Inventing Mark Twain

the long version

Meticulously researched and brilliantly realized, Inventing Mark Twain is a major new biography of America's most famous literary figure. Hoffman traces Clemens' origins in the frontier town of Hannibal, Missouri, revealing the unexpected importance of events in Clemens' childhood. Hoffman cleverly captures the scintillating wit and quick temper that made Mark Twain an entertaining and beloved figure. Hoffman shows how Twain in later years established himself as the center of the social life in his adopted city of Hartford, Connecticut, and how his travels abroad to Europe and the Middle East made him America's cultural ambassador. Significantly, Hoffman examines Clemens' family life and challenges readers to rethink what they've already learned about him, providing new interpretations of Clemens' personality, ranging from his relationship with his wife, Livy, to the dark effect of the tragedies in his life. And Hoffman brings to light many of the lesser-known, but equally intriguing aspects of Samuel Clemens - his love for and folly over mechanical inventions; his deep financial insecurity and obsession with money; and his stint as a publisher, working with renowned figures like President Ulysses S. Grant.