Synopses & Reviews
This book is the first systematic, comprehensive gathering of the reviews (primarily in the United States and Britain) of Mark Twain's books published up until 1917. The reviews collected here give the reader an unfiltered sense of how Twain's books and his reputation looked to his audience at the time. In addition, by devoting attention to each of Twain's books, this volume moves away from the current, distorting emphasis on a small number of publications and thus provides a broader perspective on Twain's career.
Review
"...a genuine advance in our grasp of Twain's] contemporary reputation." To Wit
Review
"...more than just a worthwhile book....Budd actively engages the past and the "lively and educative" function of reviewers and their reviews." Jason G. Horn, Mark Twain Forum
Review
"Any historicist account of Twain...would benefit from a close look at Louis J. Budd's collection of contemporary reviews. The results of this wonderfully rewarding search are in part borne out in the equally rewarding Mark Twain: The Contemporary Reviews, a volume that should assist not only those students of Budd's who will endeavor to assay the biographical record for themselves but also most Twain scholars with an interest in Twain in his own time." Mississippi Quarterly
Synopsis
A systematic, comprehensive gathering of reviews of Mark Twain's books published up until 1917.
Table of Contents
Series editor's preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1867); 2. The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress (1869); 3. Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance (1871); 4. Roughing It (1872); 5. A Curious Dream, and other sketches (1872); 6. The Gilded