Mark Twain's book of animals

341 Pages·2011·10.747 MB·English

by  Twain, Mark;Creighton, Sarah;Moser, Barry;Fishkin, Shelley Fisher;Larson, Arthur

Jumping Frogs
undiscovered, rediscovered, and celebrated writings
of mark twain
Named after one of Mark Twain’s best-known and beloved short
stories, the Jumping Frogs series of books brings neglected treasures
from Mark Twain’s pen to readers.
1. Is He Dead? A Comedy in Three Acts, by Mark Twain. Edited with Foreword,
Afterword, and Notes by Shelley Fisher Fishkin. Text Established by the
Mark Twain Project, The Bancroft Library. Illustrations by Barry Moser.
2. Mark Twain’s Helpful Hints for Good Living: A Handbook for the Damned
Human Race, by Mark Twain. Edited by Lin Salamo, Victor Fischer, and
Michael B. Frank of the Mark Twain Project, The Bancroft Library.
3. Mark Twain’s Book of Animals, by Mark Twain. Edited with Introduction,
Afterword, and Notes by Shelley Fisher Fishkin. Texts Established by the
Mark Twain Project, The Bancroft Library. Illustrations by Barry Moser.
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The publisher gratefully acknowledges
the generous support of the Humanities Endowment Fund
of the University of California Press Foundation.
The publisher also gratefully acknowledges
the generous support of Robert and Beverly Middlekauff
as members of the Literati Circle
of the University of California Press Foundation.
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Mark Twain’s Book of Animals
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Mark Twain’s
Book of Animals
Edited with Introduction, Afterword, & Notes
by Shelley Fisher Fishkin
Illustrations by Barry Moser
texts established by the mark twain project,
the bancroft library
University of California Press
Berkeley (cid:129) Los Angeles (cid:129) London
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Mark Twain’s
Book of Animals
Illustrations by Barry Moser
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University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches
lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its
activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals
and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
Mark Twain’s Book of Animals Copyright © 2010 by the Mark Twain Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
Transcription, reconstruction, and emendation of the texts Copyright © 2010 by The Regents of the University
of California. Editorial introduction, afterword, and notes Copyright © 2010 by Shelley Fisher Fishkin.
Illustrations by Barry Moser Copyright © 2010 by Barry Moser.
The Mark Twain Foundation expressly reserves to itself, its successors and assigns, all dramatization rights
in every medium, including without limitation, stage, radio, television, motion picture, and public reading
rights, in and to Mark Twain’s Book of Animals and all texts by Mark Twain under copyright to the Mark Twain
Foundation.
“Ants and the True Religion” from Mark Twain’s Notebook, first published by Harper and Brothers, copyright
© 1935 by the Mark Twain Foundation; “The Sailor and the St. Bernard” from Which Was the Dream? and Other
Symbolic Writings of the Later Years, first published by University of California Press, copyright © 1967 by
the Mark Twain Foundation; “Man’s Place in the Animal World,” “Autobiography of Eve,” “ ‘Was the World
made for Man?’ ” and “Letters from the Earth” from Letters from the Earth, first published by Harper and Row,
copyright © 1962 by the Mark Twain Foundation; “The Victims,” “Flies and Russians,” and “Little Bessie Would
Assist Providence” from Fables of Man, first published by University of California Press, copyright © 1972 by
the Mark Twain Foundation; “The President Hunts a Cow” from Mark Twain in Eruption, first published by
Harper and Brothers, copyright © 1940 by the Mark Twain Foundation; “Letters from a Dog to Another Dog
Explaining and Accounting for Man,” “Rosa and the Crows,” “Assassin,” “The Jungle Discusses Man,” “The
Supremacy of the House Fly,” “Man and the Other Animals,” and “The Time I Got an Elephant for Christmas”
from Microfilm Edition of Mark Twain’s Literary Manuscripts Available in the Mark Twain Papers, The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley, copyright © 2001 by the Mark Twain Foundation.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Twain, Mark, 1835–1910.

Mark Twain’s book of animals / by Mark Twain ; edited with introduction, afterword, and notes by Shelley
Fisher Fishkin ; texts established by The Mark Twain Project, The Bancroft Library ; illustrations by Barry
Moser.
p. cm.—(Jumping frogs ; 3)

”The Mark Twain Project is a research and editorial project housed with the Mark Twain Papers at the
Bancroft Library, Univ. of Calif., Berkeley.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978–0-520-24855-7 (cloth : alk. paper)

1. Animal behavior—Anecdotes. 2. American wit and humor. 3. Animal rights. I. Fishkin, Shelley

Fisher. II. Bancroft Library. Mark Twain Project. III. Title.
ps1302.f5 2009
818'.409—dc22 2009004264

Manufactured in the United States of America
19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso z39.48–1992 (r 1997)

(Permanence of Paper).
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Introduction 1
Part One: 1850s and 1860s
Bugs! 37
Cruelty to Animals I 38
Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog 38
Fitz Smythe’s Horse 44
Cruelty to Animals II 45
The Pilgrim 48
The Dogs of Constantinople 48
Syrian Camels I 51
The Remarkable “Jericho” 53
Pilgrims on Horseback 54
Arabs and Their Steeds 55
Part Two: 1870s and 1880s
The Cayote, Allegory of Want 59
With a Flash and a Whiz 61
Syrian Camels II 62
The Genuine Mexican Plug 63
The Retired Milk Horse 67
An Invention to Make Flies Curse 69
Peter and the Pain-Killer 70
The Pinch-bug and the Poodle 73
Bugs and Birds and Tom in the Morning 74
A Cat-Tale 76
The Presumptuous Ravens 84
Birds with a Sense of Humor 86
v
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