Sketches New and Old
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Narrated by:
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Robin Field
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By:
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Mark Twain
About this listen
Sketches New and Old is a compilation of fictional stories written by Mark Twain. Among them is "A Ghost Story". In each story, one can catch a great sense of Twain's humor and creativity. These classic sketches from Twain are no longer than 10 minutes each, but all show his quick-witted humor in response to the events of the day.
A real storyteller can make a great story out of anything, even the most trivial occurrence. Composed between 1863 and 1875, the 63 often outrageous sketches in Sketches, New and Old contain, for instance, a piece about the difficulty of getting a pocket watch repaired properly; complaints about barbers and office bores; and satirical comments on bureaucrats, courts of law, the profession of journalism, the claims of science, and the workings of government. In Mark Twain's hands, all these potentially dry and dull topics bristle with vitality and interest.
"What fascinates Twain," Lee Smith writes in her introduction, is how people "react to the things that happen to them." Twain "lets them speak in their own voices by and large, in a chorus ranging from high-flown oratory to the plain speech of working people.... It seems generally true that the more elevated the speech, the likelier that person is to be an idiot; words of wisdom and common sense are invariably voiced by the common man" - or woman. "The most profound and moving sketch in this whole collection" Smith writes, is one "told by a freed slave." The candid, ironic, playful, and petulant sketches in this volume are indispensable to our understanding of a harried genius during 13 quite amazing years.
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Honoré de Balzac uses his classic style of detail to describe a most controversial setting in his novel Le Pere Goriot. The story takes place in Paris just after the fall of Napoleon in 1819. The story focuses on three characters, Rastignac, a student who wants to try and make it big in the capital, Vautrin, an interesting and funny character who is also quite mysterious, and the main character, Goriot, that carries a heavy burden that only a loving parent would endure.
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A minor masterpiece
- By Jack Rock on 03-04-18
By: Honoré de Balzac
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The Jewel of Seven Stars
- By: Bram Stoker
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The warning was inscribed on the entrance of the hidden tomb, forgotten for millennia in the sands of mystic Egypt. Then the archaeologists and grave robbers came in search of the fabled Jewel of Seven Stars, which they found clutched in the hand of the mummy. Few heeded the ancient warning, until all who came in contact with the Jewel began to die in a mysterious and violent way, with the marks of a strangler around their neck.
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Mother of all Mummy-Stories
- By Dorothea on 03-15-08
By: Bram Stoker
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The Confidence-Man
- His Masquerade
- By: Herman Melville
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Evoking Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, this is a story of interlocking tales from a group of steamboat passengers traveling down the Mississippi toward New Orleans. Aboard the Fidèle can be found all manner of con men, from those selling stock in failing companies and herbal cure-all "medicines" to those who are raising money for supposed charitable organizations and those who simply ask for money outright.
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Trust and the confidence man
- By Nelson on 01-24-22
By: Herman Melville
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Mary Barton
- A Tale of Manchester Life
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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When her father assassinates Henry Carson, his employer's son and Mary's admirer, suspicion falls on Mary's second admirer, Jem, a fellow worker. Mary has to prove her lover's innocence without incriminating her own father.
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Mrs. Gaskell was so far ahead of her time
- By Pat on 08-20-13
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A Diary from Dixie
- By: Mary Chesnut
- Narrated by: Mary Baker
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the original diary of the wife of Confederate General James Chesnut, Jr., who was an aide to President Jefferson Davis. It is a fascinating narrative of all the years of the American Civil War. It focuses on the daily lives and hardships of all who suffered through the war, from ordinary people to the Confederacy's generals and political elite. Mary Chesnut's prose has lost none of its provocative bite through the ages.
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Must read—unique view of Antebellum, bellum & post bellum Southern life
- By harsh critic on 05-31-18
By: Mary Chesnut
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Les Miserables
- By: Victor Hugo
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 57 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in the Parisian underworld and plotted like a detective story, Les Miserables follows Jean Valjean, originally an honest peasant, who has been imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving family. A hardened criminal upon his release, he eventually reforms, becoming a successful industrialist and town mayor. Despite this, he is haunted by an impulsive former crime and is pursued relentlessly by the police inspector Javert.
