The Visitor Experience at the Mark Twain House

The Visitor Experience at the Mark Twain House

Author: Stephanie C. Fox

Publisher: QueenBeeBooks

Published: 2020-04-18

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13:

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This book contains a tour that I gave as a historic interpreter at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut. It takes the readers from the front lawn to the porch to the hall, then goes room by room throughout the author’s family home, telling the story of the wonderful life they all lived in a house that felt alive to them for seventeen years. I did this for several years, and it enabled me to learn all about the author and his family, and to read many of his works. It also led me to meet many fascinating and fun members of the public as I showed them around and told them hilarious, uproarious tales of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, in the manner of a stand-up comic. They loved it, as did I. Many of these visitors made a wonderful remark to me at the conclusion of tour after tour after tour: “That was the best tour I have ever had anywhere. I wish I could buy a copy of it. You should write your tour down, as is.” So, I did.


Book Synopsis The Visitor Experience at the Mark Twain House by : Stephanie C. Fox

Download or read book The Visitor Experience at the Mark Twain House written by Stephanie C. Fox and published by QueenBeeBooks. This book was released on 2020-04-18 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book contains a tour that I gave as a historic interpreter at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut. It takes the readers from the front lawn to the porch to the hall, then goes room by room throughout the author’s family home, telling the story of the wonderful life they all lived in a house that felt alive to them for seventeen years. I did this for several years, and it enabled me to learn all about the author and his family, and to read many of his works. It also led me to meet many fascinating and fun members of the public as I showed them around and told them hilarious, uproarious tales of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, in the manner of a stand-up comic. They loved it, as did I. Many of these visitors made a wonderful remark to me at the conclusion of tour after tour after tour: “That was the best tour I have ever had anywhere. I wish I could buy a copy of it. You should write your tour down, as is.” So, I did.


Mark Twain's Homes and Literary Tourism

Mark Twain's Homes and Literary Tourism

Author: Hilary Iris Lowe

Publisher: University of Missouri Press

Published: 2012-07-20

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0826272789

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A century after Samuel Clemens’s death, Mark Twain thrives—his recently released autobiography topped bestseller lists. One way fans still celebrate the first true American writer and his work is by visiting any number of Mark Twain destinations. They believe they can learn something unique by visiting the places where he lived. Mark Twain’s Homes and Literary Tourism untangles the complicated ways that Clemens’s houses, now museums, have come to tell the stories that they do about Twain and, in the process, reminds us that the sites themselves are the products of multiple agendas and, in some cases, unpleasant histories. Hilary Iris Lowe leads us through four Twain homes, beginning at the beginning—Florida, Missouri, where Clemens was born. Today the site is simply a concrete pedestal missing its bust, a plaque, and an otherwise-empty field. Though the original cabin where he was born likely no longer exists, Lowe treats us to an overview of the history of the area and the state park challenged with somehow marking this site. Next, we travel with Lowe to Hannibal, Missouri, Clemens’s childhood home, which he saw become a tourist destination in his own lifetime. Today mannequins remind visitors of the man that the boy who lived there became and the literature that grew out of his experiences in the house and little town on the Mississippi. Hartford, Connecticut, boasts one of Clemens’s only surviving adulthood homes, the house where he spent his most productive years. Lowe describes the house’s construction, its sale when the high cost of living led the family to seek residence abroad, and its transformation into the museum. Lastly, we travel to Elmira, New York, where Clemens spent many summers with his family at Quarry Farm. His study is the only room at this destination open to the public, and yet, tourists follow in the footsteps of literary pilgrim Rudyard Kipling to see this small space. Literary historic sites pin their authority on the promise of exclusive insight into authors and texts through firsthand experience. As tempting as it is to accept the authenticity of Clemens’s homes, Mark Twain’s Homes and Literary Tourism argues that house museums are not reliable critical texts but are instead carefully constructed spaces designed to satisfy visitors. This volume shows us how these houses’ portrayals of Clemens change frequently to accommodate and shape our own expectations of the author and his work.


