Call number
FIC TWA
Collection
Genres
Publication
Reader's Digest (1988)
Description
Fashioned from the same experiences that would inspire the masterpiece Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi is Mark Twain' s most brilliant and most personal nonfiction work. It is at once an affectionate evocation of the vital river life in the steamboat era and a melancholy reminiscence of its passing after the Civil War, a priceless collection of humorous anecdotes and folktales, and a unique glimpse into Twain' s life before he began to write. Written in a prose style that has been hailed as among the greatest in English literature, Life on the Mississippi established Twain as not only the most popular humorist of his time but also America' s most profound chronicler of the human comedy.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member jlelliott
Every time I look at a river, I think of Mark Twain and his adventures on the Mississippi. His writing, always funny and warm, tells us first of the history and stories of his beloved river, and then of his experiences learning the steamboat trade. I found his description of being a steamboat
Show More
student very similar to being a medical student: two-hundred years later and in completely different trades, route memorization and gradual responsibility for people’s lives still have much in common. This book made me want to travel the Mississippi, not as it stands today but as it appeared to Twain in his youth. I feel the same way about Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his Magdalena river. I think it is amazing how these inspired authors can make me love a river I have never seen. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
Mark Twain describes his youth as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi, then takes readers along on a return trip up the river he made twenty-one years later, after a great deal had changed. The narrative meanders almost as much as the river itself, offering snippets of biography, glimpses of
It's not difficult to see why Twain is still popular today. His writing is highly readable, and his characteristic wit is very much in evidence here. It doesn't exactly sparkle out from every page, though; instead, it sort of lies in wait and sneaks up on you.
I'm sad to say that my own first-hand experience of the Mississippi consists entirely having crossed it once, without stopping, in a car. Reading this has made me very much regret that fact. I'm now feeling a strangely powerful urge to pack up and head out for a river cruise.
Show More
history, colorful character sketches, thoughtful reflections, tall tales, travelogues, and anecdotes ranging from the tragic to the hilarious. The early chapters did go into the specifics of steamboat piloting in more detail than I really cared to know, but given that it's an occupation that was already dying out when the book was published, it's hard to fault his desire to preserve it for posterity.It's not difficult to see why Twain is still popular today. His writing is highly readable, and his characteristic wit is very much in evidence here. It doesn't exactly sparkle out from every page, though; instead, it sort of lies in wait and sneaks up on you.
I'm sad to say that my own first-hand experience of the Mississippi consists entirely having crossed it once, without stopping, in a car. Reading this has made me very much regret that fact. I'm now feeling a strangely powerful urge to pack up and head out for a river cruise.
Show Less
LibraryThing member gbill
Let me break the book down for you:
- History of the Mississippi River, including early explorers – 25 pages
- Twain as a young man, learning to pilot steamboats as a ‘cub’ under some crusty old men – 107 pages
- The passing of 21 years in his life, from the Civil War to his mining, working as
- Returning to the Mississippi as a passenger on a steamboat, going from St. Louis down to New Orleans, and back up the river again to St. Paul – 226 pages
In the time that’s elapsed since his return to his beloved river, steamboating has been replaced by the railroad and is a dying industry – so there is a sense of not only fading youth and fading memories because Twain himself is older and in his 40’s, but also because America itself has changed, and is changing so rapidly, so that the job and the industry he held so dear as a child are also fading.
In this sense he captures a glimpse of an era through various facts, anecdotes, the writing of others, and memories, so if this time or place is of particular interest, the book may appeal to you as history. As a brief aside, it struck me as ironic that he observed New Orleans to be at the bottom of a dish, surrounded by levees and below the water level, such that “there is nothing but the frail breastwork of earth between the people and destruction”.
But I digress. While all it may have been the sort of thing that worked for me, the book was written without a lot of condensing, and unfortunately without a lot of humor. There is a darkness about it that prefetches his later writing, so much so that Raban in the introduction says it might have been called Death on the Mississippi, but I didn’t find that aspect too bad, and sometimes of interest, in portraying just how rough life and attitudes were on what was the frontier of America.
