How Mark Twain's 'Autobiography' became a best-seller

The father of American humor has been dead for a century. But, somewhat puzzlingly, his new book is a big hit

Mark Twain memoirs are published after a 100-year wait.
(Image credit: Amazon)

Although its author has long been deceased, the newly released Autobiography of Mark Twain: Vol. 1 has hit the top of best-seller lists, and the publisher can't print new copies fast enough to satisfy the demand. What's making Twain's century-old musings such a runaway success?

Twain's wit is timeless: Mark Twain's satire is as relevant now as it ever was, says Michelle Fitzsimmons at Salon. He is, after all, the father of the sort of biting humor that has "shaped American wit" as well as commentary on American society and politics. "He's a crotchety, cocky, rambling old man telling it like it is" — as one bookseller put it, "if he were alive today, he'd totally be a blogger."

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