The MCT edition of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain is reproduced in its entirety and includes Michael’s “language illustrations”—close-ups of poetic techniques, four-level analyses of interesting grammar, and comments about writing strategies. Challenging vocabulary is defined at the bottom of each page.

In his introduction to the novel, Michael writes:

“This is a novel with riches to spare, filled with Twain’s irrepressible relish for the English language, loaded with characters of all kinds, pervaded with irony. There are moments when the novel seems to be entirely humorous, and there are moments when the novel is horrifyingly prophetic, as in the final scenes that seem to be visions of the great world war to come…. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is no novel for the faint of heart. Twain despised cruelty and violence, and he had to depict them to attack them, so this is a sometimes brutal story, powered by a vision of peace and humanity. It is a great read.”