However, while in Huck Finn we can forgive the chapters in the latter portions of the book which drag on as the only flaw in his masterpiece because it was so singular, here we cannot. There are lots of details on the nuances and complexities of piloting, which, after the gist is captured, become tiresome. There are of course highlights: he recounts his brother’s death in a steamboat explosion when he was 20 (and Twain was 23) to conclude the first major portion of the book before fast forwarding to the future, and a couple of his memories as a child which return to him when he reaches his boyhood town of Hannibal late in the book are endearing. Unfortunately they are just too few and far between. Three stars may be a little generous. For Twain, stick to Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and A Tramp Abroad.
Quotes: just this one, on Andrew Jackson, who should not be on the $20 folks:
“The war had ended, the two nations were at peace, but the news had not reached New Orleans. If we had had the cable telegraph in those days, this blood would not have been spilt, those lives would not have been wasted; and better still, Jackson would probably never have been president. We have gotten over the harms done us by the War of 1812, but not over some of those done us by Jackson’s presidency.”
- History of the Mississippi River, including early explorers – 25 pages
- Twain as a young man, learning to pilot steamboats as a ‘cub’ under some crusty old men – 107 pages
- The passing of 21 years in his life, from the Civil War to his mining, working as
Show More
a reporter in San Francisco, Hawaii, travel to Europe and then settling in New England – 1 very brief page- Returning to the Mississippi as a passenger on a steamboat, going from St. Louis down to New Orleans, and back up the river again to St. Paul – 226 pages
In the time that’s elapsed since his return to his beloved river, steamboating has been replaced by the railroad and is a dying industry – so there is a sense of not only fading youth and fading memories because Twain himself is older and in his 40’s, but also because America itself has changed, and is changing so rapidly, so that the job and the industry he held so dear as a child are also fading.
In this sense he captures a glimpse of an era through various facts, anecdotes, the writing of others, and memories, so if this time or place is of particular interest, the book may appeal to you as history. As a brief aside, it struck me as ironic that he observed New Orleans to be at the bottom of a dish, surrounded by levees and below the water level, such that “there is nothing but the frail breastwork of earth between the people and destruction”.
But I digress. While all it may have been the sort of thing that worked for me, the book was written without a lot of condensing, and unfortunately without a lot of humor. There is a darkness about it that prefetches his later writing, so much so that Raban in the introduction says it might have been called Death on the Mississippi, but I didn’t find that aspect too bad, and sometimes of interest, in portraying just how rough life and attitudes were on what was the frontier of America.
However, while in Huck Finn we can forgive the chapters in the latter portions of the book which drag on as the only flaw in his masterpiece because it was so singular, here we cannot. There are lots of details on the nuances and complexities of piloting, which, after the gist is captured, become tiresome. There are of course highlights: he recounts his brother’s death in a steamboat explosion when he was 20 (and Twain was 23) to conclude the first major portion of the book before fast forwarding to the future, and a couple of his memories as a child which return to him when he reaches his boyhood town of Hannibal late in the book are endearing. Unfortunately they are just too few and far between. Three stars may be a little generous. For Twain, stick to Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and A Tramp Abroad.
Quotes: just this one, on Andrew Jackson, who should not be on the $20 folks:
“The war had ended, the two nations were at peace, but the news had not reached New Orleans. If we had had the cable telegraph in those days, this blood would not have been spilt, those lives would not have been wasted; and better still, Jackson would probably never have been president. We have gotten over the harms done us by the War of 1812, but not over some of those done us by Jackson’s presidency.”
Show Less
LibraryThing member ben_a
I picked this up several months ago and read the first 150 pages. Twain is a marvel. What a style! And how quickly he moves from tall tales and nonsense to a boiler explosion which kills his brother. Notable also for his recounting of pre-fight banter that prefigures Ali and Ric Flair. To
Show More
understand America, read Twain. Show Less
LibraryThing member alcoholicferrets
Life on the Mississippi is not really about the river itself, but the people and places on and around it. The first chapter introduces the river and gives various facts and statistics about it, as well as "historical history". The book continues with Mark Twain's personal experiences with the
The stories here have a loose sense of chronology: they follow Twain through his pilot training and up the river on the trip he takes later, but are often interrupted by stories and anecdotes, as well as Twain's memories and his views on various subjects.
The book is often humorous. There were many passages that I wanted to write out, if I was the type of person who writes out passages from books. At one point, Twain argues that Sir Walter Scott is responsible for the Civil War. There are many other stories that are quite funny, it would be impossible to list them all.
