Samuel Clemens first encountered the Bermuda Islands in 1867 on a return voyage from the Holy Land and found them much to his liking. One of the most isolated spots in the world, Bermuda offered the writer a refuge from his harried and sometimes sad existence on the mainland, and this island paradise called him back another seven times. Clemens found that Bermuda's beauty, pace, weather, and company were just the medicine he needed, and its seafaring culture with few connections to the outside world appealed to his love of travel by water.

This book is the first comprehensive study of Clemens's love affair with Bermuda, a vivid depiction of a celebrated author on recurring vacations. Donald Hoffmann has plumbed the voluminous Mark Twain scholarship and Bermudian archives to faithfully re-create turn-of-the-century Bermuda, supplying historical and biographical background to give his narrative texture and depth. And because much of what Clemens enjoyed in the islands is still available to experience today, visitors to Bermuda can now have America's favorite author as their guide.

The book is published by University of Missouri Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.