Mark Twain(18351910) was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Missouri. He became celebrated for his uncompromising stands against injustice and imperialism and for his invariably quoted comments on any subject under the sun. John Seelyeis a graduate research professor of American literature at the University of Florida. He serves as consulting editor of Penguin Classics. Guy Cardwellhas written several books on Mark Twain and is emeritus professor of English at Washington University
Wes Davis is a former assistant professor of English at Yale University. He has written on British and American literature for publications ranging from the Southwest Review and Parnassus to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.