A review by soniapage
Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 by Mark Twain

3.0

This 736 page book begins with a lot of miscellaneous stuff about how the book came to be written and edited and other scraps of stories. The actual autobiography begins on page 203 and ends on page 467. The rest is explanatory notes, references, appendices and an index. I'm glad I was able to find an audio version because the reader was great and it went a lot faster than if I had read my heavy copy. Mostly entertaining and informative but there were a lot of blunt and unflattering comments about people Clemens had quarreled with in his lifetime which is probably why he wanted it published long after his death. I enjoyed it but would have liked it more if he had done what he swore not to do: start at the beginning of his life and proceed to the end. My favorite parts were his heartbreakingly fond tributes to his wife and daughters, something men don't usually write. I also enjoyed his wild and funny stories of his youth which, of course, is why I read Mark Twain!