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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court( 1889). by
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court( 1889). by: Mark Twain: A Novel (Illustrated), Original Classics | Mark Twain
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The book was originally titled A Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Some early editions are titled A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur. In the book, a Yankee engineer from Connecticut is accidentally transported back in time to the court of King Arthur, where he fools the inhabitants of that time into thinking that he is a magician, and soon uses his knowledge of modern technology to become a "magician" in earnest, stunning the English of the Early Middle Ages with such feats as demolitions, fireworks, and the shoring up of a holy well. He attempts to modernize the past, but in the end he is unable to prevent the death of Arthur and an interdict against him by the Catholic Church of the time, which grows fearful of his power. Twain wrote the book as a burlesque of Romantic notions of chivalry after being inspired by a dream in which he was a knight himself, severely inconvenienced by the weight and cumbersome nature of his armor.The novel is a comedy that sees 6th-Century England and its medieval culture through Hank Morgan's view; he is a 19th-century resident of Hartford, Connecticut, who, after a blow to the head, awakens to find himself inexplicably transported back in time to early medieval England where he meets King Arthur himself. The fictional Mr. Morgan, who had an image of that time that had been colored over the years by romantic myths, takes on the task of analyzing the problems and sharing his knowledge from 1300 years in the future to modernize, Americanize, and improve the lives of the people. In addition, many passages are quoted directly from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, a medieval Arthurian collection of legends and one of the earlier sources. The narrator who finds the Yankee in the "modern times" of Twain's nineteenth century is reading the book in the museum in which they both meet; later, characters in the story retell parts of it in Malory's original language. A chapter on medieval hermits also draws from the work of William Edward Hartpole Lecky.. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, entrepreneur, publisher and lecturer. Among his novels are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "The Great American Novel." Twain was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, which later provided the setting for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. After an apprenticeship with a printer, Twain worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to the newspaper of his older brother, Orion Clemens. He later became a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before heading west to join Orion in Nevada. He referred humorously to his lack of success at mining, turning to journalism for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise.In 1865, his humorous story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was published, based on a story he heard at Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California, where he had spent some time as a miner. The short story brought international attention, and was even translated into classic Greek.His wit and satire, in prose and in speech, earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.Though Twain earned a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he invested in ventures that lost a great deal of money, notably the Paige Compositor, a mechanical typesetter, which failed because of its complexity and imprecision. In the wake of these financial setbacks, he filed for protection from his creditors via bankruptcy, and with the help of Henry Huttleston Rogers eventually overcame his financial troubles. Twain chose to pay all his pre-bankruptcy creditors in full, though he had no legal responsibility to do so....
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Liz_M
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Oh, oh, oh! I know the answer to this one!

#SundayFunDay @BookmarkTavern

BookmarkTavern Yay! What a great pick! Thanks for sharing! 8mo
23 likes1 comment
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Therewillbebooks
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Thinking about maybe reading some of these

KCofKaysville @Therewillbebooks Connecticut Yankee is the funnest one, I think. 8mo
Jari-chan So many good books! And all worth reading. (edited) 8mo
Therewillbebooks @KCofKaysville yeah, I'm trying to pick one that I haven't read yet but should have gotten to. Connecticut Yankee is up there 8mo
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Therewillbebooks @Jari-chan gonna be a difficult decision 8mo
Ruthiella All the King‘s Men was fantastic. 8mo
Therewillbebooks @Ruthiella I've been wanting to read that for a while now 8mo
44 likes6 comments
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yoavshai
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#BookCoverChallenge
Day 88.
Here I will note 365 books (or as many as I will have before I get tired) that have shaped my taste in literature. No explanations, no reviews. Just the cover of the book.
I do not challenge anyone. You are all welcome to take part.

