Roughing It

About “Roughing It”

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain, left Missouri in 1861 to work with his brother in the Nevada Territory. He later went to the Humboldt mines but turned to journalism in Virginia City. In 1864, he moved to San Francisco, where he began to gain national recognition as a humorist. His book Roughing It, first published in 1872, recounts his experiences in the Far West. The book includes twenty chapters on his journey to Carson City by boat and stagecoach, with sections on the Mormons. It also covers his time in Virginia City and San Francisco, including life in the mines, local politics, and crime, as well as a trip to the Hawaiian Islands. The book ends with his return to San Francisco and his entry into the lecture circuit.