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A Tramp Abroad

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A Tramp Abroad is a travelogue written by the American author Mark Twain. Published in 1880, it chronicles Twain's journey through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. The book is divided into several chapters, each detailing a different leg of the trip. Twain's humorous and satirical writing style is on full display in A Tramp Abroad. He pokes fun at the various customs and quirks of the countries he visits, while also providing insightful commentary on the people and places he encounters. The book is also notable for its vivid descriptions of the European landscape and architecture. Twain's keen eye for detail brings to life the cities, mountains, and rivers he encounters on his journey. In addition to his travelogue, Twain also includes several short stories and anecdotes throughout the book. These range from humorous tales of mistaken identity to poignant reflections on the nature of human existence. Overall, A Tramp Abroad is a delightful and entertaining read that offers a unique perspective on Europe in the late 19th century.Much as the modern French duel is ridiculed by certain smart people, it is in reality one of the most dangerous institutions of our day. Since it is always fought in the open air, the combatants are nearly sure to catch cold. M. Paul de Cassagnac, the most inveterate of the French duelists, had suffered so often in this way that he is at last a confirmed invalid.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

372 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1880
Places
germany, switzerland, france, italy, europe, 

This edition

Format
372 pages, Paperback
Published
June 17, 2004 by Kessinger Publishing
ISBN
9781419103773
ASIN
1419103776
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • Mark Twain

    Mark Twain

    An American author and humorist. Twain is noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), which has been called "the Great American Novel", and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). He is extensively quoted. Twain was a friend to presidents, ar...

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About the author

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mark twain

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.2 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
45(45%)
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100 reviews All reviews
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KrissCross
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This is a fun book, it is hilarious. I love the way he describes things and is critical of things. One quote I like was about the German Language, "I can understand German about as well as the maniac that invented it but I speak it best through an interpreter". His experiencing duels, getting lost in his own room with the lights off while trying not to wake up his roommate, and many more.

I recommend the audiobook as it feels more like he is telling you the stories and it is fun to listen to.
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OtakuConnoisseur
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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While the parts about German mountain climbing got monotonous after a while, there are so many hilarious and witty points in this book that I give it a solid four stars. I enjoyed this even more than I enjoyed The Innocents Abroad and could clearly see Twain's literary development and greater comedic polish. Narrator Grover Gardner did a fantastic job, as usual. He is my only vocal Mark Twain! If you are interested in a great satirical adventure and a strong case for avoiding learning the German language, read this one!
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softoroki
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Wasn’t sure what to expect when I started as my only exposure to Twain was Tom and Huck and then a brief stop in Hannibal, MO while on a road trip. Clearly Twain was a gifted author and had an unusual command of the English language. I was somewhat surprised by his ability to give a lengthy critique of the German language in this book as well as some interesting details of the counties that he “Tramped” around in Europe. Clearly a lot has changed with travel over the past century and a half but it was still an enjoyable read. I was a bit baffled by his sense of humor a few times and occasionally couldn’t tell if the story was true or just a tall tale.
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Raven_Knight
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Wenn ich nach Amerika reise könnte ich doch als Lektüre Mark Twains Beschreibung seiner Europareise lesen. Das fand ich eine gute Idee, jedoch mit dem Haken, dass ich während unseres New York Aufenthaltes keine Zeile gelesen habe.
Es handelt sich um einen durch und durch lustigen Text, wobei Twains Humor so trocken daherkommt, dass man oft erst in der nächsten Zeile draufkommt, dass er den Leser zuvor "auf die Schaufel genommen hat". Der Text hat seine Längen, die sind aber gut auszuhalten. Twain schreibt viel und ausgiebig über Bergbesteigungen - in völlig abstruser uns lustig unsinniger Art. Hier fiel mir eine Parallele zu Bowmans 1956 erschienenen Roman "Die Besteigung des Rum Doodle" 1956 auf. Ich bin fest davon überzeugt, dass dieser Twain Text die Inspirationsquelle zu Bowmans Roman gewesen sein muss. Europäisches Essen, europäische Umgangsformen, Hotelzimmer, Reiseführer, Schifffahrten usw. sind ebenso spöttisches Ziel seiner Einfälle wie seine eigenen Unzulänglichkeiten und die Ungeschicklichkeiten seines Reisebegleiters.
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N2ptune
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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A tramp abroad is a travel story written in essay form by Mark Twain in the 1870's and originally sold in episodes to news papers. He travels in Germany and Switzerland. It is a wonderful view into the past and is full of humor and great descriptions. I read it after a visit to Switzerland. I visited many of the same places he describes in a time before the railroad system was established in Switzerland. The mountain peaks and lakes are still the same.
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okashii-sasori
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I always enjoy Mark Twain and his playfulness with words and wonderful sense of humor. This embellished telling of a hiking trip in Europe goes to extremes in every way and often had me laughing! There were times when it was obvious that his use of language had not aged well (you know, the 1880 era compared to the present!), but only a couple of times.

Overall it was very cute! But I was glad he didn't go on a lot longer. As much as I love Twain, a little goes a long way ;)

I'm glad I finally got to this one!
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BiddleBot300
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I found a 'part 1' on iBooks and read it in about an hour of a 3 hour plane trip. It was fun, made me laugh in parts. Clements was clearly fascinated by the student dueling culture in Heidelberg at the time, observing the rituals with keen interest and some excitement, I suspect. I'm not sure that I'll pursue later parts, but this was perfect in-air reading.
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gingerholic
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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For Mark Twain, humour was best served dry - so dry that sometimes it's hard to tell where one joke end and the next begins. Indeed, I was actually under the impression that this book was 'The Innocents Abroad' when I started reading it, so Twain gets one more jab in post mortem. Germans, Swiss, Americans and the English are all equally laid waste, along with Rhine wine and mountain climbing. And of course, this being the story of an epic journey across Europe on foot, Twain and his companion Harris manage to avoid pedestrian travel almost completely. At one point they even make a trip by telescope. I award this book 3 Chamois out of a possible 5.

JM 01/04/16
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