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The Bible According to Mark Twain: Irreverent Writings on Eden, Heaven, and the Flood by America's Master Satirist
In this brilliant and hilarious compilation of essays, letters, diaries, and excerpts--some never before published--Mark Twain takes on Heaven and Hell, sinners and saints and showcases his own unique approach to the Holy Scriptures including
*ADAM AND EVE'S DIVERGENT ACCOUNTS OF THEIR DOMESTIC TROUBLES
*SATAN'S TAKE ON OUR CONCEPT OF THE AFTERLIFE
*METHUSELAH'S DISCUSSION OF AN ANCIENT VERSION OF BASEBALL
*ADVICE ON HOW TO DRESS AND TIP PROPERLY IN HEAVEN
Behind the humor of these pieces, readers will see Twain's serious thoughts on the relationship between God and man, biblical inconsistencies, Darwinism, science, and the impact of technology on religious beliefs. The Bible According to Mark Twain is vintage Twain and is sure to surprise, delight, and perhaps shock modern readers.
Description from back cover
*ADAM AND EVE'S DIVERGENT ACCOUNTS OF THEIR DOMESTIC TROUBLES
*SATAN'S TAKE ON OUR CONCEPT OF THE AFTERLIFE
*METHUSELAH'S DISCUSSION OF AN ANCIENT VERSION OF BASEBALL
*ADVICE ON HOW TO DRESS AND TIP PROPERLY IN HEAVEN
Behind the humor of these pieces, readers will see Twain's serious thoughts on the relationship between God and man, biblical inconsistencies, Darwinism, science, and the impact of technology on religious beliefs. The Bible According to Mark Twain is vintage Twain and is sure to surprise, delight, and perhaps shock modern readers.
Description from back cover
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
76 people are currently reading
2906 people want to read
About the author
Mark Twain
8,865 books18.6k followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
August 18, 2010
The Bible According to Mark Twain is collection of his writings on the Eden, and God’s flooding of the Earth and Heaven, written over a period of nearly 40 years. I must confess, for my sins, that this is the first Mark Twain I have ever read, save for his countless quotations and aphorisms which litter books and websites of an atheistic bent.
The book is composed of two principle sections, the first is Twain’s understanding and re-working of the Christian creation myth through fictionalised diary accounts from Adam and Eve, the second concerns Heaven and the afterlife. Each piece begins with a short introduction by the editors, who place it in historical context, referring to either Mark Twain as the writer, or (his real name) Sam Clemens, when referring to his personal life.
The background reading provides an interesting account of how the pieces were composed. Some of them evolved over decades and we get an insight into Mark Twain’s battle with both the literature and the numerous re-writes and edits, but also how he wove personal tragedy, such as the loss of his young daughter, into this his musings on heaven and wrestled with the effects his writings would have on religious establishment.
Mark Twain weaves issues of the time from biology, technology and sociology into Adam and Eve’s account of their time in Eden and the ideas still resonate today. The Extracts From Eve’s Diary capture some of the real wonder and curiosity that many of us feel when observing the world around us and Adam’s grapple with ‘science’ the description of Eve’s love for nature and Adam are genuinely funny and affecting. A recurring theme in all the pieces is the objection to God’s punishing Adam for eating an apple from the Tree of Knowledge with death, even though they would have had no concept of it as the Moral Sense, death and evil had not yet entered the garden.
A shorter third section, ‘Letters from Earth’, is a collection of letters written Satan recounting his visit to Earth and his wonder at the illogical nature of man and the God they create(d) to worship. This is Twain’s most devastating appraisal of Christianity as some of the wonderful allegory and story-telling of the previous works is stripped back to really hammer home some astutely observed and eloquently constructed arguments for the fallacy of man’s belief in God, particularly a personal one.
With these various writings, Mark Twain achieved the incredible feat of weaving together an extraordinary deconstruction of religion, with funny, touching fables that far exceed the morality and humanity of the source material.
The book is composed of two principle sections, the first is Twain’s understanding and re-working of the Christian creation myth through fictionalised diary accounts from Adam and Eve, the second concerns Heaven and the afterlife. Each piece begins with a short introduction by the editors, who place it in historical context, referring to either Mark Twain as the writer, or (his real name) Sam Clemens, when referring to his personal life.
The background reading provides an interesting account of how the pieces were composed. Some of them evolved over decades and we get an insight into Mark Twain’s battle with both the literature and the numerous re-writes and edits, but also how he wove personal tragedy, such as the loss of his young daughter, into this his musings on heaven and wrestled with the effects his writings would have on religious establishment.
