In the late 1850s, a young man named Samuel Clemens started out piloting steamboats on the Mississippi River. Within a few years, he embarked on a writing career, adopting the pen name that became famous: Mark Twain. Armed with a wry sense of humor and a natural flair for storytelling, Twain gained wide acclaim for his short stories, travel sketches, and nov ... Show More
Dec 2023
Great American Authors | John Steinbeck: The Observer | 4
<p>Growing up in the Salinas Valley of Northern California, John Steinbeck dreamed of becoming a professional writer. In his youth he took on odd jobs and worked amongst ranch hands and migrant workers, who would inspire some of his greatest work, including <em>The Grapes of Wrat ... Show More
40m 43s
Dec 2023
Great American Authors | James Baldwin: The Exile | 5
<p>Born into poverty in Harlem in 1924, James Baldwin rose to become a celebrated novelist, essayist, playwright, and poet, and a leading voice in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. In his debut novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and in his essay collections, Notes of a Nati ... Show More
41m 12s
Dec 2024
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Classic Book Sleep Stories | Mark Twain | Bedtime Sleep Stories
<p>Unwind on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River with the Great American Novel – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a Mark Twain classic. Join Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Jim in their pursuit of adventure, freedom and discovery in this sleep story as you relax and fall asleep.< ... Show More
43m 11s
Oct 2024
Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part One: The Legend of "Josh"
Today, Mark Twain is widely thought of as one of America's greatest authors -- but he was also, get this, a terrible investor. Inspired by his father's unfailing (and unsuccessful) efforts to become a business tycoon, Twain spent loads of time and money backing inventions that ei ... Show More
43m 24s
Apr 2025
The Story of the Town That Created Mark Twain: Hannibal, Missouri
On this episode of Our American Stories, the river town of Hannibal, Missouri, spared Mark Twain from nothing, exposing him to poverty, death, racism, and the need to make decisions for himself. Here's Richard Garey, a Mark Twain aficionado, with the story of this all-important t ... Show More
20m 18s
Oct 2024
Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part Two: Typesetters, Steam Pulleys and Tesla
Well, Ridiculous Historians, as our pal Mark Twain settled into a life of literary fame, he still couldn't help himself from making huge investments in terrible ideas -- sometimes, at an enormous emotional cost to his family. In the second part of this special two-part series, Be ... Show More
43m 15s
Apr 2024
Andrés Reséndez, "Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery" (Mariner Books, 2022)
The Pacific Ocean is twice the size of the Atlantic, and while humans have been traversing its current-driven maritime highways for thousands of years, its sheer scale proved an obstacle to early European imperial powers. Enter Lope Martin, a forgotten Afro-Portuguese ship pilot ... Show More
1h 8m