{"product_id":"life-on-the-mississippi-mark-twain-9781484004586","title":"Life on the Mississippi","description":"This book--at times disjointed, rambling, self-referential, and irreverent--is decades ahead of its time. It's an interdisciplinarian's dream as Twain takes on economics, geography, politics, ancient and contemporary history, and folklore with equal ease. Mostly though, one appreciates his knack for exaggeration, the tall tale, and the outright lie. It's a triumph of tone, as he lets you in on his wild wit, his keen observation, and his penchant for bending the truth without losing his credibility as a guide. The book's structure is also modern: He recounts his days as a paddlewheel steam boat \"cub,\" piloting the hundreds of miles of the Mississippi before the Civil War, then, in Part 2, returns to retrace his paddleboat route. Although a few of his many digressions don't work (they sometimes sound formulaic or too detailed) most of the narrative is extremely entertaining. Twain seems caught between admiration and disdain for the \"modern\" age-but he also rejects over-sentimentality over the past. He writes with beauty and cynicism, verve and humor. Highly recommended!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mark Twain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1484004582\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781484004586\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Createspace Independent Publishing Platform\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 398\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.56lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.69h x 7.44w x 0.82d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAccelerated Reader:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/b\u003e 24\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/b\u003e Upper Grade\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eQuiz #\/Name: \u003c\/b\u003e10039 \/ Life on the Mississippi\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Mark Twain","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47202912338175,"sku":"9781484004586","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_9a603d39-56a3-4f65-b3a4-d1d880c399d4.jpg?v=1756833771","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/life-on-the-mississippi-mark-twain-9781484004586","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}