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Mark Twain
First printing. Loaded with black and white photos and black and white and color illustrations. INSCRIBED by Jeff Ward.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2001
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444 people want to read
About the author
Geoffrey C. Ward
113 books140 followersGeoffrey Champion Ward is an author and screenwriter of various documentary presentations of American history. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1962.
He was an editor of American Heritage magazine early in his career. He wrote the television mini-series The Civil War with its director Ken Burns and has collaborated with Burns on every documentary he has made since, including Jazz and Baseball. This work won him five Emmy Awards. The most recent Burns/Ward collaboration, The War, premiered on PBS in September 2007. In addition he co-wrote The West, of which Ken Burns was an executive producer, with fellow historian Dayton Duncan.
He was an editor of American Heritage magazine early in his career. He wrote the television mini-series The Civil War with its director Ken Burns and has collaborated with Burns on every documentary he has made since, including Jazz and Baseball. This work won him five Emmy Awards. The most recent Burns/Ward collaboration, The War, premiered on PBS in September 2007. In addition he co-wrote The West, of which Ken Burns was an executive producer, with fellow historian Dayton Duncan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 18, 2017
A fantastic look into the life of Mark Twain. He was clever and witty but not always wise. The man was a gambler at heart. I saw the monster "type-writer" that he invested huge amounts of money in at the museum/home in Hartford Connecticut. He had lots of good ideas, but was ahead of his time. That type-writer just about ruined him financially. Publishers stole his royalties by publishing his books in Canada and Great Britain but never paying him for his work. In politics he took a stand against slavery/racism in his novel Huckleberry Finn and opposed the Spanish American War in the Philippines. These were his greatest accomplishments in life. I loved the book and all the details that made it worthwhile reading.
November 15, 2019
Ah Mr. Clemens -- or should I say Twain? What a complicated man you were. What a life you led. What a "mark" you left. The story of Samuel Clemen's life is filled with laughter, awe and sadness. But unless you dig a little, you don't realize what humanistic qualities he received as he matured. There is part of Mr. Clemen's life that parallels that of Oskar Schindler. While early in life, Clemen's showed a desire for money and selfish quests, he began arguing against the inhumanity of slavery. This is evident in books like Huckleberry Finn but it is also shown in a real life manuscript he sent to the Atlantic Monthly. The manuscript was about his sister-in-law's cook who lived slavery. He was so moved by her words, he printed it word for word in the hope that others would feel what he had.
You will have touching moments as letters to his daughter's are shared along with the grief he felt from losing 3 of his 4 children. You will understand his self-struggles with God as he questions these deaths along with all that is wrong on earth. You will wonder how he was able to bounce back from every negative event that happens in his life just when you think he has fully given up. But you will marvel at the path that was placed before him from his Halley's comet birth right through to his death, 75 years later when Halley's made it's next pass to scoop him to the heavens.
82 out of 100
You will have touching moments as letters to his daughter's are shared along with the grief he felt from losing 3 of his 4 children. You will understand his self-struggles with God as he questions these deaths along with all that is wrong on earth. You will wonder how he was able to bounce back from every negative event that happens in his life just when you think he has fully given up. But you will marvel at the path that was placed before him from his Halley's comet birth right through to his death, 75 years later when Halley's made it's next pass to scoop him to the heavens.
82 out of 100
January 21, 2020
This book is based on the documentary film of the same name, directed by Ken Burns. It's a great overview of Samuel Clemens's life. It does a good job describing his life, but I've always believed you can learn more about a person by reading his or her own works than by reading descriptions provided by others and filtered through their own biases. I am looking forward reading more of Clemens's original works. In some ways he was a man born before his time, in other ways he would not have fit in with later generations. This allowed him to speak his mind and sometimes very bluntly without getting himself into trouble; in fact it seemed to endear him more to his admiring public.
He was outspoken about the abolition of slavery, the emancipation of women, and that the United States had no business establishing itself as an empire and sticking its nose in other countries' business, especially when it brought more power to the federal government, lined the pockets of greedy politicians and business men, an created deep undercurrents to be taken advantage of by overreaching expansionists and religious fanatics. "I am anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land," he said. "This nation is like all the others that have been spewed upon the earth—ready to shout for any cause that will tickle its vanity or fill its pocket. What a hell of a heaven it will be, when they get all these hypocrites assembled there!"
