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Mark Twain: Man in White: The Grand Adventure of His Final Years
One day in late 1906, seventy-one-year-old Mark Twain attended a meeting on copyright law at the Library of Congress. The arrival of the famous author caused the usual stir—but then Twain took off his overcoat to reveal a "snow-white" tailored suit and scandalized the room. His shocking outfit appalled and delighted his contemporaries, but far more than that, as Pulitzer Prize finalist Michael Shelden shows in this wonderful new biography, Twain had brilliantly staged this act of showmanship to cement his image, and his personal legend, in the public's imagination. That afternoon in Washington, less than four years before his death, marked the beginning of a vibrant, tumultuous period in Twain's life that would shape much of the now-famous image by which he has come to be known—America's indomitable icon, the Man in White.
Although Mark Twain has long been one of our most beloved literary figures—Time magazine has declared him "our original superstar"—his final years have been largely misunderstood. Despite family tragedies, Twain's last half- decade was among the most dynamic periods in the author's life. With the spirit and vigor of a man fifty years younger, he continued to stir up trouble, perfecting his skill for living large. Writing ceaselessly and always ready with one of his legendary quips, Twain would risk his fortune, become the willing victim of a lost-at-sea hoax, and pick fights with King Leopold of Belgium and Mary Baker Eddy.
Drawing on a number of unpublished sources, including Twain's own journals, letters, and a revealing four-hundred-page personal account kept under wraps for decades (and still yet to be published), Mark Twain: Man in White brings the legendary author's twilight years vividly to life, offering surprising insights, including an intimate, tender look at his family life. Filled with first-rate scholarship, rare and never-published Twain photos, delightful anecdotes, and memorable quotes, including numerous recovered Twainisms, this definitive biography of Twain's last years provides a remarkable portrait of the man himself and of the unforgettable era in American letters that, in many ways, he helped to create.
Although Mark Twain has long been one of our most beloved literary figures—Time magazine has declared him "our original superstar"—his final years have been largely misunderstood. Despite family tragedies, Twain's last half- decade was among the most dynamic periods in the author's life. With the spirit and vigor of a man fifty years younger, he continued to stir up trouble, perfecting his skill for living large. Writing ceaselessly and always ready with one of his legendary quips, Twain would risk his fortune, become the willing victim of a lost-at-sea hoax, and pick fights with King Leopold of Belgium and Mary Baker Eddy.
Drawing on a number of unpublished sources, including Twain's own journals, letters, and a revealing four-hundred-page personal account kept under wraps for decades (and still yet to be published), Mark Twain: Man in White brings the legendary author's twilight years vividly to life, offering surprising insights, including an intimate, tender look at his family life. Filled with first-rate scholarship, rare and never-published Twain photos, delightful anecdotes, and memorable quotes, including numerous recovered Twainisms, this definitive biography of Twain's last years provides a remarkable portrait of the man himself and of the unforgettable era in American letters that, in many ways, he helped to create.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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August 17, 2024
”His literature grew less and less, and his life more and more.”
William Dean Howells
In the twilight of his career, Twain was making visual what his friends had long accepted as factual — that he was one of a kind, an American original who would be talked about long after he was gone.
Millions of words have been written about Mark Twain’s life. He penned many of them himself. There is his posthumously published Autobiography, as well as all the memoir he scattered throughout various essays and books (Roughing It, Life on the Mississippi, etc.) To write a Mark Twain book that actually adds something to this remarkably well covered life is a major challenge. Michael Shelden was up to that challenge.
Mark Twain: Man In White: The Grand Adventure of His Final Years achieves its relevance by tightly focusing on Mark Twain’s last years — his final forty months to be exact. It opens with his dramatic appearance in the Senate Reading Room of the Library of Congress in December 1906 where he addressed a hearing about proposed new copyright legislation. This occasion marked the first appearance of his strikingly outrageous white suit, a sartorial choice carefully calculated for dramatic effect. Sheldon highlights that while this is the look that survives as the visual component of our Mark Twain legend, that it wasn’t until this late stage of his life that he debuted it.
Part of his satisfaction in wearing the white suit was knowing that it was a joke against himself — a whited sepulcher that concealed a heart with darker moods and a character that was far from spotless.
And that leads into one of Shelden’s main theses — that during the last years of Mark Twain’s life, with most of his major and memorable work already behind him, he was consciously creating his legacy. Taking to constantly wearing dramatically fashion-defying white suits is the visual proof. Working to secure changes in the copyright laws to preserve his literary legacy is another aspect. This was also the time when he was simultaneously dictating his Autobiography and working with Albert Bigelow Paine, his hand-picked biographer, to shape the way posterity would remember him. (Twain gave Paine extraordinary access to his papers, correspondence, and friends. He allowed him to sit in while he dictated his Autobiography, and gave permission to use anything he heard there. Paine wrote of the experience:
”We were watching one of the great, literary creators of his time in the very process of his architecture. We constituted about the most select audience in the world, enjoying what was, likely enough, its most remarkable entertainment.”)
