Richard Zacks is the bestselling author of Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt’s Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York; Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805; Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd; History Laid Bare; and An Underground Education. His writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, and many other publications. He attended the University of Michigan and the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he now lives in New York City.
“A colorful and fun read.” —The Washington Post
“An intimate and fascinating account of what was basically the
world’s weirdest book tour, starring the funniest writer America
has ever produced.” —Carl Hiaasen
“An impossible-to-put-down book. . . . Zacks manages the
nearly impossible feat of maintaining the momentum of
his narrative while filling in the
behind-the-scenes factors. . . . The result is a joy to read
and a lesson in what can be done to bring an era to life.” —Mark
Twain Journal
"Zacks’s engaging account . . . shows the raconteur at his best and
his worst: charming, childish, ribald, and intemperate." —The New
Yorker
"Zacks is a gifted storyteller in his own right, which is as it
should be; a master storyteller such as Mark Twain deserves nothing
less. . . . A beautifully researched work. . . . A funny and
revealing reminder of just how great he was.” —Main Edge
“Twain could not have picked a better chronicler than Zacks. . . .
Zacks’ writing . . . shines.” —St. Louis Post Dispatch
“Dense in action and experience. . . . Brings Twain’s comedy close
to its wider context, and enlivens both. By situating the writer in
his world and his time, biography actually makes Mark Twain
funnier.” —Flavorwire
“Zacks’s absorbingly detailed reconstructions of [Twain’s]
performances—the carefully honed timing, the shrewdly reworked and
reshuffled greatest hits—will increase your appreciation of him as
a show-biz craftsman. . . . Zacks packs page after page with the
flavorful marvels he’s culled.” —Bookforum
“Zacks does an admirable job of giving us a taste of Twain’s
performances and quoting his best commentary. . . . Zacks also
casts new light on Twain himself.” —Washington Free Beacon
“Deeply entertaining. . . . Zacks’s narrative is well-researched
with rich detail and it will strike ardent Twain fans and history
lovers as fresh and inspiring.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred
Review)
“An amusing, singular account of the world tour by the nation’s
most famous humorist. . . . [A] rollicking history perfect for
Twain’s countless fans.” —Kirkus
“Fast-paced. . . . A diverting—and revealing—look at a neglected
episode in Twain’s life.” — Booklist
“Impeccably researched and thoroughly engaging. . . . Zacks . . .
is an accomplished guide through Twain’s travel escapades.”
—Bookpage
“Funny and poignant. . . . Zacks has a brilliant eye for detail and
the narrative gifts needed to bring out all that is strange, zany,
and ultimately inspiring in this remarkable story of money, honor,
and literary genius.” —Stephen Greenblatt, Pulitzer Prize-winning
author The Swerve: How the World Became Modern and Will in the
World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
“Mark Twain’s own notes and letters enrich every chapter,
illuminating not only his cranky genius but the private fears and
turmoil that compelled him to pack up his family and hit the road.”
— Carl Hiaasen, bestselling author of Bad Monkey and Strip
Tease
“Chasing the Last Laugh is something of a miracle. This book will
be a joy and revelation for Twain fans. There is a lot new here.
Twain’s trip around the world—in which he speaks truth, through
humor, everywhere—is a wonderful lens through which to see the dawn
of America, the collapse of the British Empire, the early stirrings
of colonial discontent in India. A new world is just being born and
we’re along for the ride as the sharpest observer watches and
narrates it all. It is, also, a really good business book.” —Adam
Davidson, Co-Host of NPR’s Planet Money
“If you read only one book on Mark Twain, I would recommend
Chasing the Last Laugh. There is everything you could want here:
Twain’s infinite humor and forbearance, the glistening world of the
British Empire at its peak, five years on the road with possibly
the funniest and wisest American of his time. Richard Zacks manages
this vast subject with enviable skill. It’s a great read,
entertaining as well as deeply moving.” — Jay Parini, author of
Empire of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal and The Last Station
“A fresh and absorbing account (involving carbuncles, platypus
jokes, and a surprising bottom line) of an aging Mark Twain’s
outlandish passage from ruin to glory.” — Roy Blount Jr., author of
Save Room for Pie
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