Letters from the Earth / 0-06-092105-6

Whatever else may be said about Twain, it cannot be denied that the man had a biting satirical sense of the foolish and he displays his wit most superbly in this posthumous collection of his musings.

The religious commentary here is biting and is worthy of a place next to Russell. Twain alternately employs his cutting wit to the foolishness of certain beliefs (most men desire sex to the point of risking heaven to achieve it, yet they imagine a heaven - the most wonderful place possible - as a place with no sex; most men prefer never to sing and never ever to sing in public, yet they imagine a heaven of ceaseless, eternal singing; etc.) and his scathing moral outrage to other points of conflict in the Old Testament (Twain particularly cuts on the passages encouraging genocide, rape, and particularly violent rape).

This collection isn't just limited to religious commentary - one of the best bits involve a Manners Manual detailing the 'proper' way to rescue people from a burning building, including the appropriate order to help rescue them (Mother-in-laws are last on the list). If you ever needed to know the 'appropriate' manner in which to propose to a beautiful young lady whilst rescuing her from a fiery conflagration, Twain is here to help!

Bought this upon the recomendation of Robin Williams in Rolling Stone, and was not disappointed. It's been a while since I read Finn and Sawyer, etc., but this was a wonderful, adult eye-opener of wit and narrative style. Twain truly was a brilliant man, and his every day genious comes through here in commentary on American life and religion as pointed as any of the current/respected commentators. Reminded me a bit of C.S. Lewis. Excellent and enjoyable read.

I was disappointed when I received the book. Bernard Devos edited a collection of MT's late writings entitled _Letters from the Earth_, and that's what I expected. What I received was just those essays comprising "Letters from the Earth" that comprised a small part of the book. It did not include "Etiquette at a Funeral", "The Awful German Language", "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses", "On Repentance", and a number of other superb essays and stories.

The book was published posthumously, and you immediately understand why by reading the first part, about Satan on holiday on earth, writing letters with his impressions of the place back to his pals in heaven. As with most collections, this one is a bit uneven, with several parts you may want to skip, or that have lost their appeal because of the different time we live in. Nonetheless, many of these pages represent Twain at its most ironic, penetrating, witty self.

I have a had an old paperback copy of this for 20 years now, so this copy is just a "newer version". I fell in love with MT as a result of this work that I originally read in 1984, and have not taken religion, or anything about it seriously since! It doesn't get any better then this!