating markers, making the navigation of the river immensely easier. Halfway through the sketches (I use this word as the book sometimes lacks in unity) the author moves away from a direct connection with the Mississippi River and continues with colorful accounts that take the reader around the world. Life on the Mississippi was the start of Mark Twain’s (Samuel Clements) fame as a writer. This introduction to a great writer and a great mind is a true diamond; not in the rough but shining as a lighthouse in the misty night.(Thom Swennes) Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain detailing his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. A good portion of the work also deals with his post-war visit to the “old haunts”.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

English

Published In

1883

Authors

Mark Twain image

Mark Twain

United States

Twain was fascinated with science and scientific inquiry. He developed a close and lasting friendship with Nikola Tesla, and the two spent much time together in Tesla's laboratory. Twain patented thre...

Books by Mark Twain

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Three Men on the Bummel Cover image

Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome

Three Men on the Bummel (also known as Three Men on Wheels) is a humorous novel by Jerome K. Jerome. It was published in 1900, eleven years after his...

Mr. Munchausen Cover image

Mr. Munchausen by John Kendrick Bangs

Mr. Munchausen is a novel by John Kendrick Bangs, written in the style that has become known as Bangsian fantasy. It is the fourth book of Bangs' Asso...

The Wailing Octopus Cover image

The Wailing Octopus by Harold L. Goodwin

It follows the journey of a marine biologist, Dr. Terry Kent, as he investigates a mysterious and deadly creature terrorizing a small island in the Pa...

Motor Boat Boys' River Chase Cover image

Motor Boat Boys' River Chase by St. George Henry Rathborne

The Motor Boat Boys, a group of teenage friends, embark on a thrilling river chase in this classic adventure tale. When a valuable artifact disappears...

Tom Slade On The River Cover image

Tom Slade On The River by Percy Keese Fitzhugh

This book follows the adventures of Tom Slade, a young Boy Scout, as he navigates the challenges and rewards of scouting life. He experiences the thri...

The Marble Faun  Cover image

The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Marble Faun is Hawthorne's most unusual romance. Writing on the eve of the American Civil War, Hawthorne set his story in a fantastical Italy. The...

Mount Royal Volume II Cover image

Mount Royal Volume II by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

The mystery deepens in the Canadian wilderness, as a young woman races to save her half-sister from a dangerous and powerful enemy. In Mount Royal Vo...

Ponson Case Cover image

Ponson Case by Freeman Wills Crofts

The Ponson Case, a classic mystery novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, revolves around the disappearance of Sir William Ponson. When he is found dead in a...

Over the Hills and Far Away: A Story of New Zealand Cover image

Over the Hills and Far Away: A Story of New Zealand by Charlotte Evans

A young woman leaves her home in England to start a new life in New Zealand, but she soon finds that the journey is more than she bargained for. Syno...

The Great Stone of Sardis Cover image

The Great Stone of Sardis by Frank R. Stockton

Hidden within the depths of the ancient Sardis forest lies an enigma that has perplexed generations—a captivating secret that will unravel the very fa...

Reviews for Life on the Mississippi

No reviews posted or approved, yet...