Shelden had another important point to make with this biography — a sort of rebalancing of the historical scales. The common wisdom on Mark Twain’s final years after the death of his wife is that they were sad, lonely, and embittering. Shelden wrote to show a more complex story. He tells a tale of triumphs and frolic beside the litany of loss and heartbreak that marked Twain’s last days. His trip to Oxford to receive an honorary degree from that august institution was a dream fulfilled — a triumphant acknowledgment of his merit as a great writer, not just a mere humorist. Time spent in the company of his best friend, H.H. Rogers, Standard Oil tycoon, Robber Baron, and in Twain’s words, Pirate, allowed him escape almost back into the joyful days of boyhood. Even planning for his new home, Stormfield, a place where he could bring his surviving family back together to try to recreate a past happiness, was at least a temporary triumph, before ultimately falling apart. He was resilient, joking his way through solemn memorials for a friend (and making it work), and turning a serious armed burglary of his home that ended in a shootout into more humorous copy for the papers. Sure, it all went wrong in the end, everything slipped away from him, his losses were great, and then he died, but all of us have losses at the end of a long life, and none of us get out alive.
He was a cigar store angel come to life with a mischievous eye on this world and a curious one on the next. Such a figure furnished a spectacle that was both comic and tragic, a spirited celebration of life’s rewards, and a clown’s lament of his own mortality.
William Dean Howells
In the twilight of his career, Twain was making visual what his friends had long accepted as factual — that he was one of a kind, an American original who would be talked about long after he was gone.
Millions of words have been written about Mark Twain’s life. He penned many of them himself. There is his posthumously published Autobiography, as well as all the memoir he scattered throughout various essays and books (Roughing It, Life on the Mississippi, etc.) To write a Mark Twain book that actually adds something to this remarkably well covered life is a major challenge. Michael Shelden was up to that challenge.
Mark Twain: Man In White: The Grand Adventure of His Final Years achieves its relevance by tightly focusing on Mark Twain’s last years — his final forty months to be exact. It opens with his dramatic appearance in the Senate Reading Room of the Library of Congress in December 1906 where he addressed a hearing about proposed new copyright legislation. This occasion marked the first appearance of his strikingly outrageous white suit, a sartorial choice carefully calculated for dramatic effect. Sheldon highlights that while this is the look that survives as the visual component of our Mark Twain legend, that it wasn’t until this late stage of his life that he debuted it.
Part of his satisfaction in wearing the white suit was knowing that it was a joke against himself — a whited sepulcher that concealed a heart with darker moods and a character that was far from spotless.
And that leads into one of Shelden’s main theses — that during the last years of Mark Twain’s life, with most of his major and memorable work already behind him, he was consciously creating his legacy. Taking to constantly wearing dramatically fashion-defying white suits is the visual proof. Working to secure changes in the copyright laws to preserve his literary legacy is another aspect. This was also the time when he was simultaneously dictating his Autobiography and working with Albert Bigelow Paine, his hand-picked biographer, to shape the way posterity would remember him. (Twain gave Paine extraordinary access to his papers, correspondence, and friends. He allowed him to sit in while he dictated his Autobiography, and gave permission to use anything he heard there. Paine wrote of the experience:
”We were watching one of the great, literary creators of his time in the very process of his architecture. We constituted about the most select audience in the world, enjoying what was, likely enough, its most remarkable entertainment.”)
Shelden had another important point to make with this biography — a sort of rebalancing of the historical scales. The common wisdom on Mark Twain’s final years after the death of his wife is that they were sad, lonely, and embittering. Shelden wrote to show a more complex story. He tells a tale of triumphs and frolic beside the litany of loss and heartbreak that marked Twain’s last days. His trip to Oxford to receive an honorary degree from that august institution was a dream fulfilled — a triumphant acknowledgment of his merit as a great writer, not just a mere humorist. Time spent in the company of his best friend, H.H. Rogers, Standard Oil tycoon, Robber Baron, and in Twain’s words, Pirate, allowed him escape almost back into the joyful days of boyhood. Even planning for his new home, Stormfield, a place where he could bring his surviving family back together to try to recreate a past happiness, was at least a temporary triumph, before ultimately falling apart. He was resilient, joking his way through solemn memorials for a friend (and making it work), and turning a serious armed burglary of his home that ended in a shootout into more humorous copy for the papers. Sure, it all went wrong in the end, everything slipped away from him, his losses were great, and then he died, but all of us have losses at the end of a long life, and none of us get out alive.
He was a cigar store angel come to life with a mischievous eye on this world and a curious one on the next. Such a figure furnished a spectacle that was both comic and tragic, a spirited celebration of life’s rewards, and a clown’s lament of his own mortality.
November 13, 2012
In Mark Twain: Man in White: The Grand Adventure of His Final Years, Michael Shelden chronicles the energetic end of a life marked by vitality, wit and creation of a mountain of unequalled homegrown literature—including what many (including myself) believe to be the greatest American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Up until the end Twain continued to travel, write, snipe, and make mischief at the expense of the anointed.
