Mark Twain

Mark Twain (2025) is a study of an American original: Sam Clemens, the writer and humorist who discovered his nation’s literary voice under the immortal pen name Mark Twain. Drawing on archives containing thousands of letters, notebooks, and manuscripts, this comprehensive biography lifts the curtain on the man behind the carefully constructed public persona. The result is a portrait of many shades, from the brilliant to the contradictory and tragic.

• Readers curious about the man behind Huckleberry Finn
• Those interested in Twain’s life beyond the legend
• Anyone drawn to Twain’s contradictions, wit, and ambition

Ron Chernow is one of the best-known biographers of our time. A meticulous chronicler of the lives of America’s leading lights, he began his career writing about its financial titans: the Morgans, Warburgs, and John D. Rockefeller. He later published studies of political leaders, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington. His best-selling 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda’s acclaimed rap musical Hamilton.