Mark Twain weaves issues of the time from biology, technology and sociology into Adam and Eve’s account of their time in Eden and the ideas still resonate today. The Extracts From Eve’s Diary capture some of the real wonder and curiosity that many of us feel when observing the world around us and Adam’s grapple with ‘science’ the description of Eve’s love for nature and Adam are genuinely funny and affecting. A recurring theme in all the pieces is the objection to God’s punishing Adam for eating an apple from the Tree of Knowledge with death, even though they would have had no concept of it as the Moral Sense, death and evil had not yet entered the garden.
A shorter third section, ‘Letters from Earth’, is a collection of letters written Satan recounting his visit to Earth and his wonder at the illogical nature of man and the God they create(d) to worship. This is Twain’s most devastating appraisal of Christianity as some of the wonderful allegory and story-telling of the previous works is stripped back to really hammer home some astutely observed and eloquently constructed arguments for the fallacy of man’s belief in God, particularly a personal one.
With these various writings, Mark Twain achieved the incredible feat of weaving together an extraordinary deconstruction of religion, with funny, touching fables that far exceed the morality and humanity of the source material.
January 8, 2008
I thought I might be a kangaroo, but it must be a new species because she keeps calling it Adam...
Hahahahahahaha.
Oh Samuel Clemens, where are you now? Your blasphemy is a gift to the world.
Hahahahahahaha.
Oh Samuel Clemens, where are you now? Your blasphemy is a gift to the world.
September 10, 2009
HILARIOUS. I can't say enough about Twain-- his insights are right on the money, and he dissects things in a way I personally had never thought about, but makes so much sense immidietly upon hearing them.
June 23, 2012
I find it amusing that modern day atheists are so quick to claim certain personages to their own- like Twain, Jefferson, and Paine. The evidence to me from reading this shows that Twain might have been super-critical of the dominant US religion, but by no means is he claiming no God exists. Rather, he seems to be criticizing the inequities, the inconsistencies with reality, and the closeminded-ness of the typical believer of his time. For in one of the final entries of this well-addended book he complains about "the God we all Know" as compared to "the God of the Bible." That, to me, is no refutation of the idea of a Creator. But then these same modern day atheists know so little (and have read so little) of either Twain, or of Hitler, that they claim Twain was a pure atheist (rather than an uncommitted agnostic) and that Hitler was "a Christian" although the evidence of Hitler's life posits the fact it could only have been in a nominal fashion.
I guess I'll just say it this way- all modern atheists are just people who haven't dropped enough psychedelics. Tell it to the good Dr. Hofmann. (They would do well by reading him, as well). And as I say, I've yet to meet any "Native American" atheists, either.
A personal experience of something larger and wider than one's own consciousness, yet encompassing it, can really be the only way to measure such a subjective assumption. And proving God does not exist is rather like saying Love does not. You cannot SEE Love, but who can claim it does not exist? Or that it exists solely as an invention of the human mind? So I think it is in terms of the Deity. Twain was as right on as Lenny Bruce was, for his time, in exposing socio-religious hypocrisies. And we can value him for that reason, whether Believer or Not.
I guess I'll just say it this way- all modern atheists are just people who haven't dropped enough psychedelics. Tell it to the good Dr. Hofmann. (They would do well by reading him, as well). And as I say, I've yet to meet any "Native American" atheists, either.
A personal experience of something larger and wider than one's own consciousness, yet encompassing it, can really be the only way to measure such a subjective assumption. And proving God does not exist is rather like saying Love does not. You cannot SEE Love, but who can claim it does not exist? Or that it exists solely as an invention of the human mind? So I think it is in terms of the Deity. Twain was as right on as Lenny Bruce was, for his time, in exposing socio-religious hypocrisies. And we can value him for that reason, whether Believer or Not.
July 8, 2009
Mark Twain is still funny even after a century. But, like the reviews say serious thoughts are behind the satirical remarks. Sometimes sweet and sentimental, sometimes indignant and scornful, the book contains a lot of Twain's unfinished work.
From "Extracts from Adam's Diary," comes the tender quote, "...it is better to live outside the Garden with [Eve:] than inside it without her."
From "Eve's Diary," comes Adam's lament at the grave of Eve, "Wherever she was, there was Eden."