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Rachel.Rencher
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This is easily the most random bookmark I've ever gotten in a second hand book. It's a pamphlet for birth control. 😂

What's the most random bookmark you've ever found?

slategreyskies Probably a plane ticket. ✈️ 3y
Aims42 😂😂😂 3y
TiredLibrarian Hope they figured out how to use the birth control! 3y
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Chrissyreadit I think it‘s a great use for directions when they are no longer needed. 3y
Rachel.Rencher @Chrissyreadit Oh for sure! Just thought it was funny 3y
Lcsmcat The most random I ever found was a business plan for a sno-cone stand. 3y
Laughterhp That‘s so weird! I think the most random thing I found was a plane ticket or I‘ve found like those pocket religious prayer cards 3y
Christine In an LFL book I recently found a bookstore business card with someone‘s credit card number written on it. At least it was expired (which I knew because they also included the expiration and CVV)! 3y
Rachel.Rencher @Christine That's kind of scary! I hope nobody's ever left my CC info on a slip like that. 🙃 3y
Rachel.Rencher @Lcsmcat LOL I actually really like that! 3y
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WeAreLegion
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Pickpick

The classic tale of a 19th century American who wakes up in medieval England. Comedy punctuated with moments of dire tragedy, as was Twain‘s style, this story explores the past through a modern lens to much amusement. Having the protagonist be a brilliant engineer, able to shape the future of a country, I often think how a ‘normal‘ person of average education might fare in this scenario. I know I would probably not survive a week.

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Therewillbebooks
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New episode is out right now! Very fresh. We select an August book of the month, I drink a Dr. Pepper, and I tell a fascinating story about getting cut off in traffic. Best thing you could conceivably do with your time would be to listen to it.

https://anchor.fm/peter-murphy8/episodes/Episode-61-August-Book-Nominations-e15g...

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Mtroiano
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Good morning, Littens! I‘m having a slow morning. Work has slowed down and I‘m trying to not feel anxious about it. Hope you‘re all doing well!

Social distancing day 13

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Mtroiano
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Got a new lounge chair with a face hole so I can read AND tan my back! ☀️📚

Laughterhp That‘s awesome! Where did you get that?! 5y
39 likes2 comments
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Mtroiano
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I‘m loving these illustrations and their captions

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Mtroiano
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Up next!

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LadyReader1982

I haven't been able to find a good movie version of this book, any suggestions? Anyone? 😩

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SheDragon
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My Bookclub made TBR Jars for New Years, It was so fun, I loved how different everyone‘s turned out. This one‘s mine. The old map paper rolled into scrolls are the books on my shelf. The white map paper folded into stars are books I don‘t own, this way I know a little of what to expect when I draw a book title. The book on the side is made from scraps, I used twine to cover the rivets on the old bottle and the cork was from a dollar store candle.

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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

I have a love-hate relationship with Twain. however, I‘m saying pick b/c I think this is important to the Arthurian tradition. Railing against medieval mania, Twain seeks to de-glorify the Dark Ages. Is Hank a pretentious douche? Yes. Did I laugh out loud more than once? Yes. This sets up future generations of Arthurian tales that we adore today. Once the legend didn‘t have to be taken so seriously and reverently, it could really take on new life.

rabbitprincess Is that Bing Crosby?! 5y
AshleyHoss820 @rabbitprincess Yes indeed it is!!! 😊 5y
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ulrichyumiodd
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Mehso-so

The book is SO long. The chapters themselves are very short, so we get a glimpse of an element of the plot, then often quickly skip to a new one. While I understand and enjoy the satire, it did become repetitive to see “the Boss” making fun of the Middle Ages again and again and again by proving that he was superior to everyone else. I liked the end, but it is slightly confusing and seems to negate what we already knew about magic.

suzisteffen I read this book SO MANY TIMES as a kid. And I loved it! But now ... yes, I see what you‘re taking about. 5y
ulrichyumiodd @suzisteffen To be fair, it is part of a reading list for my PhD exams, so I couldn‘t just put it down and come back to it later. I feel it might have been a “pick” in a different situation. 5y
28 likes2 comments
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britt_brooke
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Mehso-so


⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nineteenth century New Englander Hank Morgan bonks his head and time travels to King Arthur‘s court. Once he realizes that by default he‘s the smartest man on earth, he aims to take over the kingdom by applying his modern knowledge. Twain created a brilliant stroke of satire, early genre bending, and one of the first time travel novels, but it‘s just SO long. I had to speed up Offerman‘s (always fabulous) narration just to get through.

