Mark Twain On Stage

The fattest book on my shelf of MT books is Mark Twain Speaking, Paul Fatout's edition of his collected lectures and dinner speeches. In his time, "Mark Twain" stood for a stand-up performer as much as for an author. Between 1867 and 1909 he appeared before hundreds of audiences, and perhaps over a million people, in lyceum halls and banquet rooms, in small American towns and big cities, in London and the outposts of the British Empire. His live performances not only played a major role in shaping the world's perception of him; performing a self is one of the central preoccupations of his written work, especially the fiction.

1885 ILLUSTRATION



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