Arguably the first major American novel to satirize the political milieu of Wash
ington, D.C. and the wild speculation schemes that exploded across the nation in
the years that followed the Civil War, The Gilded Age gave this remarkable era
its name. Co-written by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, this rollicking no
vel is rife with unscrupulous politicians, colorful plutocrats, and blindly opti
mistic speculators caught up in a frenzy of romance, murder, and surefire deals
gone bust. First published in 1873 and filled with unforgettable characters such
as the vainglorious Colonel Sellers and the ruthless Senator Dilsworthy, The Gi
lded Age is a hilarious and instructive lesson in American history.
