Mark Twain never grows old. That's the premise of the new Time magazine that just hit newsstands.
A gorgeous portrait of Twain graces the July 14 cover of Time's Annual Making of America Issue, which illustrates how Twain not only was the man of his times ("America's Original Superstar," he's called) but also a man for all times. His wit and wisdom on politics and race, just to name two, make Twain as relevant today as in the late 1800s.
While Twain is lauded as the inventor of the American novel and the forerunner to today's political funnymen such as Jon Stewart, Time also points out what we well know about our hero: "Twain was best known as a travel writer."
Time created a remarkable map (above) that marks where Twain traveled in writing his five travel books: The Innocents Abroad (1869), Roughing It (1872), A Tramp Abroad (1880), Life on the Mississippi (1883) and, of course, Following the Equator (1897).
The irony is that Twain first started traveling down the Mississippi River in hopes of reaching South America. It's the only continent (save for Antarctica) that he never visited. Instead, Twain ventured across the United States, lived in Europe, toured the Holy Land and circumnavigated the globe (stopping in New Zealand, Australia, India and southern Africa).
Be sure to check out not only "Man of The World," which details his travels, but also all of Time's illuminating articles, including "The Seriously Funny Man," "Mark Twain: Our Original Superstar" and "Getting Past Black and White." Plus, you can view a gallery of Twain portraits.
Accolades abound, which recalls what Twain said in a 1907 speech:
"I have been complimented many times and they always embarrass me; I always feel that they have not said enough."
Well said. As always.
