Mark Twain describes his 1878 trip to Europe with Joseph H. Twichell (referred to as Harris) in a style similar to his travel adventure Roughing it. He travels through Germany, Switzerland and France. The book blends fact and fiction to good effect.
He describes the German club duels with no bloody details omitted. Participants duel for 15 minutes and have their wounds attended to on site. They wear eye protection but no face shields and wear their facial scars as badges of honor. He later describes a fictitious French duel with very humorous results. His offer of a Gatling gun as a weapon of choice is immediately rejected.
He describes the scenery, local customs and local legends. Upon noticing that the size of a manure pile on a farm is roughly correlated to the wealth of the owner he offers a melodrama about a daughter who is forced to marry for a man's ill gotten manure. There is the usual twist at the end where the formerly manure deficient hero discovers a vast undiscovered chamber of hidden manure and secures the woman's hand in marriage.
The beauty and danger of the alps are described in great detail. Locations where people die are noted and the discovery of the well preserved bodies of people trapped in glaciers are predicted by knowledge of the movement of glaciers. Mr. Twain also embarks on a less than dangerous journey to locations on the alps employing excessive safety precautions to humorous effect.
The book succeeds as a humorous travelogue and an interesting glimpse into the late 18th century Europe.
Mark Twain on Ants from A Tramp Abroad 4 min.
Lucerne Switzerland - Area visited by Mark Twain
Full audio book 900+ minutes
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