Following the Equator

A Journey around the World

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Michael Kevin

Bound on a lecture trip around the world, Mark Twain turns his keen satiric eye to foreign lands in Following the Equator.

This vivid chronicle of a sea voyage on the Pacific Ocean displays Twain's eye for the unusual, his wide-ranging curiosity, and his delight in embellishing the facts. The personalities of the ship's crew and passengers, the poetry of Australian place-names, the success of women's suffrage in New Zealand, an account of the Sepoy Mutiny, and reflections on the Boer War as an expression of imperialistic morality, among other topics, are the focus of his wry humor and redoubtable powers of observation.

Following the Equator is an evocative and highly unique American portrait of 19-century travel and customs.

Public Domain (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

A classic

This really is a classic and should be read by everyone. It is a look into years gone by

Great travelers manifesto

Twain writes about his experiences with a multitude of different cultures and how much he enjoys their differences from America. A must read for any traveler!

A bit of a headache

The narrator's voice was a headache when combined with Twain's writing style. Not again please.

Twain's last tour

Michael Kevin does a great job narrating Mark Twain's last travel book. Twain had gone bankrupt and needed to go on a world-wide lecture tour to recover financially. Here he recounts the journey to San Francisco, and from there to Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa. As usual, he throws in a good bit of history with the kind of local color he had a brilliant eye for. On the whole, though, it's a less interesting effort than some of Twain's other travel books, mainly because he's less visible as a character. (Some people would consider that an advantage, but I missed him.)

Ticks all the boxes.

A masterpiece from a wonderful storyteller full of great yarns. Reader is perfect!
You can open this book up at virtually any page and listen to an ineresting tale told with wit and intelligence. One of my all time favourite books.