Synopses & Reviews
and#147;
Dear Mark Twain leaves the reader with little doubt as to the singular and powerful chord that this author struck in the hearts of the American public.and#8221;and#151;Ron Powers, from the
Foreword"Kent Rasmussen has done valuable work researching for the nuggets in the goldmine of Mark Twain's work."and#151;Hal Holbrook
and#147;Working with seemingly unpromising materials, R Kent Rasmussen has produced a remarkable and highly readable book. Dear Mark Twain provides us with a picture of Twainand#8217;s readership, by turns adulatory, critical, advice- and autograph- seeking, and money begging; but the volume but also tells us much about American readers generally during Twainand#8217;s writing life. The book is scrupulously edited and superbly annotated, and includes Twainand#8217;s usually terse and biting comments. A triumph.and#8221;and#151;N. John Hall, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, CUNY Graduate Center and author of Correspondence: An Adventure in Letters.
"Twain remains a beloved, even familial, figure, so none should be surprised that complete strangers wrote to him with every imaginable request, compliment, and even criticism. Dear Mark Twain takes this correspondence and moves Twain scholarship in an intimate new direction that will surely captivate a wide audience. The chronologically arranged letters with Clemensand#8217;s own notations could stand alone, but Kent Rasmussenand#8217;s rich scholarship places these letters and their writers in context, and his elegant and insightful postscript to each missive at once clarifies, informs, and entertains."and#151;Cindy Lovell, Executive Director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
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and#8220;Well-selected, thoroughly researched and thoughtfully annotatedand#8212;a surprising, welcome addition to the apparently endless Twain shelf.and#8221;
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“It is a special delight to read Twains interactions with the readers who made him 19th-century Americas most popular writer.” Alexander Nazaryan
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"A magnificent, remarkably researched book."--Pakistan Today
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and#8220;Kent Rasmussen has done it again: he has come up with a book that will give every Twainiac and lots of others with only a casual interest in Mark Twain much enjoyment and a non-trivial amount of insight into one of the most remarkable writers the world has ever known.and#8221;
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“A magnificent, remarkably researched book.” Shelley Fisher Fishkin - Mark Twain Forum
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"The content is diverse and intriguing. . . . Verdict: Rasmussen is clearly an expert curator and researcher. Fans of Twain and most libraries will want to secure a copy."
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"A devoted Samuel Clemons/Mark Twain fan will want to pick up this book and will appreciate Rasmussenand#8217;s research."
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"This series of letters makes delightful reading." Chris Stuckenschneider - Missourian
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"Over the past two decades Kent Rasmussen has consistently produced some of the most useful, practically minded, and accessible scholarship in Mark Twain studies. With Dear Mark Twain: Letters from His Readers, Rasmussen comes through again. . . . Rasmussen enlarges what we know of Mark Twain from his correspondence as it provides the most substantive understanding yet of who were buying his books and reading him in newspapers and magazines at the turn of the century. As such, this collection will be of interest to Mark twain specialists, students of American literary and cultural studies, and general readers alike." Aron Row - San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review
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“A comprehensive study of the Great War, emphasizing the changes the war brought and how it shaped our modern world.” —Kirkus Reviews
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“Makes a useful addition to many collections, and a particularly interesting feature in the back matter is a list of WWI films, from Charlie Chaplins silent Shoulder Arms to the recent War Horse.” —Booklist
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“The inclusion of accompanying activities would make this a particularly useful volume for teachers looking to incorporate such activities into their lessons. This would be an essential purchase for most public libraries.” —YA Books Central
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"Rasmussen offers a challenging volume that doesnt ignore the complexities of history ..." --Kirkus Reviews “[Rasmussen] explains what happened in clear, concise language, presenting the information in a way that encourages thought, reflection and perhaps additional reading." —KidsReads.com “From the first to last chapter, the reader takes a front row seat into a world at war. Rasmussen made this book interesting and relevant, whetting the student’s appetite for more. The author had the foresight to provide a list of websites, allowing the student to further explore any aspect of the war he or she wishes." —Naval Historical Foundation
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“Makes a useful addition to many collections...Even students who are unenthusiastic about warfare will find themselves intrigued by chapters such as “Animals Go to War ..." —Booklist
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and#8220;It is a special delight to read Twainand#8217;s interactions with the readers who made him 19th-century Americaand#8217;s most popular writer.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A magnificent, remarkably researched book.and#8221;
Synopsis
A voracious pack-rat, Mark Twain hoarded his readers' letters as did few of his contemporaries.
Dear Mark Twain collects 200 of these letters written by a diverse cross-section of correspondents from around the worldand#151;children, farmers, schoolteachers, businessmen, preachers, railroad clerks, inmates of mental institutions, con artists, and even a former president. It is a unique and groundbreaking bookand#151;the first published collection of reader letters to any writer of Mark Twain's time. Its contents afford a rare and exhilarating glimpse into the sensibilities of nineteenth-century people while revealing the impact Samuel L. Clemens had on his readers. Clemensand#8217;s own and often startling comments and replies are also included.
R. Kent Rasmussenand#8217;s extensive research provides fascinating profiles of the correspondents, whose personal stories are often as interesting as their letters. Ranging from gushing fan appreciations and requests for help and advice to suggestions for writing projects and stinging criticisms, the letters are filled with perceptive insights, pathos, and unintentional but often riotous humor. Many are deeply moving, more than a few are hilarious, some may be shocking, but none are dull.
Synopsis
One hundred years after the start of the “Great War,”
World War I for Kids provides an intriguing and comprehensive look at this defining conflict that involved all of the worlds superpowers. Why and how did the war come about? What was daily life like for soldiers in the trenches? What roles did zeppelins, barbed wire, and the passenger ship Lusitania play in the war? Who were Kaiser Wilhelm, the Red Baron, and Edith Cavell? Young history buffs will learn the answers these questions and many others, including why the western front bogged down into a long stalemate; how the war ushered in an era of rapid military, technological, and societal advances; and how the United States entry helped end the war. Far from a dry catalog of names, dates, and battles, this richly illustrated book goes in depth into such fascinating topics as turn-of-the-20th-century weaponry and the important roles animals played in the war, and explains connections among events and how the war changed the course of history. Hands-on activities illuminate both the war and the times.
Kids can:
· Make a periscope
· Teach a dog to carry messages
· Make a parachute
· Learn a popular World War I song
· Cook Maconochie Stew
· And much more
About the Author
R. Kent Rasmussen is a prolific and widely respected scholar of Mark Twain. Among his books are Mark Twain A to Z, The Quotable Mark Twain, Bloomand#8217;s How to Write About Mark Twain and Critical Companion to Mark Twain. He is also the editor of the recently published Penguin Classics edition of Mark Twainand#8217;s Autobiographical Writings.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Foreword by Ron Powers
Introduction
Note on Texts
Letters
1861and#150;1870
1871and#150;1880
1881and#150;1890
1891and#150;1900
1901and#150;1910
Note on Sources
Acknowledgments
Index