Mark Twain's Letters, Volume 3: 1869 (Mark Twain Papers)
As scrupulously edited as the first two volumes of this definitive edition, the 188 letters of the crucial year 1869 depict Twain getting The Innocents Abroad published; buying into, and becoming editor of, The Buffalo Express; and wooing his fiancee Olivia Langdon with happy daily assertions of her spiritual superiority. These spritely letters show Twain trying to gain a firm foothold on Eastern respectability, partly by submitting to Livie's moral injunctions, and to build a respectable bankroll by cashing in on his grueling lecture circuit. A delightful, invaluable, energy-charged addition to Twain scholarship.-Charles C. Nash, Cottey Coll., Nevada, Mo.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.