RealBooks4ever Nick Offerman narrates?! Oh golly, now I have to decide between paper or Nick... paper... or... Nick... 🤔 💜 6y
britt_brooke @RealBooks4ever Definitely Nick! He does an amazing job with all of the characters. Such a brilliant narrator. He also narrates Tom Sawyer! 6y
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Lcsmcat
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LoverofLit
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Mehso-so

This was a slight miss for me. While the themes of injustice and slavery in this book show how far ahead Twain was for the time he was alive and there were some decent lines that stuck in my head, my mind had a tough time not wandering and it took about a third of the book, 5 hours or so, before I started getting interested in the story.

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LoverofLit
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LoverofLit
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Hello again Mr. Offerman. I have missed your honeyed voice.

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EllanaRose
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Pickpick

Loved this! 12 hours to go and I'm already reading the next book.
#24in48 #AudioOnly #DamnYouMigraine

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EllanaRose
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I need to sleep. Really enjoying this! Went into it expecting a children's book but wow was I wrong.

#24in48 #AudioOnly #DamnYouMigraine

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EllanaRose
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#24in48 #AudioOnly #DamnYouMigraine
Going well so far, 19hrs 36 to go

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EllanaRose
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Starting soon! #24in48

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TracyReadsBooks
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Right next door to Harriet Beecher Stowe‘s house was the residence of Samuel L. Clemens (otherwise known as Mark Twain). I used our stop as an excuse to buy a really cool edition of the tagged book which is my favorite of Twain‘s works. I highly recommend visiting both houses if you are ever passing through Hartford CT. A very interesting day—and a huge thanks to the husband who totally let me geek out about books & authors for an afternoon.

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jlondon1963
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Pickpick

I forgot how much I loved this story. The audio version read by Nick Offerman had me laughing he pulls off the perfect amount of snarkiness!

Avanders Hiya lady! Hoping you haven't moved..... have you received anything from me? 😬 (hope it wasn't lost in the mail!) 6y
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ReadZenRites
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This 1917 edition of Mark Twain‘s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur‘s Court” is a #novel. This copy is barely being held together by its binding, the “limp leather” cover having deteriorated to flakes.

#OldCoolBooks #novel

tammysue Wow! Very nice! 6y
Slajaunie Love old books! 6y
ReadZenRites Thanks @Slajaunie & @whatshereadingnow 😊💕I chuckle every time I see that “limp leather” description!😁 6y
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Linsy Love that illustration! 🙌 6y
Linsy @ReadZenRites 😆 It is a great description! 6y
ReadZenRites Thanks @Linsy 😊💕 6y
45 likes6 comments
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LeahBergen
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A 19th-century New Englander finds he has travelled back in time to King Arthur‘s England.

(A gift from the wonderful @DeborahSmall 😘).

#Time
#MayLovesClassics
#LitsyClassics
#FolioSociety

Aimeesue 😍😍😍 7y
emilyhaldi Love this cover ! ❤️ 7y
Robothugs What a cool edition! 7y
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tammysue ❤️ 7y
DeborahSmall Great pic 😘 7y
ApoptyGina69 I still@haven‘t read all@of@Twain, but this one was my mom‘s favorite and my dad‘s was 7y
ApoptyGina69 What is wrong with my thumb? And all those @s?!? 🤭 7y
Leftcoastzen Beautiful! 7y
LeahBergen @ApoptyGina69 Your thumb! 😂😂 And I haven‘t made it through all of Twain yet, either. 7y
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Leftcoastzen
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#OldCoolBooks #yellowedpages I don‘t even know where I found this well loved (beat up)Twain.Its pages have yellowed for sure.I like to think back in the day the whole family read it ending in its worn look.