He was outspoken about the abolition of slavery, the emancipation of women, and that the United States had no business establishing itself as an empire and sticking its nose in other countries' business, especially when it brought more power to the federal government, lined the pockets of greedy politicians and business men, an created deep undercurrents to be taken advantage of by overreaching expansionists and religious fanatics. "I am anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land," he said. "This nation is like all the others that have been spewed upon the earth—ready to shout for any cause that will tickle its vanity or fill its pocket. What a hell of a heaven it will be, when they get all these hypocrites assembled there!"
October 15, 2019
This was a lot better book than I was expecting! Very humorous and interesting.
October 12, 2010
I really enjoyed listening to the audio about this amazing man. Now I want to get the hard copy and check out all the photos. There were unabridged excerpts of Twain's work read throughout the narrative of his life. A very informative and enjoyable book! As Hemingway says he is like an American Shakespeare ... a literary genius to be studied through time. Samuel Clemens lived a life of great hardships and exorbitant luxuries. He visited all seven continents and was well received at lectures where he used his unique sense of humor to tell tales of the social status of all men. He made you realize that acceptance and tolerance was the answer to finding peace and advocated equality for all. Even though some of his books have been banned for racist language and situations, the hidden message was to open your eyes and look at what was happening. Having been raised by a slave owner, he learned from his father and society’s views that African Americans were wrongly persecuted and that the soul of man needed self-examination. He felt empathy for those who suffered and befriended many who were treated as white man’s commodities. He based his characters on the lives of those who struggled to exist and gave us all a look at the inhumane treatment being inflicted because of Deep South prejudices. He loved children and their innocence and he also had a great affection for cats. He was a flamboyant character himself, and despite tragedies in his life and periods of poverty, he continued to remain positive, living each day to its fullest. Born November 30, 1835 and died April 21, 1910, he came in with Haley’s comet and went out with the return of the comet 75 years later.
January 12, 2016
Enjoyed it. Personally though, I am of the opinion that reading Sam's books, letter's and other writings, and coming to my own conclusions, would be more fulfilling than the reading of this condensed biography was. The writers did a great job in condensing the long life and writings of Samuele Clements/Mark Twain into one book but much was just a retelling of some of his books and the author's opinion, which I am mostly in agreement with, of Mark Twain's impact on the with regard to American literature and the subject of racism and more importantly slavery.
I suppose in having read most his books and some of the collections of letters, that I was looking for some more insight into his life and history and though the book offered some of this, it did not approach my ideal expectations. For example you won't find mentioned in the entire book the word 'Mugwump'.
So, to it credit, you can tell it's very well written and researched As for the 'hard core' Twain fans, the book is not very significant in it's offering more specific or esoteric information especially if you've read most or all of his works.
I suppose in having read most his books and some of the collections of letters, that I was looking for some more insight into his life and history and though the book offered some of this, it did not approach my ideal expectations. For example you won't find mentioned in the entire book the word 'Mugwump'.
So, to it credit, you can tell it's very well written and researched As for the 'hard core' Twain fans, the book is not very significant in it's offering more specific or esoteric information especially if you've read most or all of his works.
September 24, 2014
I just can't get enough about Mark Twain. This is a good start, though. Such a complex American, whose voice remains relevant today, should be required reading for all.
I love Sam Clemens in all his forms. Small town boy, riverboat captain, lecturer, comedian, family man, cat lover, world traveler and most of all himself, complete with flaws.
My only complaint, if it can be called that, was that I wanted more examples of his writing. I guess that I will have to remedy that on my own.
I love Sam Clemens in all his forms. Small town boy, riverboat captain, lecturer, comedian, family man, cat lover, world traveler and most of all himself, complete with flaws.
My only complaint, if it can be called that, was that I wanted more examples of his writing. I guess that I will have to remedy that on my own.
