In this enduring and internationally popular novel, Mark Twain combines social satire and dime-novel sensation with a rhapsody on boyhood and on America's pre-industrial past. Tom Sawyer is resilient, enterprising, and vainglorious, and in a series of adventures along the banks of the Mississippi he usually manages to come out on top. From petty triumphs over his friends and over his long-suffering Aunt Polly, to his intervention in a murder trial, Tom engages readers of all ages. He has long been a defining figure in the American cultural imagination.
Alongside the charm and the...

Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), written in a more sombre vein than his other Mississippi writings, was Mark Twain's last serious work of fiction. It reveals the sinister forces that, towards the end of his life, Twain thought to be threatening the American dream. The central plot revolves around the tragedy of "Roxy," a mulatto slave whose attempt to save her son from his fate succeeds only in destroying him. An astringent work which raises the serious issue of racial difference, Pudd'nhead Wilson is considered by the critic F.R. Leavis to be "a classic of the use of popular modes--the sensational...

"Familiarity breeds contempt and children." "It takes a heap of sense to write good nonsense." "Never tell a lie except for practice."
This attractive gift edition of the renowned American humorist's epigrams and witticisms features hundreds of eminently quotable quips. Discover Twain's views on life, love, history, culture, travel, and other topics with these pithy aphorisms from his fiction, essays, letters, and autobiography.
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"I've struck it " Mark Twain wrote in a 1904 letter to a friend. "And I will give it away--to you. You will never know how much enjoyment you have lost until you get to dictating your autobiography." Thus, after dozens of false starts and hundreds of pages, Twain embarked on his "Final (and Right) Plan" for telling the story of his life. His innovative notion--to "talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment"--meant that his thoughts could range freely. The strict instruction that many of these texts remain unpublished for 100 years meant that when they came out, he would be...

o Includes the authoritative texts for eleven pieces written between 1868 and 1902
o Publishes, for the first time, the complete text of "Villagers of 1840-3," Mark Twain's astounding feat of memory
o Features a biographical directory and notes that reflect extensive new research on Mark Twain's early life in Missouri

Throughout his career, Mark Twain frequently turned for inspiration to memories of his youth in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Missouri. What has come to be known as the Matter of Hannibal inspired two of his most famous books, Tom...

Longtime admirers of Mark Twain are aware of how integral animals were to his work as a writer, from his first stories through his final years, including many pieces that were left unpublished at his death. This beautiful volume, illustrated with 30 new images by master engraver Barry Moser, gathers writings from the full span of Mark Twain s career and elucidates his special attachment to and regard for animals. What may surprise even longtime readers and fans is that Twain was an early and ardent animal welfare advocate, the most prominent American of his day to take up that cause. Edited...

The year 2010 marked the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain s death. In celebration of this important milestone and in honor of the cherished tradition of publishing Mark Twain s works, UC Press published Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1, the first of a projected three-volume edition of the complete, uncensored autobiography. The book became an immediate bestseller and was hailed as the capstone of the life s work of America s favorite author.
This Reader s Edition, a portable paperback in larger type, republishes the text of the hardcover Autobiography in a form...

Mark Twain s complete, uncensored Autobiography was an instant bestseller when the first volume was published in 2010, on the centennial of the author s death, as he requested. Published to rave reviews, the Autobiography was hailed as the capstone of Twain s career. It captures his authentic and unsuppressed voice, speaking clearly from the grave and brimming with humor, ideas, and opinions.
The eagerly-awaited Volume 2 delves deeper into Mark Twain s life, uncovering the many roles he played in his private and public worlds. Filled with his characteristic blend of humor...

Devised with the help of expert examiners and teachers, an easy-to-use literature study guide which aims to provide students with a better understanding and appreciation of the text. Also of interest to the general reader.

I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I had a jolly time. I would not have fooled away any of it writing letters under any consideration whatever. --Mark Twain
So Samuel Langhorne Clemens made his excuse for late copy to the Sacramento Union, the newspaper that was underwriting his 1866 trip. If the young reporter's excuse makes perfect sense to you, join the thousands of Island lovers who have delighted in Twain's efforts when he finally did put pen to paper.