"THE BIBLE ACCORDING TO MARK TWAIN: Writings on Heaven, Eden, and the Flood"

by Mark Twain ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 20, 1995

From Twain scholars Baetzhold (Butler Univ.) and McCullough (Elmira College Center): an omnibus of Twain's skeptical writings, mostly fiction, about the Bible, Darwin, and evolution, along with similar 19th-century nailbiters questioning American Christianity. While many pieces here are new to print, others been seen before but scattered about. The present collection -- spanning four decades (1871-1910) -- is both a genuine service to Twain lovers and one showing Twain at his most charming and witty. Refreshened here is the first version of ""Adam's Diary,"" which now has a unity that much outshines the more commonly reprinted version set at Niagara Falls (cuts from that one are stored in the appendix). While the companion pieces ""Eve's Diary"" and ""Eve's Autobiography"" show Twain at his tenderest, many entries spring from tragedies in his own life. One must remember when reading Twain's mischief just how fresh and ""unprintable"" this material once was, something like The Satanic Verses of its day.

Pub Date: June 20, 1995

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 408

Publisher: Univ. of Georgia

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1995

Categories: FICTION