Book contents
- Mark Twain in Context
- Mark Twain in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Part I Life
- Chapter 1 Biography
- Chapter 2 Reading
- Chapter 3 Autobiography
- Chapter 4 Biographies
- Part II Literary Contexts
- Part III Historical and Cultural Contexts
- Part IV Reception and Criticism
- Part V Historical, Creative, and Cultural Legacies
- Further Reading
- Index
- References
Chapter 2 - Reading
from Part I - Life
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 December 2019
By
Edited by
Book contents
- Mark Twain in Context
- Mark Twain in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Part I Life
- Chapter 1 Biography
- Chapter 2 Reading
- Chapter 3 Autobiography
- Chapter 4 Biographies
- Part II Literary Contexts
- Part III Historical and Cultural Contexts
- Part IV Reception and Criticism
- Part V Historical, Creative, and Cultural Legacies
- Further Reading
- Index
- References
Summary
Even though Samuel Clemens ended his formal education at the age of twelve, he was a voracious and committed reader throughout his lifetime. His reading was eclectic, with a special attention to history, philosophy, and science. Although his library was dispersed through sale and other means, his library has been reconstructed by examining volumes he owned and marked with comments, as well as noting books that he mentions in his works and his letters. His eclectic reading shows him to be an intellectual and autodidact, much at odds with his public persona as a downhome, homespun humorist.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Mark Twain in Context , pp. 14 - 23Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
References
Works Cited
Gribben, Alan. Mark Twain’s Literary Resources: A Reconstruction of His Library and Reading. 3 vols. Montgomery: NewSouth Books, 2019–2020.Google Scholar
Howells, William Dean. My Mark Twain: Reminiscences and Criticisms. 1910. Ed. Baldwin, Marilyn Austin. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1967.Google Scholar