The Complete Humorous Sketches and Tales of Mark Twain

by Mark Twain

This is the first and most complete collection of all 136 humorous sketches and tales that Samuel Clemens (1835–1910), a.k.a. Mark Twain, started writing as a young reporter for various newspapers and magazines and later saw fit to issue in book form. Many pieces appeared in rare, first printings, only to be dropped in subsequent editions; for this reason, readers will encounter a number of yarns and tall tales unavailable elsewhere, even in the collected works. More unvarnished than his short stories or novels, and more willing to indulge in fun for its own sake, these sketches comprise a substantial share of his literary apprenticeship and legacy. As brilliant, representative nuggets of Twain's humor in its purest form, they carry the imprint of Twain's wit, imagination, and humanism, his fresh and always idiomatic prose. From 1862's "Curing a Cold" to 1904's "Italian Without a Master," this collection allows readers to share Twain's vision of life as a strange and comic affair. No one interested in American humor (or in need of a good laugh) can long remain indifferent to this uproarious book.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Classics, Short Stories, Anthologies, Audiobook, Historical Fiction

722 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading this right now. For most of the stories so far I have felt this little tickle in my throat where I have wanted to laugh out loud but I am not sure if it's appropriate. Looking forward to the rest of them.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not humorous

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more I read from this book the more I thought to myself how much I would have enjoyed meeting Mark Twain, (Samuel Clemens.) On many occasions I caught myself laughing aloud while reading.
This is a complete collection of all the little short stories and sketches that Twain wrote from 1863 - 1904. That is close to forthy years of literary gemstones. Some of my personal favorites are The Danger of Lying in Bed, The Awful German Language, and The Great French Duel.
If you find a copy of this book buy it you will not be unpleased.

[Sten Lundgren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was going to say that this book hasn't aged well, but then I noticed it was published in 2012, so instead I'll say it wasn't born well

[David Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

What constitutes a humorous tale or sketch? The jumping frog, of course. But in Neider's view, also assorted newspaper scribblings, essays, a speech or two and excerpts from Twain's travel books, including about one-fifth of A Tramp Abroad. Twain himself buried some of these pieces. The worst is a dull, 15-page takedown of another author's story, and then, as proof, the story itself, all 37 pages of it. So: Some of these pieces are hilarious, some are okay, some are strained, some are tedious.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an compendium of all of Mark Twain's sketches there was some good and some not so good. Got to read about his famous frog three times. One time was a French translation he translated back into English. It was just like a game of telephone.

[Mary Tuley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize how hilarious Twain was until I read this anthology. The best "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses" -- truly, truly hysterical.

[Cws]

817.4(61)

[Ghoover318 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read a sketch a night until finished. Reread most of them.

[Don Whitmer]

As with any collection of writings it had its ups and downs. I'm reading page 85 right now and I'm trying to save it to my Ipad so it's with me at almost all times. His pictures of the Rockies mining times are unforgettable. He could lighten up on his comments about certain ethnic groups. It's not the first-class humor to parade your prejudices. But his stories of silver mining times are priceless to me.