Released in early 2010, the book follows three other Shelden literary biographies: on Cyril Connolly and Graham Greene and the Pulitzer Prize finalist Orwell: The Authorized Biography, and which I enjoyed immensely some years ago.
In this biography we see Twain, now in his seventies, still rearranging his domestic affairs, building a new country home for himself and his daughters; we glimpse him donning his iconic white suit for the first time to lobby convincingly in Washington for new copyright laws; and we spend time with him in New York, London, Bermuda and other destinations, his curiosity, intellectuality and sharp sense of humor always engaged.
When his closest friend, Standard Oil magnate Henry H. (Hell Hound) Rogers, learned that, after protracted litigation, his company was fined a record $29 million for an illegal rebate scheme, Twain noted that it reminded him of the June bride’s comment after her wedding night: “I expected it but didn’t suppose it would be so big.”
Now a widower, Twain was free of his beloved wife Livy’s tempering influence on his work and his conduct—about which his two surviving daughters were worried and cautioning. But he was no fool and plotted to set off literary explosions from the grave, pouring his most iconoclastic and heretical thoughts into his autobiography and other works to be published only after his death.
While Shelden’s meticulously researched and footnoted book deals necessarily with Twain’s domestic travails (and they were ample, including a plot by trusted aides to rob him of his wealth and an attempt by actual burglars to do so while he slept), part of its interest lies in its portrait of American life a century ago. Twain interacted with Woodrow Wilson (then a mere academic), literary icon William Dean Howells, Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy (albeit contentiously, at a distance), and other political, literary and public players of the time. One is struck by how much the country—and the world—has changed over the past century, for better and worse.
More important for me, however, was the book’s bringing me closer to my fellow Missourian, and sending me off to dig deeper into unread veins of Twain’s vast literary treasure.
Released in early 2010, the book follows three other Shelden literary biographies: on Cyril Connolly and Graham Greene and the Pulitzer Prize finalist Orwell: The Authorized Biography, and which I enjoyed immensely some years ago.
In this biography we see Twain, now in his seventies, still rearranging his domestic affairs, building a new country home for himself and his daughters; we glimpse him donning his iconic white suit for the first time to lobby convincingly in Washington for new copyright laws; and we spend time with him in New York, London, Bermuda and other destinations, his curiosity, intellectuality and sharp sense of humor always engaged.
When his closest friend, Standard Oil magnate Henry H. (Hell Hound) Rogers, learned that, after protracted litigation, his company was fined a record $29 million for an illegal rebate scheme, Twain noted that it reminded him of the June bride’s comment after her wedding night: “I expected it but didn’t suppose it would be so big.”
Now a widower, Twain was free of his beloved wife Livy’s tempering influence on his work and his conduct—about which his two surviving daughters were worried and cautioning. But he was no fool and plotted to set off literary explosions from the grave, pouring his most iconoclastic and heretical thoughts into his autobiography and other works to be published only after his death.
While Shelden’s meticulously researched and footnoted book deals necessarily with Twain’s domestic travails (and they were ample, including a plot by trusted aides to rob him of his wealth and an attempt by actual burglars to do so while he slept), part of its interest lies in its portrait of American life a century ago. Twain interacted with Woodrow Wilson (then a mere academic), literary icon William Dean Howells, Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy (albeit contentiously, at a distance), and other political, literary and public players of the time. One is struck by how much the country—and the world—has changed over the past century, for better and worse.
More important for me, however, was the book’s bringing me closer to my fellow Missourian, and sending me off to dig deeper into unread veins of Twain’s vast literary treasure.
October 28, 2013
I learned some interesting things about Twain--think I probably should have read the big biography of him before I read this but then none of it would have been a surprise I guess. Twain actually (apparently) had nothing against Christian Science just hated Mary Baker Eddy. He hated hypocrisy more than anything else. I learned he wrote a book about how Shakespeare did not write his plays. He forced Harper's to publish it against their will since his contract said they would publish anything he read.
Most of all I learned how he lived through immense sadness--the death and illness of children, the death of his wife and finally the betrayal of his trust by people he considered friends and colleagues. Yet he kept his spirit and his humor and that was inspiring.
Most of all I learned how he lived through immense sadness--the death and illness of children, the death of his wife and finally the betrayal of his trust by people he considered friends and colleagues. Yet he kept his spirit and his humor and that was inspiring.
December 8, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. It focuses on Twain's last four years of his life and begins with Twain sporting a white suit for an appearance before Congress on copyright law. His new look made quite a splash and thus began his penchant for wearing his white garb at every opportunity.
By focusing on such a short period, Sheldon could paint a very detailed (but never boring) picture of Twain's day to day life and his relationships. It explores his friendships with the very wealthy Henry Rogers (a Standard Oil Exec) as well as the bevy of young girls (his Angelfish) with whom he behaved as a surrogate grandfather. His interactions with his daughters Clara and Jean reveal a lot about the man and both his regrets about Jean living in a sanatorium as well as his somewhat mischievous competitiveness with Clara as she launched her singing career. His wit and sense of fun at every turn made this book a joy to read. And as sadness surrounded him in the last year of his life, I couldn't help but feel equally sad.
