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by Mark Twain
37 minutes, 26 seconds
Two Unabridged Humor Essays
1882,1899
Includes the Telltale Weekly comedic recordings of Mark Twain’s “My First Lie (And How I Got Out of It)” and “On the Decay of the Art of Lying.”
From “My First Lie (and How I Got Out of It):”
“As I understand it, what you desire is information about ‘my first lie,
and how I got out of it.’ I was born in 1835; I am well along, and my
memory is not as good as it was. If you had asked about my first truth
it would have been easier for me and kinder of you, for I remember that
fairly well. I remember it as if it were last week. The family think it
was the week before, but that is flattery…”
From “On the Decay of the Art of Lying:”
“Observe, I do not mean to suggest that the custom of lying has suffered any decay or interruption–no, for the Lie, as a virtue, a principle, is eternal; the lie, as a recreation, a solace, a refuge in time of need, the fourth Grace, the tenth Muse, man’s best and surest friend, is immortal, and cannot perish from the earth while this club remains. My complaint simply concerns the decay of the art of lying…”
Two humorous essays/speeches read by Alex Wilson.
Originally for sale on June 21, 2005, and released free with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License five years later. See the Mission page for why.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was an American author and beloved humorist best known for his serial novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Born Samuel Clemens, Twain made a name for himself with his travel writing, anti-imperialism satire, and a white linen suit he wore when speaking in public.
Alex Wilson is a writer and actor from northern Ohio and now based in Carrboro, North Carolina. His stories and comics have appeared/will appear in Asimov's Science Fiction, The Rambler, Outlaw Territory II (Image Comics), Weird Tales, Futurismic, LCRW and elsewhere. Locus has called him a "promising new writer," and Publishers Weekly also has nice things to say. Website)
Alex has performed lead roles in the North American premiere of (Richard Taylor's musical) Whistle Down the Wind and (Emmy-nominated director Jack Lucido's film) The Third Cord. He has recently appeared in the Deep Dish Theater productions of Hedda Gabler and Moon for the Misbegotten, and recorded narrations for Escape Pod and Night Shade Books. (Acting Resume/Reel) On early Telltale recordings, Alex is sometimes credited as "Alexander Wilson." He founded Telltale in 2004.
Tags: 1882, 1899, 19th Century AD, 2005 Release, 2010 Release, 30-60 minutes, Alex Wilson (reader), Essay, Free, Humor, Mark Twain, Nonfiction, Podcast, Popular Author, The Longer Stuff