Letters from the Earth is a collection of short stories written during a downtrodden period in Twain's life and published posthumously. Here we see Twain on a somewhat personal level. Penniless and having just lost his wife and one of his children, Twain turns to writing about God, Christianity, and the many curious natures of man. This collection was so controversial that his daughter prohibited its publication until 52 years after his death. "Twain sentimentalists will gasp, Bible-belters will turn purple, austere stylistic purists will raise eyebrows--but dyed-in-the-wool Twain enthusiasts will grab hungrily for what amounts to a new volume by the 'Lincoln of our literature.' ...The pages in this volume range from furious to funny, from deadly earnestness to frothy wordplay."--Library Journal