Life on the Mississippi

work by Twain

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Article History

Life on the Mississippi, memoir of the steamboat era on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War by Mark Twain, published in 1883.

The book begins with a brief history of the river from its discovery by Hernando de Soto in 1541. Chapters 4–22 describe Twain’s career as a Mississippi steamboat pilot, the fulfillment of a childhood dream.

The second half of Life on the Mississippi tells of Twain’s return, many years after, to travel the river from St. Louis to New Orleans. By then the competition from railroads had made steamboats passé, in spite of improvements in navigation and boat construction. Twain observes new, large cities on the river and records his ruminations on greed, gullibility, tragedy, and bad architecture.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.