Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii

“I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I had a jolly time. I would not have fooled away any of it writing letters under any consideration whatever.” –Mark Twain

So Samuel Langhorne Clemens made his excuse for late copy to the Sacramento Union, the newspaper that was underwriting his 1866 trip. If the young reporter's excuse makes perfect sense to you, join the thousands of Island lovers who have delighted in Twain's efforts when he finally did put pen to paper.

• Mark Twain, Author

• A. Grove Day, Editor

  A. Grove Day was a leading authority on the literature of the Pacific.

• Provides a fresh, funny portrait of Mark Twain as a young man.
  —Time
• An amalgam of workaday journalism, whimsy, shrewd and poetic observation, accurate commercial prophecy, character assassination, and tongue-in-cheek tall tales.
  —Times Literary Supplement
• The unmistakable touch of his comic genius can be seen, that sly alternation of hyperbole an deadpan understatement in a blend that can only be Twain.
  —Wall Street Journal
• Twain’s powers of observation and description are unsurpassed and we get a vivid picture of the life and scenery of these lovely islands. Fascinating descriptions of old Hawaiian customs, a funeral in the Royal Family, a session of the Legislature, the contribution of the missionaries, and the character of the native Hawaiian leadership make this book difficult to put down.
  —Saturday Review