John Greenman
The Diamond Sutra (Chin-Kang-Ching) or Prajna-Paramita
The Diamond Sutra, also known as the ‘Diamond Cutter Sutra’ or ‘Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra,’ is a remarkable Buddhist text and is co…
Society as I Have Found It
Mark Twain illustrator Dan Beard recalled discussing McAllister’s book with Twain. “It was before Webster & Company failed that Ward McA…
In Defense of Harriet Shelley
Mark Twain pulls no punches while exposing the "real" Percy Shelley in this scathing condemnation of Edward Dowden's "Life of…
Mark Twain in the New York Times, Part One (1867-1879)
This collection of articles by and about Mark Twain and his family was compiled by Barbara Schmidt, publisher of twainquotes.com. Included i…
Mark Twain's Partner
In 1861, a 26-year-old Sam Clemens "went west" with his older brother Orion. By that time he'd had some experience with publishing…
Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance
Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance, a short volume, published by Sheldon & Co., NY in 1871, is Mark Twain's third …
Those Extraordinary Twins
"Those Extraordinary Twins" was published as a short story, separate and distinct from its origins inside Twain's "The Traged…
The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey
Thomas Wolsey was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. His appointment as a cardinal by Pope Leo X in 1515 gave him precedence over all…
Goldsmith's Friend Abroad Again
This satire on the U.S.A.'s myth of being the "Home of the Oppressed, where all men are free and equal", is unrelenting in its pur…
Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Addresses
Lincoln's first inaugural address was delivered on March 4th, 1861, as the North and South were sliding towards separation and Civil War. Hi…
1601: Conversation, as it was by the Social Fireside, in the Time of the Tudors (Version 2)
1601: Conversation, as it was by the Social Fireside invites listeners into a lively and irreverent dialogue set in the Elizabethan era. Mar…
Mark Twain in the New York Times, Part Four (1900-1906)
This collection of articles by and about Mark Twain and his family was compiled by Barbara Schmidt, publisher of twainquotes.com. Included i…
A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom, Volume One
The 21st Century, so far, has seen a dramatic and widespread questioning of "Science", much of it from "Evangelicals". B…
Toilers of the Sea (Version 2)
The book is dedicated to the island of Guernsey, where Victor Hugo spent 15 years in exile. Hugo uses the setting of a small island communit…
Mark Twain and the Happy Island
This Mark Twain Memoir by Elizabeth Wallace paints an idyllic portrait of his time in Bermuda, not long before his death in 1910. Wallace an…
Twain and Howells On Each Other
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and William Dean Howells were friends for 44 years. Their personal and professional relationship is considered b…
Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven (version 3)
This was the last story published by Twain, a few months before he died. The story follows Captain Elias Stormfield on his extremely long co…
Mark Twain in the New York Times, Part Three (1890-1899)
This collection of articles by and about Mark Twain and his family was compiled by Barbara Schmidt, publisher of twainquotes.com. Included i…
The Ordeal of Mark Twain (Version 2)
The Ordeal of Mark Twain analyzes the literary progression of Samuel L. Clemens and attributes shortcomings to Clemens' mother and wife. The…
Recollections of Abraham Lincoln 1847-1865
Abraham Lincoln came to the presidency under a heavy shroud of uncertainty, not only about his threatened life but, of course, the very exis…