Something I had trouble with was all the steamboating jargon that went unexplained. I suppose at the time of the books' publishing, people generally knew more about boats and would not be puzzled. Some footnotes would have helped, though.
Life on the Mississippi is, overall, a very interesting portrait of 19th century America. It wasn't a period I knew much about, apart from the Civil War.
Show More
river, starting with his early steamboating days, when he was training to be a pilot. Twain also writes of his trip up the Mississippi years later.The stories here have a loose sense of chronology: they follow Twain through his pilot training and up the river on the trip he takes later, but are often interrupted by stories and anecdotes, as well as Twain's memories and his views on various subjects.
The book is often humorous. There were many passages that I wanted to write out, if I was the type of person who writes out passages from books. At one point, Twain argues that Sir Walter Scott is responsible for the Civil War. There are many other stories that are quite funny, it would be impossible to list them all.
Something I had trouble with was all the steamboating jargon that went unexplained. I suppose at the time of the books' publishing, people generally knew more about boats and would not be puzzled. Some footnotes would have helped, though.
Life on the Mississippi is, overall, a very interesting portrait of 19th century America. It wasn't a period I knew much about, apart from the Civil War.
Show Less
LibraryThing member m.belljackson
Mark Twain delivers a smooth flowing narrative of the Science of Steamboat Piloting over the 2,000 miles of The Mississippi River
that he covered in 2-l/2 years, first as a Cub, then as a licensed Pilot.
Those of us readers who may have believed that piloting the Mississippi was akin to simply
are in for a nice long surprise, from reefs, snags, towheads and on into disappearing islands and river banks.
"The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book..."
He introduces the history of The River, form its headwaters in Itaska to white explorers: De Soto, 1542, Lewis and Clark, 1673, and La Salle, 1681.
Many small illustrations move the plot along, both through the intriguing and fun reading and over the more horrifying sections, including animal cruelty like cock fights...
still pursued in The South as dog fights...
Surprises were the excitement of the Steamboat Racing Days
and his two weeks of fighting in the Confederate Army followed by the desertion of his entire group after facing
up to Ulysses S. Grant. Redemption came in his starch anti-slavery stances.
He returns 21 years later - after the Steamboat "...occupation was gone."
I still wonder why there was so little mentioned of his brother Henry - maybe the grief was too hard to take.
It would be welcome for future editions to have Footnotes at the bottom of the pages!
that he covered in 2-l/2 years, first as a Cub, then as a licensed Pilot.
Those of us readers who may have believed that piloting the Mississippi was akin to simply
Show More
steering a Steamboat down the middleare in for a nice long surprise, from reefs, snags, towheads and on into disappearing islands and river banks.
"The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book..."
He introduces the history of The River, form its headwaters in Itaska to white explorers: De Soto, 1542, Lewis and Clark, 1673, and La Salle, 1681.
Many small illustrations move the plot along, both through the intriguing and fun reading and over the more horrifying sections, including animal cruelty like cock fights...
still pursued in The South as dog fights...
Surprises were the excitement of the Steamboat Racing Days
and his two weeks of fighting in the Confederate Army followed by the desertion of his entire group after facing
up to Ulysses S. Grant. Redemption came in his starch anti-slavery stances.
He returns 21 years later - after the Steamboat "...occupation was gone."
I still wonder why there was so little mentioned of his brother Henry - maybe the grief was too hard to take.
It would be welcome for future editions to have Footnotes at the bottom of the pages!
Show Less
LibraryThing member JudithProctor
One of the reasons we read science fiction is for that sense of wonder, an introduction to a world totally different to our own, one that is strange and different.
Sometimes we can encounter that same sense of wonder when reading history, when the past is described so vividly that it becomes real
I've just encountered that sense while reading Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi. It begins with a historical humorous outlook on the way various explorers cheerfully claimed vast tracts of already occupied land for their own countries, but the book came to life for me when he starts to talk about the skills of the riverboat pilots.
Here, Twain writes from first-hand experience of learning those skills, and it makes for fascinating reading. The description of a pilot navigating a dangerous river section at night is hair-raising and makes the navigation skills of a London taxi driver suddenly seem trivial by comparison.