From "Captain Wheeler's Dream Visit to Heaven," each person is asked their name, their former home's location, their denomination,& for their papers. Captain Wheeler being an old salt born & raised on the sea had no particular denomination he adhered to and had no papers upon arrival to heaven and so watched the people ushered in more and more dejectedly. He listened to each person with name, home, denomination, & papers inducted with the proclamation that over there or here were a neophyte's people, go & spend eternity in happiness with them, but do not stray from your people or that place for it has been set aside for those particular people forever. "Next an English Bishop got in; then a Chinamen that said he was Bhuddist; then a Catholic priest from Spain and a Freewill Baptist from New Jersey, and next a Persian Fire-eater and after him a Scotch Presbyterian. Their papers were all right, and they were distributed around, where they belonged, and entered into their eternal rest." Depressed and resigned to enter hell where he surely thought he belonged since he had no denomination, no one home, and no papers, he began to slip away, but "the Beautiful Personage" ushering the new inhabitants of heaven spotted him and asked him to come forward. He asks his name (Simon Wheeler), he asks where he is from ("I-well, I ain't from any particular place..."), & he asks his denomination to which Cpt. Wheeler apologizes, "I didn't know any better, your honor, but I was ignorant and wicked, and I didn't know the right way, your honor, and I went a-blundering along and loving everybody just alike, niggers and Injuns and Presbyterians and Irish, and taking to themmore and more the further and further I went in my evil ways..." Then he asks for his papers and Cpt. Wheeler begs ashamedly, "Have pity on a poor ignorant foolisg man, your honor, that has come in his wicked blindness without a denomination, without one scrapof a paper, without-" but is cut off by the angel who shouts out, "Rise up, Simon Wheeler! The gates of heaven stand wide to welcome you! Range its barred commonwealths as free as the angels, brother and comrade of all its nations and peoples, -for the whole broad realm of the blestis your home!"
From "Letters from Earth," Satan has been sent to Earth like a misbehaving child is sent to his room and writes his friends, the archangels Michael & Gabriel, about his observations on the curious new creature man. In one observation, he is perplexed on man's views of what heaven is like, "...I recall to your attention the extraordinary fact with which I began. To-wit, that the human being, like the immortals, naturally places sexual intercourse far and away above all other joys - yet he has left it out of his heaven!"
I can't say it better so I'll simply quote another reviewer.
"Still blasphemous after all these years. This is the Mark Twain least likely to be adapted into an attraction at Disneyland. Get your own copy before your local school board burns theirs."
From "Extracts from Adam's Diary," comes the tender quote, "...it is better to live outside the Garden with [Eve:] than inside it without her."
From "Eve's Diary," comes Adam's lament at the grave of Eve, "Wherever she was, there was Eden."
From "Captain Wheeler's Dream Visit to Heaven," each person is asked their name, their former home's location, their denomination,& for their papers. Captain Wheeler being an old salt born & raised on the sea had no particular denomination he adhered to and had no papers upon arrival to heaven and so watched the people ushered in more and more dejectedly. He listened to each person with name, home, denomination, & papers inducted with the proclamation that over there or here were a neophyte's people, go & spend eternity in happiness with them, but do not stray from your people or that place for it has been set aside for those particular people forever. "Next an English Bishop got in; then a Chinamen that said he was Bhuddist; then a Catholic priest from Spain and a Freewill Baptist from New Jersey, and next a Persian Fire-eater and after him a Scotch Presbyterian. Their papers were all right, and they were distributed around, where they belonged, and entered into their eternal rest." Depressed and resigned to enter hell where he surely thought he belonged since he had no denomination, no one home, and no papers, he began to slip away, but "the Beautiful Personage" ushering the new inhabitants of heaven spotted him and asked him to come forward. He asks his name (Simon Wheeler), he asks where he is from ("I-well, I ain't from any particular place..."), & he asks his denomination to which Cpt. Wheeler apologizes, "I didn't know any better, your honor, but I was ignorant and wicked, and I didn't know the right way, your honor, and I went a-blundering along and loving everybody just alike, niggers and Injuns and Presbyterians and Irish, and taking to themmore and more the further and further I went in my evil ways..." Then he asks for his papers and Cpt. Wheeler begs ashamedly, "Have pity on a poor ignorant foolisg man, your honor, that has come in his wicked blindness without a denomination, without one scrapof a paper, without-" but is cut off by the angel who shouts out, "Rise up, Simon Wheeler! The gates of heaven stand wide to welcome you! Range its barred commonwealths as free as the angels, brother and comrade of all its nations and peoples, -for the whole broad realm of the blestis your home!"
From "Letters from Earth," Satan has been sent to Earth like a misbehaving child is sent to his room and writes his friends, the archangels Michael & Gabriel, about his observations on the curious new creature man. In one observation, he is perplexed on man's views of what heaven is like, "...I recall to your attention the extraordinary fact with which I began. To-wit, that the human being, like the immortals, naturally places sexual intercourse far and away above all other joys - yet he has left it out of his heaven!"
