{"product_id":"what-is-man-mark-twain-9780486835969","title":"What Is Man?: And Other Essays","description":"These acerbic, poignant, and thought-provoking essays concern mankind, its relationship with God, and how the mind works. Twain himself considered them dark and cynical, delaying their publication for many years before finally releasing them as an anonymous, limited-edition collection. \u003cbr\u003e The title essay constitutes a deeply felt blow against religious hypocrisy, written in the form of a Socratic dialogue between a young idealist and an elderly, world-weary professor. The pair debate such issues as whether man is essentially a machine or has free will, whether personal merit is meaningless, and whether people have any impulse other than the pursuit of pleasure or the avoidance of pain. Other featured essays include \"The Turning Point of My Life,\" \"As Concerns Interpreting the Deity,\" \"Is Shakespeare Dead?\", and more, covering a wide range of Twain's interests. In several places in the text, Twain's own handwritten drawings are included. With its focus on the more sardonic side to the author's humor, \u003ci\u003eWhat Is Man?\u003c\/i\u003e merits a place on everyone's Mark Twain reading list.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mark Twain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0486835960\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780486835969\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Dover Publications\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/18\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.45lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 4.90w x 0.90d","brand":"Mark Twain","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43994861306111,"sku":"9780486835969","price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_73d6dd90-88dd-42cd-a1b8-6065fb5318f3.jpg?v=1683332599","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/what-is-man-mark-twain-9780486835969","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}