A much celebrated jumping frog, the lack of literature in a gold-mining town, and castaways who eat their own shoes to survive are among the subjects treated by the stories contained in this volume. The Jumping Frog and Other Sketches captures the light and humorous spirit of Mark Twain's early work, inspired by his experiences in the mining districts of California and Nevada. These sketches became widely known in America, India, China and England and launched the solid foundation of the author's fame.