Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the novelist, humorist, journalist, and orator who came to be known as Mark Twain was renowned for his wit, wisdom, and keen social commentary. He remains not only one of the most quoted and widely read American authors, and his life and work continue to generate biographical and critical interest today. This new volume in the "Bloom's Classic Critical Views" series presents historical essays from the 19th and early 20th century about this American novelist.