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Cover of Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain

Letters from the Earth

  • 240 pages · about 4 hours
  • First published 1962
  • 29 editions

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1 About this book

The eponymous story, “Letters from the Earth,” is a set of eleven letters written by Satan to the archangels Gabriel and Michael about his travels. Satan finds human beliefs about themselves almost insane, pointing out that their conception of heaven leaves out everything humans find most pleasurable in life (particularly sex).

He also considers God’s hypocrisies: not forgiving Adam and Eve even though humans are supposed to forgive transgressors; forbidding jealousy but then calling himself a jealous God; killing all the large animals during Noah’s flood even though they weren’t guilty of anything; allowing cruelty and misery to torment the innocent.

Good for readers who want: humor and science fiction.

  • Humor
  • American wit and humor
  • Science fiction
  • Satire
  • Philosophy
  • Etiquette
  • Miniature books
  • Religion

2 About Mark Twain

1835–1910

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He has been praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced", with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature".

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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