You can get the book free from Project Gutenberg and I definitely recommend it as a window on a totally different world.
Sometimes we can encounter that same sense of wonder when reading history, when the past is described so vividly that it becomes real
Show More
and wonderful.I've just encountered that sense while reading Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi. It begins with a historical humorous outlook on the way various explorers cheerfully claimed vast tracts of already occupied land for their own countries, but the book came to life for me when he starts to talk about the skills of the riverboat pilots.
Here, Twain writes from first-hand experience of learning those skills, and it makes for fascinating reading. The description of a pilot navigating a dangerous river section at night is hair-raising and makes the navigation skills of a London taxi driver suddenly seem trivial by comparison.
You can get the book free from Project Gutenberg and I definitely recommend it as a window on a totally different world.
Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Grover Gardner did an excellent job narrating this memoir. However there were a few section that I just couldn't focus on in audio and had to read in my Kindle edition (the section about Vicksburg, for example).
LibraryThing member chosler
Twain spends the first half of the book recounting his childhood in Hannibal, Missouri and his early fascination with steamboats, followed by a long stretch describing his apprenticeship as a steamboat pilot. Along the way he spices the narrative with his trademark sarcasm and humor, tall tales he
Show More
heard as a pilot {and one assumes a few he invented}, and a detailed and yet poetic description of the Mississippi River that serves as an elegiac biography of the Big Muddy. Twain uses the second half of the book to detail his return to the Mississippi, taking passage from St. Louis down to New Orleans, and all the way back up to the source at St. Paul, Minnesota. With a bittersweet voice he describes the differences in the steam-boating trade, and the local color of his many stops along the way, with long sections on New Orleans and his childhood home of Hannibal. Race relations, economics, river engineering, and tall tales are main topics. Mild profanity, some sexual innuendo, a few graphic depictions of violence and or accidents. Show Less
LibraryThing member iayork
Mark Twain at his best!: I've been reading a lot of classic literature recently, and I also recently saw the Mississippi River for the first time...so this book seemed liked the perfect one for me to read right now.
This is a "non-fictional" book by Mark Twain. (I guess that means based on some
Besides his personal recollections, he also includes other interesting stories,history,folklore, talltales, and such. It is written in typical Mark Twain style - his dry sense of humor will bring a smile to your face. I really enjoyed this book.
This is a "non-fictional" book by Mark Twain. (I guess that means based on some
Show More
truth but embelished in various ways?) In it he recalls the years he spent during his youth as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River. Then he suddenly jumps forward many years in the book to when he is an older man. As an older man, he decides to go back and travel on the Mississippi River again. He finds the river much changed. The course of time (the Civil War has come and gone, the expansion of the railroad, and the forces of nature) have greatly changed life on the river. The once thriving steamboat trade has almost disapeared. Besides his personal recollections, he also includes other interesting stories,history,folklore, talltales, and such. It is written in typical Mark Twain style - his dry sense of humor will bring a smile to your face. I really enjoyed this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JBreedlove
Considered a classic it described a long gone way of life in the mid and late 19th century book ending the Civil War. An almost frontier life looking back from "modern times" of the late 18th century. It made me realize the amount of non-fiction written by Twain. Not the easiest read at times but
Show More
certainly enlightening. Show Less
LibraryThing member vibrantminds
The book is an autobiographical account of Mark Twain’s growing up along the Mississippi river and becoming a pilot of a steamboat. After being departed for over 20 years he heads back to the river to take a tour of the place he once knew so well. He reminisces back 20 years over his childhood,
Show More
his early years as an apprentice on a steamboat to becoming a pilot, leading up to the present day (at least when written) and what has become of the river since. Through his dealings with the river he chose his pen name; a term used on the water that basically meant safe clearance for travel. Not his best work but interesting none the less. Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
Mark Twain enjoys the distinction of being one of the wittiest and most charming of American authors, and this book is one of his best, perhaps up there with Huck Finn and Roughing It.
It starts off with history, then meanders through biography, anecdotal stories of his youth and travels on the
The obscurest details are made illuminating, and this story shines with humor and charm. Recommended to all fans of Twain, or laughing at books.
