The Innocents Abroad

Or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's 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.

Critic reviews

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

Young Twain explains Europe to America

Would you consider the audio edition of The Innocents Abroad to be better than the print version?

Grover Gardner speaks with the silky, stinging tone that Twain exudes in this hilarious and enthralling tale of New World-ers meeting the Old World.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Innocents Abroad?

The description, and consequent running joke, of the barbers in Europe that Twain and company suffer through was a delight.

Which scene was your favorite?

There is no scene were Twain seems to become truly awed at his surroundings, as the majestic as they might be. The company's meeting with the Tsar of Russia, however, lends a sense of genuine, cordial affection of Twain of this kind monarch.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, goodness no. Twain must be sampled and sipped, else one becomes intoxicated with his biting wit.

Classic is perhaps more enjoyable via audio than in print

Twain’s straight faced droll sense of amusement/whimsy comes across wonderfully with Gardner’s narration. Amazing this travelogue turns 150 next year!

This is got to be the best book ever

Absolutely a must read. Everyone must laugh when listening. Take the time and you will not be disappointed.

Twain might be a humorist but...

He is quite a racist, it seems. However, his less than glowing assessments of the various sites and landscapes he traverses are pretty accurate, at least as I remember them, more than 50 years ago. Some of the cities he claimed to despise were more sanitary when I visited them.

The Innocents Abroad

Once you understand Mark Twain’s Witt his writing is enjoyable. His honest take on the famous sites he visits is refreshing not stuffy. Even though it was 150 years ago, if you have travelled at all you know how your own miss conceptions can effect how you look at a land and people. His point is to make up your own mind about peoples and land, not what a guide book says.

Grover Gardner makes Twain come alive

I love this audio version above all others. Twain’s acerbic and self-aware descriptions coupled with Gardner’s narration make this my favorite audio book, period. Despite some cultural and racial issues endemic to the time, Twain descriptions remind me of various tours I’ve been on in my life with an odd cast of characters and sites that I wasn’t always thrilled with.

Too dull for a travel journal

Imagine a group of pseudo-intellectual socialites cramming inside a boat and embark on a world tour with lots of misconceptions and prejudices. This must be one of the dullest, most ordinary travel journals ever written. Yes it lacks imagination and sometimes gets annoying but still something fascinating about it that I cannot quite put my finger on.

Just loved it!

Seeing the world and travels through Twains eyes and sharp analysis has given me a new perspective. Just magical.

Love, love, love!

Grover Gardner has a masterful command on inflection, and emotion, and is a particular enthusiast of Twain I believe. Match that with Twain’s witticisms and humor, and hyperbole of juxtaposition, I was literally laughing out loud to this account of his non-journaling account.

The narrator is perfect

I’m looking forward to listening to Gardner’s other narrations of Twain. The book itself is laugh out loud funny, if a little weighty.