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Mark Twain is an American icon. We now know him as the author of classics, but in his day he was a controversial satirist and public figure who traveled the world and healed post-Civil War America with his tall tales, witty anecdotes, and humorous but insightful novels and stories. Twains legacy continues to flourish over 100 years after his death. MARK TWAINS AMERICA features spectacular examples of Twain memorabilia and period Americana from the unsurpassed collections of the Library of Congress rare illustrations, vintage photographs, popular and fine prints, period views, caricatures, cartoons, maps, and more. Excerpts from Twains writings are framed in a lively narrative by author Harry L. Katz. Covering the years between 1850 and 1910, the book gives readers an intimate view of Twains many roles in life Mississippi river boat pilot, California gold prospector, printers devil at a small-town newspaper, muckraking journalist, novelist, public speaker extraordinaire, our first major celebrity author.