Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Indie BookShop

Ripped Bodice

Add to Wish List

Also by Peter Krass:

Ignorance, Confidence, and Filthy Rich Friends, March 2007
Hardcover

IGNORANCE, CONFIDENCE, AND FILTHY RICH FRIENDS
By: Peter Krass

The Business Adventures of Mark Twain, Chronic Speculator and Entrepreneur

Wiley
March 2007
On Sale: March 5, 2007
278 pages
ISBN: 0471933376
EAN: 9780471933373
Hardcover
Add to Wish List

Non-Fiction

In addition to being one of America's most renowned and beloved writers, Mark Twain considered himself a hard-nosed, visionary businessman. After achieving worldwide literary success in mid-life, Twain actively pursued his business interests: he developed his own inventions, was a venture capitalist who supported other inventors, a Wall Street investor who made a fortune more than once, and a media mogul who founded his own publishing firm. Not surprisingly, he was also a pioneer in salesmanship.

Ignorance, Confidence, and Filthy Rich Friends illuminates this little-known side of an American icon in an engaging and informative narrative that details a business career full of adventure, ambition, and insightful instruction. Author Peter Krass examines all the critical events and circumstances that shaped Twain's "Robber Baron" perspective on money and business. He reveals how, while often torn between being an enlightened man of letters and a materialistic capitalist, Twain was motivated by a relentless desire to accumulate great wealth. Krass traces the source of this sometimes unhealthy compulsion to the writer's boyhood—when he developed an irrational fear of poverty after his father's business ventures failed.

At times as entertaining and dramatic as one of Twain's own works, this fascinating book tells how the legendary writer and humorist made millions in today's dollars publishing the memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant. It details his escapades as a venture capitalist—one who made significant investments in some twenty start-up firms—and as a Wall Street investor with a sizable stock portfolio. It also tells how, often at the expense of his book projects, he promoted his own inventions, including a children's game he patented in 1885 and numerous other gadgets for everyday use.

Along with these enlightening tales, Krass includes brief mini-chapters entitled "Quirky Habits & Brazen Philosophy" between chapters throughout the book. These interludes further explore the personal habits that aided Twain's stunning success and feature many memorable witticisms from the master himself. For those who know and love Mark Twain only as a writer and humorist, this book will provide a fascinating and revealing look at his life as a successful man of business.

Media Buzz

Marketplace - PRI - July 6, 2007