''Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance'' is an 1871 book by American author
Mark Twain. Published by Sheldon & Co. in 1871, the book consists of two short stories: "A Burlesque Autobiography", which first appeared in Twain's ''Memoranda'' contributions to ''
The Galaxy'', and "First Romance", which originally appeared in ''The Express'' in 1870.
The book bears no relationship to Twain's actual life. The two short stories present fictional characters who are supposedly part of Twain's lineage. In the final passage, Twain develops the story to a point of crisis, and then abruptly ends the tale, saying:
With that, Twain's ''Autobiography'' ends.
The illustrations form an interesting aspect of this book. They have no relationship to the text of the book. Rather, they use cartoons illustrating the children's poem ''The House that Jack Built'' to lampoon the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...
Ring (the house) and its participants,
Jay Gould
Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made him ...
,
John T. Hoffman, and
Jim Fisk.
The book was not one of Twain's personal favorites. Two years after publication, he bought all of the printing plates of the book and destroyed them.
References
External links
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Short story collections by Mark Twain
1871 short story collections
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