This is a beautifully written book and well worth your time to read it.
By focusing on such a short period, Sheldon could paint a very detailed (but never boring) picture of Twain's day to day life and his relationships. It explores his friendships with the very wealthy Henry Rogers (a Standard Oil Exec) as well as the bevy of young girls (his Angelfish) with whom he behaved as a surrogate grandfather. His interactions with his daughters Clara and Jean reveal a lot about the man and both his regrets about Jean living in a sanatorium as well as his somewhat mischievous competitiveness with Clara as she launched her singing career. His wit and sense of fun at every turn made this book a joy to read. And as sadness surrounded him in the last year of his life, I couldn't help but feel equally sad.
This is a beautifully written book and well worth your time to read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2015
Twain's last half-decade was among his most dynamic. With the spirit and vigor of a man years younger, he continued to stir up trouble, perfecting his skill for living large. It's also when he began wearing his now iconic white suit, the first step in a canny PR blitz, designed to manipulate and carve the version of 'Mark Twain' he wanted to be remembered as. In his final five years, Twain would risk his entire fortune, become the willing victim of a lost-at-sea hoax, and pick fights with King Leopold of Belgium and Mary Baker Eddy.
July 20, 2012
Although some of my fellow historians were not as impressed as I was, they did agree that this is a book worth reading. It is a fascinating study of the USA's quirkiest of characters--the venerable Mark Twain. What sets this apart from other works is that it explores his life in his declining years. Up to the very end, Twain was a bit of a character--unpredictable, moody, and incredibly talented.
January 29, 2018
I admit that, early on in reading this book, I was somewhat put-off at finishing it after understanding
some of Mr. Clemens' views . I guess I thought his life would read like his books and essays; i.e. humorously. In this case, life did not always imitate art. But wondering about the man and his life is what drew me to this book which,interestingly enough, discusses the last 4 years of his long life. It was only in those last years that he began wearing his white suits (read and find out why) that epitomizes him today . He traveled abroad frequently (Bermuda and Shakespeare?), LOVED his full social life (Andrew Carnegie, Woodrow Wilson, Helen Keller) and enjoyed being the center of attention . His Angelfish Club was a little creepy by today's standards, despite Mr. Sheldon's explanations to the contrary. And the end of his life reads like a soap opera (love, death, birth and deception)!
You don't have to be a fan of his writings(I'm not) to appreciate Mark Twain and the events of his life, like ours, that make all of us who we are.
some of Mr. Clemens' views . I guess I thought his life would read like his books and essays; i.e. humorously. In this case, life did not always imitate art. But wondering about the man and his life is what drew me to this book which,interestingly enough, discusses the last 4 years of his long life. It was only in those last years that he began wearing his white suits (read and find out why) that epitomizes him today . He traveled abroad frequently (Bermuda and Shakespeare?), LOVED his full social life (Andrew Carnegie, Woodrow Wilson, Helen Keller) and enjoyed being the center of attention . His Angelfish Club was a little creepy by today's standards, despite Mr. Sheldon's explanations to the contrary. And the end of his life reads like a soap opera (love, death, birth and deception)!
You don't have to be a fan of his writings(I'm not) to appreciate Mark Twain and the events of his life, like ours, that make all of us who we are.
July 4, 2024
Wonderful Biography
How do you write about such a well known figure? Mark Twain was his own legend. There was much new material- available after some 100 years- that made this book about his final years so relevant. And worthwhile reading. His children were so important to him, his wife remained in his heart, his wit never failed. I am so glad that Oxford gave him the honorary degree which sustained his later years too - who would think that would make such a difference to him? I am even more grateful that he had a strong financial friend who managed his care. But the heartbreaks he endured, the loss of trust, the loss of children, the loss of his youth (only at 73!) were hard to read. His was a larger than life life. His was a heart overflowing as well as ranting. He was always a man ahead of his time. and he remains a man for posterity and a man of literature. Thank you.
How do you write about such a well known figure? Mark Twain was his own legend. There was much new material- available after some 100 years- that made this book about his final years so relevant. And worthwhile reading. His children were so important to him, his wife remained in his heart, his wit never failed. I am so glad that Oxford gave him the honorary degree which sustained his later years too - who would think that would make such a difference to him? I am even more grateful that he had a strong financial friend who managed his care. But the heartbreaks he endured, the loss of trust, the loss of children, the loss of his youth (only at 73!) were hard to read. His was a larger than life life. His was a heart overflowing as well as ranting. He was always a man ahead of his time. and he remains a man for posterity and a man of literature. Thank you.
March 26, 2025
Mark Twain had a colorful life, but Michael Sheldon builds a complex biography on just the last few years of Twain's existence. From trips to Bermuda, to a dramatic home robbery, to the discovery that Twain's assistants were plotting to take over his estate, the book covers a range of events that contributed to the decline of Twain's health. The writing is engaging, putting the reader at Twain's side throughout the narrative. Multiple facets of Twain's personality are discussed so the reader sees a more nuanced portrayal of a writer who was aware of his significance in American history. Photos are strategically placed at the beginnings of the chapters to hint at the content to come. I read a library copy, but I'm inclined to purchase the paperback edition to add to my collection of books about Twain.