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one happy insomniac
- By Kathryn on 01-27-05
By: Victor Hugo
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Fifth Business
- The Deptford Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Robertson Davies
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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This first novel in The Deptford Trilogy introduces Ramsay, a man who returns from World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross but who is destined to be caught in a no man's land where memory, history, and myth collide. As we hear Ramsey tell his story, we begin to realize that, from childhood, he has influenced those around him in a perhaps mystical, perhaps pernicious way.
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Been waiting for this
- By Vinity on 12-10-11
By: Robertson Davies
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Originally published in 1865, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" began Mark Twain's remarkable career, and immediately demonstrated his masterful storytelling and brilliant sense of humor. This delightful tale introduces Jim Smiley, a man who loved to gamble, whether on horse races, dogfights, catfights, or even how long it took bugs to cross the Mexican border. When a gullible stranger came to town, Smiley boasted that his pet frog, Dan'l Webster, could outjump any frog in the county.
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Terrible sound quality
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Is Shakespeare Dead?
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> Is Shakespeare Dead? is a short, semi-autobiographical work by American humorist Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. It explores the controversy over the authorship of the Shakespearean literary canon via satire, anecdote, and extensive quotation of contemporary authors on the subject. The original publication spans only 150 pages, and the formatting leaves roughly half of each page blank. The spine is thread bound. It was published in April of 1909 by Harper & Brothers.
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Written without access to Google!
- By Bruce Cline on 01-17-24
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Joan of Arc
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Jim Hodges
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Originally published in Harper's Magazine in 1895 as chapters attributed to the fictitious author Sieur Louis de Conte, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc is what American novelist and humorist Mark Twain considered to be his greatest work.
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Narrator is just not right
- By j gonzales on 12-11-20
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The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories
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Story
This dark story, set in medieval Austria, hinges on unearthly and hidden mental powers. It also gives an insight to the author's psyche during his final days.
The other stories in this edition include "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg", "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", "The Story of the Bad Little Boy", "The Diary of Adam and Eve", "Edward Mills and George Benton", "The Joke That Made Ed's Fortune", and "A Fable".
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Bad text, humdrum narration
- By Tad Davis on 05-19-08
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The Diaries of Adam and Eve
- By: Mark Twain
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- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Mark Twain spills his wit and whimsical sense of humor into his novel, The Diaries of Adam and Eve. The story tells of the events that took place in the Garden of Eden prior to the entrance of the deceitful serpent. Adam and Eve are not exactly getting along. Through the struggles listed in their diaries, one can safely assume that these two very different human beings are each other's greatest source of frustration.
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Not My Favorite Mark Twain Story
- By Paul T. on 08-14-24
By: Mark Twain
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Tom Sawyer, Detective
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 2 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This 1896 novel follows the Mark Twain series of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), and Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894). Tom finds himself on another exciting adventure as he serves as detective for a mysterious murder in the banks of the Mississippi. Listen to this suspenseful, yet whimsical story of Tom and Huckleberry and be fascinated once again with Mark Twain's imagination.
By: Mark Twain
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The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Stories
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Originally published in 1865, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" began Mark Twain's remarkable career, and immediately demonstrated his masterful storytelling and brilliant sense of humor. This delightful tale introduces Jim Smiley, a man who loved to gamble, whether on horse races, dogfights, catfights, or even how long it took bugs to cross the Mexican border. When a gullible stranger came to town, Smiley boasted that his pet frog, Dan'l Webster, could outjump any frog in the county.
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Terrible sound quality
- By Tad Davis on 05-19-08
By: Mark Twain
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Is Shakespeare Dead?
