A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is one of Mark Twain’s most enduring novels. During a stay at a modern-day English castle, the narrator meets a mysterious stranger. The stranger, Hank Morgan, is an engineer from Connecticut, and proceeds to weave a satirical, biting, and hilarious tale of how he traveled back in time to find himself in the court of the legendary King Arthur. There he uses his modern-day knowledge to convince the locals that he’s a powerful magician. As the book progresses, Hank modernizes—and Americanizes—the lives of the locals.

Twain’s talent for humor and satire are on full display in Yankee , and he doesn’t waste the opportunity to use Hank as a mouthpiece for his views on things like politics, capitalism, and justice. Many consider it to be his best work.