The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

About “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain. It was his first major success and brought him national recognition. The story is also known as "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" or "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The narrator recounts a tale told by Simon Wheeler, a bartender at the Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California. The story centers on Jim Smiley, a gambler who bets on almost anything. The narrator describes Smiley as someone who would bet on a straddle bug's journey, following it to Mexico to find out where it was going and how long it would take. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)