"One sees a mind bubbling and hears a uniquely American voice."—Literary Review
"Twain traveled extensively and befriended many luminaries, and his colorful experiences give the book the same Dickensian scope as the first volume, and presents a vivid picture of America in the 19th century and Twain’s indelible mark on it."—Publishers Weekly
"This is vintage Twain—timeless, and still germane."—BookPage
"Twain is frequently sad and cynical in these late-in-life writings (just a few years before his death) but his devastating wit and sharp-eyed commentary are on full display as well."—Christian Science Monitor
"The publishing sensation of the year."—Jonah Raskin San Francisco Chronicle
"What we’ve inherited is no ordinary book. You may begin at the beginning and read to its end; you may reach into it like a grab bag and enjoy whatever you pull out. It doesn’t matter."—Dallas Morning News
"Twain ambles through eternal truths and trivia, telling of world events and personal piques. Witticisms appear at random intervals, and the ensuing laughter can be dangerous to the lower extremities if one doesn’t have a vicelike grip on this weighty tome."—The Christian Science Monitor
"In case you had any doubt about it, the new book demonstrates that Twain dictated as well as he wrote."—The Washington Post
"One of the more marvelous literary projects of our time."
—The Buffalo News
"As much a sensitive and articulate historical work as an autobiography, the book is almost inexhaustible in its content. . . . What seems like a mountain of anecdotal scraps and opinions results in a clear picture of Clemens as Twain."—Library Journal
"Volume 2 is another masterpiece of scholarship."—Mark Twain Forum
"If you surrender yourself to the sound of his voice, the pleasure of Twain’s company proves pretty hard to resist. His narrative may be loose, but at least it never loses sight of its subject."—The New Yorker, Page-Turner
"Because this edition of The Autobiography of Mark Twain is rich and open-ended even as it provides a text built with incredible insight and care, it is likely, indeed, to live up to its billing as the "Complete and Authoritative Edition.""—Resources for American Literary Study
Praise for Volume 1 “It feels like a form of time travel. One moment you’re on horseback in the Hawaiian islands — or recovering from saddle boils with a cigar in your mouth — and the next moment you’re meeting the Viennese maid he called, in a private joke, ‘Wuthering Heights.’ We can hardly wait for Volume 2.”—
New York Times “Twain's autobiography, finally available after a century, is a garrulous outpouring—and every word beguiles.”—
Wall Street Journal “I start reading Twain’s Autobiography at any page and don’t want to stop, for the sheer voluptuous pleasure of the prose.”— Roger Ebert