Mark Twain on Potholes and Politics: Letters to the Editor

Author:   Gary Scharnhorst
Publisher:   University of Missouri Press
ISBN:  

9780826220462


Pages:   224
Publication Date:   30 December 2014
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Our Price $105.60 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Mark Twain on Potholes and Politics: Letters to the Editor


Add your own review!

Overview

Whether he was taking us along for a journey down the Mississippi with a couple of runaways or delivering speeches on the importance of careful lying, Mark Twain had an innate ability to captivate readers and listeners alike with his trademark humor and sarcasm. Twain never lacked for material, either, as his strong opinions regarding most issues gave him countless opportunities to articulate his thoughts in the voice that only he could provide. A frequent outlet for Twain’s wit was in letters to the editors of various newspapers and periodicals. Sharing his thoughts and opinions on topical issues ranging from national affairs to local social events, with swipes along the way at woman suffrage, potholes, literary piracy and other scams, slow mail delivery, police corruption, capital punishment, and the removal of Huck Finn from libraries, Twain never hesitated to speak his mind. And now thanks to Gary Scharnhorst, more than a hundred of these letters are available in one place for us to enjoy. From his opinions on the execution of an intellectually brilliant murderer, to his scathing review of a bureau he perceived as “a pack of idiots” running on a currency of doughnuts, Twain’s pure, unbridled voice is evident throughout his letters. Mark Twain on Potholes and Politics gives readers a chance to delve further than ever before into the musings of the most recognizable voice in American literature.

Full Product Details

Author:   Gary Scharnhorst
Publisher:   University of Missouri Press
Imprint:   University of Missouri Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.480kg
ISBN:  

9780826220462


ISBN 10:   0826220460
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   30 December 2014
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Reviews

The editorial page remains one of the most popular pages in newspapers today. On this page readers often encounter the spontaneity and catharsis of average people expressing a range of charged emotions--delight, frustration, indignation. Politics and Potholes offers this same experience, except the author of this spontaneity, catharsis, delight, frustration, and indignation is one person who was in a unique position as an editorialist, for Twain had an ever-growing sense of justice, the public position to be heard, the willingness to speak out, and the talent to say what was needed with the necessary force and humor. --Arkansas Review


"""The editorial page remains one of the most popular pages in newspapers today. On this page readers often encounter the spontaneity and catharsis of average people expressing a range of charged emotions--delight, frustration, indignation. Politics and Potholes offers this same experience, except the author of this spontaneity, catharsis, delight, frustration, and indignation is one person who was in a unique position as an editorialist, for Twain had an ever-growing sense of justice, the public position to be heard, the willingness to speak out, and the talent to say what was needed with the necessary force and humor.""--Arkansas Review"


Author Information

Gary Scharnhorst, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico, USA is the author or editor of more than forty books, including Mark Twain: The Complete Interviews and Mark Twain in His Own Time, a collection of reminiscences by his friends and acquaintances; and biographies of Horatio Alger Jr., Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Bret Harte, Kate Field, and Julian Hawthorne. He is also the editor of the journal American Literary Realism and the editor in alternating years of the research annual American Literary Scholarship. He is currently at work on a multivolume biography of Twain.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

ls

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List