tion as one of the finest humorists of his day.
A writer of many non-fiction travelogues, twain was commissioned in 1866 by the Sacramento Union to travel and writer a series of letters about his travels to the Sandwich Islands, now Hawaii. Twain was encouraged by the publisher of the Alta California newspaper, Colonel John McComb, to try to make a name for himself on the lecture circuit. TwainÆs first lecture was an enormous success and he continued to lecture throughout his life to large crowds and critical acclaim.
TwainÆs first book stemmed from Colonel McComb commissioning him to travel to Europe and the Middle East. TwainÆs letters from this journey were published as Innocents Abroad, a humorous account of his travels that undermines the arts and conventions of the Old World. The success of Innocents Abroad made Twain feel economically secure enough to marry Olivia Landon in 1870. The newlyweds moved to Buffalo, New York, before relocating to Hartford, Connecticut. As the couple had four children (Langdon, Susy, Clara and Jean), Twain made his career lecturing in America and abroad.
TwainÆs greatest literary achievements occurred in the first half of the 1880s, during which time he published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, and Huckleberry Finn. Rich humor and biting social satire are characteristic of TwainÆs works. Despite his enormous success with these publications, by the 1890s Twain lost most of his wealth through failed financial speculations and his own failed efforts at established his own publishing company. Twain recovered from economic disaster by mounting a worldwide lecture tour and through the aid of Standard Oil co-founder Henry H. Rogers. Twain continued to lecture, write essays, fiction and non-fiction, such as The Tragedy of PuddÆnÆhead Wilson, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (under the pen name Sieur Louis de Conte), A Connecticu...