"Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain" by Justin Kaplan is about 30 years old, but it's wise, insightful, beautifully written and generally unexcelled (though many folks will say otherwise); I expect many will recommend it, as do I. But Twain is such a multifaceted character that you might do better to think in terms of a small shelf of books that sort of add up to a "definitive" work, in which case I would suggest: "Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain" (Kaplan) "The Autobiography of Mark Twain" (the Charles Nieder edition) "Mark Twain Himself, A Pictorial Biography" (Milton Meltzer) "Mark Twain and His World" (another pictorial treatment, this one by Justin Kaplan; an alternative to the hard-to-find Meltzer book) Ron Powers, "Dangerous Water" (the early years) Jeffrey Steinbrink, "Getting to Be Mark Twain" (early manhood) Hamlin Hill, "God's Fool" (old age) Everett Emerson, "Mark Twain: A Literary Life" (wonderful treatment that uses much recent scholarship & ties a lot a lot of loose ends together) I think you'd find this group covers most of the important stuff -- and they would also make a very enjoyable read. -- Peter Salwen -----Original Message----- From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Lloyd J Grant Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 10:41 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Biographer Would someone please suggest a definitive biography dealing with Mr. Clemens life history? Thankyou. L. Grant.