Showing results by author "Mark Twain" in All Categories

The wilderness--forest, desert, glacier, jungle--has been the scene of the past century's most exciting stories, inspiring many of its greatest writers, including Jack London, Norman Maclean, Evelyn Waugh, Redmond O'Hanlon, Sir Wilfred Thesiger, H.M. Tomlinson and Algernon Blackwood. Selections from these authors' most gripping works are delivered by equally compelling narration producing an audiobook experience ideal for people who are fascinated by the beauty, insight and danger that awaits us all in the wild!

When Connecticut mechanic and foreman Hank Morgan is knocked unconscious, he wakes not to the familiar scenes of 19th century America, but to the bewildering sights and sounds of 6th century Camelot. Although confused at first and quickly imprisoned, he soon realizes that his knowledge of the future can transform his fate. Correctly predicting a solar eclipse from inside his prison cell, Morgan terrifies the people of England into releasing him and swiftly establishes himself as the most powerful magician in the land, stronger than Merlin and greatly admired by Arthur himself.

Tom Canty, a boy of the London slums, and Edward Tudor, a boy destined to be king of England, were born on the same day. Though worlds apart, they were so amazingly similar in features they could have been mistaken for twins. A chance encounter in the castle brings them together, and an impish plan prompts the two to exchange clothing. The plan backfires when Edward is mistaken for a peasant and, in spite of his protests, is thrown out into the streets to endure the life of the slums, and poor, frightened Tom is forced to assume the role of royalty.

Mark Twain's touching story of devotion, "The California Tale" recounts the story of a lonely pioneer telling a passing gold miner of his beautiful wife who will soon be returning home.

Mark Twain's life, art, and writings continue to captivate readers and provide insight into the American experience. His humorous storytelling, memorable characters, and biting social commentary have secured his place as one of the most important and influential figures in American literature.

Some of the greatest ghost stories of all time, here to send chills down your spine.

When Huck escapes kidnapping by his own drunken father, he decides to find a canoe to shove off down the river, leaving behind his life of confinement and civilization. Soon Huck comes across Jim, Miss Watson's slave. While traveling down the river, Huck and Jim have many adventures, but more importantly, during many long talks, they become the best of friends, both in search of freedom. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is regarded by many critics and scholars to be the first "Great American novel".

Mark Twain, incensed by increasing religious and political imperialism around the globe, characterizes a large nation's invasion and occupation of a smaller country as the "strange and over-showy onslaught of an elephant upon a nest of field mice, on the pretext that the mice had squeaked an insolence at him conduct which 'no self-respecting government could allow to pass unavenged' as Mr. Chamberlain said. Was that a good pretext in a small case when it had not been a good pretext in a large one?- for only recently Russia had affronted the elephant three times and survived...."

Two wealthy gentlemen decide to give a poor stranger a million-pound bank note to see what he will do with it. The results are very unexpected.

In Tom Sawyer, Detective, Tom attempts to solve a mysterious murder in this satirical take on the immensely popular detective novels of the 1800s. Like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the story is told in the first-person narrative voice of Huck Finn.

This is a story for any man that has ever visited a barber. For all the good they do, there has likely been at least one misguided barber who resembles the man who gives Mark Twain's head a workout. From the descriptions of the shop to the tactics of those who use a barber, this story will be something you can relate to, smile at, and reintroduces memories of a barber shop that never changes.

Here are five of Mark Twain's best short stories, including "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" - classic humor from the author of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and other great American novels.

The story begins in fictional St. Petersburg, Missouri, on the shore of the Mississippi. Huckleberry "Huck" Finn and his friend, Tom Sawyer, have each come into a considerable sum of money as a result of their earlier adventures. Huck is placed under the guardianship of the Widow Douglas, who, together with her stringent sister, Miss Watson, are attempting to "sivilize" him and teach him religion. Finding civilized life confining, his spirits are raised somewhat when Tom Sawyer helps him to escape one night past Miss Watson's slave Jim, to meet up with Tom's gang of self-proclaimed "robbers."

In this classic Twain tale, a poor commoner and a young prince each find out how the other half lives. Tom Canty is a young man from a laboring family who bears a striking resemblance to Prince Edward, the son of King Henry VIII and heir to his throne. Tom and Edward meet by chance, and they decide to exchange places briefly, as a lark; Edward will get to live as an ordinary boy, and Tom will enjoy the perks of royalty. But the two are separated before they can let everyone in on the joke, and Tom discovers as he pretends to be Price Edward that the castle is awash in corruption.

If you've ever wondered what a tale of knights and dukes would look like through the mind of humorist Mark Twain? Travel back in time to the 1200s. Twain starts well setting the scene for a very interesting conflict. How will it resolve - or will it? The ending really shouldn't be a surprise for those who love the careless ease of Twains humor.

Eve's Diary - Complete, written by the incomparable Mark Twain, was first published in 1905 in the Christmas edition of Harper's Bazaar. This charming short story is told from both Adam and Eve's point of view as they traverse their new world from the Garden through to the Fall and is said to be a love letter to his late wife Olivia Langdon Clemens who passed a year before it's publication.

This once-celebrated sequel of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn picks up right where Tom, Huck, and Jim's travels along the Mississippi ended. Tom enjoys his status as "Tom Sawyer the Traveler" and hopes to further his reputation. Little does he know how far his desire to stay ahead of his biggest rival will take them this time - overseas in an eccentric inventor's balloon!

One of Mark Twain’s most famous books for young people. As children, his daughters loved to act out the story in their library. It’s a carefully researched and written story, which incorporates all of Mark Twain’s signature humor, evil villains, and compelling plotlines. Yes, it was written with young people in mind, but it is surely enjoyable to listeners of all ages.

Mark Twain expected to create a new form of autobiography in which "I shall talk about the matter which for the moment interests me, and cast it aside and talk about something else the moment its interest for me is exhausted." These transcriptions of his off-the-cuff telling of his own history allow one to feel as if he is listening to the great storyteller one-on-one.

Twain's retelling of his adventures in Europe, A Tramp Abroad exudes with the author's shrewd observations and highly opinionated comments on Old World culture, and showcases his unparalleled ability to integrate humorous sketches, autobiographical tidbits, and historical anecdotes in a consistently entertaining narrative. Cast in the form of a walking tour through Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy, A Tramp Abroad includes among its adventures a voyage by raft down the Neckar and an ascent of Mount Blanc by telescope, as well as the author's attempts to study art.