Sketches, New and Old

by Mark Twain

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Humor, Classics, 19th Century, American

173 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1875

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

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sketches New & Old was a kind of greatest hits of Mark Twain — a collection of pieces previously published in newspapers and other periodicals that showcased the writer’s sometimes still rough hewn Western humor. His most famous novels were still in his future when this collection was published. This collection showcases the kind of pieces that first established him as an American humorist well before he became an American icon.

These sketches nearly all can be described as tall tales — Mark Twain using exalted exaggerations to drive home his satirical, ironic humor. He lampoons some targets repeatedly — government, politicians, and pugnacious newspaper editors being among his favorites that produce his best bits.

Comedy, more than most arts, is closely tied to cultural context. As culture changes across the decades, what was once hilarious can lose its power. That is definitely a factor with some of these sketches. Yet many of these tall tales still hold their power to evoke snorts, snickers, and even belly laughs. Political Economy with its gullible scholar hoodwinked into festooning his home with lightning rods is one. Cannibal in the Cars is absurd humor taking a sideways swipe at American government. Experiences of the McWilliamses with Membranous Croup plumbs domestic relationships for exasperated humor. The Siamese Twins milks some ridiculous laughs from contemporary celebrities. And Journalism in Tennessee take exaggeration to a hilarious pitch.

”Yours was not in the beginning a criminal nature, but circumstances change it. At the age of nine you stole sugar. At the age of fifteen you stole money. At twenty you stole horses. At twenty-five you committed arson. At thirty, hardened in crime, you became an editor. You are now a public lecturer. Worse things are in store for you. You will be sent to Congress!”
From Information Wanted

”Jones will be here at 3:00, cowhide him. Gillespie will call earlier, perhaps. Throw him out of the window. Ferguson will be along about 4:00. Kill him. That is all for today, I believe. If you have any odd time, you might write a blistering article on the police. Give the chief inspector rats. The cowhide is under the table, weapons in the drawer, ammunition there in the corner, lint and bandages up there in the pidgin holes.”
From Journalism in Tennessee

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twain pokes fun at stuffy ideals. (Some recycling from earlier collections.)

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I have read some of the articles contained in Sketches New and Old by Mark Twain, the book had some new stories. I always enjoy the writings of Samuel Clements and the sort of humor he inevitably expressed. The irony, sarcasm and derision of his writings are unique and set him apart from other authors of his era. This book is a collection of short sketches, written throughout his writing career, published first as newspaper articles. I’m sure his literary contributions to these publications did much to increase the circulation. I highly recommend this book to all who don’t oppose laughing out loud.

[Mark Isaak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of mostly very short pieces (six pages average); the topics are widely varied, from translation into French to husband/wife disagreement to political campaigning to the IRS. All display Twain's brilliant humorous writing style, but some of the subjects were not very captivating.

[NCgran · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Outrageous" doesn't begin to cover these sketches. While clearly tongue in cheek, many of them seem designed to cause trouble and, though I laughed out loud on occasion, I became a bit bored with Mark Twain's sarcasm. I recommend reading a sketch or two, and interspersing with other books, instead of reading this book straight through.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story "Political Economy" -- in which Twain, sweating over an essay on the proper conduct of government, is repeatedly interrupted by a door-to-door lightning-rod salesman -- is in the select group of works that have made me laugh myself sick.

[Seth Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good,

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An oldie that stands the test of time. The first story , My Watch, pulled me right in.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Twain’s irreverent takes on the news of his day, and this was an entire collection of such things. The original illustrations included in my Oxford Mark Twain set add some spice as well.

[Forked Radish]

"Johnny Greer": ⭐️: A lovely little vignette.
"My Late Senatorial Secretaryship": ⭐️⭐️: Political BS is less interesting than the bovine variety.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these stories/essays were serious and some humorous, but I am beginning to learn that Twain always starts with a kernel of truth no matter how outrageous his writing. For example, I laughed at the story of the people who killed and then got off scot-free by claiming temporary insanity, although the final story of the maid who killed her mistress and was condemned although clearly crazy was a macabre ending. I figured the whole thing was a spoof on what it would be like if our juries were to let rich people off murder charges for such idiotic reasons. Then, while reading the footnotes to his autobiography, volume I, discover that there was an actual case where a rich young man saw an editor who had maligned him in print, pulled out a gun, and shot him dead on the street. He went to trial, claimed temporary insanity, and was released. Whew! I couldn't believe our jury system was ever that retarded, but evidently so. There are numerous stories in this book gently poking fun at politics, juries, Twain himself, and so on. I read it over the course of many months since there are such great places to take a break in a book of this sort, and I think that made me enjoy it even more.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for free on Project Gutenberg. A bit uneven, but that's to be expected from a short story collection, even one by Mark Twain. The great stuff is really great.

You can read it here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3189
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3189/3...

My favorites of the 63 or so passages:
A Fine Old Man
Science vs. Luck
The Late Benjamin Franklin
The Siamese Twins
How I Edited an Agricultural Paper
"After" Jenkins
A Curious Pleasure Excursion
Running for Governor

[Evanston Public Library]

Mark Twain helped pave the way for many serious writers--Ernest Hemingway famously commented that all modern American literature comes from Huckleberry Finn. But Twain also broke ground in American short fiction and non-fiction, setting the stage for great humorists like Ian Frazier, David Sedaris, Dave Barry, and even Jon Stewart. This great collection contains some classics--but many more that I had never heard of. (Jeff, Reader's Services)

[Trevor Trigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hoot. No wonder he was a star back in the day. Talk about chuckles.
At the height of his powers a century and a half ago, and still a terrific read.
Would love to have had lunch with him - I'd pay!

[Vickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exactly what it says it is. A bunch of short stories. Some cute some weird, some stupid.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am especially fond of "A Visit to Niagara" (read right after I visited Niagara) and "Personal Habits of Siamese Twins."

[Lee Margulin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some classic Twain, some tedious reading. Only read if you've got some time to kill or you're on a mission.

[Terry Dullum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff.

[Susan Mcfate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ch4
Yet if disbelievers have any share in it, they say, “Did we not help you win, and held up believers from you?”