I wasn't looking for another Mark Twain when I wandered round Powell's book store the other day. But I was browsing the sales table and was surprised to spot a very slender volume bearing his name -- the War Prayer. The fact that it was slender attracted me as much as the price -- a short classic? Then I opened the book and found that, true to its size, it's really just a short story, or story poem, published after his death because Mark Twain said "I have told the whole truth...and only dead men can tell the truth in this world..." And it's about a church service held to pray for young men about to go to war.

I guess Mark Twain never saw the illustrations by John Groth. They complement the tale perfectly; I think he would be pleased. The white space on the sparsely written pages leaves time for the reader to think; one page contains only one word, "Listen!" and issues its challenge. Then on the final written page, just before the last, most devastating illustration, "the man" is called insane. I stood there in the store, wondering which man, or all of us.

Yes. I read the whole book in the store. And then I wondered if I should buy it or leave it for someone else. But there were several copies, so I purchased one to bring home. Maybe my sons will pick it up, or visitors.

Apparently when Dan Beard heard Samuel Clemens read the tale, he asked if he was going to publish it. "No," said Clemens. "It can be published after I'm dead." I'm glad it's been republished. I'm glad it's in print. And I'm sad that it's still so very relevant.

If you find a copy, open it, read it, and see if you can say who's insane by the time you reach the end.

"It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way."

So begins The War Prayer, a striking and eloquent short story which, due to the popular sentiments of the time, Twain ultimately chose not to publish at the request of his publisher, friends and family. Given the nature, and universal weaknesses, of man, the work is, in fact, timeless.

This short book should be required reading for all politicians. While there may be valid reasons for starting a war, the unintended consequences are not always considered, including the impact on families and the innocent. We should all temper our patriotism with a little dose of reality.

Twain's _War Prayer_ is a classic piece of anti-war literature. Written during the Spanish-American war, the sentiments Twain expresses are still relevent today. As a combat vet, I always struggle with those who invoke the name of religion, morality or righteousness with war. War is obscene - Twain's vivid poem illustrates what that is. The power of Twain's words are supported by the drawings of John Groth, which fit the tone and time of the story.

As a previous reviewer has noted, the printing quality of the book leaves something to be desired; with that said, I strongly recommend this powerful piece.

No other book has ever hit me this hard with its message in so few pages like Twain's The War Prayer. In our troubled world today, this book should be read by everyone. The book portrays the unspoken side of a war prayer, the consequences of victory and conquest. This dark tale of Twain is bound well into a small book that is accompanied by illustrations. The drawings here (just look at the cover page) are eloquent as they are haunting and accompany the grimness of Twain's piece absolutely beautifully. A buy you will never forget. After you read it, buy a few more copies, and give this to family and friends. To ignore such a book with a powerful message, bound in a beautiful edition with illustrations as melancholy as the story itself, would be a sin.