April 26, 2009
This biography of a great author does exactly what is should: it inspires the reader to want to know even more about the author, and it especially inspires the reader to read or reread some of his works. The second half of the biography, covering Twain's immense successes and spectacular failures (business and family) -- without excusing the man of his many faults -- is most welcome.
July 3, 2021
Halley's Comet was blazing in the sky the year of Mark Twain's birth in 1835. It returned again in 1910, the year of his death. He said he wanted to depart in the year of the comet -- that both of them were freaks of nature. This companion book to Ken Burns's film about Twain offers a good view of his life, and for those like me who missed the film, the many photos were a big plus.
Sam Clemens had no formal education beyond age 11 or 12. How did he become a world famous writer? For one thing he was an apprentice to his older brother, Orion, a newspaper editor. In his teens he became a compositor or typesetter working in Philadelphia and New York. With this kind of work you learn how to spell. After five or six years as a Mississippi riverboat pilot, he went West, prospecting for gold and silver, but coming up empty, he got jobs as a newspaper reporter in Nevada and then San Francisco. He was a keen observer, had a great ability to reproduce common speech, and no compunction about exaggerating for humorous effect and poking fun at human foibles. He often made himself the butt of his jokes.
After the success of Tom Sawyer, Twain became known nationally. He reveled in his fame and sought even more attention for the rest of his life. When his own daughters grew into adults and stopped worshipping the ground he walked on, later in his life he surrounded himself with young girls, his "angelfish," to feed his need for adoration. There doesn't seem to be evidence that he was sexually attracted to the girls -- the daughters of friends and acquaintances -- only that he could play with them on his own terms or entertain them and they would shower him with love and attention. Similarly, he loved kittens because they were cute and playful. While his wife Livy was alive, she was able to keep him in check, but after her death in 1904, his attention-seeking became more pronounced.
Mark Twain once said he was "the American," meaning that he knew the essence of what it meant to be an American and all the different classes of American society. No wonder then that he brought race to the fore, since slavery and racism are a big part of America's past and present. In reaching the common man and woman in the language they spoke, and unflinchingly exposing the good, bad and ridiculousness of American life, he proved through his work that he deserved the affection his readers lavished upon him.
Sam Clemens had no formal education beyond age 11 or 12. How did he become a world famous writer? For one thing he was an apprentice to his older brother, Orion, a newspaper editor. In his teens he became a compositor or typesetter working in Philadelphia and New York. With this kind of work you learn how to spell. After five or six years as a Mississippi riverboat pilot, he went West, prospecting for gold and silver, but coming up empty, he got jobs as a newspaper reporter in Nevada and then San Francisco. He was a keen observer, had a great ability to reproduce common speech, and no compunction about exaggerating for humorous effect and poking fun at human foibles. He often made himself the butt of his jokes.
After the success of Tom Sawyer, Twain became known nationally. He reveled in his fame and sought even more attention for the rest of his life. When his own daughters grew into adults and stopped worshipping the ground he walked on, later in his life he surrounded himself with young girls, his "angelfish," to feed his need for adoration. There doesn't seem to be evidence that he was sexually attracted to the girls -- the daughters of friends and acquaintances -- only that he could play with them on his own terms or entertain them and they would shower him with love and attention. Similarly, he loved kittens because they were cute and playful. While his wife Livy was alive, she was able to keep him in check, but after her death in 1904, his attention-seeking became more pronounced.
Mark Twain once said he was "the American," meaning that he knew the essence of what it meant to be an American and all the different classes of American society. No wonder then that he brought race to the fore, since slavery and racism are a big part of America's past and present. In reaching the common man and woman in the language they spoke, and unflinchingly exposing the good, bad and ridiculousness of American life, he proved through his work that he deserved the affection his readers lavished upon him.
June 10, 2018
biography companion to Ken Burns documentary. enjoyed audio. Video was too drawn out.
April 8, 2022
A mediocre production that left me wanting for more.
March 25, 2014
This illustrated biography is the companion volume to the nearly four-hour documentary film directed by Ken Burns. Its 275 illustrations and photographs bring to mind and eye the life of both the man Samuel Langhorne Clemens and the legendary figure of Mark Twain with which it is forever fused. The varied takes and rich writing of the book's two authors, Geoffrey C. Ward and Dayton Duncan, coupled with essays and interviews from such major contributors as Russell Banks, Jocelyn Chadwick, Ron Powers, John Boyer, and Hal Holbrook make this at least the equal of three or four good books in one!
