How Nancy Jackson Married Kate Wilson and Other Tales of Rebellious Girls and Daring Young Women

"[Twain] published many stories of bold, resourceful heroines in numerous periodicals of the day, collected here by editor John Cooley. . . . [T]he stories show a growing awareness of women's changing role in society."—Washington Post Book World

"The hard-driving, horse-riding, gun-toting cowgirls are fun . . . [and] the stories in which he makes fun of sappy romance are . . . side-splitters. . . . [These stories reveal] Twain's true respect for women and in many ways his visionary insight into a future in which women get out in the world and take control of their own destinies."—Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

"Cooley's collection of Twain's stories featuring independent young women tracks the writer's conflicted acknowledgment of women's changing role in society. This facet of Twain's work has never been explored in depth before, and it's a pleasure to read these sly, entertaining stories of unconventional, bold, and resourceful heroines, which include unusual variations on Eve and Saint Joan of Arc."—Booklist

"Famous for his portrayals of rambunctious boys, Twain wrote a number of short stories featuring clever, active, independent girls. This edition brings together the best of those stories, supplying entertaining and valuable primary source material for a fuller understanding of Twain's attitudes toward gender roles."—American Literature