Linsy What a cover!!! 😍😍😍 7y
Leftcoastzen @Linsy Yay ,olden days!I love that the trim size of novels was bigger then , 7x9 inches. 7y
LeahBergen Ooo! 😍 7y
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amber_ldsmom
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This book is gold; it cracks me up! 😂 I can‘t wait for @Snikt6 to listen to the Audible version by Nick Offerman. #hello #AdelesMayMashup

vkois88 Nick Offerman?? I may have to look it up!! 7y
amber_ldsmom @vkois88 I know, right? So awesome! 7y
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amber_ldsmom
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#asylum #QuotsyApril18
I love Mark Twain‘s sense of humor!

TheBookKeeper I read this as a teenager and loved it. I only just realized who wrote it. Thank you 7y
amber_ldsmom @TheBookKeeper You‘re welcome! 😊 7y
15 likes2 comments
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amber_ldsmom
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He arrived, looked me over with a smiling and impudent curiosity; said he had come for me, and informed me that he was a page.
“Go ‘long,” I said; “you ain‘t more than a paragraph.”

#QuotsyApril18 #insult

TK-421 😄 7y
16 likes1 comment
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LoverofLit
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@britt_brooke How did Audible know about your post and my interest from yesterday?!?! 😮😮😮😨😨😨

britt_brooke I can never decide if these things are awesome or creepy! 😆 7y
LoverofLit Haha @britt_brooke Right there with ya! 7y
13 likes2 comments
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TheAnitaAlvarez
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Today I‘m sharing my cuppa with a mana-tea. I love the bad pun, really.

BarbaraJean Love it! I have a Tea- tanic in my tea. ☕️🚢😆 7y
Tamra 😂😂👌🏾 7y
tammysue 😂💕 7y
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SandyW There's a paint brush and roller for sale on Amazon (under $5) right now. URL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0OPRPJ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?pd_rd_i=B074V1Y93N&pd_... 7y
SandyW I wanted to thank you for posting all these, I never would have known able them otherwise. I put in a request with hubby for some birthday presents. 😀🎁🎂 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @SandyW OMG, she doesn‘t have those! Shame we live outside the US, the shipping would be crazy. 😔 Hope your husband helps you start a collection 😂 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @BarbaraJean we need that one!! 7y
121 likes7 comments
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TheAnitaAlvarez
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Back to book club book, because it‘s not reading itself and I gotta finish it.

starlight97 Omg is that a sloth? 😍 7y
JoScho I have that same adorable little sloth ❤️ 7y
rubyslippersreads ❤️ your mug and sloth! 😊 7y
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kgriffith I have the sloth too 😍 7y
tammysue Oooh I love that little guy❣️ 7y
SandyW I'm going to be so bummed when you run out of tea strainers! 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @starlight97 yup, an adorable one at that too 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @rubyslippersreads cute and cuter, right? 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @kgriffith it‘s adorable! 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @SandyW I‘ll have to get more 7y
Litsi Love this book! 7y
130 likes13 comments
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TheAnitaAlvarez
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My book club is reading this book and I‘ve never liked Mark Twain, but this is what we voted for.

DocBrown You‘ve never liked Mark Twain? 7y
CaraLiane I listened to the audiobook recently. I enjoyed a lot of it but it ran way too long for me. It was witty writing and might have been a favorite had it been condensed by a third to half. As it was, the idea behind it lost its freshness by the end. (edited) 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @mdhughes72 nope, I read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in HS, didn‘t particularly enjoy them, and basically never read him again. Maybe it‘s because I‘m not from the US 🤷🏻‍♀️ 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @CaraLiane so far, it‘s sort of interesting... but I‘m reading it with attention to potential discussions topics, so I‘m actively looking for something to become interesting 7y
85 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Gezemice
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Pickpick

In this satirical send-up of medieval society and culture, Mark Twain transports a nineteenth century man, his knowledge and ideals to King Arthur's court. While skewering the tales and customs of the day, he makes a stance against the abuse of the downtrodden by the priviliged, and against the slavery. There is adventure, creative use of technology and language, a king in disguise, knights and damsels. It drags in parts, but fun overall. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

