Life on the Mississippi

Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain detailing his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War.

The book begins with a brief history of the river from its discovery by Hernando de Soto in 1541.

In the second half, the book describes Twain's return, many years later, to travel on a steamboat from St. Louis to New Orleans. He describes the competition from railroads, the new, large cities, and his observations on greed, gullibility, tragedy, and bad architecture. He also tells some stories that are most likely tall tales.

It is said to be the first book composed on a typewriter.

The book was made into a TV movie by Public Television in 1980. The story uses many tall tales from the book, which are woven into a fictional narrative.

See also, Lagniappe