It starts off with history, then meanders through biography, anecdotal stories of his youth and travels on the
Show More
Mississippi, descriptions of steamboats and the countryside, the Civil War, New Orleans, cemeteries, Mardi Gras, and all in between. If I may make a bold and yet now-hackneyed comparison, this book IS the Mississippi - Wide, deep, circular and long, a centuries-old part of our history.The obscurest details are made illuminating, and this story shines with humor and charm. Recommended to all fans of Twain, or laughing at books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Recently, I participated in a writer's workshop. It took place in an inn that actually floats on the Missouri River. For five days, I was to be hypnotized by the river's ever-flowing current. I thought of Mark Twain, an author whose books I have never read. What better time could there be to
While the Missouri River is not the Mississippi, it is nevertheless far more impressive than my native Kansas River, a wide stream populated with massive sandbars and piles of driftwood. No ships float down my river. I'm not sure they ever did. In Life on the Mississippi, Twain paints a portrait of a time when many ships paddled lazily up and down the rivers. Full of anecdotes about his time as a young river boat pilot, Twain's love for the river and its boats is evident. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of reading the first half of this book in the days before, during, and immediately after my river sojourn. Aside from Twain's signature humor, Life on the Mississippi bristled with the life of the river—its sounds and smells. I was glad to have this book as a companion during my own exploration of the river. I don't think I would've enjoyed it nearly as much at any other time.
The second half of Life on the Mississippi loses its magic. From humorous tales of his own experience on the river, Twain switches to the tales of others, statistics, and random observations. Some of these have to do with the Mississippi. Some do not. Basically, Twain was let loose to follow whatever tangents he wanted in this book and the results were underwhelming. There were some great stories within these pages, but most of it was as dry as the Kansas River.
Show More
acquaint myself with Twain? What better work than one about the river?While the Missouri River is not the Mississippi, it is nevertheless far more impressive than my native Kansas River, a wide stream populated with massive sandbars and piles of driftwood. No ships float down my river. I'm not sure they ever did. In Life on the Mississippi, Twain paints a portrait of a time when many ships paddled lazily up and down the rivers. Full of anecdotes about his time as a young river boat pilot, Twain's love for the river and its boats is evident. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of reading the first half of this book in the days before, during, and immediately after my river sojourn. Aside from Twain's signature humor, Life on the Mississippi bristled with the life of the river—its sounds and smells. I was glad to have this book as a companion during my own exploration of the river. I don't think I would've enjoyed it nearly as much at any other time.
The second half of Life on the Mississippi loses its magic. From humorous tales of his own experience on the river, Twain switches to the tales of others, statistics, and random observations. Some of these have to do with the Mississippi. Some do not. Basically, Twain was let loose to follow whatever tangents he wanted in this book and the results were underwhelming. There were some great stories within these pages, but most of it was as dry as the Kansas River.
Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
I thought that this was going to be a memoir, and it is -- to some extent. However, it is also a collection of stories Twain came across while traveling on the river as well. I shelved this as nonfiction, but it is hard to tell how 'truthful' some of the stories are! Did Twain invent them? Or
Show More
perhaps he is just recording tales that someone else invented... or perhaps they are true stories. Whether they are true or are fiction, they are mostly engaging and often funny. My biggest complaint is that he jumps from one thing to the next too quickly at times. Show Less
LibraryThing member JVioland
A memoir of days on the Mississippi when Twain worked on the riverboats before the Civil War. Descriptions abound. You'll witness a younger America, simpler but much more dangerous.
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Not the best audiobook for my commute. It required more attention than I could give it and my mind kept drifting off. Had to pull out after 6 discs. But I appreciated what little history and ambience I got about the steamboat culture and the Mississippi River.
LibraryThing member Gingermama
I thoroughly enjoyed this one, not only for its description of life along the river at that time, but also for the author's wry sense of humor.
LibraryThing member Sheila1957
Written in 1882, Life on the Mississippi is a product of its time but we need this because it shows us where we come from, hopefully getting better but not always. This is Twain's history as well as a history of steamboats, the Mississippi River, and the growth of the U.S. I enjoyed Twain's telling
Show More
of the history of the Mississippi and steamboats. I enjoyed his reminiscences of his time working on the boats as well as him going back years later and going through the changes to the river and the towns along the river as well as the men he knew then. I liked the Native American stories he told. I liked his cynicism and tongue-in-cheek humor as he tells his story. Worth reading today as it tells a time that has passed. Show Less
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
I have to admit, here, to a bias; a prejudice. It’s a bias that I have fought against a spare few times in my life, but by and large, it has ruled my reading life. The bias is this: It is my perverse nature to avoid books and authors considered to be classics.
