The Jumping Frog and Other Stories Author:Mark Twain A much celebrated jumping frog, the lack of literature in a gold mining town, and castaways who eat their shoes to survive are among the stories contained in this volume. The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County brings to life the wild American West in the light and humorous spirit of Mark Twain?s early work. His first important wor... more »k to have been published, the sketches arrived too late to be included in an edition on the Wild West by Artemus Ward, appearing instead in the New York Saturday Press in 1865 and launching the solid foundation of his fame and fortune. Mark Twain helped create and popularize American themes and language and is now one of America's most enduring voices in literature.« less