I can't say it better so I'll simply quote another reviewer.
"Still blasphemous after all these years. This is the Mark Twain least likely to be adapted into an attraction at Disneyland. Get your own copy before your local school board burns theirs."
November 22, 2007
Not only does Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) share my birthday, but we also share many an opinion. This satiric romp warms my heart. It really does.
November 29, 2022
Една от най-добрите книги що се отнася за сатиричната литература.Смятам,че Твен е велик майстор на словото и всичко, което е написано в тази книга си книга задругата внимание и прочит.Мното актуална и в днешни дни.
September 12, 2007
I think that rather than the Biblical references, the real selling point of this book is it's collection of unpublished and obscure works by Mark Twain. It's a must have for any collector.
This is a collection of Mark Twain's satirical writings on the Bible. Some of them are unfinished and others are relatively unknown. They range from clever mockery (Letters From Earth) to romantic tragedy (The Diaries of Adam and Eve).
My one complaint about this book is that it tries to do too much. Mark Twain addressed the Bible and Christianity in almost every work he produced, so the title of this book is a little drab. Mark Twain mocking the Bible? So what else is new?
This is a collection of Mark Twain's satirical writings on the Bible. Some of them are unfinished and others are relatively unknown. They range from clever mockery (Letters From Earth) to romantic tragedy (The Diaries of Adam and Eve).
My one complaint about this book is that it tries to do too much. Mark Twain addressed the Bible and Christianity in almost every work he produced, so the title of this book is a little drab. Mark Twain mocking the Bible? So what else is new?
July 11, 2012
The Bible According to Mark Twain is a wordy spoof that takes the reader to the very roots of creation. I can well imagine this narrative wasn’t embraced by all who picked it up as it pokes Twain’s humorous literary finger at the Old Testament. I enjoyed it for what it was and leave the theological complaints to others. It isn’t his best work but it does bear his unmistakable brand of humor. I particularly enjoyed the Excerpts From Adam’s Dairy as it showed that particular part of Genesis in a new light. This book has my vote. If you’re looking for a light hearted and different view of the most published and read book in the world, pick this one up and settle down for an amusing read.
February 6, 2008
Very witty. If you like satire, this book is for you. Curious would probably be the best word to describe it.
April 27, 2008
This book is fascinating. If you like Twain you will love this book that Dr. McCullough has put together.
May 5, 2022
Although this book is structured more for the Mark Twain scholar, it's a must-read for any fan of Twain. And if you're not a fan of Twain, you probably don't have full neuronal connectivity going on upstairs. His essays on the Genesis story, Heaven and the relationship between God and humankind are pure wit, elucidation, and laugh out-loud funny. If you're not rethinking the Bible after reading this collection, you are too far gone for wisdom and logic to reach you.
Some standouts for me included, "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven," "Letters from the Earth," and Twain's thoughts on God as described in the Bible. The back cover quote from Sean Kelly captures, with succinct wisdom, the truth of this collection when he states, "Mark Twain appears to have actually read the Bible, thus gaining a sinfully unfair advantage over its many adherents and defenders."
It's a damn shame that Mark Twain is not around today. We need his intelligent humor, cutting satire and logical now more than ever. These essays are material I will turn to again and again for inspiration with my own writing. Thank you, Mark Twain and thank you to Professors Baetzhold and McCullough. I'm sure you're all having a drink and some laughs wherever you are now.
Some standouts for me included, "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven," "Letters from the Earth," and Twain's thoughts on God as described in the Bible. The back cover quote from Sean Kelly captures, with succinct wisdom, the truth of this collection when he states, "Mark Twain appears to have actually read the Bible, thus gaining a sinfully unfair advantage over its many adherents and defenders."
It's a damn shame that Mark Twain is not around today. We need his intelligent humor, cutting satire and logical now more than ever. These essays are material I will turn to again and again for inspiration with my own writing. Thank you, Mark Twain and thank you to Professors Baetzhold and McCullough. I'm sure you're all having a drink and some laughs wherever you are now.
January 18, 2017
Interesting read. Makes good points regarding the foolishness of organized religion. Humans trying to justify their existence. Humans the most evil species on the planet. They over populate, use up all the resources and are in the process of destroying the planet. Most likely they will destroy themselves and the planet will recover. (Observations from an alien observer.)
December 22, 2008
I think Mark should have left the Bible to its original authors
September 22, 2009
There were some wonderfully witty and insightful moments sandwiched between some less than amusing pieces. Unfortunately, the witty came less often that I would have hoped.
