Mark Twain at his best — The story of a mysterious stranger who orchestrates a fraud embarrassing the hypocritical citizens of "incorruptible" Hadleyburg.

This novella intertwines a devious and suspenseful plot with some of the wittiest dialogue Twain ever wrote. Is Hadleyburg ruined, or liberated? Is the mysterious stranger Satan, or a hero? Is this a book of revenge, or redemption?

The Man That Corrupted Handleyburg was written on hotel stationary while Twain in Europe, on the run from American creditors.