Letters From The Earth

Miscellany of fiction, essays, and notes by Mark Twain, published posthumously in 1962. Written over a period of 40 years, the pieces in the anthology are characterized by a sense of ironic pessimism. The title piece comprises letters written by Satan to his fellow angels about the shameless pride and foolishness of humans. ''Papers of the Adam Family,'' a first-person family history of Adam and Eve, traces the first failed attempts at civilization. Other pieces include ''A Cat-Tale,'' an amusing, alliterative bedtime story; ''Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses,'' a critique of that author's style; and ''The Damned Human Race,'' a collection of bitter satirical bits. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.