Book Synopsis Mark Twain's Homes and Literary Tourism by : Hilary Iris Lowe

Download or read book Mark Twain's Homes and Literary Tourism written by Hilary Iris Lowe and published by University of Missouri Press. This book was released on 2012-07-20 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A century after Samuel Clemens’s death, Mark Twain thrives—his recently released autobiography topped bestseller lists. One way fans still celebrate the first true American writer and his work is by visiting any number of Mark Twain destinations. They believe they can learn something unique by visiting the places where he lived. Mark Twain’s Homes and Literary Tourism untangles the complicated ways that Clemens’s houses, now museums, have come to tell the stories that they do about Twain and, in the process, reminds us that the sites themselves are the products of multiple agendas and, in some cases, unpleasant histories. Hilary Iris Lowe leads us through four Twain homes, beginning at the beginning—Florida, Missouri, where Clemens was born. Today the site is simply a concrete pedestal missing its bust, a plaque, and an otherwise-empty field. Though the original cabin where he was born likely no longer exists, Lowe treats us to an overview of the history of the area and the state park challenged with somehow marking this site. Next, we travel with Lowe to Hannibal, Missouri, Clemens’s childhood home, which he saw become a tourist destination in his own lifetime. Today mannequins remind visitors of the man that the boy who lived there became and the literature that grew out of his experiences in the house and little town on the Mississippi. Hartford, Connecticut, boasts one of Clemens’s only surviving adulthood homes, the house where he spent his most productive years. Lowe describes the house’s construction, its sale when the high cost of living led the family to seek residence abroad, and its transformation into the museum. Lastly, we travel to Elmira, New York, where Clemens spent many summers with his family at Quarry Farm. His study is the only room at this destination open to the public, and yet, tourists follow in the footsteps of literary pilgrim Rudyard Kipling to see this small space. Literary historic sites pin their authority on the promise of exclusive insight into authors and texts through firsthand experience. As tempting as it is to accept the authenticity of Clemens’s homes, Mark Twain’s Homes and Literary Tourism argues that house museums are not reliable critical texts but are instead carefully constructed spaces designed to satisfy visitors. This volume shows us how these houses’ portrayals of Clemens change frequently to accommodate and shape our own expectations of the author and his work.


What the Small Gray Visitor Said

What the Small Gray Visitor Said

Author: Stephanie C. Fox

Publisher: QueenBeeBooks

Published: 2020-08-26

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13:

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It isn’t often that a visitor from outer space gets stranded on Earth, but it happens every so often. When it does, it’s an accident. No one intends to get stranded anywhere, after all. This visitor is female, a botanist, and a telepath. The alien carries a Small Gray environmental suit with her. She is looking for plants that can be grown on her own planet’s severely depleted ecosystem. The alien has just uprooted one when she finds herself stuck on Earth during a planet-wide pandemic. It is a spring day when Arielle, an author and editor-for-hire, spends her morning as she usually does: writing, editing, blogging, drinking coffee, and sitting with her cat while looking out the back windows into her yard. She gets up to stretch and takes a walk around her beautiful garden to enjoy some sunshine, smell a few iris blossoms, and survey her berries and herbs. Suddenly, she sees something under her honeysuckle bush. At first, she thinks it is discarded, plastic litter that has blown around the area, and she picks it up in disgust, only to see that it is gray, as light as a feather, and definitely not plastic. It has a face, or rather, a face-covering. Arielle glances up to find herself face-to-face with a stranded visitor – the owner of the suit she is holding. She takes her in…after her husband, a scientist, tests them both for the virus. The tests come back negative, of course. The aliens, anticipating microbes that are not endemic to their own world, have immunized themselves against Earth’s pathogens before venturing out of their ship. Find out what happens next, and what the Small Gray Visitor said while she was here.


Book Synopsis What the Small Gray Visitor Said by : Stephanie C. Fox

Download or read book What the Small Gray Visitor Said written by Stephanie C. Fox and published by QueenBeeBooks. This book was released on 2020-08-26 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It isn’t often that a visitor from outer space gets stranded on Earth, but it happens every so often. When it does, it’s an accident. No one intends to get stranded anywhere, after all. This visitor is female, a botanist, and a telepath. The alien carries a Small Gray environmental suit with her. She is looking for plants that can be grown on her own planet’s severely depleted ecosystem. The alien has just uprooted one when she finds herself stuck on Earth during a planet-wide pandemic. It is a spring day when Arielle, an author and editor-for-hire, spends her morning as she usually does: writing, editing, blogging, drinking coffee, and sitting with her cat while looking out the back windows into her yard. She gets up to stretch and takes a walk around her beautiful garden to enjoy some sunshine, smell a few iris blossoms, and survey her berries and herbs. Suddenly, she sees something under her honeysuckle bush. At first, she thinks it is discarded, plastic litter that has blown around the area, and she picks it up in disgust, only to see that it is gray, as light as a feather, and definitely not plastic. It has a face, or rather, a face-covering. Arielle glances up to find herself face-to-face with a stranded visitor – the owner of the suit she is holding. She takes her in…after her husband, a scientist, tests them both for the virus. The tests come back negative, of course. The aliens, anticipating microbes that are not endemic to their own world, have immunized themselves against Earth’s pathogens before venturing out of their ship. Find out what happens next, and what the Small Gray Visitor said while she was here.


