About the book: year / This book is not a historical essay or a philosophical treatise, but just a story about what he experienced. I described in it several stormy years of my vagrancy, and its purpose is to entertain the reader in his leisure hours, but not to torment him with metaphysics or irritate him with learning. Still, you can learn something from the book: for example, about a most curious chapter in the history of the Far West, a chapter that was not written by any of those who were on the spot at that time and saw everything with their own eyes. I am talking about the beginning, growth and height of the silver rush in Nevada, a phenomenon in some ways extremely interesting, unique in that region; nothing like this has ever happened there before and probably won’t happen in the future. Yes, in general, my book contains a lot of useful information. This saddens me very much, but, really, I can’t do anything about it: apparently, I exude factual data as naturally as a muskrat exudes precious musk. Sometimes it seems to me that I would give anything in the world just to keep my knowledge to myself, but this is impossible. The more diligently I caulk all the cracks, the tighter I screw the lid, the more wisdom oozes out of me. Therefore, I do not dare make excuses to the reader, but only ask him for leniency. © Mark Twain The story was also translated under the titles: “Lightly”, “Experienced”».