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The Innocents Abroad

Or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress

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The Innocents Abroad

By: Mark Twain
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Summary

In June 1867, Mark Twain set out for Europe and the Holy Land on the paddle steamer Quaker City. His enduring, no-nonsense guide for the first-time traveler also served as an antidote to the insufferably romantic travel books of the period.

“Who could read the programme for the excursion without longing to make one of the party?”

So Mark Twain acclaims his voyage from New York City to Europe and the Holy Land. His adventures produced The Innocents Abroad, a book so funny and provocative it made him an international star for the rest of his life. He was making his first responses to the Old World—to Paris, Milan, Florence, Venice, Pompeii, Constantinople, Sebastopol, Balaklava, Damascus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem. For the first time he was seeing the great paintings and sculptures of the Old Masters. He responded with wonder and amazement but also with exasperation, irritation, and disbelief. Above all he displayed the great energy of his humor, more explosive for us now than for his beguiled contemporaries.

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Travel Writing & Commentary Funny Middle Ages Middle East Witty Italy Imperialism
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Critic reviews

“A classic work…[that] marks a critical point in the development of our literature.” (Leslie A. Fiedler, literary critic)
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A fascinating survey of France, the Mediterranean and Asia Minor in the late 1860s. It's the little snap-shots that provide most pleasure. The pen-portraits of Napoleon III and Tsar Alexander II are worth setting again more standard historical summaries. There are, as might be expected, playful digs at aristocratic pretension and the dirt, laziness and corruption of many ordinary people, but Twain is similarly unforgiven about some of his own countrymen. The Crimean War is referred to on occasion, but it is interesting to note the lack of real reference to the more recent American Civil War in a work that relies on building parallels for readers back in the USA – readers who understood the copious Biblical and classical allusions more than their more counterparts.. There is throughout a balance between naive expectation and ultimate disappointment, which will speak to many a tourist who finds that guidebooks and popular imagery often distort a more prosaic reality. I personally preferred his subsequent "A Tramp Abroad" on Germany and Switzerland, though the range of discussion is broader here. The reading in this version is faultless.

Excellent early-ish stuff

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I really enjoyed this audible book. It was well narrated and the narrator kept up a good pace with a humorous and warm style. The book itself was fantastic and so enlightening. Hearing about travel in the late 1800s and comparing it to the travel and places visited today made the book even more enjoyable. It was well written and I often chuckled at unexpected phrases. Of course, some descriptions of people or places would not be acceptable today but it has to be read in the context of time. I would gladly listen to this again.

So interesting.

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One of the best classic travel books. Shows everything which was great about Mark Twain writing, The style,The wit and the way to see everything in the world through his eyes. A journey around the world which will not be forgotten soon!

Twain at his best!

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Thoroughly, outrageously entertaining! Also a valuable insight into a lost era, when foreign lands were strange and exciting.

Brilliant!

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What did you like most about The Innocents Abroad?

If you've ever been to any of these cities, try some mental compare and contrasting. It's interesting to note how much/little changes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mark. He's pretty much the only constant character.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I loved most of the bits in the holy land.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

There and back again

Any additional comments?

He's incredibly sarcastic (I think?) about everywhere. Be warned if you hate sarcasm.

Marky Mark

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