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Presented for the first time in book form is a collection of letters penned by Mark Twain during the renowned Holy Land Excursion of 1867. Twain once remarked that the publication of these letters would lead to his downfall. As a bold, budding journalist with a single publication to his name, Twain was among the seventy-seven voyagers on the steamship Quaker City, which embarked from New York in June 1867 on “The Grand Holy Land Pleasure Excursion.”
As the special correspondent for the Daily Alta California, Twain composed fifty letters over the ensuing six months. These letters vividly depict the various locales visited and the impressive sights witnessed as the travelers ventured from Tangier to Paris, proceeding to Venice, Constantinople, and Bethlehem, with numerous stops along the way. These letters brim with Twain’s lively humor and cutting satire, and they feature some of the most artful scorn ever printed in an American newspaper.
Twain later integrated portions of these letters into The Innocents Abroad, arguably the most celebrated travel book ever authored by an American. However, each letter underwent significant revisions to cater to the more sophisticated tastes of eastern readers. Daniel Morley McKeithan’s analysis of the modifications and omissions in each letter sheds light on Twain’s approach to writing and revising. This volume promises equal enjoyment for those who have read The Innocents Abroad and those who haven’t.