March 5, 2023
This always makes me laugh. This man was a genius. I can read his writing over and over, getting a new insight every time.
October 17, 2007
Presents a different outlook!
April 5, 2008
Hilarious!
July 9, 2008
These are some of Twain's best stories.
He's laugh-out-loud irrevrent.
He's laugh-out-loud irrevrent.
January 17, 2019
THE BIBLE ACCORDING TO MARK TWAIN provides the reader with a reassuringly consistent picture of Samuel Clemens' view, not necessarily of God or of Heaven or of angels (if one believes in the existence of such things), but of such parts of the Christian Bible that he views as thoroughly ridiculous if applied literally. The concept of human souls reaching Heaven in their former mortal forms and haplessly flapping their non-aerodynamic bodies about on thoroughly inadequate wings comes in for quite a bit of treatment as does the earthly relationship between Eve and a rather surprised Adam, who is understandably curious as to what this new creature may be, a surprise and a curiosity that return when Cain shows up on the scene.
Other events that come in for acerbic examination are the building of the ark and its provisioning and voyaging, the unfair nature of the punishment meted out to Adam and Eve when they are driven from the Garden of Eden, and divine versus mortal time and space measurements. Clemens' (or Twain's if one prefers) tongue-in-cheek humor is, I feel, as enjoyable for the theistic as much as for the atheistic reader, for, as I have already noted, he is not critiquing the Deity as he is human perceptions of that Deity as expressed in the Old and New Testaments. Oh, I suppose that if the theist's faith insists that every word in those testaments was literally dictated by God, then he or she may be affronted by Clemens' treatment of those words, but any well-read theologian is going to chuckle over the mental imagery created by Clemens' writing.
The book is not, however, a continuous story to be followed without interruption from beginning to end. Rather, it is a collection of Clemens' jottings, notes, and thoughts relative to his perception of what men have named the Divine. A few of these writings, such as "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven," are of decent duration so that the reader can be caught up in the story. "Extracts from Adam's Diary," also relatively lengthy, is utterly hilarious as the reader sees poor Adam's growing vexation with Eve, whose feminine wisdom definitely outstrips his masculine version but whose propensity to try to continually talk to him vexes him mightily (and plays upon a popular stereotype of women as wishing to communicate their thoughts and feelings verbally as contrasted with "strong and silent type" males). Numerous other selections in the book are quite brief and appear to have been jotted down by Clemens in case he could use them later in some other composition.
Most of the selections are prefaced by analytical commentary by the editors, often attempting to establish the time frame in which they were written. Although these prefaces may be helpful to the scholar studying Clemens' works, they are of marginal interest, if that, to the general reader whose interest is in the enjoyment of Clemens' creativity. The editors also chose to do one curious thing whose purpose, so far as I can ascertain, was merely to lengthen the book by a few pages. After printing "Autobiography of Eve" as it was published, they repeat it as an appendix, but now including additional passages that had been deleted before publication. The "unexpurgated" version could just as easily have been printed with the deleted passages in bold font as they are in the appendix, thus avoiding the repetition of printing it twice.
What we have here, then, is a book containing a variety of Clemens' writings, some quite brief, revealing his view of the literal interpretation of several major stories from the Christian Bible. As one would expect, these views are expressed in a delightfully imaginative manner that pokes great fun at the ridiculous results of such literal interpretations. The collection seems to have been designed for the academician studying, dare I say, the minutiae of Clemens' literary productivity, not for the general reader. Nonetheless, assuming the statements in some of the prefaces are accurate, many of these writings have not been published elsewhere, and the reader will discover them only here. The reader who knows that he or she enjoys the humor of "Mark Twain" will find much in this book to enjoy as well, and the Twain scholar will likely find it a useful resource. I would not, however, recommend it as an introduction to Samuel Clemens' writings nor as sole source on which to base one's opinions of this productive and influential author.
Other events that come in for acerbic examination are the building of the ark and its provisioning and voyaging, the unfair nature of the punishment meted out to Adam and Eve when they are driven from the Garden of Eden, and divine versus mortal time and space measurements. Clemens' (or Twain's if one prefers) tongue-in-cheek humor is, I feel, as enjoyable for the theistic as much as for the atheistic reader, for, as I have already noted, he is not critiquing the Deity as he is human perceptions of that Deity as expressed in the Old and New Testaments. Oh, I suppose that if the theist's faith insists that every word in those testaments was literally dictated by God, then he or she may be affronted by Clemens' treatment of those words, but any well-read theologian is going to chuckle over the mental imagery created by Clemens' writing.
