The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg

This collection of lesser-known little gems by Mark Twain begins with a witty account of a fictional town called Hadleyburg, which prides itself on its long untarnished tradition of incorruptible citizens.

One day someone in the town offends a stranger passing through and he vows to take revenge by plotting an elaborate scheme to show the whole nation just how corruptible this sanctimonious bastion of virtue really is.

Through a series of cleverly placed letters promising a fortune, the insidious outsider lays a trap for each of Hadleyburg's leading citizens.

Twain is at his best here poking fun at small-town hypocrisy as the self-satisfied pillars of the community are done in by their own greed. Also included are fourteen other short pieces of fiction and non-fiction, including Twain's account of his literary debut as a reporter, in which he described the harrowing journey and rescue of some ship-wrecked sailors; an essay on the famous author's first lie, which begins humorously but quickly turns into a serious commentary on the silent lies society tolerates to perpetuate such injustices as slavery and prejudice; an amusing, tongue-in-cheek petition to Queen Victoria regarding a tax bill sent to Twain by the British revenue office for an amount due on sales of his books in England; an Esquimau Maiden's Romanceo; a detective story; and many other intriguing, scarcely known pieces.

These interesting and entertaining short works will be a welcome discovery to all those who have enjoyed Twain's popular novels and stories.