Tales of Wonder

by ; ;
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2003-02-01
Publisher(s): Bison Books
List Price: $24.10

Buy New

Usually Ships in 2-3 Business Days.
$22.95

Rent Book

Select for Price
There was a problem. Please try again later.

Used Book

We're Sorry
Sold Out

eBook

We're Sorry
Not Available

How Marketplace Works:

  • This item is offered by an independent seller and not shipped from our warehouse
  • Item details like edition and cover design may differ from our description; see seller's comments before ordering.
  • Sellers much confirm and ship within two business days; otherwise, the order will be cancelled and refunded.
  • Marketplace purchases cannot be returned to eCampus.com. Contact the seller directly for inquiries; if no response within two days, contact customer service.
  • Additional shipping costs apply to Marketplace purchases. Review shipping costs at checkout.

Summary

Mark Twain's unsettling imagination and passionate curiosity roamed far and wide-racing across microscopic worlds and interstellar voids, leaping ahead to fearful utopian futures, and speculating on dazzling inventions to come. Tales of Wonder features some of the most notable but little known speculative fiction available, penned by the famed American humorist and writer. With characteristic wit and acuity, Twain embarks on an epic journey into a drop of water, catches a glimpse of an invisible man, reveals a generational world in the heart of a drifting iceberg, and imagines futuristic devices of instantaneous communication such as the "phrenophone" and "telelectroscope." As he did in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Twain employs time travel to look centuries ahead and envision a radical utopia of absolute suffrage and alternate future histories in which a global theocracy holds sway or a monarchy rules America.This entertaining and absorbing collection of tales reminds us that the former steamboat pilot dreamed about the stars, anticipated and dreaded the future, and above all was continually surprised and enchanted by the world around him.Mark Twain is the author of such classics as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well as many short stories, including those appearing in the recent collection, How Nancy Jackson Married Kate Wilson and Other Tales of Rebellious Girls and Daring Young Women (Nebraska 2001). David Ketterer is a former professor of English at Concordia University. He is the author of several books, including Imprisoned in a Tesseract: The Life and Work of James Blish and Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Author Biography

Mark Twain (1835–1910) was the author of such classics as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well as many short stories, including those appearing in the recent collection, How Nancy Jackson Married Kate Wilson and Other Tales of Rebellious Girls and Daring Young Women (Nebraska 2001). David Ketterer is an emeritus professor of English at Concordia University in Montreal and an honorary research fellow in the Department of English at the University of Liverpool. He is the author of numerous books, including Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy and Imprisoned in a Tesseract: The Life and Work of James Blish.

Table of Contents

Texts and Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xiii
Whimsical Wonders
Petrified Man
3(1)
Earthquake Almanac
4(2)
A Curious Pleasure Excursion
6(4)
The Curious Republic of Gondour
10(4)
Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven
14(47)
Instantaneous Communication
The Loves of Alonzo Fitz Clarence and Rosannah Ethelton
61(16)
Time-Travel Contexts from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
77(19)
Mental Telegraphy
96(16)
Mental Telegraphy Again
112(5)
My Platonic Sweetheart
117(10)
From the ``London Times'' of 1904
127(12)
Doubtful Speculations
``The Great Dark''
139(37)
The Secret History of Eddypus, the World-Empire
176(50)
Sold to Satan
226(7)
3,000 Years Among the Microbes
233(94)
Appendixes
A. ``The Mysterious Balloonist''
327(4)
B. A Synopsis of ``A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage''
331(3)
C. ``The Generation Iceberg''
334(1)
D. Shackleford's Ghost
335(3)
E. ``History 1,000 Years from Now''
338(3)
Explanatory Notes 341(40)
Selected Bibliography 381

An electronic version of this book is available through VitalSource.

This book is viewable on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and most smartphones.

By purchasing, you will be able to view this book online, as well as download it, for the chosen number of days.

Digital License

You are licensing a digital product for a set duration. Durations are set forth in the product description, with "Lifetime" typically meaning five (5) years of online access and permanent download to a supported device. All licenses are non-transferable.

More details can be found here.

A downloadable version of this book is available through the eCampus Reader or compatible Adobe readers.

Applications are available on iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Windows Mobile platforms.

Please view the compatibility matrix prior to purchase.