Master wit Mark Twain selected these twenty-seven stories himself by fifteen of his favorite nineteenth century authors. The order follows that which Twain placed them in in the original anthology, published in 1888. He indulged his comic fancy rather than making a textbook in which all themes or authors are placed together, saying that "This way, you will have to peruse the whole thing before discovering that one of your favorites is not included." However, it is no joke that these are th...

Little did the obscure novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton know in 1830 when he penned that most relished, imitated, and lampooned opening sentence in English literature, "It was a dark and stormy night..." that his words would inspire countless aspiring writers struggling incessantly like boats against the current to emulate his unparalleled style and that his name would grace "The Bulwer-Lytton Contest" honoring his most successful followers. Get it? Abounding in shameless sentences, this audi...

This collection of essays observes the perils of motherhood, wifehood, selfhood, and other assorted challenges. Since its publication in 1957, it has sold millions of copies and has been adapted into a Broadway play, a film, a TV series, and now an audiobook. Jean Kerr’s parodies of the clichéd 1950s prescription for glamorous or maternal feminine behavior still resonate today as we enter the twenty-first century.

Chuckle along with the best nineteenth-century humorists, who provide you with tall tales, puns, and witty ripostes. Seven of these twenty-seven gems are from Twain himself. No guarantees of political correctness, but they're sure to tickle your twenty-first century funny bone.Beginning with the piece that made Mark Twain famous, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,"and ending with his fanciful "How I Edited an Agricultural Paper," this treasure trove of an anthology is...

Enduring stories that are as relevant today as they were when written at the turn of the century by influential women writers.This audio recording includes: On the Divide and The Garden Lodge by Willa Cather; A Point at Issue, Desiree's Baby, A Pair of Silk Stockings, and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin; Three Thanksgivings and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; and The Pelican and The Fullness of...