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Life on the Mississippi

by Mark Twain (1835–1910)

  • Free to read
  • 10 hours to read
  • 64 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"Life on the Mississippi" by Mark Twain is a memoir and travel book published in 1883. It recounts Twain's experiences as a young steamboat pilot's apprentice on the Mississippi River before the Civil War, detailing the art of navigating the ever-changing waters. The second half chronicles his return journey decades later, observing how railroads, growing cities, and time have transformed the river and its culture. Blending personal history with tall tales and social commentary, Twain captures a vanishing era of American river life.

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  • Mississippi River · Description and travel
  • Mississippi River Valley · Social life and customs · 19th century
  • Authors, American · 19th century · Biography
  • Pilots and pilotage · Mississippi River
  • Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 · Travel · Mississippi River

Read the opening

Chapter XXIV: I receive some Information. — Alligator Boats. — Alligator: Talk. — She was a Rattler to go. — I am Found Out

CHAPTER XXV. The Devil's Oven and Table.—A Bombshell falls.—No Whitewash.—Thirty Years on the River.-Mississippi Uniforms.—Accidents and Casualties.—Two hundred Wrecks.—A Loss to Literature.—Sunday- Schools and Brick Masons.

CHAPTER XXVI. War Talk.—I Tilt over Backwards.—Fifteen Shot-holes.—A Plain Story.—Wars and Feuds.—Darnell versus Watson.—A Gang and a Woodpile.—Western Grammar.—River Changes.—New Madrid.—Floods and Falls.

CHAPTER XXVII. Tourists and their Note-books.—Captain Hall.—Mrs. Trollope's Emotions.—Hon. Charles Augustus Murray's Sentiment.—Captain Marryat's Sensations.—Alexander Mackay's Feelings.—Mr. Parkman Reports

CHAPTER XXVIII. Swinging down the River.—Named for Me.—Plum Point again.—Lights and Snag Boats.—Infinite Changes.—A Lawless River.—Changes and Jetties.—Uncle Mumford Testifies.—Pegging the River.—What the Government does.—The Commission.—Men and Theories.—“Had them Bad.”—Jews and Prices.

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Contents

Show all 64 chapters
  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter XXIV: I receive some Information. — Alligator Boats. — Alligator: Talk. — She was a Rattler to go. — I am Found Out
  3. Chapter XXXVII: A Terrible Disaster. — The “Gold Dust” explodes her: Boilers. — The End of a Good Man
  4. Chapter 1
  5. Chapter 2
  6. Chapter 3
  7. Chapter 4
  8. Chapter 5
  9. Chapter 6
  10. Chapter 7
  11. Chapter 8
  12. Chapter 9
  13. Chapter 10
  14. Chapter 11
  15. Chapter 12
  16. Chapter 13
  17. Chapter 14
  18. Chapter 15
  19. Chapter 16
  20. Chapter 17
  21. Chapter 18
  22. Chapter 19
  23. Chapter 20
  24. Chapter 21
  25. Chapter 22
  26. Chapter 23
  27. Chapter 24
  28. Chapter 25
  29. Chapter 26
  30. Chapter 27
  31. Chapter 28
  32. Chapter 29
  33. Chapter 30
  34. Chapter 31
  35. Chapter 32
  36. Chapter 33
  37. Chapter 34
  38. Chapter 35
  39. Chapter 36
  40. Chapter 37: The End of the 'Gold Dust'
  41. Chapter 38
  42. Chapter 39
  43. Chapter 40
  44. Chapter 41
  45. Chapter 42
  46. Chapter 43
  47. Chapter 44
  48. Chapter 45
  49. Chapter 46
  50. Chapter 47
  51. Chapter 48
  52. Chapter 49
  53. Chapter 50: The 'Original Jacobs'
  54. Chapter 51
  55. Chapter 52
  56. Chapter 53
  57. Chapter 54
  58. Chapter 55
  59. Chapter 56
  60. Chapter 57
  61. Chapter 58
  62. Chapter 59
  63. Chapter 60
  64. Appendix

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About this edition

This free edition of Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #245, released 2004-07-10. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Biographies, Travel Writing, American Literature, History - American.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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