"I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only claim to know how a story ought to be told, for I have been almost daily in the company of the most expert story-tellers for many years..." So begins "How to Tell a Story," the first in this collection of essays by America's master story-spinner, Mark Twain. Among other writings included in this volume are the well-known "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences" and "Private History of the 'Jumping Frog' Story."