In many ways Mark Twain was ahead of his time. If he had lived a little later, I think it's possible his autobiographical dictations would have been produced in cinematic form, one last speaking tour canned and sealed for viewers a hundred years in the future. Many of his dictations read this way, or like an interview with no interviewer. The effect is often very intimate, like the reader is somehow in the man's presence, waving away cigar smoke while listening enraptured to the day's stories and musings, and occasionally groaning as one does when an elder insists on returning to some subject that's not necessarily a favorite of yours.

Twain adheres to his rules of sticking with a subject only as long as it's interesting and not preempted by something more interesting, and the result is a mostly delightful tour of all things he finds interesting or important to him, from copyright law to current events, his old mining days, traveling the world, what makes good literature, his friendship with US Grant, investing woes, hustling pool, palm reading, fond memories with his daughters, and lots more that I'll think of later. All through his keen wit shines through, and often it's truly funny. But he doesn't consider himself a humorist.

The stipulation that this work remain suppressed one hundred years after his death allows him to speak freely, and Twain takes advantage of this more in this volume the first. He shares his views on religion, and in particular Christianity, that while not unknown, are expressed in supremely frank and honest terms, pulling no punches whatsoever. In this way Twain may be ahead of our time.

Like the first volume, this one comes with copious notes, occasionally providing interesting insight, other times getting in the way of Twain’s storytelling.