If you take this fine book and the film it goes with, add to the two the masterful biography brought forth by Ron Powers -- and with all these in hand -- sign on to voyage into the two massive volumes of Twain's Autobiography already released (while you also await with many of us the arrival of its third), you will have made your way to one of the longest, unbroken, and most formative strands found in American life, language, and literature. What Twain lived his way into, especially in his difficult years at the end, cannot be said to have finished unfolding. He once said he was "an optimist . . . who didn't arrive." If his last words spoken to Clara after taking her hand were "Good-bye," followed by, "If we meet . . .", then they suggest someone still en route. Endings are not always also finishings. With lives -- especially great ones -- few ever are. Mark Twain's life remains a truly great, vital, ongoing, and irreplaceable American one of these. -G.R.
If you take this fine book and the film it goes with, add to the two the masterful biography brought forth by Ron Powers -- and with all these in hand -- sign on to voyage into the two massive volumes of Twain's Autobiography already released (while you also await with many of us the arrival of its third), you will have made your way to one of the longest, unbroken, and most formative strands found in American life, language, and literature. What Twain lived his way into, especially in his difficult years at the end, cannot be said to have finished unfolding. He once said he was "an optimist . . . who didn't arrive." If his last words spoken to Clara after taking her hand were "Good-bye," followed by, "If we meet . . .", then they suggest someone still en route. Endings are not always also finishings. With lives -- especially great ones -- few ever are. Mark Twain's life remains a truly great, vital, ongoing, and irreplaceable American one of these. -G.R.
July 21, 2009
I'm a big fan of the Ken Burns' program (and love its soundtrack). This is the audiobook version, so I "lost" the benefit of all the photographs in the print version. But? Mark Twain's words are always best read aloud anyway. AND, this is an unabridged presentation, so that is DEFINITELY a good thing!
The first five discs are the bulk of the book, and the material upon which the Ken Burns film was based. Nothing new to me, though I feel it gives a very thoughtful account of Clemen's life, as juxtoposed against his writings and works. I think a lot of people who do NOT know much about Samuel Clemens will enjoy this very much, as they will find new and insightful things about Samuel Clemens the man that you wouldn't know from Mark Twain the author. It is very fine to hear a Mark Twain's words read aloud (as they are best encountered when read aloud). The sixth disc is selected readings from Twain's works, and the seventh is an analysis of Clemen's life and Twain's words and their impact on literature and on American literature. I could've mostly done without the seventh disc, but overall, I enjoyed this very much and would definitely recommend it to someone looking to find out more information on the creator of "the American voice" in literature.
The first five discs are the bulk of the book, and the material upon which the Ken Burns film was based. Nothing new to me, though I feel it gives a very thoughtful account of Clemen's life, as juxtoposed against his writings and works. I think a lot of people who do NOT know much about Samuel Clemens will enjoy this very much, as they will find new and insightful things about Samuel Clemens the man that you wouldn't know from Mark Twain the author. It is very fine to hear a Mark Twain's words read aloud (as they are best encountered when read aloud). The sixth disc is selected readings from Twain's works, and the seventh is an analysis of Clemen's life and Twain's words and their impact on literature and on American literature. I could've mostly done without the seventh disc, but overall, I enjoyed this very much and would definitely recommend it to someone looking to find out more information on the creator of "the American voice" in literature.
August 13, 2012
Mark Twain has always fascinated me and this biography only adds to that. I can't say that the book really held any surprises, since the basic elements of his background are well know. However, it was fascinating to hear from the writer's own journals and the memoirs of family & friends. In addition, Ward and his co-authors did interviews, along with reprinting articles by other writers on Twain's influence.
From his well-known early childhood, growing up on the banks of his beloved Mississippi, to his later self-imposed exile to Europe and his various journeys around the world, we get to see how all of these events shaped Samuel Clemens. The personal tragedies, triumphs and misfortunes turned the self-taught journalists the skills he would later use to become one of the world's best known writers.