May 30, 2017
I had feared that this would be dry and too narrowly-focused to hold my attention, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were even villains! I think I read it at just the right time, too, when I could really appreciate Twain's decision to have as much fun and make as big of an impact as possible in his remaining years. I mean, I'm not in my 70s, but I needed a reminder to do what makes me happy instead of getting all caught up in the everyday trauma of life.
Also, I was highly amused by the account of the first time Twain wore his white suit in public. Apparently it scandalized everyone in the room, embarrassed his family, and was reported on the front page of every major paper in the country. Because he wore white in the winter! Can you imagine anything like that happening today?
Also, I was highly amused by the account of the first time Twain wore his white suit in public. Apparently it scandalized everyone in the room, embarrassed his family, and was reported on the front page of every major paper in the country. Because he wore white in the winter! Can you imagine anything like that happening today?
July 21, 2024
This is the biography of the last years of Mark Twain. Biographies are interesting but often filled with dates, countless names, and data that slow the reading. What I liked about this one is that it is very well-researched, but mainly, that it reads like a novel. While it deals with the last 10 years of his life mostly, throughout the book it opens the door to what he lived before, building the whole picture. I was surprised when I found out there were so many things I did not know about this very famous writer, starting with the fact that Mark Twain was not his real name, and it was heart-warming to learn what a nice and well-liked person he was.
September 6, 2022
Having just read a book on the final years of Twain's friend Ulysses S. Grant, this seemed like a good follow up. Mark Twain was a rare character in history who was as famous and beloved as his literature. Much research went into this book, and it's well organized like a story. Towards the end, it actually became a page-turner, where I was feeling the drama and wanting to know what happened next. Because of Twain's large network of colleagues and acquaintances, this book could lead the reader to other interesting jumping off points of characters and events of the early 20th century.
July 11, 2024
Mark Twain was a flawed man as we all are but he lived the most extraordinary life. The last 3 years detailed in this book were no different. I feel as if I better know the man after reading about his later life. Sadly tho, no amount of fame or money could keep tragedy away which I think may have hastened his decline.
July 5, 2017
This book focuses on Twain's life after the death of his wife. There are a lot of intersting stories here including the almost embezzeling of everything he had by his secretary and financial manager.
There's an excellent review of this book at: http://www.twainweb.net/reviews/ManIn...
(Note: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding {only about 5% of the books I read merit this}; 5 = All time favorites {one of these may come along every 400-500 books})
There's an excellent review of this book at: http://www.twainweb.net/reviews/ManIn...
(Note: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding {only about 5% of the books I read merit this}; 5 = All time favorites {one of these may come along every 400-500 books})
August 3, 2017
Mark Twain did lots of stuff and was involved in some serious shit in the final five years of his life. Good for him.
September 30, 2024
An insightful book covering the last ten years of Twain’s life.
Took ages to finish though..
Took ages to finish though..
July 6, 2025
A wonderful book.
June 27, 2015
Mark Twain: Man in White covers the last 3.5 years of his life from his speech advocating copyright reform on December 8, 1906 (when he was 71) to his death at age 74 on April 21, 1910.
Twain was probably the most famous literary figure of his day. But one thing I didn’t know before reading this book was how much effort he put into ensuring that this was the case. He was not only a tireless self-promoter, but put considerable thought and effort into creating his public image. The famous white suit was certainly one example of a conscious effort to brand himself in the public eye. He also created works to be published after his death to keep his name alive (including an autobiography whose first installment was published in 2010, 100 years after his demise).
In Mark Twain: Man in White we see Twain in his later years, enjoying the rewards, fame and attention earned through his earlier publishing endeavors. Shelden portrays Twain as child-like … though more in the style of ‘able to achieve child-like wonder’ as opposed to the pervy Michael Jackson fashion (although his fascination with young girls who he dubbed his ‘angelfish’ certainly flirts with the inappropriate). He also has an impish streak of a willful child, always ready to chide or taunt those who take themselves too seriously.
At the same time, Twain also appears to be extremely vain and self-centered, expecting to be the constant center of attention with an audience to hang on his every word. His poorly received book Is Shakespeare Dead???? provides compelling evidence that Twain was rather full of himself despite the fact that his literary prowess had largely deserted him in his later years and that he expected people to take him seriously enough to spend money on any piece of crap he published.
As for the book itself, it’s clear that Shelden did quite a bit of research into Twain himself as well as his family and close circle of acquaintances. He does a good job giving the reader a sense of Twain the person and the events that took place in the last few years of his life.
By way of criticism:
- I felt that the book was entirely too long with too many unnecessary diversions. In addition to a history of Twain, Shelden also delves into a comprehensive history of every individual with whom Twain had contact in his later years (many of whom didn’t hold much interest for me).
- Everyone loves Twain and I feel like he’s endlessly romanticized. Though Shelden provides occasional glimpses of Twains faults (his gullibleness and self-infatuation for example), he’s clearly worshipful of Twain and I don’t think the biography provided an unbiased history.
