Grant and Twain

Praise

“In this lovely surprise of a book, Mark Perry uncovers a crucial sliver of American literary and cultural history: the little-known connection between Grant and Twain, who, in the twilight of the old general’s life, formed a friendship that is both interesting and important.”
—JON MEACHAM, author of Franklin and Winston

“The authors of the greatest American novel and of our greatest military memoirs did much to inspire each other to create their masterpieces. Suffering from terminal cancer, ‘Sam’ Grant worked against a deadline of death to complete his memoirs while Sam Clemens stood at his side as editor and publisher even as Huckleberry Finn was entering the world. This gripping account of a remarkable partnership and friendship is a book that everyone interested in Twain and Grant will want to read.”
—JAMES M. MCPHERSON, author Battle Cry of Freedom, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

“The slender book by Mark Perry tells a large tale about two misfits turned American giants turned friends and grand collaborators. Grant and Twain is a charming and evocative story.”
—JAY WINIK, author of April 1865: The Month That Saved America

“In this fascinating story, Mark Perry details the friendship that grew between two American titans, Ulysses S. Grant and Mark Twain. Exploring how each man dealt with his America, particularly the questions of slavery and race, Perry illuminates not only their views, but also the America of their time. Moreover, he highlights the impact each of these remarkable individuals had on the other, especially on their marvelous and enduring books, American classics both, Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
—WILLIAM J. COOPER, award-winning author of Jefferson Davis, American

“When a great author convinced a great soldier to write his memoirs the outcome was an unlikely friendship and an American literary masterpiece. Mark Perry engagingly intertwines the lives of two near opposites, Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant, revealing how in a stunning burst of creativity the two friends produced works of genius that would lead America to find its distinctive literary voice. Discovering their little-known association is like discovering literary, biographical and historic gold.”
—JOSEPH E. PERSICO, author of Roosevelt’s Secret War

"A great many biographies of Ulysses S. Grant have been written, and Mark Twain’s life is so well-chronicled that it has reached mythological status in the general culture [but] Perry has performed the amazing feat of finding a gap in the stories of both American heroes. We owe Mark Perry a debt of gratitudefor presenting to us the dignity and humanity of Mark Twain and Ulysses S.Grant and their joint contribution to American history and letters." – The Houston Chronicle

"The story of the frienship and of how Twain aided Grant in writing and publishing is highly absorbing." –Chicago Sun-Times

"Between May 1884 and July 1885, an unlikely friendship developed between two of America’s most recognized personalities. Perry’s juxtaposition of the two writers’ careers offer[s] a glimpse into the development of cultural history in the late 19th-Century America." –Library Journal