The Innocents Abroad (Illustrated) (THE GREAT CLASSICS LIBRARY)

by Mark Twain

Overview

Published in 1869, The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress is a travel book which humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered vessel Quaker City through Europe and the Holy Land with a group of American travelers in 1867. It was the best selling of Twain's works during his lifetime and one of the best selling travel books of all time.
The book is based on an actual event, in a retired Civil War ship (the USS Quaker City). The excursion upon which the book is based was billed as a Holy Land expedition, with numerous stops along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as a train excursion from Marseilles, France to Paris for the 1867 Paris Exhibition, and a side trip through the Black Sea to Odessa, all before the ultimate pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Twain recorded his observations and critiques of various aspects of culture and society he met on the journey, some more serious than others, which gradually turned from witty and comedic to biting and bitter as he drew closer to the Holy Land.
Once in the Holy Land proper, his tone shifted again, this time to a combination of light-hearted comedy and a reverence not unlike what he had previously mocked in his traveling companions.
Many of Twain's criticisms were based on the contrast between his own experiences and the often grandiose accounts in contemporary travelogues, which were regarded in their own time as indispensable aids for traveling in the region. Above all others, Twain lampooned William Cowper Prime's Tent Life in the Holy Land for its overly sentimental prose and its often violent encounters with native inhabitants. Twain also made light of his fellow travelers and the natives of the countries and regions he visited, as well as his own expectations and reactions.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940015794106
Publisher:	Revenant
Publication date:	11/29/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is most noted for his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "the Great American Novel."
Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain grew up, provided the setting for his two most famous books.
Having worked a printer in various cities, he became a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, unsuccessfully tried gold mining, then turned to journalism. As a reporter, he wrote a humorous story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," which became very popular and very successful travelogues, showing him his calling.
Twain achieved great success as a writer and public speaker, earning praise for his wit and satire.
HOwever, though he made a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he squandered it on various ventures, in particular the Paige Compositor, and was forced to declare bankruptcy. Twain worked hard to ensure that all of his creditors were paid in full, even though his bankruptcy had relieved him of the legal responsibility.
Born during a visit by Halley's Comet, Twain predicted that he would "go out with it" as well. He died the day following the comet's subsequent return. William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature."

Date of Birth:

November 30, 1835

Date of Death:

April 21, 1910

Place of Birth:

Florida, Missouri

Place of Death:

Redding, Connecticut