Twain was probably the most famous literary figure of his day. But one thing I didn’t know before reading this book was how much effort he put into ensuring that this was the case. He was not only a tireless self-promoter, but put considerable thought and effort into creating his public image. The famous white suit was certainly one example of a conscious effort to brand himself in the public eye. He also created works to be published after his death to keep his name alive (including an autobiography whose first installment was published in 2010, 100 years after his demise).
In Mark Twain: Man in White we see Twain in his later years, enjoying the rewards, fame and attention earned through his earlier publishing endeavors. Shelden portrays Twain as child-like … though more in the style of ‘able to achieve child-like wonder’ as opposed to the pervy Michael Jackson fashion (although his fascination with young girls who he dubbed his ‘angelfish’ certainly flirts with the inappropriate). He also has an impish streak of a willful child, always ready to chide or taunt those who take themselves too seriously.
At the same time, Twain also appears to be extremely vain and self-centered, expecting to be the constant center of attention with an audience to hang on his every word. His poorly received book Is Shakespeare Dead???? provides compelling evidence that Twain was rather full of himself despite the fact that his literary prowess had largely deserted him in his later years and that he expected people to take him seriously enough to spend money on any piece of crap he published.
As for the book itself, it’s clear that Shelden did quite a bit of research into Twain himself as well as his family and close circle of acquaintances. He does a good job giving the reader a sense of Twain the person and the events that took place in the last few years of his life.
By way of criticism:
- I felt that the book was entirely too long with too many unnecessary diversions. In addition to a history of Twain, Shelden also delves into a comprehensive history of every individual with whom Twain had contact in his later years (many of whom didn’t hold much interest for me).
- Everyone loves Twain and I feel like he’s endlessly romanticized. Though Shelden provides occasional glimpses of Twains faults (his gullibleness and self-infatuation for example), he’s clearly worshipful of Twain and I don’t think the biography provided an unbiased history.
September 9, 2013
Fans of Mark Twain – celebrated as America's Humorist Laureate, but less recognized as the country's first standup comedy star (they called it "lecturing" in the 19th century) – were mostly disappointed with his intentionally posthumous "Autobiography," a 700-page mess of outtakes, obscure grudges, and dictated false starts that never gelled in his lifetime, and doesn't offer much now but frustrated editors.
Fortunately, Twain had already told most of his own story. As with all compelling writers, his best works were autobiographical; memoirs or novels, they drew on the life he'd lived and people he'd known.
Readers who love those masterpieces – only wishing he'd left more – get a satisfying endgame in Michael Shelden's "Mark Twain: Man in White – The Grand Adventure of His Final Years." The title is accurate: a famous man enjoying his fame, playing himself for all it was worth.
Like the young Twain, the older one struggled with writing ("Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven"), uncanny bad luck managing wealth (he was at ground zero for the Panic of 1907) and, as always, with acquiring it. "I never write 'metropolis' for seven cents," he explained, "because I can get the same money for 'city.'"
Plenty of that unmistakable wit drives Shelden's book, along with people and events that, were they written in first person, might read like "Life on the Mississippi" or "The Innocents Abroad." I think Mr. Clemens would even like this volume better than the incoherent autobiography he got stuck with, and might have let things go at that.
But he was a troublemaker to the end, satirizing the countless, hapless folks who put the touch on his contemporary Andrew Carnegie: "Dear Sir and Friend. You seem to be in prosperity. Could you lend an admirer a dollar & a half to buy a hymn-book with? God will bless you. P.S. Don't send the hymn-book, send the money; I want to make the selection myself."
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Fortunately, Twain had already told most of his own story. As with all compelling writers, his best works were autobiographical; memoirs or novels, they drew on the life he'd lived and people he'd known.
Readers who love those masterpieces – only wishing he'd left more – get a satisfying endgame in Michael Shelden's "Mark Twain: Man in White – The Grand Adventure of His Final Years." The title is accurate: a famous man enjoying his fame, playing himself for all it was worth.
Like the young Twain, the older one struggled with writing ("Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven"), uncanny bad luck managing wealth (he was at ground zero for the Panic of 1907) and, as always, with acquiring it. "I never write 'metropolis' for seven cents," he explained, "because I can get the same money for 'city.'"
Plenty of that unmistakable wit drives Shelden's book, along with people and events that, were they written in first person, might read like "Life on the Mississippi" or "The Innocents Abroad." I think Mr. Clemens would even like this volume better than the incoherent autobiography he got stuck with, and might have let things go at that.
But he was a troublemaker to the end, satirizing the countless, hapless folks who put the touch on his contemporary Andrew Carnegie: "Dear Sir and Friend. You seem to be in prosperity. Could you lend an admirer a dollar & a half to buy a hymn-book with? God will bless you. P.S. Don't send the hymn-book, send the money; I want to make the selection myself."
