Mark Twain
Life on the Mississippi: what to read next?
Books close in genre, era, author or reading level, to read in bilingual editions.
John BurtonThe Book HunterA collection of essays published in 1862 by John Hill Burton, a Scottish historian. With humour, the author sketches the book hunters: the collector who buys his first duplicate copy, the browser of second-hand bookstalls, the regular at auction sales, the wandering reader who…Same genreSame era
Mark TwainAdventures of Huckleberry FinnHuckleberry Finn, a young boy seeking freedom, escapes an oppressive life and travels down the Mississippi on a raft with Jim, a runaway slave. Together, they face dangers, unpredictable encounters, and moral dilemmas. Huck begins to question the rules of the society he was…By the same authorSame genreSame era
James GrantUnder the Red DragonA British novel of war and love, told by its hero. In 1854, Harry Hardinge, a young officer of the Welsh Fusiliers, waits in Winchester to leave for the war against Russia. Invited by Sir Madoc Lloyd, an old friend of his family, to a great estate in North Wales, he finds there…Same genreSame era
HomerThe OdysseyOdysseus, king of Ithaca, tries to return home after the Trojan War, but his journey turns into a long wandering full of trials. He faces mythical creatures, capricious gods, and temptations that slow his return. Meanwhile, Penelope, his wife, resists the suitors invading their…Same genre
Austin BidwellBidwell's TravelsThe memoirs of the American Austin Bidwell, published in 1897. Born in Brooklyn, the author goes to work young in a Wall Street office, acquires a taste for gambling and easy money, and is then drawn in by a New York chief of detectives who sells off stolen bonds. After frauds…Same countrySame genreSame era
Lyndon OrrFamous AffinitiesSeveral historical and literary figures are brought together through their notable relationships, marked by attraction, conflict, and mutual influence. Each pair reveals a unique dynamic combining passion, ambition, and rivalry. The narrative explores these connections from a…Same countrySame genre
G. A. HentyThe Dash for KhartoumAn English adventure novel from 1892. In India, two babies are mixed up: the son of a captain and the son of a sergeant. Unable to tell which one is his own, Captain Clinton raises both boys as twins, Rupert and Edgar. At sixteen, Edgar is told by a stranger that she is his…Same genreSame era
James GrantOne of the Six HundredAt the end of 1853, Newton Norcliff, a young lieutenant in a British lancer regiment, learns that his regiment will leave in the spring for war in the East. He spends his last leave in Scotland, at his uncle’s house, near Lady Louisa, whom he loves and who is also courted by…Same genreSame era
G. P. R. JamesForest DaysAn English historical novel. In the mid-1260s, England is torn between King Henry III and the barons led by Simon de Montfort. Between Pontefract and Nottingham, Hugh de Monthermer, a young knight and nephew of an old earl who has sided with the barons, loves Lucy de Ashby,…Same genre
James WalkerThe Johnstown HorrorA chronicle published in 1889, the very year of the disaster. At the end of May 1889, endless rain swells the rivers around Johnstown, a factory town in Pennsylvania wedged at the bottom of a valley. On 31 May, upstream, an earth dam gives way and the lake it held back rushes…Same countrySame genreSame era
Harriet JacobsIncidents in the Life of a Slave GirlHarriet, born into slavery, recounts a childhood marked by fear, violence, and the absence of freedom. Determined to escape her condition, she plans a risky flight to protect her dignity and that of her children. Her path is filled with ordeals, but also acts of courage and…Same countrySame genreSame era
William WareAurelianA historical novel in letters by the American writer William Ware, published in 1838 as a sequel to “Zenobia”. In Rome, after the fall of Palmyra, the nobleman Lucius Manlius Piso writes to his friend Fausta, who has stayed in the East. He tells her about Queen Zenobia,…Same countrySame genre