Mark Twain's 1884 by John Bird

Mark Twain's 1884 by John Bird

Many biographies of Mark Twain cover his entire life, while others focus on specific periods, especially his later years. In this innovative new work, John Bird takes an entirely different approach. Mark Twain’s 1884: A Pivotal Year in the Life is a “micro-biography” that homes in on a single—and pivotal—year. 

In 1884, Twain stood at the height of his powers as a writer and enjoyed one of the happiest years in his domestic family life. During the course of the year he was readying his greatest work, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for publication, which occurred in England near the end of the year; he was launching his own publishing house, Charles L. Webster and Company, after becoming disillusioned with his previous publishers; and he publicly embroiled himself in presidential politics in a way that presaged his later involvement with American and international politics. Finally, Twain’s 1884 ended with a great deal more public exposure thanks to an extensive multi-city lecture tour he undertook with George Washington Cable, as well as the beginnings of his ultimately successful attempt to secure publishing rights for Ulysses S. Grant’s memoirs.

The level of detail provided by a day-to-day narrative gives the reader a chance to imaginatively live that year in Twain’s life: his work, his family life, his correspondence, his business dealings, his travels, his recreational pursuits, and his political involvement. Bird enlarges upon a great many moments in and aspects of Twain’s life that other biographies barely touch on or ignore completely. 

In this new approach to biography, Bird gives readers a broader appreciation not only of Mark Twain the author but of Mark Twain the husband, father, uncle, and friend, and national celebrity and persona.
 

John Bird is Emeritus Professor of English at Winthrop University. He is the author of Mark Twain and Metaphor, editor of Mark Twain in Context, and co-editor with Judith Yaross Lee of Seeing Mad: Essays on Mad Magazine’s Humor and Legacy. He is also a past president of the Mark Twain Circle of America and the American Humor Studies Association. 

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780826223579
ISBN 10	0826223575
Title	Mark Twain's 1884
Author	John Bird
Series	Mark Twain And His Circle
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	University of Missouri Press
Year published	2026-06-22
Number of pages	436
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.