The book is not, however, a continuous story to be followed without interruption from beginning to end. Rather, it is a collection of Clemens' jottings, notes, and thoughts relative to his perception of what men have named the Divine. A few of these writings, such as "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven," are of decent duration so that the reader can be caught up in the story. "Extracts from Adam's Diary," also relatively lengthy, is utterly hilarious as the reader sees poor Adam's growing vexation with Eve, whose feminine wisdom definitely outstrips his masculine version but whose propensity to try to continually talk to him vexes him mightily (and plays upon a popular stereotype of women as wishing to communicate their thoughts and feelings verbally as contrasted with "strong and silent type" males). Numerous other selections in the book are quite brief and appear to have been jotted down by Clemens in case he could use them later in some other composition.
Most of the selections are prefaced by analytical commentary by the editors, often attempting to establish the time frame in which they were written. Although these prefaces may be helpful to the scholar studying Clemens' works, they are of marginal interest, if that, to the general reader whose interest is in the enjoyment of Clemens' creativity. The editors also chose to do one curious thing whose purpose, so far as I can ascertain, was merely to lengthen the book by a few pages. After printing "Autobiography of Eve" as it was published, they repeat it as an appendix, but now including additional passages that had been deleted before publication. The "unexpurgated" version could just as easily have been printed with the deleted passages in bold font as they are in the appendix, thus avoiding the repetition of printing it twice.
What we have here, then, is a book containing a variety of Clemens' writings, some quite brief, revealing his view of the literal interpretation of several major stories from the Christian Bible. As one would expect, these views are expressed in a delightfully imaginative manner that pokes great fun at the ridiculous results of such literal interpretations. The collection seems to have been designed for the academician studying, dare I say, the minutiae of Clemens' literary productivity, not for the general reader. Nonetheless, assuming the statements in some of the prefaces are accurate, many of these writings have not been published elsewhere, and the reader will discover them only here. The reader who knows that he or she enjoys the humor of "Mark Twain" will find much in this book to enjoy as well, and the Twain scholar will likely find it a useful resource. I would not, however, recommend it as an introduction to Samuel Clemens' writings nor as sole source on which to base one's opinions of this productive and influential author.
April 23, 2019
The subtitle to this volume is an apt description of this collection. This is a collection of interesting and insightful writing on topics relating to Christian faith and belief. Twain, a Presbyterian, provides satire in the first two sections, and a critical analysis of some Christian doctrine in the third section, "Letters from the Earth." The fourth section is a rather lengthy Appendix, followed by a detailed Notes section and Works Cited, that provides even further writings pertaining to these subjects, some being alternate editions of works printed, while others were unpublished writings and dictations for his autobiography. It is worthwhile to read the appendix, especially six through eight.
The first section, "Eden and the Flood," is composed mainly of the various "Diaries" of Adam and Eve. Excellent satire that is more about Twain's contemporary society than the Biblical stories, these have been previously published. Here is a review I wrote after reading them a few years back: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... The writings dealing with the Flood were interesting, and foreshadow Twain's views expressed in the third section.
The second section, "Heaven," is comprised of satires that poke fun at people's idea of what Heaven is really like, applying logic and reason where they were previously neglected. This is quite easily the most amusing portion of this book.
The third section, "Letters from Earth," is commentary regarding Christian theology and doctrine. Twain approaches these beliefs with a critical mind, which brings to light the logical fallacies that pepper them. Twain, being a Christian and not an atheist, exemplifies how one is supposed to approach such theological questions. He shows fellow believers how ridiculous a literal interpretation of Scripture is, and why certain assumptions don't hold up to critical analysis. He poses questions, but provides no answers. This theme is further explored in Appendix Eight.
This is an academic read for scholars of Twain and American Literature, that includes previously published and unpublished works. It would be an excellent textbook for an upper division college course, or an interesting read for those who read academic volumes for pleasure or hobby.
The first section, "Eden and the Flood," is composed mainly of the various "Diaries" of Adam and Eve. Excellent satire that is more about Twain's contemporary society than the Biblical stories, these have been previously published. Here is a review I wrote after reading them a few years back: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... The writings dealing with the Flood were interesting, and foreshadow Twain's views expressed in the third section.
The second section, "Heaven," is comprised of satires that poke fun at people's idea of what Heaven is really like, applying logic and reason where they were previously neglected. This is quite easily the most amusing portion of this book.
The third section, "Letters from Earth," is commentary regarding Christian theology and doctrine. Twain approaches these beliefs with a critical mind, which brings to light the logical fallacies that pepper them. Twain, being a Christian and not an atheist, exemplifies how one is supposed to approach such theological questions. He shows fellow believers how ridiculous a literal interpretation of Scripture is, and why certain assumptions don't hold up to critical analysis. He poses questions, but provides no answers. This theme is further explored in Appendix Eight.
