Showing results by author "Mark Twain" in All Categories

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...."

The mighty Mississippi River is the backdrop for this charming and adventurous tale. Samuel Clemens, who is better known as Mark Twain, began his Mississippi adventure as a riverboat captain and decided to pen a journal, recording the Mark Twain classic, Life on the Mississippi. Twain writes of the history of the river and relates his own adventures and misadventures as he seeks his fortune.

Though known for his classic novels of adventure and coming of age, Mark Twain is equally esteemed for his short stories, which abound with the colorful characters and often comic antics listeners have come to expect from his longer works. Included here are two of his most beloved short stories: "The Story of the Bad Little Boy Who Didn't Come to Grief" and "The Story of theGood Little Boy Who Did Not Prosper."

Only Mark Twain, with his wry humor, would weigh in on a military campaign's failure and delight his listeners with a different take on the evils of war and the damage it can cause.

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.

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.

In Gold Rush-era California, Jim Smiley, a minor who loves to gamble and will bet on anything, obtains a frog. Sniley spends three months training this talented amphibian athlete to become a champion jumper. Smiley finds his mark in the form of a stranger who comes to town and shows an interest in the frog, and would love to bet but if he could find his own frog. "No problem, you hold my frog and I'll go find a frog for you." When hustler meets hustler, the results can be interesting. You might say Smiley didn't know his frog was loaded.

This is a story within a story by Mark Twain. The one within is the tale of the gambler Jim Smiley and his jumping frog Dan’l. After many winning bets on Dan’l’s jumping ability, a cunning stranger comes along and that day Jim loses.

This hilarious classic by America's favorite author, Mark Twain tells the wry tale of a big frog jumping contest and the controversial outcome that results.

Wer träumt nicht davon, endlich der Stadt zu entfliehen und den Blick über Wiesen und Berge schweifen zu lassen? Große Autoren erzählen von den Freuden eines einfachen Lebens im Einklang mit der Natur, von der Apfel- und Heuernte und vielem mehr.

Widely regarded as one of the Great American Novels, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn follows the title character and his unlikely companion, a runaway slave named Jim, as they attempt to escape the confines of “sivilized” life. Written in the first person vernacular and brimming with satire, insight, and good old fashioned adventure, Twain’s tale is ideal for listening.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer depicts the life of an imaginative, troublesome boy in the American West of the 1840s. The novel is intensely dramatic in its construction, taking the form of a series of comic vignettes based on Tom's exploits. These vignettes are linked together by a darker story that grows in importance throughout the novel - Tom's life-threatening entanglement with the murderer Injun Joe.

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.

This could very well be the definitive American novel. A great success since it was first published. Required reading. Great fun.

Tom Sawyer does not like school. He does not like work, and he never wants to get out of bed in the morning. But he likes swimming and fishing, and having adventures with his friends. And he has a lot of adventures. One night, he and his friend Huck Finn go to the graveyard to look for ghosts.They don’t see any ghosts that night. They see something worse than a ghost – much, much worse.

In 1882, Mark Twain decided to write a memoir of his experiences growing up with, and later steering steamboats on, the Mississippi River. Following a history of the exploration and early commerce, he takes us with him as he "learns the river" and becomes a licensed pilot. The third part of the audiobook tells of his return to the river in preparation for this book. This important geographical phenomenon has been America's greatest single source of progress - and pain.

Hank Morgan is a mechanic, an engineer, and a foreman at the Colt Arms Factory. One day he gets into an argument, "conducted with crowbars," with an employee known as "Hercules." A blow to Hank's head sends him back to King Arthur's England in the Sixth Century.

A man of many firsts, Mark Twain was the first author to use the typewriter and the first person to have a telephone in his home (which no doubt made him the first person to swear at tech support!). He patented the accordion file, the fountain pen, and adjustable suspenders. And when he published "deleted scenes" from Pudd'nhead Wilson as Those Extraordinary Twins, he became the first publisher to include "bonus tracks" as well as the finished work.

A wonderful collection of short stories" by some of the all-time great American writers: 1. "The Diamond Lens" by Fitz James O’Brien; 2. "Titbottom’s Spectacles" by George William Curtis; 3. "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe; 4. "The Eyes of the Panther" by Ambrose Bierce; 5. "The Lightning Rod Man" by Hermann Melville; 6. "Seeds" by Sherwood Anderson; 7. "Who Was She?" by Bayard Taylor; 8. "The Man who stole a Meeting House" by John Townsend Trowbridge; 9. "Memoirs of a Yellow Dog" by O. Henry

This amusing tale from America's foremost storyteller Mark Twain recounts the events when a group of gold miners gather around the stove to hear the very drunk Jim Blaine tell the famous story of his old ram.