Life on the Mississippi vs The Maine Woods: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: American Authors, Journeys, Description and travel, Travel, Biography & Memoir, History
Life on the Mississippi
At once a romantic history of a mighty river, an autobiographical account of Twains early steamboat days, and a storehouse of humorous anecdotes and sketches, here is the raw material from which Mark Twain wrote his…
vs
The Maine Woods
The Maine Woods is a characteristically Thoreauvian book: a personal account of exploration, of exterior and interior discovery in a natural setting, conveyed in taut, workmanlike prose. Thoreau's evocative renderings…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Maine Woods is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for Life on the Mississippi.
- Life on the Mississippi has the widest readership — 15762 ratings behind its score.
- Life on the Mississippi runs the darker storyline; The Maine Woods stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Maine Woods
≈ 2h vs 5h for Life on the Mississippi
Want the crowd-tested pick?
Life on the Mississippi
15762 ratings vs 1590 for The Maine Woods
In the mood for something dark?
Life on the Mississippi
a darker storyline than The Maine Woods
Want something lighter?
The Maine Woods
an easier tone than Life on the Mississippi
Scores by source
| Life on the Mississippi | The Maine Woods | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (15762) | 3.9 (1590) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (27) | 4.0 (3) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (140) | 4.5 (14) |
Reception
| Life on the Mississippi | The Maine Woods | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 15762 | 1590 |
| Editions | 157 | 112 |
| Citations | — | 40 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 17290 | 3311 |
| Pages | 273 | 127 |