The accountof the steamship Quaker City's pleasure excursion to Europe and the Holy Lands. This was used as a Travel Guide in the 1800's. Known as "the book which launched Twain's career".

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (though written when he was apparently still primarily known as Samuel Clemens) is a travelogue of a trip to Europe and the Middle East in 1867. Clemens was sent on the trip as a reporter for the Daily Alta California and sent correspondence back to it and other newspapers throughout the trip and then compiled all of his writings into a book in 1869. The trip was billed as a “pleasure trip” to Europe and the Holy Land, and Henry Ward Beecher and General Sherman were among its original subscribers, though they didn’t actually go on the trip.

Clemens tells the story of this expedition with a great deal of humor and this helped make the book seem very contemporary. I liked the descriptions of traveling through Europe the best, but really got bogged down towards the end of the book where Clemens’ descriptions of the Holy Land became too gloomy and monotonous. Since the primary purpose of the excursion seems to have been religious, the trip to the Holy Land was probably meant to be the highlight, but Clemens lost me with his excruciatingly detailed account of what they experienced there.

Considering this was one of Clemens’ very early works (pre-Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn), I found his writing style to be very readable. He had a tongue-in-cheek attitude toward religion that I’m sure must have offended many of his readers, but it’s refreshing to think of how many readers probably weren’t offended by it. Given that it’s a book of its time, there is a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle racism and xenophobia, especially toward Arabs and Palestinians. This aspect of the book is why I’m only giving it 3½ stars. ( )

Twain's travelogue of an expedition he organized to the Holy Land with a group of American tourists will provide hours of entertainment. He aims his wit at every single aspect of the journey, from the passengers (not excluding himself) to the natives of each country they pass through, skewering each ridiculous situation, or silly behavior he finds.

It's interesting to follow the progress of his mind-set through the story. At the start, there is only the comedy of Americans who need to get over themselves and funny situations in foreign lands. As the book moves into the middle third, his humor turns to cynicism and even anger as he encounters those who prey upon the hopes and beliefs of people in order to make money. Finally, upon reaching their destination, he is able to see past these things and reaches a sort of respect and amazement for the history and faith that lies underneath.

Definitely recommended. ( )

I could not get into reading this. The first few chapters were fun, but then it became a travelog and I am not interested in that style of writing. I did not finish the book ( )

I've always been a little disenchanted with Twain and yet I want to like him. Maybe it makes me feel a little un-American to disparage him. So I continue to pick up his books in the hopes of becoming a fan. It didn't take but a few pages until I was hooked on this one. How envious I am of Twain's voyage. He hit nearly every spot on my bucket list. There were times he made me laugh: the caterwauling of the gondolier on the Grand Canal in Venice, his experience with French barbers and the mud of Turkish coffee. Times he made me grateful to live in the present age: the lack of soap in public (and private) baths and lack of candles to see by. Times he made me shake my head in disgust over human behavior: Seeing the ashes of St. John in more than one cathedral; the crown of thorns in several shrines and the pillar over the very dust that Adam was made from. I began to find myself very amused by his bravado, as in the time he broke quarantine and walked to the Parthanon by cover of moonlight; stealing grapes off the vine for a snack and being spooked by the faces of the statuary. And then there was the time when he allowed a street hawker to charm him into purchasing kid gloves that were too small for his hands because she was a pretty girl and she pandered to his vanity. How human he was to me then. This was definitely the book to bring one closer to Twain. I enjoyed being a tag-along on his journey. And if I ever make the trip myself, he's definitely coming along with me! ( )