Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 by Mark TwainMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Very good. As the introduction notes, Twain had 2 goals with his autobiography - to not follow the standard historical timeline but rather to wander from event to event and, for it to be published years after his death so he could be as honest as possible. However, he had fits and starts on the autobiography and he never really finished it. The Mark Twain foundation lays out what seems the most logical structure of the autobiography and makes the case that Twain's 1906 efforts (which were dictated) constitute the bulk of what Twain intended to be the autobiography. It actually isn't until just under half of the way through this volume that these 1906 dictations start. Prior to this, some selections of Twain's prior (written) efforts are presented. Volume 1 does not actually finish the 1906 dictations (there are 2 other volumes) but, combined with the first part of this volume, the reader has a good sketch of Mark Twain's life.
My copy is the audible audiobook (unabridged) so I will just note that this is a really entertaining way to enjoy this volume. The narrator was excellent.
I listened to all 3 volumes, so I am only going to post a review here on the first. Overall, excellent as you would expect given the author. But, word of caution - it takes about 1/3 of the first volume to get going. Twain wrote his autobiography in fits and starts and the editors choose to start volume one with a portion he wrote as kind of a stand alone. Once you get past that, most of the material was written on a consistent basis, so the flow is much better. Recommend
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