Mark Twain’s legacy is not his tall tales. It’s his larger-than-life persona.

'Hamilton' author Ron Chernow's new book takes on an icon of American letters, Mark Twain

Historian Ron Chernow’s latest work may surprise readers who know him best for the book which inspired the musical “Hamilton” and for his biographies of George Washington and Ulysses Grant.

'Hamilton' author Chernow's new book takes on icon of American letters, Mark Twain

Historian Ron Chernow’s latest work may surprise readers who know him best for the book which inspired the musical “Hamilton” and for his biographies of George Washington and Ulysses Grant

The Not-at-All-Funny Life of Mark Twain

Ron Chernow’s biography dwells more on the wreck of a man than on his sublimely comic work.

Mark Twain’s legacy is not his tall tales. It’s his larger-than-life persona.

Mark Twain gave us inimitable characters such as Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. He was no less creative in styling himself as America’s first celebrity.