A Skeptic's Guide to Writers' Houses

A Skeptic's Guide to Writers' Houses

Author: Anne Trubek

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2011-07-11

Total Pages: 175

ISBN-13: 0812205812

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There are many ways to show our devotion to an author besides reading his or her works. Graves make for popular pilgrimage sites, but far more popular are writers' house museums. What is it we hope to accomplish by trekking to the home of a dead author? We may go in search of the point of inspiration, eager to stand on the very spot where our favorite literary characters first came to life—and find ourselves instead in the house where the author himself was conceived, or where she drew her last breath. Perhaps it is a place through which our writer passed only briefly, or maybe it really was a longtime home—now thoroughly remade as a decorator's show-house. In A Skeptic's Guide to Writers' Houses Anne Trubek takes a vexed, often funny, and always thoughtful tour of a goodly number of house museums across the nation. In Key West she visits the shamelessly ersatz shrine to a hard-living Ernest Hemingway, while meditating on his lost Cuban farm and the sterile Idaho house in which he committed suicide. In Hannibal, Missouri, she walks the fuzzy line between fact and fiction, as she visits the home of the young Samuel Clemens—and the purported haunts of Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, and Injun' Joe. She hits literary pay-dirt in Concord, Massachusetts, the nineteenth-century mecca that gave home to Hawthorne, Emerson, and Thoreau—and yet could not accommodate a surprisingly complex Louisa May Alcott. She takes us along the trail of residences that Edgar Allan Poe left behind in the wake of his many failures and to the burned-out shell of a California house with which Jack London staked his claim on posterity. In Dayton, Ohio, a charismatic guide brings Paul Laurence Dunbar to compelling life for those few visitors willing to listen; in Cleveland, Trubek finds a moving remembrance of Charles Chesnutt in a house that no longer stands. Why is it that we visit writers' houses? Although admittedly skeptical about the stories these buildings tell us about their former inhabitants, Anne Trubek carries us along as she falls at least a little bit in love with each stop on her itinerary and finds in each some truth about literature, history, and contemporary America.


Book Synopsis A Skeptic's Guide to Writers' Houses by : Anne Trubek

Download or read book A Skeptic's Guide to Writers' Houses written by Anne Trubek and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2011-07-11 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are many ways to show our devotion to an author besides reading his or her works. Graves make for popular pilgrimage sites, but far more popular are writers' house museums. What is it we hope to accomplish by trekking to the home of a dead author? We may go in search of the point of inspiration, eager to stand on the very spot where our favorite literary characters first came to life—and find ourselves instead in the house where the author himself was conceived, or where she drew her last breath. Perhaps it is a place through which our writer passed only briefly, or maybe it really was a longtime home—now thoroughly remade as a decorator's show-house. In A Skeptic's Guide to Writers' Houses Anne Trubek takes a vexed, often funny, and always thoughtful tour of a goodly number of house museums across the nation. In Key West she visits the shamelessly ersatz shrine to a hard-living Ernest Hemingway, while meditating on his lost Cuban farm and the sterile Idaho house in which he committed suicide. In Hannibal, Missouri, she walks the fuzzy line between fact and fiction, as she visits the home of the young Samuel Clemens—and the purported haunts of Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, and Injun' Joe. She hits literary pay-dirt in Concord, Massachusetts, the nineteenth-century mecca that gave home to Hawthorne, Emerson, and Thoreau—and yet could not accommodate a surprisingly complex Louisa May Alcott. She takes us along the trail of residences that Edgar Allan Poe left behind in the wake of his many failures and to the burned-out shell of a California house with which Jack London staked his claim on posterity. In Dayton, Ohio, a charismatic guide brings Paul Laurence Dunbar to compelling life for those few visitors willing to listen; in Cleveland, Trubek finds a moving remembrance of Charles Chesnutt in a house that no longer stands. Why is it that we visit writers' houses? Although admittedly skeptical about the stories these buildings tell us about their former inhabitants, Anne Trubek carries us along as she falls at least a little bit in love with each stop on her itinerary and finds in each some truth about literature, history, and contemporary America.


