Showing results by author "Mark Twain" in All Categories

Ten classic stories from Mark Twain.

Tom Cantry is a poor boy who lives with his father in shoddy circumstances. While waiting around the palace gates one day, he meets Edward Tudor, the prince of Wales. As the two men meet and talk with one another, they realize they can use their uncanny similarities to experience a new type of life. They decide to swap places for a day. Of course, the day does not go seamlessly, and both young men end up getting more of an experience than they bargained for.

Set in the 16th century, this classic is the enchanting story of two London boys of opposite social standings. Edward, the Prince of Wales is tired of his life as a royal, so when he encounters a street urchin by the name of Tom who happens to look just like him, the two exchange clothes and roles for a short time. This stunt forever changes the lives of both boys.

Refusing to be civilized by Southern society or cowed by his drunken father's lashings, young Huckleberry Finn decides he has only one option left: fake his own death and hop a raft down the Mississippi River. Instead of carrying him far from trouble, though, Huck's raft delivers him to a place of moral uncertainty. Mark Twain unwinds Huck's harrowing journey to manhood with satirical wit, revealing the troubled history of the American South, where slavery held sway long after the Civil War ended.

Tom Canty, a boy of the London slums, and Edward Tudor, a boy destined to be king of England, were born on the same day. Though worlds apart, they were so amazingly similar in features they could have been mistaken for twins. A chance encounter in the castle brings them together, and an impish plan prompts the two to exchange clothing. The plan backfires when Edward is mistaken for a peasant and, in spite of his protests, is thrown out into the streets to endure the life of the slums, and poor, frightened Tom is forced to assume the role of royalty.

A thoroughly engaging collection of great classic tales by the very best American authors. 1. 'From Beyond' by H. P. Lovecraft 2. 'The Mysterious Card and the Card Unveiled' by Cleveland Moffett 3. 'Pigs Is Pigs' by Ellis Parker Butler 4. 'The Club of One-Eyed Men' by Arthur Somers Roche 5. 'Afterward' by Edith Wharton 6. 'The Furnished Room' by O. Henry 7. 'A Descent into the Maelström' by Edgar Allan Poe 8. 'Regret' by Kate Chopin 9. 'The Terrible Old Man' by H. P. Lovecraft 10. 'The Dumb Man' by Sherwood Anderson

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.

Tom Sawyer n'apprécie pas trop l'école. Il préfère de très loin retrouver son ami Huck qui mène une vie de bohème et vit dans un tonneau. Aussi turbulents qu'inséparables, les deux garçons aiment l'aventure, les expéditions, la vie de pirate sur une île du Mississippi et les expériences de sorcellerie... Sans oublier Becky, la fille du juge dont Tom Sawyer est amoureux. Jusqu'au jour où, cachés dans un cimetière, ils assistent à un véritable crime.

Generations of readers and listeners have enjoyed the ingenuous triumphs and feckless mishaps of boyhood days on the Mississippi. This classic of American wit and storytelling introduced Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, Aunt Polly, the Widow Douglas, and many other characters to the world, including, of course the boy who “was cordially hated and dreaded by all the mothers of the town because he was idle and lawless and vulgar and bad—and because all their children admired him so”: Huckleberry Finn.

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.

It is England in the time of Henry VII. Two boys meet. They were born on the same day; they look identical but they are not from the same family. Tom Canty is a pauper living in a hovel in the back streets of London, surviving as a beggar. Edward is Prince of Wales and about to become Edward VI. By a sudden twist of fate, they find themselves in each other's circumstances, the pauper raised to royalty and the prince - to the state of a pauper.

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; members of the Court believe he has gone mad. As a result of the swap, both boys learn that social class, like so much of life, is determined by chance and random circumstance. With his caustic wit and biting irony, Twain satirizes the power of the monarchy, superstitions, and religious intolerance.

Mark Twain was the great American wit. There have been many novelists but only two great American wits, Mark Twain and James Thurber. Listen to Twain's great comments for the ages.

In this classic Twain tale, a poor commoner and a young prince each find out how the other half lives. Tom Canty is a young man from a laboring family who bears a striking resemblance to Prince Edward, the son of King Henry VIII and heir to his throne. Tom and Edward meet by chance, and they decide to exchange places briefly, as a lark; Edward will get to live as an ordinary boy, and Tom will enjoy the perks of royalty. But the two are separated before they can let everyone in on the joke, and Tom discovers as he pretends to be Price Edward that the castle is awash in corruption.

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.

Narrator Nigel Hawthorne's exceptional talents as an actor bring comedy to the fore in this collection, extracting every nuance of humour from these seven great stories. Featuring "Brugglesmith" by Rudyard Kipling, "The Cricket Match" (from England, Their England) by A.G. Macdonell, "Reginald on House Parties" by Saki, "Winglebury Duel" by Charles Dickens, and more.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is both a whimsical fantasy and a social satire chock-full of brilliant Twainisms. Hank Morgan, a nineteenth-century American---a Connecticut Yankee---by a stroke of fate is sent back into time to sixth-century England and ends up in Camelot and King Arthur's Court.

The Innocents Abroad is a keenly observant, politically incorrect and often hilarious narration of the author’s cruise to the Holy Land aboard a retired Civil War ship. First published in 1869 and the bestselling of Twain’s works in his lifetime, The Innocents Abroad will delight listeners with the celebrated author’s musings on historic landmarks, cultural differences and silly travelling companions.

Perhaps the best-loved 19th-century American novel, Mark Twain's tale of boyhood adventure overflows with comedy, warmth, and slapstick energy. It brings to life an array of irresistible characters - the awesomely self-confident Tom, his best buddy Huck Finn, indulgent Aunt Polly, and the lovely, beguiling Becky - as well as such unforgettable incidents as whitewashing a fence, swearing an oath in blood, and getting lost in a dark and labyrinthine cave.

Trevor White reads Mark Twain's timeless tale about friendship and loyalty set in America's Deep South. Tom Sawyer is a fun-loving and adventurous boy who always tries to keep one step ahead of his long-suffering Aunt Polly. Who wouldn't want to skip school when there are adventures to be had along the banks of the Mississippi River? Tom gets into plenty of scrapes with his friend Huckleberry Finn. But the innocent and child-like japes turn for the worse as the two boys witness an event that has them fearing for their lives....