Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 2 (1867-1875)

This volume captures Mark Twain in the years he transformed from regional humorist to national sensation. Spanning 1867 to 1875, these letters document the making of America's most beloved writer: the exhausting lecture tours that nearly broke him, the publication of "The Innocents Abroad" that made his name, and his courtship and marriage to Olivia Langdon. We see Twain negotiating with publishers, mocking fellow journalists, and pouring his real anxieties onto the page far from the public eye. The correspondence reveals the man behind the humor , sometimes petty, often anxious, occasionally cruel, but always electrifyingly alive. These are not the polished essays but the raw, unfiltered thoughts of someone learning to be famous. For anyone who has ever laughed at Twain, these letters explain how he became that way.