Why We Took the Car

Why We Took the Car

Author: Wolfgang Herrndorf

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Published: 2014-01-07

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0545586364

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A beautifully written, darkly funny coming-of-age story from an award-winning, bestselling German author making his American debut. Mike Klingenberg doesn't get why people think he's boring. Sure, he doesn't have many friends. (Okay, zero friends.) And everyone laughs at him when he reads his essays out loud in class. And he's never invited to parties - including the gorgeous Tatiana's party of the year.Andre Tschichatschow, aka Tschick (not even the teachers can pronounce his name), is new in school, and a whole different kind of unpopular. He always looks like he's just been in a fight, his clothes are tragic, and he never talks to anyone.But one day Tschick shows up at Mike's house out of the blue. Turns out he wasn't invited to Tatiana's party either, and he's ready to do something about it. Forget the popular kids: Together, Mike and Tschick are heading out on a road trip. No parents, no map, no destination. Will they get hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere? Probably. Will meet some crazy people and get into serious trouble? Definitely. But will they ever be called boring again? Not a chance.


Book Synopsis Why We Took the Car by : Wolfgang Herrndorf

Download or read book Why We Took the Car written by Wolfgang Herrndorf and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2014-01-07 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautifully written, darkly funny coming-of-age story from an award-winning, bestselling German author making his American debut. Mike Klingenberg doesn't get why people think he's boring. Sure, he doesn't have many friends. (Okay, zero friends.) And everyone laughs at him when he reads his essays out loud in class. And he's never invited to parties - including the gorgeous Tatiana's party of the year.Andre Tschichatschow, aka Tschick (not even the teachers can pronounce his name), is new in school, and a whole different kind of unpopular. He always looks like he's just been in a fight, his clothes are tragic, and he never talks to anyone.But one day Tschick shows up at Mike's house out of the blue. Turns out he wasn't invited to Tatiana's party either, and he's ready to do something about it. Forget the popular kids: Together, Mike and Tschick are heading out on a road trip. No parents, no map, no destination. Will they get hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere? Probably. Will meet some crazy people and get into serious trouble? Definitely. But will they ever be called boring again? Not a chance.


Intrigue On a Longship Cruise

Intrigue On a Longship Cruise

Author: Stephanie C. Fox

Publisher: QueenBeeBooks

Published: 2022-10-24

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13:

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Arielle and her aunt, Eloise, are going on a Longship cruise up the Rhône River in France. They are happily anticipating a week of fun meeting new people, eating gourmet food, seeing historic sites in famous cities, buying souvenirs, and photographing it all. It promises to be a lovely trip together after being cooped up at home during the recent pandemic. Vaccinated and packed, they are ready to tour the South of France, free from any worry about dangerous microbes. At least, that's what they think. Someone else aboard their ship has other ideas, including murder, and something worse than murder. What could be worse than murder? Read the story to find out, and enjoy Arielle's photographs.


Book Synopsis Intrigue On a Longship Cruise by : Stephanie C. Fox

Download or read book Intrigue On a Longship Cruise written by Stephanie C. Fox and published by QueenBeeBooks. This book was released on 2022-10-24 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arielle and her aunt, Eloise, are going on a Longship cruise up the Rhône River in France. They are happily anticipating a week of fun meeting new people, eating gourmet food, seeing historic sites in famous cities, buying souvenirs, and photographing it all. It promises to be a lovely trip together after being cooped up at home during the recent pandemic. Vaccinated and packed, they are ready to tour the South of France, free from any worry about dangerous microbes. At least, that's what they think. Someone else aboard their ship has other ideas, including murder, and something worse than murder. What could be worse than murder? Read the story to find out, and enjoy Arielle's photographs.


Antoinette – A Year in the Life of a Doll with Her Friends

Antoinette – A Year in the Life of a Doll with Her Friends

Author: Stephanie C. Fox

Publisher: Stephanie C. Fox

Published: 2024-06-30

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13:

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Antoinette is a concert violinist and opera singer. She travels and advocates for causes that aim to make the world a better place. She has a friend, Lilith, who does that as a lawyer, politician...and witch. A few months into the year, they receive a surprise visit from an alien botanist, Ileandra. Follow them throughout an entire year on their adventures!


Book Synopsis Antoinette – A Year in the Life of a Doll with Her Friends by : Stephanie C. Fox

Download or read book Antoinette – A Year in the Life of a Doll with Her Friends written by Stephanie C. Fox and published by Stephanie C. Fox. This book was released on 2024-06-30 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Antoinette is a concert violinist and opera singer. She travels and advocates for causes that aim to make the world a better place. She has a friend, Lilith, who does that as a lawyer, politician...and witch. A few months into the year, they receive a surprise visit from an alien botanist, Ileandra. Follow them throughout an entire year on their adventures!