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November 26, 2013
“Mark Twain: Man In White” is the chronicle of the last years of the great author and humorist. Many of us think of Mark Twain in his white suit but, as this book points out, he first wore this in 1906 at the age of 71. This book is biographical, not literary. By the time of the period covered by this book, the last six years of his life, Twain’s great literary works had already made him famous. This is a period of flamboyance, triumph and tragedy. Flamboyance in the white suit that became his trademark and the humorous talks with which he entertained his audiences. Triumph was found in the acclaim with which he was honored by all and tragedy in his personal and family circumstances. Twain’s wife, Olivia, had died in 1894. His daughter, Jean, battled illness in and out of institutions until her death in 1909. His daughter, Clara, provided both tragedy and triumph in her long but ultimately successful quest to make a career as an entertainer and not just as Mark Twain’s daughter. This book portrays a Twain occupied by the mundane concerns of a patriarch of a troubled family. As it starts we find him testifying in support of an extension of copyright protection so that his family could continue to benefit from his works long into the future. As it progresses we find Twain obsessed with Clara’s care and treatment, concerns about financial investments and feuds with advisors. A showman, Twain, as predicted, came in with Halley’s Comet and went out with it 76 years later.
This book is entertaining and held my interest throughout. It portrays Twain as a person, not an icon, a person with faults, happiness and problems. We see Twain as a person to whom we can relate and with whom we can sympathize. For that it is a worthwhile read.
This book is entertaining and held my interest throughout. It portrays Twain as a person, not an icon, a person with faults, happiness and problems. We see Twain as a person to whom we can relate and with whom we can sympathize. For that it is a worthwhile read.
May 16, 2012
This is about the last few years of Twain's life (the author consistently uses "Mark Twain", even when others might have called him "Samuel Clemmens" - for example, the New York Times). He's coming out of his grieving for his daughter Susy and making his presence known as "The Man in White", setting up the persona we'll remember after he's gone. Wit intact, finances restored, Twain is thinking about posterity and leaving his estate intact for his remaining daughters.
His concerns about copyright are interesting (he believed in perpetual copyright, which would have prevented The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead from being written), but his family wouldn't have benefited for very long, as none of his heirs lived past the mid-1960s. As a business man he was a failure, allowing himself to be manipulated by his employees and investing in flawed companies and ideas. This isn't the image of the Twain we think we know, is it?
As biographies go, this one is well written, allowing the personality of the biographee to come through while pointing out the flaws (Twain could be a bit petty). If you want to know about Twain, however, this might not be the book for you as it only covers 1906-1910.
His concerns about copyright are interesting (he believed in perpetual copyright, which would have prevented The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead from being written), but his family wouldn't have benefited for very long, as none of his heirs lived past the mid-1960s. As a business man he was a failure, allowing himself to be manipulated by his employees and investing in flawed companies and ideas. This isn't the image of the Twain we think we know, is it?
As biographies go, this one is well written, allowing the personality of the biographee to come through while pointing out the flaws (Twain could be a bit petty). If you want to know about Twain, however, this might not be the book for you as it only covers 1906-1910.
February 24, 2023
If you are any kind of fan of literature, Mark twain himself, or are interested in how the landscape of the world appeared at the turn of the 20th century I implore you to read this book. It covers Twain's final years and is a treasure trove of interesting nuggets and explores his relationship with other Titans of his time and the world at large. By all accounts he was a very nice man with a childlike wonder, endlessly curious, and fully aware of his outsized stature. His boundless intellect and rapier wit helped him create his persona that cast him as America's first superstar or media star. He was known and adored worldwide for not just his literature but his boot strap history and unmatched story telling. Famous for his many aphorisms he loved to entertain people and was especially fond of children. He, in my humble opinion, was one righteous dude. This is one book I was sad to finish and I was left wistfully thinking Damn, the world sure could use Mark Twain today in these current disturbing dystopian times. His wit and wisdom would be such a welcome tonic. One of the best books I have read in a long while. I highly recommend it.
March 4, 2015
The book focuses on the last 4 years in the life of Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clemens where he recovers from the death of his wife, puts on the white suit that we know him by, enters a second (or maybe third) childhood, and puts some serious thought into his legacy. Despite tragedy, scandal, and the usual complains of old age (ill health, death of old friends), he is a completely unrepentant irrepressible irascible old man writing things he fully intended to be published after his death and beyond the opinions of polite society.
It was a fabulously interesting book. I hope to have that kind of fun when I'm 70-something. I gained new appreciation for how funny and smart he was. How I would have liked to sit down with him for an hour or two and argued about copyright and literature! And apparently I could have sold him a bridge or two for a tidy profit.
It was a fabulously interesting book. I hope to have that kind of fun when I'm 70-something. I gained new appreciation for how funny and smart he was. How I would have liked to sit down with him for an hour or two and argued about copyright and literature! And apparently I could have sold him a bridge or two for a tidy profit.
December 3, 2011
Just finished this today (I listened to it on a Playaway, which is basically an MP3 with just one book on it).
I loved it. I of course knew who Mark Twain was and a little about his life, but never studied his life in depth. If you're wanting a full picture of his life, you won't get it here - this is just about the last years of his life. Having learned about that part of his life makes me want to learn more about his earlier years, and re-read some of his great classics.