This is an academic read for scholars of Twain and American Literature, that includes previously published and unpublished works. It would be an excellent textbook for an upper division college course, or an interesting read for those who read academic volumes for pleasure or hobby.
November 18, 2023
Having already read (and taught) Letters from Earth, I picked up this volume mainly for the writings from the perspective of Eve. It is such a shame that these are not more widely read! In fact, I believe they should be added right into the Old Testament cannon, woven into that already amalgamated collection. How are those entries not sheer revelation?!
I laughed out loud several times when Twain narrates from Eve's innocent and curious POV. In addition to being an entertaining narrative and thought experiment, the Eve entries also lampoon several logical fallacies present in literal interpretations of early Jewish mythology.
Twain started to lose me a bit with the Mad Philosopher entries, but I would still highly recommend this volume for the Eve content and Letters from Earth. The editorial commentary is also very helpful for putting these writings into the context of Twain's life and evolving beliefs.
I laughed out loud several times when Twain narrates from Eve's innocent and curious POV. In addition to being an entertaining narrative and thought experiment, the Eve entries also lampoon several logical fallacies present in literal interpretations of early Jewish mythology.
Twain started to lose me a bit with the Mad Philosopher entries, but I would still highly recommend this volume for the Eve content and Letters from Earth. The editorial commentary is also very helpful for putting these writings into the context of Twain's life and evolving beliefs.
June 20, 2009
Letters from the Earth is a brief, witty, and remarkable funny series of reports from Satan about certain behaviors of man (and God) that he has been observing over time. Because it isn’t very long, it is generally published together with other short, irreverent writings from Twain (often including the equally hilarious Diaries of Adam and Eve). The version I own is part of a book entitled The Bible According To Mark Twain, edited by Howard G. Baetzhold and Joseph B. McCullough. I cannot recommend this volume highly enough.
Letters from the Earth begins with a short introduction of how the Creator fashioned the universe out of nothing. A conversation then follows between Michael, Gabriel, and (the then still heaven-dwelling and angelic) Satan, about what it all might mean; this new place where new living beings are being introduced. They have only been informed that it is meant to be some kind of experiment.
Satan shortly finds himself banished to the earth, as punishment for making snide remarks about the character and actions of the human race he has been watching with growing interest. He’s especially interested in how the Creator has instilled in them an entire spectrum of inconsistent traits. And once on earth, he begins to write letters back to his archangel friends, and these notes comprise the bulk of the book.
All throughout, Twain deftly satirizes both God and Man simultaneously, such as in this excerpt describing their dysfunctional relationship:
What I find so striking about the book is the clarity with which Twain seems to see the inhumanity and idiocy of Christian Bible, and the ease with which he exposes it. It is satire writ very large, lean, and focused.
A considerable portion of Letters from the Earth is devoted to details of the flood story that, not surprisingly, never found their way into scripture. Since every Christian, from childhood, has been immersed in images of pairs of giraffes, zebras, and lions striding majestically up the boarding plank, Satan narrates instead how special lodgings were arranged (within the bodies of the humans on board) to house the multitudes of sundry parasitic, microbial, and viral species: those essential organisms needed to propagate all the terrible diseases (that God so carefully created) into the post-diluvian world. Detailed arrangements were also made for flies, including one that was forgotten and required a voyage of sixteen days to retrieve. We learn that this vector of so many diseases is indeed God’s favorite pet; his darling.
The book builds to its final crescendo with a scathing attack on another portion of the old testament: specifically, the some of the horrific abuses recounted in the book of Numbers. His take on the story that begins Numbers 25:
From here Twain moves on to the infamous genocide of the Midianites from Numbers 31, and begins to work himself into a bit of a rage. The book ends suddenly and with little warning. One gets the impression that Twain is so angry at this point that he cannot stand to consider the matter any further. And that would certainly be understandable. Sometimes we seem to have grown so familiar with the stories, and numb to the nonsense, that it almost seems… normal. The gift that Letters from the Earth offers is that it so effortlessly exposes contradictions at the core of Christianity. The sudden ending is necessary, because any more would be redundant. But despite the fact that you can practically see the old master’s formidable eyebrows scrunching down in an ever fiercer scowl as you go on, what I always think of with this book is how much it made me laugh. Make room on your freethinking bookshelf for this one; you will enjoy many times. I promise.
