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Life on the Mississippi
Mark Twain and Bill McKibben
1883-2012
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Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain detailing his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before and after the American Civil War. The book begins with a brief history of the river from its discovery by Hernando de Soto in 1542. It continues with anecdotes of Twain's training as a steamboat pilot, as the 'cub' of an experienced pilot. He describes, with great affection, the science of navigating the ever-changing Mississippi River. This section was first published in 1876, titled Old times on the Mississippi. In the second half, the book describes Twain's return, many years later, to travel on a steamboat from St. Louis to New Orleans. He describes the competition from railroads, the new, large cities, and his observations on greed, gullibility, tragedy, and bad architecture. He also tells some stories that are most likely tall tales. Simultaneously published in 1883 in the U.S. and in England, it is said to be the first book to be submitted to a publisher as a typewritten manuscript. The book was made into a TV movie for American public television in 1980, with David Knell as Sam Clemens. The story uses many tall tales from the book, which are woven into a fictional narrative.
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