Book
Mark Twain's Speeches
The opening of this work features an introduction by W. D. Howells, who reflects on Twain's unique oratory style, emphasizing the effectiveness of his words when spoken aloud compared to written form.
"Mark Twain's Speeches" by Mark Twain is a collection of oratory works. The opening of this work features an introduction by W. D. Howells, who reflects on Twain's unique oratory style, emphasizing the effectiveness of his words when spoken aloud compared to written form.
What you get
- The book as EPUB, PDF, delivered to your library after payment.
- Bought on its own: yours to keep.
Read a passage
This is an occasion peculiarly meet for the digging up of pleasant reminiscences concerning literary folk; therefore I will drop lightly into history myself. Standing here on the shore of the Atlantic and contemplating certain of its largest literary billows, I am reminded of a thing which happened to me thirteen years ago, when I had just succeeded in stirring up a little Nevadian literary puddle myself, whose spume-flakes were beginning to blow thinly Californiaward. I started an inspection tramp through the southern mines of California. I was callow and conceited, and I resolved to try the virtue of my ‘nom de guerre’.
I very soon had an opportunity. I knocked at a miner’s lonely log cabin in the foot-hills of the Sierras just at nightfall. It was snowing at the time. A jaded, melancholy man of fifty, barefooted, opened the door to me. When he heard my ‘nom de guerre’ he looked more dejected than before. He let me in—pretty reluctantly, I thought—and after the customary bacon and beans, black coffee and hot whiskey, I took a pipe. This sorrowful man had not said three words up to this time. Now he spoke up and said, in the voice of one who is secretly suffering, “You’re the fourth—I’m going to move.” “The fourth what?” said I. “The fourth littery man that has been here in twenty-four hours—I’m going to move.” “You don’t tell me!” said I; “who were the others?” “Mr. Longfellow, Mr. Emerson, and Mr. Oliver Wendell Holmes—consound the lot!”
Contents
- 01Introduction
- 02Preface
- 03From the Preface to the English Edition of “Mark Twain’s Sketches”
- 04The Story of a Speech
- 05Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims
- 06Compliments and Degrees
- 07Books, Authors, and Hats
- 08Dedication Speech
- 09Die Schrecken Der Deutschen Sprache [the Horrors of the German Language]
- 10German for the Hungarians
- 11A New German Word
- 12Unconscious Plagiarism
- 13The Weather
- 14The Babies
- 15The Babies
- 16Our Children and Great Discoveries
- 17Educating Theatre-Goers
- 18The Educational Theatre
- 19Poets as Policemen
- 20Pudd’nhead Wilson Dramatized
- 21Daly Theatre
- 22The Dress of Civilized Woman
- 23Dress Reform and Copyright
- 24College Girls
- 25Girls
- 26The Ladies
- 27Woman’s Press Club
- 28Votes for Women
- 29Woman-An Opinion
- 30Advice to Girls
- 31Taxes and Morals
- 32Address Delivered in New York, January 22, 1906
- 33Tammany and Croker
- 34Municipal Corruption
- 35Municipal Government
- 36China and the Philippines
- 37Theoretical Morals
- 38Layman’s Sermon
- 39University Settlement Society
- 40Public Education Association
- 41Education and Citizenship
- 42Courage
- 43The Dinner to Mr. Choate
- 44On Stanley and Livingstone
- 45Henry M. Stanley
- 46Dinner to Mr. Jerome
- 47Henry Irving
- 48Dinner to Hamilton W. Mabie
- 49Introducing Nye and Riley
- 50Dinner to Whitelaw Reid
- 51Rogers and Railroads
- 52The Old-Fashioned Printer
- 53Society of American Authors
- 54Reading-Room Opening
- 55Literature
- 56Disappearance of Literature
- 57The New York Press Club Dinner
- 58The Alphabet and Simplified Spelling
- 59Spelling and Pictures
- 60Books and Burglars
About this edition
- Author
- Mark Twain
- Era
- Modern (c. 1800–1945)
- Reading level
- Intermediate: some philosophy helps
- Formats
- EPUB, PDF
- Length
- 198 pages
- This edition
- Modern Philosophers