Pudd'nhead Wilson

A Tale by Mark Twain

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Richard Henzel

Pudd'nhead Wilson, like many other Mark Twain books, was read aloud by the author to his wife and daughters, chapter by chapter, as it was being written.

This humorous, dramatic, and sometimes shocking novel, set in the pre-war south, is the tale of Roxy, a beautiful and intelligent slave woman who contrives to save her own light-skinned child from being "sold down the river". She successfully switches her baby with the master's own child, starting a chain of events that lead to surprising and tragic results.

This book is considered by many to be Mark Twain's best book dealing with the cruelty, horror, and inhumanity of slavery in 19th century America. Pudd'nhead, the title character, not only provides humorous aphorisms and wry observations on the little river town, he also proves to be the catalyst that solves the mystery, radically changing the lives of all of those involved.

Interestingly, Mark Twain's use of fingerprints as evidence in a fictional criminal trial predated the official acceptance of such evidence in actual U.S. courts by two years.

This recording is a recreation of Mark Twain's own reading, just as his family might have heard the story for the first time in the family library.

(P)2003 Richard Henzel

Critic reviews

"Superb...one of the best readings of a Mark Twain book to which I've ever listened, and I've listened to almost all of them. An energetic and remarkably impassioned narration that brings out the powerful emotions and ironies of one of Mark Twain's complex works and adds new dimensions." (R. Kent Rasmussen, author of Mark Twain A to Z and audiobook reviewer for Library Journal)

You wouldn't pick it but its not bad

If you are into literature books that they assign for class then it's your thing.

Mix of Humor and Tragedy

Twain is so good at mixing humor with human tragedy that shows the reality of small-town life in the 19th-Century American South. The absurdity of racial discrimination and Twain's dislike for it makes this a great read that can teach us all. The narrator did a fantastic job.

Not his best, but one of Twain's better ones

It's not Huckleberry Finn, but a very enjoyable and light/fun read in the spirit of Tom Sawyer or Connecticut Yankee. The slavery issue and other social themes/commentary gives it more weight than Tom Sawyer and I enjoyed those aspects the most. Finally, the narrator's performance was excellent. His great control over accent and dialect work was strong and creative choices hit the right note every time. A must read for fans of Twain and a recommend for fans of American literature in general.

A really interesting book

A great book that is intriguing and worthwhile to get through. I recommend this book.

Read it before they ban it!

Amazing story, fun, humorous, tragic and kind of weird. The performance is perfect. i will listen to it again soon.

Twists and turns along the way!!

As a fingerprint examiner myself, this was quite an interesting story!! However, even one who has no fingerprint knowledge would find this twisted, winding tale very appealing!!! What a classic!!

A Tale of Babies Switched in the Cradle

I’ve had the good fortune to examine an 1894 first edition of “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” festooned with line drawings in the margins, and it’s a reminder of how far ahead of his time Mark Twain could be. He saw the cruelty of slavery and discrimination, and wisely employed warmth and humor to chide Americans into a degree of enlightenment just 30 years after the Civil War. He was prescient about the use of fingerprints, before they were admitted as evidence in the courts, in this case making for high and highly entertaining courtroom drama that makes a hero of the forlorn title character.

And his legendary mastery of storytelling is nowhere more on display than in this lineup of characters, from small-town Missouri busybodies to a pair of aristocratic Italian twins (see “Those Extraordinary Twins” for a kind of first draft of this book, included in the 1894 edition).

Richard Henzel, who for many years has performed the one-man show, “Mark Twain in Person,” delivers a robust multi-character reading, while Twain delivers a work of the imagination that offers surprises right up to the closing paragraph.

Good Plot

too often this has happened in the slavery days. unfortunately her motherly love worked against her.

"Sell Them Down the River"

What the words mean and where the words come from--"Sell them down the river?" I have heard this expression and did not know what it meant until recently. This fabulous book by Mark Twain is full of it. You could miss part of its meaning. As the northern states abolished slavery, the slave owners would sell their slaves into southern states that allowed slavery. Also, free blacks were some times sold as slaves.

Outstanding story

I consider this one of the best stories of the 19th century that I have ever read, clever, outstanding narration, very enlightening.