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Sarah83
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Mehso-so

#LitsyAtoZ letter Y @BookishMarginalia

The idea behind the book is great. Twain suggests, if former democracy can resist in a time, where kings and knights are established. Can mankind be fixed up with radical new ideas and behaviours?
It was a interesting book, but it was partly boring. Descriptions were to long and some ideas didn't fit for my taste. But next year = next Twain. I will read one for #litsyclassics 💞

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Sarah83
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Having another ride, so I invest the time for another #LitsyAtoZ. It's my Letter 'Y'. In German it is called 'Ein Yankee an König Artus' Hof.
As I travel by train, I bought a milk roll with chocolate chips. 😍

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The.Book.Drunkard
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KCorter
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Lcsmcat
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The Twain was the first time-traveling book I ever read, and the Niffenegger the latest. #timetravel #sizzlinsummerbooks @Tiffy_Reads

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Leniverse
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It is here! My precious! My first Folio book, courtesy of the loveliest @DeborahSmall 😍😘 It has been languishing in a sorting office for over a week, due to a Royal Mail computer error, but now it is safely here and I'm high on new book smell. Thank you once again, Deborah, and for the really neat bookmarks too!

LeahBergen 😍😍😍 7y
DeborahSmall Just seeing this now! So happy it arrived in one piece ❤️❤️ 7y
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elkeOriginal
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I lucked out with #FolioSociety free book that came with my latest Fairy book - I loved this strange & hilarious & biting Mark Twain book in college. And a wrap-around cover design always amuses me 💕
#FolioFreaks

LeahBergen 😍😍 7y
Reviewsbylola Great cover! 7y
TheLondonBookworm You and your enviable folio collection 😍 7y
58 likes3 comments
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DeborahSmall
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#foliogiveaway2 and the winners are @TobeyTheScavengerMonk @Leniverse @LeahBergen send your address to me @ deborahhill1422@yahoo.com ❤️👍📚

Leniverse Oh wow! 😍 But... I never win anything! 🙀😃Woohoo! Thank you, thank you! 😁👏 7y
Suet624 Congrats to all of you!! 7y
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erzascarletbookgasm Wow, so lucky! Congrats all! 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Neat! This made my day! 7y
LeahBergen What?!?! Yay!!!!!!! I'm so excited. Thank you so much! 😘😘 7y
DeborahSmall @TobeyTheScavengerMonk @LeahBergen you're welcome! My pleasure guys. Will post on Thursday when I'm next in town 😘❤️️ 7y
Jess_Read_This @TobeyTheScavengerMonk @LeahBergen @Leniverse 🎉👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🎉Congrats!!! 7y
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CindyMyLifeIsLit
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Thanks, @DeborahSmall for your very generous offer to give away this lovely book! #foliogiveaway2

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Caterina
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What a gorgeous edition! And the book itself is one of my brother's favorites! Thank you for this awesome giveaway! #foliogiveaway2 @DeborahSmall

HardcoverHearts Folio society books make my knees weak. 7y
38 likes1 comment
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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
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I rarely enter giveaways because if I win I have to find the space to put the book! But winning this would be worth it. #foliogiveaway2

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Leniverse
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#Foliogiveaway2 with deadline sometime Saturday. (I can't work out how to repost, and the screenshot cut away both half the pictures and text.) See the lovely and generous @DeborahSmall for details.

tpixie Yes one more option for that arrow at the bottom right should be to repost on Litsy, not just FB and Twitter 7y
tpixie ( ooo there's a copy option) 7y
Leniverse @tpixie Oh! So there is! But that will likely still just make it a picture that then has to be squared, I think. 🤔 I'll have to experiment. 7y
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tpixie @Leniverse well and it ended up just being a link?? 7y
Leniverse @tpixie Yeah. Direct link to the post. Which is handy at times, but useless for reposting purposes. We should ask the @Litsy team for a repost option! 7y
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TrishB
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Wow 😱😱😱 another fab folio give away from @DeborahSmall
#foliogiveaway2