- By: Mark Twain
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- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
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Overall
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> Is Shakespeare Dead? is a short, semi-autobiographical work by American humorist Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. It explores the controversy over the authorship of the Shakespearean literary canon via satire, anecdote, and extensive quotation of contemporary authors on the subject. The original publication spans only 150 pages, and the formatting leaves roughly half of each page blank. The spine is thread bound. It was published in April of 1909 by Harper & Brothers.
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Written without access to Google!
- By Bruce Cline on 01-17-24
By: Mark Twain
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Joan of Arc
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Jim Hodges
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Originally published in Harper's Magazine in 1895 as chapters attributed to the fictitious author Sieur Louis de Conte, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc is what American novelist and humorist Mark Twain considered to be his greatest work.
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Narrator is just not right
- By j gonzales on 12-11-20
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The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories
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- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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This dark story, set in medieval Austria, hinges on unearthly and hidden mental powers. It also gives an insight to the author's psyche during his final days.
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Bad text, humdrum narration
- By Tad Davis on 05-19-08
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The Diaries of Adam and Eve
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Overall
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Performance
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Mark Twain spills his wit and whimsical sense of humor into his novel, The Diaries of Adam and Eve. The story tells of the events that took place in the Garden of Eden prior to the entrance of the deceitful serpent. Adam and Eve are not exactly getting along. Through the struggles listed in their diaries, one can safely assume that these two very different human beings are each other's greatest source of frustration.
-
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Not My Favorite Mark Twain Story
- By Paul T. on 08-14-24
By: Mark Twain
-
Tom Sawyer, Detective
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 2 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Regarded by many as the most luminous example of Twain's work, this historical novel chronicles the French heroine's life, as purportedly told by her longtime friend--Sieur Louis de Conte.
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Underrated novel, well worth a listen
- By Tad Davis on 07-05-12
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
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Transported back in time to the regal days of chivalry, the quick-witted, sharp-tongued Connecticut Yankee introduces the legendary King Arthur and his court to some "magic" even the wizard Merlin never dreamed of: the destructive power of gunpowder, and the ability to eclipse the sun itself!
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Funny, Smart, and Timely
- By Randy on 08-21-04
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The Gilded Age
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- Unabridged
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First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is both a biting satire and a revealing portrait of post-Civil War America - an age of corruption when crooked land speculators, ruthless bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously took advantage of the nation's peacetime optimism. With his characteristic wit and perception, Mark Twain and his collaborator, Charles Dudley Warner, attack the greed, lust, and naiveté of their own time in a work that endures as a valuable social document and one of America's most important satirical novels.
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Great Story, but Audio Quality Not Always Good
- By BethGA on 02-27-24
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How to Tell a Story and Other Essays
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 47 mins
- Unabridged
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American writer Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain has given us some literary gems with Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and his travel adventures in 19th-century Europe and to Australia and New Zealand. In How to Tell a Story and Other Essays, Twain discusses the telling of stories, rather than providing more stories.
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Great Stuff!!
- By Thomas on 08-20-12
By: Mark Twain
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The Prince and the Pauper
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Originally published in 1881, Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper is a timeless tale of switched identities. After the young Prince Edward VI of England and a peasant boy switch places, the "little king" tries to escape from a world in which he must beg for food, sleep with rodents, face ridicule, and avoid assassination. Meanwhile, the peasant, who is now the prince, dreads exposure and possible execution - while members of the Court believe he has gone mad.
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Education of a Prince
- By John Rocha on 09-19-15
By: Mark Twain
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Roughing It
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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"To Calvin H. Higbie, of California, an honest man, a genial comrade and a steadfast friend," this book is inscribed by the author, "in memory of the curious time when we two were millionaires for ten days." So the witty Mark Twain dedicates his second travelogue and charming SEMI-sequel to The Innocents Abroad.
