Showing results by author "Mark Twain" in All Categories

Four delightful essays penned by Mark Twain, including “How To Tell a Story”, performed by Mark Redfield as Twain. Recorded before a live audience.

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.

One of the greatest satires in American literature, Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court begins when Hank Morgan, a skilled mechanic in a nineteenth-century New England arms factory, who is struck on the head during a quarrel and awakens to find himself among the knights and magicians of King Arthur's Camelot. The 'Yankee' vows brashly to "boss the whole country inside of three weeks" and embarks on an ambitious plan to modernize Camelot with 19th century industrial inventions.

The Mysterious Stranger is a novel by the American author Mark Twain. It tells the tale of three boys, Theodor, Seppi, and Nikolaus, who live relatively happy simple lives in a remote Austrian village called Eseldorf in 1590, and their meeting with a handsome stranger who, unknown to the boys, is Satan incarnate.

Included: The Apparition Of Mrs. Veal by Daniel Defoe, Alice Addertongue by Benjamin Franklin, The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, Prosper Mérimée by Mateo Falcone, Napoleon And The Spectre by Charlotte Bronte, The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley, Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dr. Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask Of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, An Honest Thief by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Frog by Edgar Allan Poe, The Knitted Collar by Mary Anne Hoare.

It's an opportunity not just to listen to a classic work, but to embark on a journey through the life, influences, and enduring impact of one of America's literary giants.

This is the story of Mark Twain's brief career as a Confederate soldier at the beginning of the American Civil War. Mark Twain's "private history" is told from the viewpoint of "someone who set out to do something in the war, but didn't". What starts out as a kind of class reunion/camping trip quickly becomes a series of frightful near misses with a determined and deadly foe, and ends in painful, premature death for some and a lifetime of guilty regrets for others.

Huckleberry Finn—the casual rebel, the homeless waif, the sometime liar and thief, the boy nobody wanted—finds, for the first time in his life, a sense of responsibility, acceptance, and love when he befriends a runaway slave named Jim. Fleeing down the Mississippi on a raft, Huck courageously violates social convention rather than betray the person who needs him most.

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.

When Mark Twain reflects on childhood you can be certain humor will follow. Such is the case with a young boy and an attempt to capture a turkey bare handed. You may wonder if you should sympathize with the turkey—or the boy.

汤姆·索亚是个聪明又调皮的男孩，鬼点子极多。机缘巧合，他与好朋友哈克在墓地中目睹了一起凶杀案。因为害怕凶手，他们到荒岛上做起了海盗，甚至参加了自己的葬礼。他们与坏人斗智斗勇，而且发现了坏人的宝藏……汤姆能战胜凶手，获得宝藏吗？…… 湯姆·索亞是個聰明又調皮的男孩，鬼點子極多。機緣巧合，他與好朋友哈克在墓地中目睹了一起兇殺案。因為害怕兇手，他們到荒島上做起了海盜，甚至參加了自己的葬禮。他們與壞人鬥智鬥勇，而且發現了壞人的寶藏……湯姆能戰勝兇手，獲得寶藏嗎？

En El príncipe y el mendigo, Mark Twain presenta una historia aparentemente sencilla: dos niños de apariencia idéntica, uno príncipe (Eduardo Tudor) y otro mendigo (Tom Canty), intercambian lugares por accidente. Sin embargo, tras esta anécdota se esconde una profunda reflexión sobre la identidad, el juicio social y el valor de la experiencia. Desde un enfoque de autoayuda, esta obra es una metáfora poderosa sobre cómo el entorno condiciona nuestras creencias y comportamientos.

La vida en Saint Petersburg, un pequeño pueblo situado a orillas del Mississippi, al suroeste de Estados Unidos, es tan tranquila que incluso puede resultar aburrida. Pero Tom Sawyer, un muchacho curioso y travieso, se entretiene con cualquier hecho cotidiano, como pintar una valla, o no tan cotidiano, como perseguir a un malvado asesino o ir en busca de un tesoro, acompañado de su inseparable amigo Huck. Así, Tom es un niño idealista y sensible que cree en la justicia y Huck es un fiel defensor de la libertad, quien, al haber sido abandonado por sus padres, vaga por las calles y es cuestionado por la mirada prejuiciosa de los adultos.

Young listeners will be captivated by Mark Twain's remarkable adventure story of two young boys who exchange identities and learn the nature of true nobility. Adapted and narrated by Jim Weiss. A classic adventure set in medieval England, this tale is brought to a new generation by master storyteller Jim Weiss. The whole family will enjoy listening to Mark Twain's remarkable adventure story of two young boys who exchange identities and learn the nature of true nobility.

A comical collection of four classic tales written by America's favorite author. Read with rakish mastery by Carol Eason, the stories include "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", which concerns the controversial outcome of a frog jumping contest; "What Stumped the Blue Jay", regarding the plight of a particularly determined jay bird; "The Story of the Old Ram", where a group of miners gather to listen to a legendary tale; and "The Joke that Made Ed's Fortune", which concerns a devilish prank and its wry backfiring.

We’ve all had songs that we can’t seem to get out of our heads. It’s maddening. Mark Twain faced the same issue, but instead of a song, it was a rhythmic poem. All who came in contact with the poem seemed to be possessed with the same malady. This is where Twain’s trademark humor makes its inevitable appearance. A classic short story from Mark Twain narrated by Glenn Hascall.

This is a rare non-fiction autobiographical story by Mark Twain in which he talks about his early days of riding on a steamboat throughout the Mississippi River. His experiences on this river would later help him write his famous fictional stories including the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain. It was his first great success as a writer and brought him national attention. The story has also been published as "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" (its original title) and "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". In it, the narrator retells a story he heard from a bartender, Simon Wheeler, at the Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California, about the gambler Jim Smiley.

Hear the rousing adventures of Huckleberry Finn fresh after the events of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, all told from Huck’s perspective. Hear how Huck narrowly escapes from his drunken, abusive father and sets out on a raft down the Mississippi river with the help of his friend Jim, a runaway slave. Follow Huck’s journey as they encounter slave hunters, deadly feuds, dangerous con men, and much more. This American classic runs nearly eight hours in length and is fully dramatized, with sound effects.

Mark Twain wrote and had opinions about many things, including religion and Biblical matters. This selection of sketches compiled from Europe and Elsewhere is fun and insightful.