Part 1 of 2. Ken Burns and company crafted this superb artistic and personal biography of author Samuel L. Clemens in 2002, presenting it as a two-part PBS special. The network is repeating it tonight and next Tuesday, and I highly recommend you record it, because it’s exactly the type of TV documentary that rewards repeated viewing. Oh, and I might as well mention, for the first time, that I’m traveling to Twain’s summer home in Elmira, NY, to deliver a clip-filled lecture for the Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies and its “The Trouble Begins” Twain-related lecture series. My topic for the October 17 lecture? Mark Twain, TV Star. For more details, read here. Check local listings.

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