But this book does a marvelous job of bringing Twain to life, even if it's an older, feebler life that is being portrayed. If you're a history buff or just a fan of Mark Twain's, you have to read this book.
I also have to say that the reader did a wonderful job. A narrator can make or break a book, and this narrator certainly "made it." Kudos all around.
I loved it. I of course knew who Mark Twain was and a little about his life, but never studied his life in depth. If you're wanting a full picture of his life, you won't get it here - this is just about the last years of his life. Having learned about that part of his life makes me want to learn more about his earlier years, and re-read some of his great classics.
But this book does a marvelous job of bringing Twain to life, even if it's an older, feebler life that is being portrayed. If you're a history buff or just a fan of Mark Twain's, you have to read this book.
I also have to say that the reader did a wonderful job. A narrator can make or break a book, and this narrator certainly "made it." Kudos all around.
November 12, 2012
Mark Twain: Man in White takes us through the final years of Twain's life. Twain by the time he was in his 70's was a superstar, beloved by millions -- and he loved it. He reveled in his acclaim, enjoyed the company of one of the world's wealthiest men, vacationed in Bermuda and beamed like a child with a new toy when Oxford conferred an honorary degree.
Unfortunately it was no all frivolity and glory. His daughters were never far from his thoughts and concerns and he narrowly dodged huge financial losses a couple times. But given all the ups and downs Mark managed to suck the marrow out of life until his date with worms. This is a heartwarming biography of one of our greatest Americans and Mr. Sheldon tells and compelling and touching tribute. I have firmly decided: I want to be Mark Twain -- except for the whole being dead part.
Unfortunately it was no all frivolity and glory. His daughters were never far from his thoughts and concerns and he narrowly dodged huge financial losses a couple times. But given all the ups and downs Mark managed to suck the marrow out of life until his date with worms. This is a heartwarming biography of one of our greatest Americans and Mr. Sheldon tells and compelling and touching tribute. I have firmly decided: I want to be Mark Twain -- except for the whole being dead part.
November 25, 2016
Michael Sheldon gives an excellent account of Mark Twain's final years. When the book begins, Twain has recently lost his beloved wife, Olivia. Two of his four children have died. A third child dies during the time period covered by this book. A terrible businessman, he had endured numerous financial problems and at one point came close to losing the copyrights to his books. Although devastated by these events, Twain refused to surrender to depression and continued to enjoy life, including frequent vacations in the Bahamas and a delightful trip to Oxford to receive an honorary degree. He happily created an uproar by appearing before a congressional committee wearing a white suit during the dead of winter (a major violation of fashion in that time). This biography of a truly great American is highly recommended.
April 7, 2010
How I wish this book had been published a year and a half before so that I may have used it for my graduate thesis!
Michael Shelden manages to bring together letters and fiction to compile a fascinating account of Mark Twain's last years. Where most biographies tend to displace their subject's sense of humor, Shelden captures it in a way that makes Twain feel as though he is still alive. I can't recall another biography I've read on Mark Twain that was so thoroughly engaging, straight to the point, and subjected the reader to so much laughter and humor.
I could go on about how terrific "Man in White" was, but really - just read it. The details, the relationships, and the excerpts give you more insight into Mark Twain's nature than the many books I've read previously.
Michael Shelden manages to bring together letters and fiction to compile a fascinating account of Mark Twain's last years. Where most biographies tend to displace their subject's sense of humor, Shelden captures it in a way that makes Twain feel as though he is still alive. I can't recall another biography I've read on Mark Twain that was so thoroughly engaging, straight to the point, and subjected the reader to so much laughter and humor.
I could go on about how terrific "Man in White" was, but really - just read it. The details, the relationships, and the excerpts give you more insight into Mark Twain's nature than the many books I've read previously.
December 23, 2010
Although the Autobiography is a best seller now, this book about the most famous American author of the period should also be read. It covers the last 3-1/2 years of Twain's life, from 1907 until his death in 1910. His relationship with his two daughters, close friendship with multimillionaire H. H. Rogers, moving from NYC to Connecticut and a new house, and travels to the Bahamas are all well told. There is an appreciation of this 70 year old and his enthusiastic way of living his final years, despite some major setbacks, that comes through the telling of the tale and that is contagious.
July 9, 2012
A surprising pageturner and incredibly sad. I knew some bare bone facts about Mark Twain and enough of his emotional life to know that his humor hid a dark side. But the last years of his life were heart breaking. A man full of such joy and lust for life, struck by tragedy after tragedy. He definitely knew the highest highs and the lowest lows. Still, when it's all said done, I hope I can be a "man in white" at the end of my life. Mark Twain was a one-man red hat society, long before it's existence.
August 14, 2012
I alternated between frustration and delight in reading this book. At times I felt the book was so tedious and filled with too many details of Twain's daily life. Then there were sections where I couldn't put the book down. I was particularly intrigued by Twain's utter gullibility and wrongfully placed trust when it came to his financial matters. I couldn't wait to see how he was going to best these deceitful employees in whom he placed so much trust. I'm glad I read the book because I have always loved Mark Twain but it was a slow read.
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