Better Known as Mark Twain
This remarkable man went to a log-cabin school until he was twelve years old. That was the end of his formal education. In spite of this, he became the most famous literary figure of his generation. He received honorary degrees from Oxford University and Yale University. People speak of him as the best known humorous writer of all times. He also brought realism and western local color to American fiction. He made millions of dollars by writing articles, short stories, and books. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain.
Mark Twain was born in a small Missouri village near the Mississippi River in 1835. At that time, Andrew Jackson was the president of the country. Abraham Lincoln was still a young farm laborer in Illinois. The first railroad had been built seven years before. The Industrial Revolution was at hand. The economic collapse of American prosperity, called the Panic of 1837, still lay ahead. This was also the literary period later called the "New England Renaissance".
Mark Twain was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to lire through the first winter. But with his mother's tender care, he managed to survive. He had been born in a tiny two-room cabin. Eight people lived together there. He had four brothers and sisters. A slave girl lived with them too.
As a boy, Mark Twain caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play practical jokes on all his 'friends and neighbors. The nature of his jokes often led to violence. He hated to go to school, and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He was fascinated by that mighty river. He liked to sit on the bank of the river for hours at a time and just gaze at the mysterious islands and passing boats and rafts. He was nearly drowned nine different times. He learned many things about the river during those days. He learned all about its history and the unusual people who rode up and down it. He never forgot those scenes and those people. He later made them part of' the history of America in his books Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain inherited his genius for humor from his mother. Obviously, he did not inherit it from his father. He once stated that he had never seen a smile on his father's face. On the other hand, his mother had the rare ability to say humorous things with perfect innocence. This same ability made Mark Twain all extremely humorous public speaker.
After his father's death in 1847, Mark Twain left school and became a printer's apprentice. His mother felt that he could make a living and get some education in this way. He worked for the printer as an apprentice for two years. During that time he received only his board and clothes as pay.
By 1853, Mark Twain was tired of Missouri. He got an urge to see the world and started out with empty pockets. He worked as a printer in St. Louis, New York, and Philadelphia. Then, as a result of reading a book, he decided to go to the upper part of the Amazon River. He planned to make a fortune by collecting and selling cocoa. His only problem was money for the trip. That problem was solved in an un usual way. He found a fifty dollar bill on the sidewalk and left for Brazil the next day. He got as far as the Mississippi River and then ran out of money.
Next Mark Twain decided to become a river-boat pilot on the Mississippi. He followed his new profession for fifteen months. He memorized all the turns, shallow spots, and dangerous rocks in the 1200 miles from St. Louis to New Orleans. He learned about the pride and responsibilities of the pilots. He became an excellent pilot. However, his life as a pilot came to a sudden end. The river was closed to navigation at the outbreak of the Civil War. Then he joined the Confederate Army, but shortly

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