Life on the Mississippi

A stirring tribute to America’s mightiest river by one of its greatest authors

Before Samuel Clemens became Mark Twain, world-famous satirist and the acclaimed creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, he trained to be a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River.

In this captivating memoir and travelogue, Twain recounts his apprenticeship under legendary captain Horace Bixby, an exacting mentor who teaches his charge how to navigate the ever-changing waterway. The colorful details of life on the river—from the reversals of fortune suffered by riverboat gamblers to the feuds waged by towns seeking to profit from the steamboat trade—fascinate Twain, and in his hands become the stuff of legend. Years later, as a passenger on a voyage from St. Louis to New Orleans, he vividly describes the stunning changes wrought by the Civil War and the steady advance of the railroads.

A valuable piece of history and a revealing look at the origins of a national treasure, Life on the Mississippi is a true classic of American literature.

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