Mark Twain in Washington, D.C.

When young Samuel Clemens first visited the nation'scapital in 1854, both were rough around the edges and of dubious potential.

Returning as Mark Twain in 1867, he brought his sharp eye and acerbic pen to thetask of covering the capital for nearly a half-dozen newspapers.

He fit inperfectly among the other hard-drinking and irreverent correspondents.

Hisbohemian sojourn in Washington, D.C., has been largely overlooked, but his timein the capital city was catalytic to Twain's rise as America's foremost man ofletters.

While in Washington City, Twain received a publishing offer from theAmerican Publishing Company that would jumpstart his fame.

Through originalresearch unearthing never-before-seen material, author John Muller explores howMark Twain's adventures as a capital correspondent proved to be a criticalturning point in his career.