Europe Revised

Irvin S. Cobb was one of America's most beloved humorists, and Europe Revised is his delightful account of crossing the Atlantic in search of culture and returning with jokes. Written in the vein of Mark Twain, Cobb approaches the great monuments of European civilization with the bewildered enthusiasm of a man more interested in whether the hotel sheets will be clean than in the artistic significance of what hangs on the walls. His journey takes him through England, France, and beyond, where every cathedral becomes an occasion for aching feet and every museum an excuse for a witty aside. The book's famous dedication, to his small daughter who asked him to cry at Napoleon's tomb, sets the tone perfectly: Cobb approaches the solemnity of European tourism with genuine warmth undercut by perfect comic timing. What emerges is a portrait of an American abroad who loves the old world but refuses to be intimidated by it, and who would rather tell a good story than pretend to be awed.