I could never get bored of his sarcastic yet so true statements about the people and places he saw. I particularly enjoyed his synomonous accounts of busy and boisterous Napoli (Naples, Italy) and he really brought all the senses of what the city was like to me through the pages.

Despite being written so long ago it is suprising to see how little the world has changed apart from mass technological discovery. If all travel writers were as honest and 'frank' as Twain then I would be sure that we would all have a better judgement and sense of how the world around us really works.

A historical and cultural masterpieve written by one of America's most treasured and prized authors.


His funniest book   June 24, 1999
 8 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is Twain when he doesn't have to worry about a bloomin' story line or consistant dialogue. He simply writes what comes to mind, and manages to debunk every so-called monument of western civ.(Just why do they call this the holy land?!) He reminds us we don't have to be a cultured snob to be a superior person. Read this before you go to Europe or after your trip. Or whenever.


Classic Mark Twain - Characters we still recognize today   February 14, 1999
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This book describes a group tour of "Europe and the Holy Land" Samuel Clemens experienced and reported about 100 years ago. He describes, in a way that only Mark Twain can, the people he meets and the places they go from the point of view from the American West. One memorable example of his American perspective is a comparison of Italian mountains, lakes and rivers with his beloved Rockies, Tahoe, and Mississippi. He also paints humorous portraits of the tour guides and his fellow travelers. The first time I read this book I was on an organized bus tour in Europe and quickly realized how many of Twain's human observations on how tourists are treated still apply, which makes the humor very accessible.


Read this book!   March 30, 1998
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I think Clemen's funniest extended work. He was not far removed from his newspaper work at the time, nor had he established himself as a writer nationally. I believe because of that there is a vitality to the writing and unconcern with maintaining his stature that makes Innocents a serendiptious howler of a read.