Book Description

Definitely classic Twain in his prime with loads of humor like this passage from title story: "All night long eighteen principle citizens did what their caste-brother Richards was doing at the same time-they put in their energies trying to remember what notable service it was that they had unconsciously done Barclay Goodson. And while they were at this work ... their wives put in the night spending the money, which was easy." Beyond the humor tho, there is great insight as is in this passage: "A sin takes on new and real terrors when there seems a chance that is going to be found out." Book includes several other shorts including - My First Lie; The Esquimax Maiden's Romance; Is He Living or is He Dead? At the Appetite-Cure; My Boyhood Dreams and other rarities. The major story in the book is the novella length title tale about the corruption of an "incorruptible" town, which Twain suggested be read as a Garden of Eden type tale. -- Don Kidwell at Amazon.com et al.