By: Mark Twain
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Roughing It
- A Personal Narrative
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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"If there is any life that is happier than the life we led on our timber ranch, it must be the sort of life which I have not read of in books or experienced in person," wrote Mark Twain, and now you can share in that experience. The beloved American humorist spent seven years on a "pleasure trip" through the untamed wilderness of Nevada. Twain intended to spend three months touring silver mines, but the lure of rough terrain and comfortable clothes proved irresistible - as will this vibrant travelogue.
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Hilarious
- By Tad Davis on 04-21-08
By: Mark Twain
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Letters from Hawaii
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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A collection of letters Mark Twain wrote for a newspaper publication - from a long, turbulent journey to the island to his encounters with the islanders and the myriad Englishmen who have taken up residence on the island.
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for twain completists
- By mjhnsn on 06-15-17
By: Mark Twain
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The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Two half brothers look so similar as infants that no one can tell them apart. One, the legitimate son of a rich man, is destined for a life of comfort; the other is condemned to be a slave, as he is part black. The mother of the would-be slave is also the nurse of the other boy, and to give her son the best life possible, she switches the two. Soon, the boy who is given every advantage becomes spoiled and cruel. He takes sadistic pleasure in tormenting his half brother.
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twin brothers x 3
- By Anonymous User on 05-18-12
By: Mark Twain
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Roughing It
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 17 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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This humorous travel book, based on Twain's stagecoach journey through the American West and his adventures in the Pacific islands, is full of colorful caricatures of outlandish locals and detailed sketches of frontier life. Roughing It describes how the narrator, a polite greenhorn from the East, is initiated into the rough-and-tumble society of the frontier.
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Roughing It Is the Best Twain Book
- By Barry on 02-10-11
By: Mark Twain
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A Tramp Abroad
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In April 1878, Mark Twain and his family traveled to Europe. Overloaded with creative ideas, Twain had hoped that the sojourn would spark his creativity enough to bring at least one of the books in his head to fruition. Instead, he wrote of his walking tour of Europe, describing his impressions of the Black Forest, the Matterhorn, and other attractions. Neglected for years, A Tramp Abroad sparkles with Twain’s shrewd observations and highly opinionated comments on Old World culture.
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A hoot
- By Tad Davis on 05-12-11
By: Mark Twain
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Pudd'nhead Wilson
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Written during a period of great tragedy in Mark Twain's life and great social unrest in America, Pudd'nhead Wilson rises above its farcical plot to ask pointed philosophical questions about society, values, and racism.
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One of Twain's best
- By Paul on 02-26-05
By: Mark Twain
What listeners say about Sketches New and Old
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Yvonne Renfro
- 11-14-23
Enjoyable
My favorite tale is of Mr. Twain and the persistent lightning rod salesman. Lots of laughs.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Tad Davis
- 10-29-16
Enjoyable
Robin Field is one of a handful of narrators (Grover Gardner, Norman Dietz, Richard Henzel, Patrick Fraley) who can almost always be trusted with Mark Twain. Here he presents a series of sketches, essays, newspaper satires, and stories that I believe Twain himself gathered together under the "New and Old" title. They demonstrate a broad range of Twain's talents - and include some of his choicest targets.
This is Twain in his pleasantest mode. Over the course of his life he wrote a number of bitter, pessimistic essays, but they aren't in this collection: most of the pieces in this volume are humorous and self-deprecating, if not downright silly.
There are brief banjo riffs between each piece, and one sketch that includes a drunken piano player/singer in full sail.
I enjoy Field as a narrator, but even a short and funny collection like this gives him scope for his worst habit. When it comes to quotations and footnotes, Field is extremely formal: nothing is quoted without its "Quote. Close Quote" tags; no footnotes are read without their "Note. End Note" tags. Not everyone will find fault with this - some will be grateful - but I prefer a looser approach. It doesn't happen often here, but when it happens, it interrupts the flow, and to my way of thinking it damages the pace.
But on the whole I enjoyed listening to it, and found myself wanting to hear more short prices by Twain. Robin Field and Richard Henzel seem to be working on this, and between them there may eventually be a number of such titles to choose from.
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3 people found this helpful