Mark Twain's Helpful Hints for Good Living: A Handbook for the Damned Human Race

Quite amusing. Most of the essays and stories are on the humorous side and are excellent.

His short essay about how he became a an activist for the humane treatment of animals touched me deeply. Most kids who grow up in the country have similar stories; we do something cruel and it dawns on us that we have no right to do that to another living being.

I'm not sure if city or suburban kids have that experience.

Like most anthologies, this one suffers from the editor, but not as badly as most. Sometimes people have odd ideas of what is the best writing of an individual, and in this case, most of the writing is good, though certainly much of it is not vintage Twain, and some of it is just meh. Most of this was unpublished in his life time, and much of it unpublished since. When will editors learn that most of what is unpublished of a prominent author may simply not be what people want to read? That said, most of this consisted of excerpts from published works, and while not always his best work, it was nearly always entertaining and amusing, especially when the advice he gives is tongue-in-cheek and not meant to be followed. A quick, satisfying show more read, though not always Twain's best. show less

Mark Twain is just so clever that I found myself laughing out loud at almost every item in this anthology. I love the way he surprises me, going from mild comments about normal life to pure hilarity or satire.

Because this is a cross-section of Twain's writings that I haven't read before (his letters, newspaper articles, memoirs and travelogues, it was even more fun for me.

The audible started a little blah during the introduction, but once the writing was in Twain's voice, it was fine.

It has what we've come to expect from Mark Twain's writing - humor, wry observations about humanity - but also more practical issue from the author's life. Most of the tidbits are interesting - for example, who knew there were electric burglar alarms in the 19th century? - but a few of them don't seem to add anything to the overall collection. Twain's observations about parenting are perhaps the most interesting. Seems like he must've been a great father.

LOL funny. I recognized several gems from the autobiography. But unlike the Autobiography[, this compilation is just too short and ends too soon.

Some humorous and witting bits, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Assorted stories and clips from Twain's writings about dealing with life.