Mark Twain is without question one of America's favorite authors, but few people fully appreciate that within this beloved writer's memorable works is the subversive philosophy that "bad" people often are happier and more successful than those who strive to be "good". Mark Twain's Book for Bad Boys and Girls is the first-ever compilation of Twain's wise and witty essays, sketches, and stories on the joys and rewards of misbehavior. With themes including "honesty is not always the best policy", "the wicked are not always punished", and "virtue is often its only reward", this delightfully mischievous book includes such incorrigible advice as: "If your mother tells you to do a thing, it is wrong to reply that you won't. It is better and more becoming to intimate that you will do as she bids you, and then afterward act quietly in the manner according to the dictates of your best judgment".