A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court (English Library) - Softcover

Twain, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140430644 ISBN 13: 9780140430646

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2007

Synopsis

When Connecticut mechanic and foreman Hank Morgan is knocked unconscious, he wakes not to the familiar scenes of nineteenth-century America but to the bewildering sights and sounds of sixth-century Camelot. Although confused at first and quickly imprisoned, he soon realises that his knowledge of the future can transform his fate. Correctly predicting a solar eclipse from inside his prison cell, Morgan terrifies the people of England into releasing him and swiftly establishes himself as the most powerful magician in the land, stronger than Merlin and greatly admired by Arthur himself. But the Connecticut Yankee wishes for more than simply a place at the Round Table. Soon, he begins a far greater struggle: to bring American democratic ideals to Old England. Complex and fascinating, A Connecticut Yankee is a darkly comic consideration of the nature of human nature and society.

About this title

Review:

"Twain is the funniest literary American writer. . . . [I]t must have been a great pleasure to be him."
--George Saunders

About the Author:

Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, Mark Twain spent his youth in Hannibal, Missouri, which forms the setting for his two greatest works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Trying his hand at printing, typesetting and then gold-mining, the former steam-boat pilot eventually found his calling in journalism and travel writing. Dubbed 'the father of American literature' by William Faulkner, Twain died in 1910 after a colourful life of travelling, bankruptcy and great literary success.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0140430644
• ISBN 13: 9780140430646
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416
• Editor: Kaplan Justin
• Illustrator: Beard Dan