The Humorous Short Stories of Mark Twain

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Bobbie Frohman

This delightful collection of gems by Mark Twain begins with the story of a town called Hadleyburg, which prides itself on the honesty of its citizens. One day a citizen of Hadleyburg offends a stranger passing through, who vows to take his revenge by revealing just how corruptible the sanctimonious town really is. Twain is at his best here, poking fun at common hypocrisy as the self-satisfied pillars of the community are done in by their own greed.

Other stories in the collection include:

1. The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg

2. The Double Barrelled Detective Story

3. The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

4. The Million Dollar Bank Note

5. Benton and Mills

6. A Tale

7. Cannibalism in the Cars

8. The Stolen White Elephant

9. The Man Who Put Up at Gadsby's

10. The Good Little Boy

11. The Bad Little Boy

12. Baker's Blue Jay Yarn

Mark Twain (1835–1910) was born Samuel L. Clemens in the town of Florida, Missouri. One of the most popular and influential authors our nation has ever produced, his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. He has been called not only the greatest humorist of his age but the father of American literature.

(P)2004 Alcazar AudioWorks

Must read if you like Twain

Would you consider the audio edition of The Humorous Short Stories of Mark Twain to be better than the print version?

Never read the printed version

What other book might you compare The Humorous Short Stories of Mark Twain to and why?

Roughing it be Mark Twain. Twain has an incredible sense of humor that really comes out in these two books.

Twain got your number!

Mark Twain tells the best stories of human foibles. He is the fly on the wall and never misses his mark. ( no pun please)

Poor editing

While I enjoyed the stories, I was disappointed in the editing (some passages repeated themselves) which detracted from the experience more than I would have thought. I had read a review before I bought the audio book that mentioned the repeating but bought it anyway. I wish I hadn't.

Neither the best stories nor best performances

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Mark Twain's genius is lost a bit in the hackneyed performances that try too hard to "perform" the characters rather than present the story. Also, the selection of his stories seems to lack some of his most colorful.

Some of the stories were entertaining others not

Would you try another book from Mark Twain and/or Bobbie Frohman?

Some of the stories were entertaining and others were not. I didn't enjoy listening to the narrators voice as much as other books which made the stories harder to follow. They pause between chapters and play music which is a distraction.