Showing results by author "Mark Twain" in All Categories

Penguin Classics presents Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, adapted for audio and now available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by the actor Kerry Shale. 'I'm unfavorable to killin' a man as long as you can git around it; it ain't good...

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'.

A return trip down the Mississippi River to Uncle Silas's farm is just the beginning of a yarn that includes twins, a diamond heist, a confidence man, a murder, and enough twists and turns to satisfy an avid mystery fan.

Dive into the whimsical world of Mark Twain with his third book, Mark Twains (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance, published by Sheldon & Co. in 1871. This short volume features two captivating stories First Romance, originally published in The Express in 1870, and A Burlesque Autobiography, a playful take that bears no resemblance to Twains real life. These tales introduce fictional characters purported to be part of Twains lineage. In a clever twist, Twain builds tension to a dramatic climax, only to leave readers hanging with the humorous admission of his storytelling struggles The ...

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Shazad Latif, best known for his roles in Star Trek: Discovery and Spooks. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Justin Kaplan. When Connecticut mechanic and foreman Hank Morgan is knocked unconscious, he wakes not...

A vintage collection of some of the greatest short stories ever written: "The Purloined Letter", by Edgar Allan Poe; "The Nose", by Nikolai Gogol; "The Story of an Hour", by Kate Chopin; "The Gift of the Magi", by O. Henry; "The Apparition of Mrs. Veal", by Daniel Defoe; "The Lifted Veil", by George Eliot; "Life of Ma Parker", by Katherine Mansfield; "The Baron", by Katherine Mansfield; "The Cask of Amontillado", by Edgar Allan Poe; "The Seventh Pullet", by Saki; and more.

Mark Twain delivered this speech at the dedication of new buildings at the College of the City of New York. The mayor who preceded him mentioned that good citizenship should take precedence even over education. Twain uses this introduction to transition into a funny discussion of the motto “In God we trust” being stamped into US coins and how this relates to principles of citizenship.

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.

Here are three of the most celebrated works of Mark Twain collected in a single volume. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court bring you an interesting array of exciting characters and entertaining adventures that have been precious to readers for years.

Poor boy Tom Canty admires the royals who seem so far out of his reach in sixteenth-century English society, but when he meets young Prince Edward, he realizes they are very much alike. They share the same birthday and the same face. And when Edward dons Tom’s rags, and Tom slips into the royal cloak, no one can tell them apart.

When Tom comes up with an ambitious plan to explore uncharted territories using a hot air balloon, he convinces his daring friends, Huckleberry Finn, and Jim, to join him on this incredible voyage. Together, they manage to build a large hot air balloon named the "Aerostat with No Compromise", and set off from Tom's uncle's farm in Missouri.

Is man's sole impulse the securing of his own approval? Do we love God or do we just love God's frequent-prayer program? Is what we call self-sacrifice really self-delusion? What's the Christian amount to tip a waiter? A spirited and passionate discussion.

Mark Twain composed this short essay on the "art of lying" in 1885 for a meeting of the Historical and Antiquarian Club of Hartford, Connecticut. In the essay, Twain laments the four ways in which men of America's Gilded Age employ man's "most faithful friend". The essay, Twain notes, was "offered for the thirty-dollar prize," but it "did not take the prize."

Very few people know that Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) wrote a major work on Joan of Arc. Still fewer know that he considered it not only his most important but also his best work. He spent twelve years in research and many months in France doing archival work, and then made several attempts until he felt he finally had the story he wanted to tell.

Told in the unmistakable voice of America’s immortal storyteller, this chronicle of a vanishing past is a tale of two journeys. The first is that of Samuel Clemens, young antebellum-era steamboat pilot who navigates wide-eyed passengers on the Mississippi. And the second tells of a reflective Mark Twain. He’d return, years later, to observe the inevitable and dismaying post-Civil War developments along the currents of the ever-changing Great River.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: The Original 1884 Unabridged and Complete Edition by Mark Twain is a timeless American classic that follows the journey of a young boy named Huck Finn as he escapes the constraints of civilization and embarks on a raft voyage down the Mississippi River.

The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of two young boys who are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father in Offal Court off Pudding Lane in London, and Prince Edward, son of King Henry VIII. (Wikipedia)

Growing up on the banks of the Mississippi river, a mischievous boy named Tom Sawyer spends his days getting into one scrape after another. Tom's constant cleverness, superstition, trickery, and daring make him a handful to raise, and his Aunt Polly declares that she has "never seen the beat of that boy!" Tom is essentially good-hearted, however, but when he is witness to a horrible crime, his courage and integrity are tested beyond anything he ever expected. A note to parents: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is considered a children's classic, but contains racial slurs which, although "...

One day a poor boy, Tom, gets a little too near the gates of the palace. and the guards start to beat him. However the prince himself intervenes and invites Tom into the palace. They talk about their differences in life and how very similar they both are to one another in appearance. They decide to trade clothes for a few minutes to see what it is like. Still in Tom's clothes, the Prince, Edward, leaves the room for a few minutes, and the guards mistake him for the pauper, throwing him out of the palace! Tom decides to try and act like the prince, not knowing what has happened to him. Everyone...

An adventure story for children, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a fun-filled book that shows life along the Mississippi River in the 1840s. Written by Mark Twain, the book shows masterfully-done satire, racism, childhood, and the importance of loyalty and courage - no matter the cost. - Summary by JayKitty76. A note to parents: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is considered a children's classic, but contains racial slurs which, although "acceptable" in the time and place of the story's setting, will likely offend modern listeners