Presents an account of the life of the 19th century author whose writings under the name of "Mark Twain" have become literary classics.

Describes the history and development of Hannibal, Missouri.

Mark Twain's works are a living national treasury, yet somehow, beneath the vast river of literature that he left behind, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the man who became Mark Twain, has receded from view, leaving us with only faint and often trivialized remnants of his towering personality. Here, author Powers recreates the 19th century's vital landscapes and tumultuous events while restoring the human being at their center. Clemens left his frontier...

Integrating material from his literary works, diaries, and letters, this illustrated portrait of one of America's greatest writers follows Twain from his childhood, through his travels thoughout the world, to his career as a journalist and author.