It probably helps to have at least read Twain's best known novels (the Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn books), but Ward gives us enough material from just about all the writer's works so that we can see how he shaped his craft from his early tales to his later best-selling works.
From his well-known early childhood, growing up on the banks of his beloved Mississippi, to his later self-imposed exile to Europe and his various journeys around the world, we get to see how all of these events shaped Samuel Clemens. The personal tragedies, triumphs and misfortunes turned the self-taught journalists the skills he would later use to become one of the world's best known writers.
It probably helps to have at least read Twain's best known novels (the Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn books), but Ward gives us enough material from just about all the writer's works so that we can see how he shaped his craft from his early tales to his later best-selling works.
March 21, 2010
A nice overview of Twain's life with fascinating pictures and a balanced view of the good and bad parts of the man himself. Considering its length, its subsidiary status to the Ken Burns documentary it supports (which I haven't seen) and its stated non-comprehensiveness, it does an excellent job of getting the essentials of Twain's life in (especially his family dynamics) and inspiring the reader to go back to the books he may not have read. There's also a great inserted interview with Hal Holbrook and an essay by Jocelyn Chadwick that ought to be required reading for English teachers and librarians and other foes of censorship.
April 18, 2020
A great read, chronicling a wide ranging life of great import.
Liberally laced with appropriate photos and documents that bring
key elements of Sam Clemens's persona and experiences, his family,
activities, and travels.
There is great reason he is represented in our Congressional Hall of Statues, representing
Missouri.
I recommend this book to just about anyone out there, whether they are interested in history,
morals, writers, great minds.
Liberally laced with appropriate photos and documents that bring
key elements of Sam Clemens's persona and experiences, his family,
activities, and travels.
There is great reason he is represented in our Congressional Hall of Statues, representing
Missouri.
I recommend this book to just about anyone out there, whether they are interested in history,
morals, writers, great minds.
October 16, 2009
This is an excellent book about the life of “Mark Twain” (Samuel Clemens). Twain gives an understanding to the revolution that the South went through in the post Civil War era. Through his books the brutality of slavery, social class, and imperialism comes blaring through. Because of this book I now want to read all of Twain’s work.
September 9, 2014
Mark Twain: An Illustrated Biography by Geoffrey C. Ward, Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns (Alfred A. Knopff 2001)(Biography). This biography of the most famous American author explains why he was the most celebrated American of his day. This is the companion book to the PBS series by legendary documentary film maker Ken Burns on Twain. My rating: 7/10, finished 2009.
July 27, 2011
This is a fabulous review of Twain's life. It is marvelously entertaining with experts from his works, pictures of his life, and a narrative history of his life. He was the most famous orator of his time, so historically, he is worth reading about. This text provides readers with a robust and entertaining biography.
September 16, 2008
Very well done. What an amazing person Mark Twain was. While reading, I was reminded of all the personal loss and pain he endured, yet he kept moving forward. I'm profoundly grateful for the way in which he spoke out against slavery. What he has written is still timely for us.
November 20, 2009
This book has excerpts of Twain's letters to his mother, photos of his Hawaii years, and information about this brilliant writer that I've never before encountered, even though I've read most of his writing. What a treasure.
September 12, 2012
This was an excellent biography with lots of fun clips from his letters and works. For a more detailed analysis, hit up my book blog: http://dunceacademy.com/3198/mark-twa...
April 1, 2016
A brilliant and entertaining biopic of one of America's greatest writers. This was both a humorous and at times dark story of his life, and how all of it affected his work.
I would highly recommend this for all history buffs!
I would highly recommend this for all history buffs!
May 23, 2015
still reading about my favorite author
August 27, 2007
Learned a lot and liked the guy reading in Mark Twain's voice.
May 26, 2009
What an extraordinary life!
August 4, 2009
reading 4 my summer skool hw...... its boring
September 4, 2015
For non-fiction, it was really good. I just don't much like non-fiction... :)
July 5, 2012
The Ron Powers book was better.
November 2, 2012
one ofthe best Twain biographies! Worth the time!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews