Letters from the Earth

Miscellany of fiction, essays, and notes by Mark Twain, published posthumously in 1962. Written over a period of 40 years, the pieces in the anthology are characterized by a sense of ironic pessimism. The title piece comprises letters written by Satan to his fellow angels about the shameless pride and foolishness of humans. "Papers of the Adam Family," a first-person family history of Adam and Eve, traces the first failed attempts at civilization. Other pieces include "A Cat-Tale," an amusing, alliterative bedtime story; "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses," a critique of that author's style; and "The Damned Human Race," a collection of bitter satirical bits. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.