On November 30, 1835, the prolific American author Samuel Longhorne Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri. More commonly referred to by his pen name, Mark Twain has become one of the most recognizable authors ever. Twain's rise to fame is just one tile in his life, as are four other eras of Twain's life; his early years, Twain's young adulthood, financial decline, and his late life. At the age of four, Samuel moved from Florida, Missouri to Hannibal, Missouri. Missouri, being a state of only 13 years, had become heavily dependent on slave labor. While his father only owned one slave, his uncle owned a farm and owned several. As a child, Samuel spent summers on his uncle's farm and came to appreciate fantasy stories and spirituals about slaves. In 1847, when Samuel was 11 years old, his father died. Shortly thereafter he left school. Having only been in fifth grade, Samuel had found his first calling in a newspaper. His job was to arrange the letters on each printer. This allowed him to earn a decent salary and read about local and global affairs. This sparked an initial interest in writing. (http://www.marktwainhouse.org/man/biography_main.php) In 1854, Clemens moved north and wrote for local newspapers in both New York and Pennsylvania. Three years later, after some success in journalism, Clemens returned to his former home to become a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River. His initial destination was South America, but he stopped in New Orleans and ended up becoming a riverboat pilot, hence the name Mark Twain, a piloting term meaning "two-armed" (http://www.reference. com. This occupation ended in 1861 with the onset of the Civil War. For a period of two weeks, Samuel volunteered in a com… medium of paper… himself cannot be written” (Mark Twain). Furthermore, all that can be concluded is that Mark Twain experienced many extremes, which transformed him into the acclaimed author we know today. Works Cited LeMaster, J.R., James D. Wilson, and Christie Graves. Hamric. The Mark Twain Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Pub., 1993. Print."Mark Twain." http://www.reference.com. Ask.com. Network. ."Mark Twain Quotes - Page 2 - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes on BrainyQuote. Network. 01 June 2011. .The new international encyclopedia. vol. 5. New York: Dodd, Mead &, 1930. 440. Print."Welcome to the Mark Twain House & Museum - Biography of Mark Twain." Welcome to the Mark Twain House Museum - House. Network. 01 June 2011. .