Scheherazade Cat - The Story of a War Hero

Scheherazade Cat - The Story of a War Hero

Author: Stephanie C. Fox

Publisher: QueenBeeBooks

Published: 2017-01-01

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 0692973389

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We humans are capable of great good. In the time that our species has been on Earth, we have done remarkable things to improve the human condition. But a dark and horrible side of our nature often comes to the surface in the form of military conflict. With sad regularity, our leaders become filled with greed, intolerance, and lust for power, resulting in bloodshed and cruelty that has become more and more horrible as our methods of killing become more efficient. Indeed, war is the most hideous of human experiences and is tragically a regular feature of our history. However, in the midst of wartime horror, sometimes people and events come together and give some hope that, in the end, the positive aspects of human nature will triumph over our evil side. Scheherazade Cat: The Story of a War Hero is an example of how love, loyalty, and kindness can shine through the darkness of war, and restore faith in the human spirit. This is the true story of Lieutenant David Haines, a United States Army chemical weapons officer, and Scheherazade, a calico kitten from Failaka Island, Kuwait. He met her while performing a mission there during the Persian Gulf War. Scheherazade was playing with a small bomb during this meeting, but fortunately it did not detonate. Seeing this alerted Lt. Haines to the presence of other mines, allowing his squad to retreat safely. Recognizing that this encounter may have saved his life and those of his men, the soldier adopted Scheherazade and brought her to America. This is a simple tale about a chance encounter, but it is also a heartwarming lesson that showing kindness and loyalty to a small creature in the midst of extreme danger brings out the best in us. For this reason, the message of this book is a positive one that demonstrates the value of compassion and goodness.


Book Synopsis Scheherazade Cat - The Story of a War Hero by : Stephanie C. Fox

Download or read book Scheherazade Cat - The Story of a War Hero written by Stephanie C. Fox and published by QueenBeeBooks. This book was released on 2017-01-01 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We humans are capable of great good. In the time that our species has been on Earth, we have done remarkable things to improve the human condition. But a dark and horrible side of our nature often comes to the surface in the form of military conflict. With sad regularity, our leaders become filled with greed, intolerance, and lust for power, resulting in bloodshed and cruelty that has become more and more horrible as our methods of killing become more efficient. Indeed, war is the most hideous of human experiences and is tragically a regular feature of our history. However, in the midst of wartime horror, sometimes people and events come together and give some hope that, in the end, the positive aspects of human nature will triumph over our evil side. Scheherazade Cat: The Story of a War Hero is an example of how love, loyalty, and kindness can shine through the darkness of war, and restore faith in the human spirit. This is the true story of Lieutenant David Haines, a United States Army chemical weapons officer, and Scheherazade, a calico kitten from Failaka Island, Kuwait. He met her while performing a mission there during the Persian Gulf War. Scheherazade was playing with a small bomb during this meeting, but fortunately it did not detonate. Seeing this alerted Lt. Haines to the presence of other mines, allowing his squad to retreat safely. Recognizing that this encounter may have saved his life and those of his men, the soldier adopted Scheherazade and brought her to America. This is a simple tale about a chance encounter, but it is also a heartwarming lesson that showing kindness and loyalty to a small creature in the midst of extreme danger brings out the best in us. For this reason, the message of this book is a positive one that demonstrates the value of compassion and goodness.


The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age

Author: Mark Twain

Publisher:

Published: 1884

Total Pages: 628

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis The Gilded Age by : Mark Twain

Download or read book The Gilded Age written by Mark Twain and published by . This book was released on 1884 with total page 628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii

Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii

Author: Mark Twain

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 1975-07-01

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9780824802882

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"I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I had a jolly time. I would not have fooled away any of it writing letters under any consideration whatever." --Mark Twain So Samuel Langhorne Clemens made his excuse for late copy to the Sacramento Union, the newspaper that was underwriting his 1866 trip. If the young reporter's excuse makes perfect sense to you, join the thousands of Island lovers who have delighted in Twain's efforts when he finally did put pen to paper.


Book Synopsis Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii by : Mark Twain

Download or read book Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii written by Mark Twain and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1975-07-01 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I had a jolly time. I would not have fooled away any of it writing letters under any consideration whatever." --Mark Twain So Samuel Langhorne Clemens made his excuse for late copy to the Sacramento Union, the newspaper that was underwriting his 1866 trip. If the young reporter's excuse makes perfect sense to you, join the thousands of Island lovers who have delighted in Twain's efforts when he finally did put pen to paper.