Twain's tour took him from Australia to Bombay to Johannesburg and resulted in an evocative and highly unique American …
Twain's tour took him from Australia to Bombay to Johannesburg and resulted in an evocative and highly unique American portrait of 19th-century travel and customs. The personalities of his ship's crew and passengers, the poetry of Australian name-places, and the success of women's suffrage in New Zealand, among other topics, are the focus of the author's wry humor and redoubtable powers of observation.
In one memorable passage, Twain relates the story of his wife Olivia's receipt of a letter which described Twain's death while on a lecture tour in Australia; later he meets the man (the sole member of the Mark Twain Club of Ireland) who sent the letter. He also gives lengthy descriptions of his experiences in India, where he attends the wedding of a twelve-year-old girl, witnesses a murder trial, and rides an elephant. All of his anecdotes combine his trademark wit with his keen understanding of social nuance, making for penetrating—and often hilarious—reading.
