Life on the Mississippi

by Twain, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780486414263
• ISBN10: 0486414264
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-21
• Publisher: Dover Publications

Summary

The popular 19th-century humorist offers lively recollections ranging from his salad days as a novice steamboat pilot on one of the world's greatest rivers to views from the passenger deck in the twilight of the river culture's heyday. Engrossing and entertaining anecdotes by a peerless storyteller from a now-finished chapter of American history.

Author Biography

After the Civil War, Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) left his small town to seek work as a riverboat pilot. As Mark Twain, the Missouri native found his place in the world. Author, journalist, lecturer, wit, and sage, Twain created enduring works that have enlightened and amused readers of all ages for generations.

Table of Contents

The ``Body of the Nation''	x
The River and Its History	1	(4)
The River and Its Explorers	5	(4)
Frescoes from the Past	9	(10)
The Boys' Ambition	19	(4)
I Want to be a Cub-Pilot	23	(3)
A Cub-Pilot's Experience	26	(5)
A Daring Deed	31	(5)
Perplexing Lessons	36	(5)
Continued Perplexities	41	(5)
Completing My Education	46	(4)
The River Rises	50	(5)
Sounding	55	(5)
A Pilot's Needs	60	(6)
Rank and Dignity of Piloting	66	(5)
The Pilots' Monopoly	71	(8)
Racing Days	79	(7)
Cut-offs and Stephen	86	(6)
I Take a Few Extra Lessons	92	(4)
Brown and I Exchange Compliments	96	(3)
A Catastrophe	99	(4)
A Section in My Biography	103	(1)
I Return to My Muttons	104	(6)
Traveling Incognito	110	(2)
My Incognito is Exploded	112	(4)
From Cairo to Hickman	116	(4)
Under Fire	120	(5)
Some Imported Articles	125	(4)
Uncle Mumford Unloads	129	(6)
A Few Specimen Bricks	135	(6)
Sketches by the Way	141	(6)
A Thumb-Print and What Came of It	147	(10)
The Disposal of a Bonanza	157	(3)
Refreshments and Ethics	160	(4)
Tough Yarns	164	(1)
Vicksburg during the Trouble	165	(6)
The Professor's Yarn	171	(4)
The End of the ``Gold Dust''	175	(1)
The House Beautiful	176	(4)
Manufactures and Miscreants	180	(4)
Castles and Culture	184	(4)
The Metropolis of the South	188	(3)
Hygiene and Sentiment	191	(3)
The Art of Inhumation	194	(2)
City Sights	196	(5)
Southern Sports	201	(6)
Enchantments and Enchanters	207	(3)
``Uncle Remus'' and Mr. Cable	210	(1)
Sugar and Postage	211	(5)
Episodes in Pilot Life	216	(4)
The ``Original Jacobs''	220	(4)
Reminiscences	224	(5)
A Burning Brand	229	(7)
My Boyhood Home	236	(4)
Past and Present	240	(6)
A Vendetta and Other Things	246	(4)
A Question of Law	250	(4)
An Archangel	254	(4)
On the Upper River	258	(5)
Legends and Scenery	263	(5)
Speculations and Conclusions	268	(7)
Appendix	275