E-text prepared by Matt Whittaker, Suzanne Shell, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) ********************************************************************** * Transcriber's Note: * * * * Obvious typographical errors were corrected and the use of hyphens * * was made consistent throughout. All other spelling and punctuation * * was retained as it appeared in the original text. * ********************************************************************** MY LIFE: Or The Adventures of Geo. Thompson. Being the Auto-Biography of an Author. Written by Himself. Why rove in _Fiction's_ shadowy land, And seek for treasures there, When _Truth's_ domain, so near at hand, Is filled with things most rare-- When every day brings something new, Some great, stupendous change, Something exciting, wild and _true_, Most wonderful and strange! [ORIGINAL.] {First published 1854} [Illustration: Yellow Cover of Thompson's _My Life_. Original size 6 x 9-1/8". Courtesy, American Antiquarian Society.] INTRODUCTION _In which the author defineth his position._ It having become the fashion of distinguished novelists to write their own lives--or, in other words, to blow their own trumpets,--the author of these pages is induced, at the solicitation of numerous friends, whose bumps of inquisitiveness are strongly developed, to present his auto-biography to the public--in so doing which, he but follows the example of Alexandre Dumas, the brilliant French novelist, and of the world-renowned Dickens, both of whom are understood to be preparing their personal histories for the press. Now, in comparing myself with the above great worthies, who are so deservedly distinguished in the world of literature, I shall be accused of unpardonable presumption and ridiculous egotism--but I care not what may be said of me, inasmuch as a total independence of the opinions, feelings and prejudices of the world, has always been a prominent characteristic of mine--and that portion of the world and the "rest of mankind" which does not like me, has my full permission to go to the devil as soon as it can make all the necessary arrangements for the journey.