Letters from the Earth begins with a short introduction of how the Creator fashioned the universe out of nothing. A conversation then follows between Michael, Gabriel, and (the then still heaven-dwelling and angelic) Satan, about what it all might mean; this new place where new living beings are being introduced. They have only been informed that it is meant to be some kind of experiment.
Satan shortly finds himself banished to the earth, as punishment for making snide remarks about the character and actions of the human race he has been watching with growing interest. He’s especially interested in how the Creator has instilled in them an entire spectrum of inconsistent traits. And once on earth, he begins to write letters back to his archangel friends, and these notes comprise the bulk of the book.
All throughout, Twain deftly satirizes both God and Man simultaneously, such as in this excerpt describing their dysfunctional relationship:
He requires his children to deal justly—and gently—with offenders, and forgive them seventy-and-seven times; whereas he deals neither justly nor gently with any one, and he did not forgive the ignorant and thoughtless first pair of juveniles even their first small offense… He elected to punish their children, all through the ages to the end of time… He is punishing them yet. In mild ways? No, in atrocious ones. You would not suppose that this kind of Being gets many compliments. Undeceive yourself: the world calls him the All-Just, the All-Righteous, the All-Good, the All-Merciful, the All-Forgiving, the All-Truthful, the All-Loving, the Source of All Morality. These sarcasms are uttered daily, all over the world. But not as conscious sarcasms. No, they are meant seriously; they are uttered without a smile.
What I find so striking about the book is the clarity with which Twain seems to see the inhumanity and idiocy of Christian Bible, and the ease with which he exposes it. It is satire writ very large, lean, and focused.
A considerable portion of Letters from the Earth is devoted to details of the flood story that, not surprisingly, never found their way into scripture. Since every Christian, from childhood, has been immersed in images of pairs of giraffes, zebras, and lions striding majestically up the boarding plank, Satan narrates instead how special lodgings were arranged (within the bodies of the humans on board) to house the multitudes of sundry parasitic, microbial, and viral species: those essential organisms needed to propagate all the terrible diseases (that God so carefully created) into the post-diluvian world. Detailed arrangements were also made for flies, including one that was forgotten and required a voyage of sixteen days to retrieve. We learn that this vector of so many diseases is indeed God’s favorite pet; his darling.
The book builds to its final crescendo with a scathing attack on another portion of the old testament: specifically, the some of the horrific abuses recounted in the book of Numbers. His take on the story that begins Numbers 25:
“And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.”
Does that look fair to you? It does not appear that the “heads of the people” got any of the adultery, yet it is they that are hanged…
Very well then, we must believe that if the people of New York should begin to commit whoredom with the daughters of New Jersey, it would be fair and right to set up a gallows in front of city hall and hang the mayor and the sheriff and the judges… It does not look right to me.
From here Twain moves on to the infamous genocide of the Midianites from Numbers 31, and begins to work himself into a bit of a rage. The book ends suddenly and with little warning. One gets the impression that Twain is so angry at this point that he cannot stand to consider the matter any further. And that would certainly be understandable. Sometimes we seem to have grown so familiar with the stories, and numb to the nonsense, that it almost seems… normal. The gift that Letters from the Earth offers is that it so effortlessly exposes contradictions at the core of Christianity. The sudden ending is necessary, because any more would be redundant. But despite the fact that you can practically see the old master’s formidable eyebrows scrunching down in an ever fiercer scowl as you go on, what I always think of with this book is how much it made me laugh. Make room on your freethinking bookshelf for this one; you will enjoy many times. I promise.
February 19, 2021
I can see why many parts of this book were previously unpublished. I found some of it amusing, as to Mark Twain's Outlook, very modern but clearly not his best writing. Many of the writings lacked Twain's customary wit.
August 24, 2021
Right or wrong as I read this, I started to think it was less intended to be enjoyed as a book in and of itself, but rather to have been enjoyed as one in any number of books all about understanding and appreciating Mark Twain. Alone, it was repetitive and difficult to slog through.
August 25, 2021
Some good bits here and there, but unless you are particularly interested in everything Clemens wrote about religion, regardless of whether he thought it was publishable or not, then you're probably better off just finding some of his better stuff online.
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June 13, 2023My, Clemens sounds so bitter! You have to wonder why.
Most of these stories have appeared in other publications; a few have not,
perhaps because they really aren't as good as his usual productions.
Most of these stories have appeared in other publications; a few have not,
perhaps because they really aren't as good as his usual productions.
June 23, 2017
Engaging dialogue throughout the book, it feels like you conversing with Twain directly. I enjoyed his witty humor immensely.
October 2, 2017
OK, but not as good as I had hoped.
January 14, 2018
Vraiment très drôle!
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