I know it’s contrary and based on
This it is why Life on the Mississippi has been sitting on my TBR shelf; that, and the fact that I found a Folio Society copy for a bargain. I grabbed it earlier this month, figuring that I could fulfil my yen for non-fiction and mark off a classic author at the same time.
The Introduction to my Folio edition doesn’t fill the reader with optimism. The story of Life on the Mississippi‘s creation is interesting, but finding out that fully half the book was considered ‘filler’ is not an auspicious start. The author of the introduction made it sound like Twain just filled out the second half of the book with a hodgepodge collection of other peoples’ articles and anecdotes. Which he does, but what they don’t tell you is that he folds it all into a cohesive narrative that works fairly well, if a little chaotically.
So with this introduction read, I resigned myself and started. What I found was a very time-consuming, but absorbing read, made enjoyable by Twain’s voice and trademark humour. Definitely not riveting, but it draws a picture of life in the late 1800’s that is vivid and brings both a pang of nostalgia for those easier days and a relief not to have been born in that age.
Twain gets full marks for making the life of a steamboat man sound romantic; it’s a testament to his talent that he even makes it interesting to read. And while I can’t say I loved it, or that I’ll ever really re-visit it, except for perhaps to randomly dip in and out, I can say that I feel I got something out of it, if only a better respect for the mighty Mississippi as it once was, wild and independent.
I know it’s contrary and based on
Show More
no rational; I just don’t like being told what to do and what to like. Occasionally, the grown-up in me will rear her annoying head and insist that I at least try a classic or two – who knows? I might like it, and I don’t have to finish it if I don’t.This it is why Life on the Mississippi has been sitting on my TBR shelf; that, and the fact that I found a Folio Society copy for a bargain. I grabbed it earlier this month, figuring that I could fulfil my yen for non-fiction and mark off a classic author at the same time.
The Introduction to my Folio edition doesn’t fill the reader with optimism. The story of Life on the Mississippi‘s creation is interesting, but finding out that fully half the book was considered ‘filler’ is not an auspicious start. The author of the introduction made it sound like Twain just filled out the second half of the book with a hodgepodge collection of other peoples’ articles and anecdotes. Which he does, but what they don’t tell you is that he folds it all into a cohesive narrative that works fairly well, if a little chaotically.
So with this introduction read, I resigned myself and started. What I found was a very time-consuming, but absorbing read, made enjoyable by Twain’s voice and trademark humour. Definitely not riveting, but it draws a picture of life in the late 1800’s that is vivid and brings both a pang of nostalgia for those easier days and a relief not to have been born in that age.
Twain gets full marks for making the life of a steamboat man sound romantic; it’s a testament to his talent that he even makes it interesting to read. And while I can’t say I loved it, or that I’ll ever really re-visit it, except for perhaps to randomly dip in and out, I can say that I feel I got something out of it, if only a better respect for the mighty Mississippi as it once was, wild and independent.
Show Less
LibraryThing member quiBee
This book was an incredible read and a fascinating evocation of time and place.
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Before he became a famous author, Twain spent some years as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi. Twain recalls his early experiences in this memoir, with particular focus on his apprenticeship. About a third of the way through the book, Twain transitions to an account of his return to the
Show More
Mississippi after an absence of several decades. Twain and his companions board a steamboat at St. Louis for a journey to New Orleans, then make the return journey from New Orleans all the way to the Twin Cities. Each landmark on the journey inspires a memory of his own experience or a story he’s heard from another. This part of the book gives the impression of vignettes that Twain has assembled for the reader’s entertainment. Twain actually got two books out of his 1882 steamboat trip. He was already working on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when he wrote Life on the Mississippi, and he includes in it an excerpt from his work in progress. Twain’s 1882 journey was time and money well spent if it revived long-forgotten memories of river life and helped Twain hone his descriptions of the river in Huckleberry Finn. Show Less