MostAmericansrememberMarkTwainasthefatherofHuck’sidyllicFinncruisethrougheternalboyhoodandTomSawyer’sendlesssummeroffreedomandadventure.Indeed,thisnation’sbest-lovedauthorwaseverybitasadventurous,patriotic,romanticandhumorousasanyonehaseverimagined.IfoundanotherTwainaswell-onewhogrewcynical,bitter,saddenedbytheprofoundpersonaltragedieslifedealthim,amanwhobecameobsessedwiththefrailtiesofthehumanrace,whosawclearlyaheadablackwallofnight.Trampprinter,riverpilot,Confederateguerrilla,prospectorstarry-eyedoptimist,acid-tonguedcynic:ThemanwhobecameMarkTwainwasbornSamuelLanghorneClemensandherangedacrossthenationformorethanathirdofhislife,digestingthenewAmericanexperiencebeforesharingitwiththeworldaswriterandlecturer.Headoptedhispennamefromthecryheardinhissteamboatdays,signalingtwofathomsofwater-anavigabledepth.Hispopularityisattestedbythefactthatmorethanascoreofhisbooksremaininprint,andtranslationsarestillreadaroundtheworld.Thegeographiccore,inTwain’searlyyears,wasthegreatvalleyMississippioftheRiver,mainarteryoftransportationintheyoungnation’sheart.Keelboats,flatboats,andlargeraftscarriedthefirstmajorcommerce.Lumber,corn,tobacco,wheat,andfursmoveddownstreamtothedeltacountry;sugar,molasses,cotton,andwhiskeytravelednorth.’s,beforeInthethe1850climaxofwestwardexpansion,thevastbasindrainedthree-quartersofthesettledUnitedStates.YoungMarkTwainenteredthatworldin1857asacubpilotonasteamboat.Thecastofcharacterssetbeforehiminhisnewprofessionwasrichandvaried-acosmos.Heparticipatedabundantlyinthislife,listeningtopilothousetalkoffeuds,piracies,lynchings,medicineshows,andsavagewatersideslums.Allwouldresurfaceinhisbooks,togetherwiththecolorfullanguagethathesoakedupwithamemorythatseemedphonographic.Steamboatdecksteemednotonlywiththemaincurrentofpioneeringhumanity,butitsflotsamofhustlers,gamblers,andthugsaswell.FromthemallMarkTwaingainedakeenperceptionofthehumanrace,ofthedifferencebetweenwhatpeopleclaimsteamboattrademarkedtherealbeginningofhiseducation,andthemostlas