A gifted raconteur,
distinctive
humorist, and irascible moralist,
he transcended the apparent limitations of his
origins to become a popular public figure and one
of America’s best and most beloved writers.
Samuel Clemens, the sixth child of John Marshall
and Jane Lampton Clemens, was born two months
prematurely and was in relatively poor health for the
first 10 years of his life. His mother tried various
allopathic and hydropathic remedies on him during
those early years, and his recollections of those
instances (along with other memories of his
growing up) would eventually find their way
into Tom Sawyer and other writings.
