Mark Twain’s Recommended Book List For Youth Comes To Light Over 100 Years Later

I think we can all agree that Mark Twain will always be remembered by history as one of the greatest American authors who ever put pen to paper. Real name Samuel Clemens, he changed his name to the pen name of Mark Twain before he became famous. It was said that he feared rejection of his work early on, and he knew many used a pen name to avoid personal attack.

Mark Twain’s style of writing was unique for the time, and still to this day the way he used words and formatted his language is like none other. His satire as well as serious nature were so brilliant that very few could compare, and have yet to do even today. After several successful books and stories he managed to gain a lot of respect from several people.

Finally his real name came to light after a number of years, he never really kept it from friends that he was the mysterious Mark Twain however. Due to his respect, questions were asked of him consistently. In 1887, he was asked a heavy question by Charles D. Crane who happened to be the pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Maine.

Crane asked Twain to give him his 12 favorite books for a young boy or girl to read. Of course, this was a different time, the late 1800s. There was no television, internet, or cell phone. Even radio had not come around.Sports such as baseball were just now getting to be well known as well. So really, books were where it was at.

Naturally Twain wanted to give the pastor good books to have the young people read over.

Mark Twain seemed to be in a rush when he gave the book list to Crane, and he also thought it was very difficult to give 12 books only. I’m sure he could think of more.

He accomplished the request, but seemed to poke fun at the idea comparing the idea of picking just a few book to marriage, saying:

“There is an awfulness about the responsibility that makes marriage with one mere individual & divorcible woman a sacrament sodden with levity by comparison.”

Twain did managed to pick the books asked of him, and he didn’t do such a bad job. Some of the most popular and memorable books of all time made the list. Here is the full letter, as written by Mark Twain himself:

Hartford, Jan. 20/87.

Dear Sir:

I am just starting away from home, & have no time to think the questions over & properly consider my answers; but I take a shot on the wing at the matter, as follows:

=1.Macaulay;
Plutarch;
Grant’s Memoirs;
Crusoe;
Arabian Nights;
Gulliver.

= 2. The same for the girl, after striking out Crusoe & substituting Tennyson.

I can’t answer No. 3 in this sudden way. When one is going to choose twelve authors, for better for worse, forsaking fathers & mothers to cling unto them & unto them alone, until death shall them part, there is an awfulness about the responsibility that makes marriage with one mere individual & divorcible woman a sacrament sodden with levity by comparison.

In my list I know I should put Shakspeare ; & Browning; & Carlyle (French Revolution only); Sir Thomas Malory (King Aurthur); Parkman’s Histories (a hundred of them if there were so many); Arabian Nights; Johnson (Boswell’s), because I like to see that complacent old gasometer listen to himself talk; Jowett’s Plato; & “B.B.” (a book which I wrote some years ago, not for publication but just for my own private reading.)

I should be sure of these; & I could add the other three – but I should want to hold the opportunity open a few years, so as to make no mistake.

Truly Yours

S.L. CLEMENS

It was nice of “the father of American literature”, Mark Twain to even explain some of his choices, and he was so open to the idea of helping even in a rush. Mark Twain will always be remembered as a great author, but he was a good person as well. This according to all who knew him, so I take their word for it. Do you agree with Mark Twain’s list or would you add others, maybe even take some away?