The Devil's Race-Track - by Mark Twain (Paperback)

About the Book

Mark Twain's later writings, which delve into the darker side of life.

Book Synopsis

Mark Twain explores the darker side of life in these lesser-known later writings dealing with personal tragedies, nightmarish world events, and a doubtful cosmic order. He views his own situation as that of a ship trapped in a fearsome Bermuda Triangle-like region, the Devil's Race-Track. He sees history as a treadmill of endlessly and monotonously repeated events. And he conceives of a universal food chain, a vast round of devourers who in their turn become victims, humankind and God included. The tone of these writings is lightened considerably by Mark Twain's sagely ironic humor and his warmth, which together balance his tough-mindedness. And even when he shows the human race caught in some vicious circle, he may be seen courageously seeking a way out and at times believing he has found it.

From the Back Cover

Mark Twain explores the darker side of life in these little-known later writings. A number of stories and fragments dealing with his own misfortunes represent successive stages of work on a story of a disastrous sea voyage that he felt compelled to produce.

Review Quotes

"[The admiral] was eighty years old.... He had very decided opinions upon most matters, and he had architected them himself. Sometimes they were not sound, but what they lacked in soundness they generally made up in originality."

About the Author

John S.Tuckey was Professor of English at Purdue University. He was the author of Mark Twain and Little Satan as well as other studies on the writings of Mark Twain.