Book for Bad Boys and Girls

by Mark Twain

Mark Twain is without question one of America's favorite authors, but few people fully appreciate that within this beloved writer's memorable works is the subversive philosophy that "bad" people often are happier and more successful than those who strive to be "good." Mark Twain's Book for Bad Boys and Girls is the first-ever compilation of Twain's wise and witty essays, sketches, and stories on the joys and rewards of misbehavior. With themes including "honesty is not always the best policy," "the wicked are not always punished," and "virtue is often its only reward," this delightfully mischievous book includes such incorrigible advice "If your mother tells you to do a thing, it is wrong to reply that you won't. It is better and more becoming to intimate that you will do as she bids you, and then afterward act quietly in the manner according to the dictates of your best judgment."

Genres: Childrens, Humor

173 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

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

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is so saucy! How I laugh and laugh when I sit down with Mark Twain! I bought my copy in Hannibal, Missouri so it has an even more special meaning.

[Jan Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of writings from Mark Twain. Some is from his autobiography and other true writings. Some comes from his fictional works that are based on his life.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok, this is a hilarious little collection that you can pick up for a momentary bit of inspiration or sit down and read through it entirely.

Honestly, I don't have it on my bookshelf - I have it in the bathroom because it's way more intelligent and entertaining than any magazine.

[Maurean · Rating 4 out of 5]

well, I luv all things Twain, and so it was with this entertaining compilation of bits from several of his works, aimed at inspiring the naughty boys and girls in all of us. (includes the passage on whitewashing Aunt Polly's fence, from Tom Sawyer)