Mark Twain's Helpful Hints for Good Living

A Handbook for the Damned Human Race

By: Lin Salamo - editor, Victor Fischer - editor, Michael B. Frank - editor, Mark Twain

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Irreverent, charming, and eminently quotable, this handbook - an eccentric etiquette guide for the human race - contains 69 aphorisms, anecdotes, whimsical suggestions, maxims, and cautionary tales from Mark Twain’s private and published writings. It dispenses advice and reflections on family life and public manners; opinions on topics such as dress, health, food, and childrearing and safety; and more specialized tips, such as those for dealing with annoying salesmen and burglars.

Culled from Twain’s personal letters, autobiographical writings, speeches, novels, and sketches, these pieces are delightfully fresh, witty, startlingly relevant, and bursting with Twain’s characteristic ebullience for life. They also remind us exactly how Mark Twain came to be the most distinctive and well-known American literary voice in the world. These texts, some of them new or out of print for decades, have been selected and meticulously prepared by the editors at the Mark Twain Project.

©1991 1997, and 2001 by Richard A. Watson and JP Morgan Chase Bank as Trustees of the Mark Twain Foundation. 2004 by the Regents of the University of California (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“This wonderful book illustrates precisely why we can never have enough Twain. His humor is timeless, his wisdom about all things without equal.” (Ken Burns, American director and producer)

“This is a masterfully edited compendium that does Twain proud. It captures the note-taking, aphorism-creating, angry-letter-writing essence of Twain’s brain in a way essential, I think, to understanding the man, and by extension, the history of the United States and the nature of life on Earth.” (Dave Eggers)

“This book is a delightful read all the way through.” ( San Francisco Chronicle)

Take a trip back in time

This is a great book that takes you back in time. and into the thoughts and mind of Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens. He had a very unique way of looking at the world and thinking about situations that he found himself in. This book definitely takes you on a trip throughout his mind and it does it so clearly that you can almost see everything as if you were looking at it through his own eyes. Great book of more than just his writings but into the man himself. Highly recommended!

Good Living, Good Listening

Any additional comments?

Bravo to the academics who collated and collected Twain essays for this piece, and bravo that it finally has become an audio book. Twain's mellifluous linguistic prestidigitation benefits greatly from oral application, and this engaging dispensation satiates and satisfies both in intensity and dosage. Apply liberally.

Wonderful!

I enjoyed the way the material was introduced and organized. Twain's stories are a pleasure to hear and the narrator did an excellent job of not over-playing his character, which would be a natural temptation considering the author's larger than life persona and his lively, colorful stories.

Hilarious

I listened to this in headphones, so everyone around me thought I was nuts when I couldn't stop laughing.

Not 100 proof

There is too much biography and editorial narration that detracts from the essence of the work. This is particularly bad at the beginning. Still, there is great mirth to be had, particularly in the longer passages, and the general tendency of Twain to inspire grandiose verbage. Reader is excellent.

a must read

I loved this collection of Mark Twain. This book has me rolling from cover to cover.

Mark Twain is Hilarious!

Mark Twain is insightful and funny and no matter how much time passes his work will still be relevant. He just gets people, and he knows how to take everyday stories and bring out the humor in them. I loved it!

Hilarious American

Twain's never let me down when I'm looking for laughs. From the subtle satire or the ridiculous ramblings it was a pleasure hearing the opinions on varied topics. Great to lift me up when I'm crawling along the Highway headed home. Keeps me sane.

Great stories

Great stories. Extemely funny. Timeless humor.. Terrific narration. You believe the narrator is Twain.

Very amusing selection of Mark Twain's writings

I enjoyed this. It made me feel interested in looking into more works by Mark Twain.