''Following the Equator'' (sometimes titled ''More Tramps Abroad'') is a non-fiction social commentary in the form of a
travelogue
Travelogue may refer to:
Genres
* Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling
* Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...
published by
Mark Twain in 1897.
Twain was practically bankrupt in 1894 due to investing heavily into the failed
Paige Compositor. In an attempt to extricate himself from debt of $100,000 (equivalent of about $2,975,000 in 2020) he undertook a tour of the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
in 1895 at age 60, a route chosen to provide numerous opportunities for lectures in English.
The first edition of this book was illustrated by Dan Beard, A.B. Frost, B.W. Clinedinst, Frederick Dielman, Peter Newell, F.M senior, C.H. Warren, A.G. Reinhart, F. Berkeley Smith, and C. Alllan Gilbert, many of whom had previously worked with Twain. In England the book was published under the title ''More Tramps Abroad''.
American songwriter
Jimmy Buffett mentions the book in his songs “Take Another Road” and “That’s What Living Is To Me”.
Themes
Throughout the novel, Twain uses the opportunity of visiting the various locations on his tour to espouse "perceptive descriptions and discussions of people, climate, flora and fauna, indigenous cultures, religion, customs, politics, food, and many other topics". The novel contains a significant amount of
social commentary
Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...
, although much of it is done in a
satirical manner.
Although this social commentary is the great import of the book, it is notable that Twain also included a number of fictional stories in the body of what is otherwise a non-fiction work. In particular, the story of how
Cecil Rhodes made his fortune – by finding a newspaper in the belly of a shark – and the story of how a man named Ed Jackson made good in life out of a fake letter of introduction to
Cornelius Vanderbilt, were anthologized in Charles Neider (ed) ''The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain'', (Doubleday, 1957) where they are presented as fiction.
Notes
References
*
External links
Twain's Notes, Mock-up of Title Page, Dedication of ''Following the Equator''Shapell Manuscript Foundation
Olivia Langdon Clemens to Publisher Walter Bliss on Success of ''Following the Equator''*
*
Books by Mark Twain
American travel books
1897 books
Books about India
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