Post date: Nov 16, 2010 9:45:14 PM
The long-awaited autobiography of legendary American author Mark Twain goes on sale 100 years after his death - just as he planned it.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 16, 2010) REUTERS - One of America's most legendary authors, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen-name "Mark Twain," has a new book out - 100 years after his death. The "Autobiography of Mark Twain" hit book stores Monday (November 15), and it's already landed on the New York Times Bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction.
The 743-page tome is the first of three installments of the only complete autobiography by the author of classics such as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," and "Huckleberry Finn".
Before Twain died, he directed that the autobiography not be released for a century after his passing. In the book, he shares strong opinions on religion, war, and politics.
Harriet Elinor Smith, of the University of California Press, edited the book. She says that Twain intentionally delayed the book's release so that those he criticized would not feel the sting, nor would he or his family have to cope with any reaction.
"He specifically instructed that the autobiography not be published for a hundred years after his death. Some portions, in fact, he wanted withheld for 500 years. That way, he knew he could speak his whole, frank mind," Smith said.
Editors say the autobiography doesn't follow a chronological track, but jumps across time and various topics.
Editors say Twain worked on his autobiography off and on between 1870-1905. From 1906 to 1909 Twain began almost daily autobiographical dictation.
Expecting broad interest, University of California Press publishing house is producing 300,000 copies in its initial run.