In this 1872, Twain reminisces about his five years of roaming around the country from 1861 to 1866. This edition contains the complete original text plus the original illustrations. Though pricey, this volume should be considered for collections specializing in Twain. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This edition supersedes the 1972 edition. The text, although it remains essentially the same, is more nearly what Twain intended and includes the pictures in the first American edition. Smith's introduction is more thorough than the brief earlier introduction (122 pages compared with 25 pages) and gives students much more information about Twain's difficulties in completing Roughing It. Making use of all available information, Smith painstakingly traces Twain's work on the book from the time he signed the contract with Elisha Bliss in July 1871, to its publication in February 1872. The expanded explanatory notes, description of the texts, textual notes, more detailed maps, the emendations and rejected substantives, and the addition of a bibliography of references used in establishing this text--all add greatly to our understanding of the text and of Twain's life and methods of composition. A meticulous and herculean effort, this edition belongs in every university and college library. E. Suderman; Gustavus Adolphus College