I have been a Mark Twain fan for years. I have a bookshelf devoted to his works and a few of his biographies, so I was eager to read Chernow’s opus. Because Twain was an avid letter writer and most of the individuals close to him were too, there is lots of information in Mark Twain. Chernow presents all sides of the author and lecturer-his genius, his humor, his need for revenge and his lack of business sense. The word unique is often thrown around too easily and/or incorrectly, but Mark Twain was and still is a truly unique figure in American history. After 1033 pages, I was sad to say goodby to a man I got to know so well.