The Letters of Mark Twain, Complete


Lu par James K. White

(4.9 stars; 18 reviews)

These letters were arranged in two volumes by Albert Bigelow Paine, Samuel L. Clemens's literary executor, as a supplement to Mark Twain, A Biography, which Paine wrote. They are, for the most part, every letter written by Clemens known to exist at the time of their publication in 1917. They begin with a fragment of a letter from teenaged Sam Clemens to his sister, Pamela, and conclude with a letter to his attorney two weeks before his death.

These letters give us some degree of insight into the evolution of Twain's style of speech and prose over the period of his lifetime; they are a small window into the psyche that created the various characters of his stories.

But they also reveal the tragedies of his life: the lack of success in his business ventures, the passing of family. And as I read each one in this collection, I can almost detect the faint odor of one of his “devilish” cigars wafting across the room. (Introduction by James K. White) (32 hr 45 min)

Chapitres

00 - Forward; Mark Twain--A Biographical Summary 43:07 Lu par James K. White
01 - Vol. I, Chp. I 28:41 Lu par James K. White
02 - Vol. I, Chp. II 51:20 Lu par James K. White
03 - Vol. I, Chp. III (part 1) 48:40 Lu par James K. White
04 - Vol. I, Chp. III (part 2) 34:57 Lu par James K. White
05 - Vol. I, Chp. IV 24:12 Lu par James K. White
06 - Vol. I, Chp. V 56:37 Lu par James K. White
07 - Vol. I, Chp. VI 21:46 Lu par James K. White
08 - Vol. II, Chp. VII 20:27 Lu par James K. White
09 - Vol. II, Chp. VIII 34:05 Lu par James K. White
10 - Vol. II, Chp. IX 43:39 Lu par James K. White
11 - Vol. II, Chp. X 45:07 Lu par James K. White
12 - Vol. II, Chp. XI 12:48 Lu par James K. White
13 - Vol. II, Chp. XII 31:50 Lu par James K. White
14 - Vol. II, Chp. XIII 32:02 Lu par James K. White
15 - Vol. II, Chp. XIV 30:17 Lu par James K. White
16 - Vol. II, Chp. XV 58:20 Lu par James K. White
17 - Vol. III, Chp. XVI 48:56 Lu par James K. White
18 - Vol. III, Chp. XVII 1:02:55 Lu par James K. White
19 - Vol. III, Chp. XVIII 58:24 Lu par James K. White
20 - Vol. III, Chp. XIX (part 1) 33:52 Lu par James K. White
21 - Vol. III, Chp. XIX (part 2) 38:06 Lu par James K. White
22 - Vol. III, Chp. XX 39:31 Lu par James K. White
23 - Vol. III, Chp. XXI 41:54 Lu par James K. White
24 - Vol. III, Chp. XXII 36:02 Lu par James K. White
25 - Vol. III, Chp. XXIII 24:06 Lu par James K. White
26 - Vol. III, Chp. XXIV 19:50 Lu par James K. White
27 - Vol. III, Chp. XXV 44:30 Lu par James K. White
28 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXVI 37:48 Lu par James K. White
29 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXVII 29:27 Lu par James K. White
30 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXVIII 25:56 Lu par James K. White
31 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXIX 55:52 Lu par James K. White
32 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXX 24:55 Lu par James K. White
33 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXI 51:41 Lu par James K. White
34 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXII 30:46 Lu par James K. White
35 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXIII 1:02:43 Lu par James K. White
36 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXIV 47:17 Lu par James K. White
37 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXV 46:29 Lu par James K. White
38 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXVI 34:50 Lu par James K. White
39 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXVII 41:35 Lu par James K. White
40 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXVIII 42:01 Lu par James K. White
41 - Vol. IV, Chp. XXXIX 34:03 Lu par James K. White
42 - Vol. V, Chp. XL 33:37 Lu par James K. White
43 - Vol. V, Chp. XLI 30:23 Lu par James K. White
44 - Vol. V, Chp. XLII 41:40 Lu par James K. White
45 - Vol. V, Chp. XLIII 45:01 Lu par James K. White
46 - Vol. V, Chp. XLIV 52:54 Lu par James K. White
47 - Vol. V, Chp. XLV 35:22 Lu par James K. White
48 - Vol. VI, Chp. XLVI 50:23 Lu par James K. White
49 - Vol. VI, Chp. XLVII 25:59 Lu par James K. White
50 - Vol. VI, Chp. XLVIII 18:37 Lu par James K. White

Critiques


(5 stars)

I’m still in the middle of this book, maybe 23 chapters in. And this is one of my favorite LibriVox books out of many which I have heard over the years. Part of that is due to the fact that Mark Twain has been my favorite author since I’ve been 10 years old, and remains so 56 years later. But part of it is also, the reader, James K. White. He brings the letters to life, and not only the letters, but also the editor’s notes in-between. I like his reading so much, that I made a search for other things he has read and made a collection list for those. Also looked him up on an internet search and on IMDb. A talented voice actor. Thank you, Mr White.

Live and Learn


(3 stars)

One has to admire James K. White for taking on such an immense project. His speaking voice is quite good, but he just doesn't pull off the Mark Twain impersonation. He sounds much more like a black man than anything resembling what I imagine Twain sounding like. In my opinion, it would have been better to just read the letters in his own voice rather than attempt a task that is beyond his ability.

Excellent Collection!


(5 stars)

Reading this collection was a labor of love for me, and the "brogue" I used served to honor Twain's memory, not to imitate his voice. No one can imitate Twain's voice because no one knows what he sounded like. But I suppose there will always be know-it-alls like Mr. Miller who find it a daunting task indeed to refrain from cluelessly pontificating on subjects they know nothing about.


(5 stars)

Listening to James White makes you believe you're listening to Mark Twain and it's a wonderful ride . Thank you James

fantastic book


(5 stars)

Thank you to the reader James K. White for bringing Mark Twain to life ... Excellent

Excellant !!


(5 stars)

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this entertaining funny interesting LOVED IT !!


(4.5 stars)

This book is wonderfully read, and very enjoyable


(5 stars)

Brilhante... como só Mark Twain foi...