Mark Twain: A Biography

In the late 1880s, Mark Twain's mind ranges from reverent literary study to comic rebellion and grim financial struggle. He pores over Robert Browning line by line, sparring with George Meredith, revisiting Carlyle with changed eyes, and even turning a German study group into the uproarious play Meisterschaft. His curiosity extends to labor politics, memory systems, and the ordinary injustices of life, all of which he meets with equal parts seriousness and satire. That wit becomes a weapon when British tax officials demand payment on his English royalties; Twain answers with a mock-ceremonial letter to the Queen that transforms irritation into art. But behind the laughter lies a harsher reality: Charles L. Webster & Co. sinks under debt, weak sales, embezzlement, and failed ambitions, while Twain's family life alternates between holiday warmth and relentless anxiety. In New York, friendship and fame offer relief through Robert Louis Stevenson, glittering dinners, boxing heroes, and late-night revels. Most crucially, Henry H. Rogers emerges as a discreet, steadfast ally, helping Twain confront his darkest financial crisis with hope, gratitude, and his unquenchable humor. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.