Mark, by Mark

Mark Twain is one of several authors who is a contender to have written The Great American Novel (in this case, it being his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn).  Now, I've read Huck Finn more than enough times, both for school and for personal interest, so instead of reading it for Summer Reading, I thought it might be fun to read a little bit about Mark Twain.  So, I'm starting with two books by Twain scholar Mark Dawidziak (he kinda looks a little like Twain, too!)

Starting with Mark Twain in Ohio, we have a fascinating romp of Twain's adventures through the Buckeye State.  The first section was a bit of a roadmap of where he went, who he stayed with, touring companions, and where he gave his lectures.  It might come across as a little dry to someone who is not a fan of Twain, but then again, why would you be reading this book if you didn't like Twain at least a little?

The second part of the book is where it really shines.  Dawidziak shares a couple of scripts from Twain's lectures.  Since he changed the content of each speech from location to location, there's not one fool-proof script, but the book does a great job of compiling one from transcripts and notes.

The second book, Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health, and Happiness was also extremely amusing.  The whole book consists of quotes on various topics, but Twain is so witty you don't mind reading what is essentially a glorified quote book.  I found a lot of great material here, and it only whet my appetite for more Twain.

Dawidziak has written more on Twain so I'll definitely have to check out his other books.  If you want to check out his website, you can find it here.  There are links to all his books included.

States Visited: Ohio