Roughing It facts for kids
Title page from first edition
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| Author | Mark Twain |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Travel literature |
| Publisher | American Publishing Company |
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Publication date
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1872 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 608 (including title page) |
| Preceded by | The Innocents Abroad (1869) |
| Followed by | The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) |
Roughing It is an exciting book by Mark Twain. It's a mix of a true story and made-up adventures about his travels. Twain wrote it between 1870 and 1871, and it came out in 1872. Think of it as a "before story" to his first travel book, The Innocents Abroad.
The book is dedicated to Calvin H. Higbie, who was a friend of Twain's from his mining days. Twain called him an "Honest Man, a Genial Comrade, and a Steadfast Friend."
This book tells the story of young Mark Twain's adventures in the Wild West. He traveled there from 1861 to 1867. He joined his brother Orion Clemens, who had a special job in the Nevada Territory. They took a long trip by stagecoach out West. Twain used his brother's diary to remember things. He also used his amazing imagination to add many fun stories to the book.
Roughing It shares many of Twain's early experiences. These include visiting Salt Lake City and searching for gold and silver. He also tried to make money by buying and selling land. Later, he traveled to the Kingdom of Hawaii. The book also shows how he started his career as a writer. This memoir is full of Twain's funny and sometimes wild humor. This style became famous in his later books, like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Contents
Adventures in the Wild West
Mark Twain's journey in Roughing It is full of interesting moments. He describes the vast landscapes and the people he met. The book gives readers a peek into what life was like in the American West during the 1860s.
Searching for Riches
One big part of Twain's adventure was looking for gold and silver. This was called "prospecting." He and his friends hoped to strike it rich. They spent time digging and exploring, dreaming of finding a huge amount of precious metal.
The Millionaires for Ten Days Story
In Roughing It, Twain tells a funny and a bit sad story about becoming rich. He, Calvin Higbie, and a mine foreman named A.D. Allen found a lot of gold. They thought they would be millionaires! To keep their claim, they had to do some work on the land within ten days. But because of bad luck and mixed-up messages, they didn't do the work. So, they lost their claim. Other people quickly took over the rich gold spot. Twain often joked that they were "Millionaires for Ten Days." This story shows how quickly fortunes could change in the Wild West.
Twain's Start as a Writer
The book also shows how Mark Twain began his writing career. He started by sending reports and stories from his travels to newspapers. These early writings helped him develop his unique voice and humor. This experience was very important for him to become one of America's most famous writers.
Roughing It in Pop Culture
Roughing It has been enjoyed by many people over the years. It has even appeared in other stories and shows.
Read in Space
In 1965, U.S. astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell read Roughing It aloud. They were on NASA's Gemini VII mission. This mission lasted 14 days in orbit around Earth. Reading the book helped them pass the time during their long journey in space.
Featured in Novels and TV
The book has also been mentioned in other stories. For example, in the 2018 novel Lords of St. Thomas, a character is reading Roughing It.
Sections of Roughing It have also been used in TV shows. The popular Western series Bonanza borrowed parts of Twain's stories.
TV Adaptations
Roughing It has been made into TV shows more than once.
- In 1960, a one-hour TV show based on the book was shown on NBC. It starred Andrew Prine and James Daly.
- In 2002, the Hallmark Channel made a four-hour mini-series. Charles Martin Smith directed it. James Garner played an older Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain's real name). Robin Dunne played young Clemens.
- The "Millionaires for Ten Days" story was even featured in an episode of the TV show Death Valley Days in 1968. Tom Skerritt played Twain, and Dabney Coleman played Higbie in that episode.
Images for kids
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Title page from first edition
See also
In Spanish: Pasando fatigas para niños
