Showing results by author "Mark Twain" in All Categories

Thirteen-year-old Huck runs away from his alcoholic and abusive father in a stolen canoe. Hiding on a wooded island, he comes upon a slave named Jim, who is also fleeing--from slavery. The two set off down the Mississippi on a piece of a raft, each in search of his own kind of freedom.

This story is set in the 16th century, during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. Two boys that look identical switch places for a brief period of time. One is Tom Canty, who lives with his abusive, alcoholic father in poverty on the streets of London. The other is young prince Edward Tudor, who is next in line to the English throne.

Mark Twain’s Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World is the account of a lecture tour in which he circumnavigated the globe on a steamship. He undertook a tour of the British Empire in 1895 at age 60 with stops at the Hawaiian Islands, Australia, Fiji Islands, New Zealand, India and South Africa. The result is a wide range of observations, along with perceptive discussions and descriptions of cultures, customs, people, climate, flora and fauna, religion, politics, food, and many other matters.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain has been popular since it was first published in 1884. It is known for its colorful and often scathng look at the people and places along the Mississippi River at a time when racism was an entrenched attitude in Southern antebellum society. The strong point of view, masterful depiction of dialects, and confrontations of issues of prejudice and race have inspired crtics to dub it “the great American novel”.

One evening in Paris, 1879, Mark Twain rose to the podium and tackled the touchiest of subjects: masturbation. His remarks rubbed Victorian society the wrong way and were censored for over a century.

This cheerful classic by America's favorite writer, Mark Twain, tells the tale of a very determined blue jay and the lengths to which he'll go to achieve his rather humble goal.

A breathtaking collection of 80 classic short stories inspired by different locations, people and customs across the globe...

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.

The Diaries of Adam and Eve is Twain's humorous take on the myth of the Garden of Eden, as told by the participants. The joys and conflicts described will be familiar to all who labor with and love the opposite sex.

Consider this a fun instructional course on the difference between a comedic story and a humorous one. Mark Twain masterfully shows the difference and gives an example of humorous storytelling in this short story setting. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

Well known as a "children's book," The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is rich in eloquent and sophisticated language, and filled with realistic characters who become locked in life and death struggles.There is a murder, stolen treasure, and death by starvation. Add to that a love story, a buddy story, and a family drama.

Puddn’head Wilson is Mark Twain’s novel of satirical wit aimed at the injustices in the southern states of America in the mid-19th century. It tells the story of two children, one born free, the other a slave. When the slaves’ mother, Roxana, switches the infants in their cradles she is not the only one who lives to regret the action. The tale has many facets to it. It is a murder mystery, a social commentary on the manners and beliefs of the time and a detective novel.

In this short essay, Mark Twain discusses the patriot William Tell, the city of Interlaken, and the Jungfrau mountain. He describes the beauty of the landscape with great admiration.

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.

On the Decay of the Art of Lying is a short essay written by Mark Twain in 1880 for a meeting of the Historical and Antiquarian Club of Hartford, Connecticut. Twain published the text in The Stolen White Elephant Etc. (1882). In the essay, Twain laments the four ways in which men of America's Gilded Age employ man's 'most faithful friend'.

The Big Book of Christmas: Classic Stories and Poems is a grand compilation that assembles a treasure trove of holiday tales and poems from a remarkable array of authors. This extensive collection includes 100 classic works, each thoughtfully illustrated, to immerse readers in the magic and wonder of the Christmas season. This anthology spans a rich tapestry of Christmas literature, including timeless favorites such as "The Gift of the Magi," "The Red Room," "A Letter from Santa Claus," "The Fir Tree," "Song of the Holly," and many more.

Con su estilo sencillo, directo, ácido e irreverente, Mark Twain nos da una divertida a la vez que placentera e ingeniosa versión sobre los habitantes del Paraíso Terrenal. Intenta penetrar en la mente de los que presuntamente fueron nuestros primeros padres y nos hace verlos en su ingenuidad, en su mirada de descubrimiento de todo lo que les rodea, incluyéndose a ellos mismos (el “experimento semejante a un reptil” que mira Eva y “la nueva criatura de pelo largo” que ve Adán).

"A Horse's Tale" (1907) is a novel by Mark Twain, written against bullfighting. A classic humorous tale as told from the point of view of horse in the wild, wild west. "I am Buffalo Bill's horse. I have spent my life under his saddle - with him in it, too, and he is good for two hundred pounds, without his clothes; and there is no telling how much he does weigh when he is out on the war-path and has his batteries belted on. I am his favorite horse, out of dozens.

The story takes place in Victorian London, where two very rich, eccentric brothers give the penniless story protagonist, Henry Adams, one million pounds of money in the form of a single peerless bank note. Henry would not be easily able to exchange that note in the bank without being questioned about how he had come to it, charged with theft and arrested. He would also not be able to spend it since no ordinary person would be able to change it.

According to an LA Times, May 14, 2014 article, the following entry came from a notebook of a gold-seeking prospector, Samuel Clemens, in 1864. "Coleman with his jumping frog - bet stranger $50... - stranger had no frog & C got him one - in the meantime stranger filled C's frog full of shot and he couldn't jump - the stranger's frog won." Little did Clemens know that this would be the source for his short story that would launch his career as one of America's greatest authors.