The Innocents Abroad

Or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

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.

Critic reviews

“A classic work…[that] marks a critical point in the development of our literature.” (Leslie A. Fiedler, literary critic)

Twain raises expectations, unmet

This is a journal of his trip in 1867 to France, Italy, and the Holy land, missing a few due to plague and quarantine. Twain is sometimes surprisingly biased and it's often not clever or funny. He is unfailingly credulous about Christianity, albeit critical of Roman Catholicism, and dismissive of all Arabs, most Italians, and many other foreigners. His cleverness surfaces describing himself and fellow travelers, but too rarely. Overlong.

cant get past the pace ad tone

Any additional comments?

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was hoping. Twain is a terrific storyteller but the pace and tons of the narrative made me feel like I was being scolded.

Love the book, but narrator too "affected"

This is a fantastic book, especially for anyone who loves travel and Twain's style of common sense. What a trip! I'd love to recreate it some day. I don't like the narrator, though. He has a folksy Twain-like rhythm to his voice that really wore on me during the long drive I bought this for. Like a thick wall of affected acting that I could get through. I quit less than halfway and picked up the paperback to read instead.

Travel in Another Era

Twain at his cynical best, serving up a seemingly endless string of yarns about his 1867 voyage to Europe, The Holy Land and other stops along the way. The six month journey brought forth every reaction from delight to disgust. A trip back in time…

World trip from your chair

The people and places were like you were there. The descriptions were like you were there experiencing the trip. Traveling opens the mind and the heart.

Magnificent

Twains observations from 150 years ago are clever, interesting and inspiring. He pokes fun at everyone especially his own ignorance and unsophisticated demeanor with good natured fun. I’ll listen to this again, maybe when I take a “pleasure cruise” to the holy land myself

A great book in so many ways

Great book in so many ways. Entertaining, very funny and surprisingly educational. Narrator did a fantastic job. Throughly enjoyed this book and hated for it to end. This book is a must have.

Journey with Twain

Narration is exceptional. Feels like Twain is reading it himself. Such an epic journey and hilarious tales.

One of the must read books of all time.

The reason is simple enough. It records one of the earliest purpose-planned group tours in all human history. Twains group left the States on the sidewheeler steam ship Quaker City in 1867 and logged about 20,O00 miles to the Eastern mediteranean and back. The ship was built at the beginning of the civil war and had one of the most active service lives of any naval blockaded ship of the era before it was sold off. Cruise speedx12 knots.

This was in the tradition of The Grand Tour but with mature people and far more extesive itinerary. And often a seriously difficult one as well. More then one 13 hour horse ride in hot deserts. I was impressed. All this took place at the very beginning of what I would call the modern era of telegraph and railroad infastructure and about ten years before Custers Last Stand.

I especially enjoyed the pyramid tours because my experience with the locals in 1983 was depressingly familiar. However, Twains description of the climb to The Kings Chamber left me confusd. He descrbed it as a narrow dark passage way! The grand gallery is one of the most dumbfoundingly jaw drpping sights on the planet! Twain complains of the inferior tallow candles used both at the hotel and the during the assent so he his group must have been very poorly lit.

Delightful

Have read this book as a kid & remember enjoying it & promising herself to visit Ephesus on account of Twain’s description & did see it few yeas ago. This audiobook I found as funny & interesting as when I read it as a child.
Narration as excellent.