9781512601510
9781512602739
Distributed for University Press of New England
Twain at Sea
The Maritime Writings of Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Samuel Clemens (1835–1910) repeatedly traversed the ocean during his globetrotting life. A keen observer, the man who recast himself as Mark Twain was fascinated by seafaring. This book compiles selections ranging from his first voyage in 1866—San Francisco to Hawaii—to his circumnavigation of the world by steamship 1897. Despite his background as a “brown water” mariner, Twain was out of his element on the ocean. His writings about being at sea (as well as feeling at sea) reflect both a growing familiarity with voyaging and an enduring sense of amazement. Twain’s shipboard observations capture his interest and amusement in the “blue water” mariners he encountered, with their salty subculture and individual quirks. Twain at Sea collects the author’s essays and travelogues on the maritime world in one volume, including excerpts from Roughing It, The Innocents Abroad, A Tramp Abroad, Following the Equator, and other sources.
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Table of Contents
Series Editor’s Preface • A Note on the Text • Acknowledgments • Map of Twain’s Voyages • Introduction: The Salty Samuel C. • LIFE ON BROWN WATER • “The Boys’ Ambition”: From Life on the Mississippi, Chapter 4 • “I Want to Be a Cub-Pilot”: From Life on the Mississippi, Chapter 5 • “Sounding”: From Life on the Mississippi, Chapter 12 • “A Catastrophe”: From Life on the Mississippi, Chapter 20 • HAWAIIAN PASSAGES • “The Old Admiral”: From Roughing It, Chapter 62 • From Mark Twain’s Notebook • From Roughing It, Chapter 69 • From Roughing It, Chapter 73 • PACIFIC PERILS: THE WRECK OF THE CLIPPER SHIP HORNET • “Forty-Three Days in an Open Boat: Compiled from Personal Diaries”: From Harper’s New Monthly Magazine • FROM HAWAII TO NEW YORK • From Roughing It, Chapter 78 • From Mark Twain’s Notebook • From the Alta California Letters • THE INNOCENTS AFLOAT • The Voyage Out: From The Innocents Abroad, Chapters 2–5, 7 • The Mediterranean: From The Innocents Abroad, Chapters 10, 32, 57, 59 • Returning, Remembering: From The Innocents Abroad, Chapter 60 and Conclusion • BACK TO CALIFORNIA, AND BACK • “The Proper Time to Sail”: From the Alta California Letters • “The Aged Pilot Man”: From Roughing It, Chapter 51 • VOYAGES TO EUROPE ON PASSENGER LINERS • Letter from RMS Scotia • From Mark Twain’s Journals • Letter from SS Batavia • Letters to Captain Mouland • Letter to the New York Tribune • Letter from SS Batavia • Letters from the City of Chester • ESCAPES AND EXCURSIONS • “The Young Pirates”: From The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Chapter 8 • “The Duke of Bilgewater and the Dauphin King Looey”: From The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 20 • From “Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion” • “I Spare an Awful Bore”: From A Tramp Abroad, Chapter 27 • From Mark Twain’s Notebook • ABOUT ALL KINDS OF SHIPS • From Mark Twain’s Notebook • “About All Kinds of Ships”: From The Million-Pound Bank Note • From Mark Twain’s Notebook • From The American Claimant, Chapter 17 • EQUATORIAL CIRCUMNAVIGATION • To Australia: From Following the Equator, Chapters 1–5, 7–9 • “To New Zealand: From Following the Equator, Chapters 31, 34, 36 • The Indian Ocean: From Following the Equator, Chapters 37, 38, 62 • Completing the Circle: From Following the Equator, Chapter 64 and Conclusion • MARK TWAIN’S ICONIC SEA CAPTAIN • From the Alta California Letters • From Roughing It, Chapter 50, and the Autobiography of Mark Twain • From “Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion” • From Roughing It, Chapter 77 • From The American Claimant, Chapter 16 • From “The Refuge of the Derelicts” • From Extract from Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven • From the Autobiography of Mark Twain • LAST VOYAGES OF A HALF-CENTURY AT SEA • From Mark Twain’s Notebook • From the Autobiography of Mark Twain • AFTERWORD: THE DARK WILDERNESS OF THE SEA—AND OF LIFE • From “The Enchanted Sea-Wilderness” • From “An Adventure in Remote Seas” • From “The Great Dark” • Appendix A: Mark Twain’s Maritime Maxims and Metaphors • Appendix B: Mark Twain’s Ships • Notes • Bibliography