A Tramp Abroad

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

In April 1878, Mark Twain and his family traveled to Europe. Overloaded with creative ideas, Twain had hoped that the sojourn would spark his creativity enough to bring at least one of the books in his head to fruition. Instead, he wrote of his walking tour of Europe, describing his impressions of the Black Forest, the Matterhorn, and other attractions.

Neglected for years, A Tramp Abroad sparkles with Twain’s shrewd observations and highly opinionated comments on Old World culture and showcases his unparalleled ability to integrate humorous sketches, autobiographical tidbits, and historical anecdotes in a consistently entertaining narrative.

Cast in the form of a walking tour through Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, and England, A Tramp Abroad includes among its adventures a voyage by raft down the Neckar and an ascent of Mont Blanc by telescope, as well as the author’s attempts to study art - a wholly imagined activity Twain “authenticated” with his own wonderfully primitive pictures. This book reveals Mark Twain as a mature writer and is filled with brilliant prose, insightful wit, and Twain’s unerring instinct for the truth.

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[ A Tramp Abroad] is delicious, whether you open it at the sojourn in Heidelberg, or the voyage down the Neckar on a raft, or the mountaineering in Switzerland, or the excursion beyond the Alps into Italy.” (William Dean Howells)

Really great story but he drags it out a bit!

Great to listen to his adventures but he does tend to repeat himself and/or dialog over and over sometimes, which I found annoying.

Moving and informative, sometimes hilarious

Mark Twain is a cross-the-centuries superstar.
Grover Gardner does a wonderful reading. I recommend them.

A hoot

This is a hoot, as Mark Twain goes on a "walking tour" of the forests of Germany and the mountains and lakes of Switzerland. ("Walking" is in quotes because he spends most of his time on trains or cadging rides from raftsmen on the Nekar River.) There's quite a bit of real history and folklore here, as well as some beautiful travel writing; but Twain can't resist the temptation to pad his mountain-climbing and forest-browsing exploits with tall tales worthy of ... well, Mark Twain. It's hard to imagine that anyone could listen to Twain's description of arduously "climbing" one of the Swiss Alps -- actually, tracing the view to the top of the mountain by means of a hired telescope -- without roaring with laughter. His travelling companion, in real life the pastor Joe Twichell, here referred to as Twain's "agent, Harris," gets to play the straight man for much of Twain's humor. It's not as well known as some of Twain's other travel books, but it's as funny and delightful as the best of them. Grover Gardner gives his usual outstanding performance.

What a character Mark Twain

his presentation whether fact or fiction is second to none. many laugh out loud monents

One of my favorites from Mark Twain! So much fun!!

I will definitely read this one again! Mark Twain is a brilliant writer and has a great sense of humor!

another Twain delight

a bit slower than Innocents abroad, but a must for Twain fans. full of classic Twain stories and humor. delicious.

Unusual Travel Guide

This is the most unusual Travel Guide you will ever come across. Not quite like 'The Innocents Abroad,' but every inch worth the time.

Thoroughly enjoyable!

Few authors could ever come close to the nuanced comedy found in Twain. Poignant and hilarious moments all written masterfully. The appendix on the German language and boiling thermometers to mark altitude nearly killed me.

Grover Gardner is perfect and you feel as if Mark Twain is speaking to you directly.

American treasure

The man is simply a bedrock of Americana. He writes as though he is sitting next to you, pulling on his pipe and recalling his adventures by a crackling fire. The narrator is marvelous. He has the drawl, the laugh and the timing that has become associated with Twain as much as his writing itself. My only negative observation is that some of the stories have been lifted from other books. The story about the Blue-jay, for instance, dropping acorns in a hole in the cabin roof even says Jays told the story all over the United States. There is so much other, original material in the book that leaving out those repetitions would not diminish the book a whit. I love his frequent references to Baedeker travel guides not meshing with his findings. In all, it’s a timeless, wonderful escapism piece to view European travel through cynical lenses.

Mark Twain traveling in Germany

If you want vivid descriptions by Mark Twain, and to find out what France and Switzerland was like in the late 1800s, and what Germany was like before the Nazis, this is a great resource.