The book follows the travels of young Mark Twain through the Wild West during the years 18611867. Twain consulted his brother's diary to refresh his memory and borrowed heavily from his active imagination for many stories in the book.
Twain's encounters with tarantulas and donkeys, vigilantes and volcanoes, even Brigham Young, the Mormon leader, come to life with his inimitable mixture of reporting, social satire, and rollicking tall tales.