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After river shipping was interrupted by the Civil War, Twain headed west with his brother Orion, who had been appointed secretary to the Nevada Territory. Settling in Carson City, he tried his luck at prospecting and wrote humorous pieces for a range of newspapers. Around this time he first began using the pseudonym Mark Twain, derived from a riverboat term. Relocating to San Francisco, he became a regular newspaper correspondent and a contributor to the literary magazine the Golden Era. He made a five-month journey to Hawaii in 1866 and the following year traveled to Europe to report on the first organized tourist cruise. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches (1867) consolidated his growing reputation as humorist and lecturer.
After his marriage to Livy Langdon, Twain settled first in Buffalo, New York, and then for two decades in Hartford, Connecticut. His European sketches were expanded into The Innocents Abroad (1869), followed by Roughing It (1872), an account of his Western adventures; both were enormously successful. Twain's literary triumphs were offset by often ill-advised business dealings (he sank thousands of dollars, for instance, in a failed attempt to develop a new kind of typesetting machine, and thousands more into his own ultimately unsuccessful publishing house) and unrestrained spending that left him in frequent financial difficulty, a pattern that was to persist throughout his life.
Following The Gilded Age (1873), written in collaboration with Charles Dudley Warner, Twain began a literary exploration of his childhood memories of the Mississippi, resulting in a trio of masterpieces --The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), Life on the Mississippi (1883), and finally The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), on which he had been working for nearly a decade. Another vein, of historical romance, found expression in The Prince and the Pauper (1882), the satirical A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889), and Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (1896), while he continued to draw on his travel experiences in A Tramp Abroad (1880) and Following the Equator (1897). His close associates in these years included William Dean Howells, Bret Harte, and George Washington Cable, as well as the dying Ulysses S. Grant, whom Twain encouraged to complete his memoirs, published by Twain's publishing company in 1885.
For most of the 1890s Twain lived in Europe, as his life took a darker turn with the death of his daughter Susy in 1896 and the worsening illness of his daughter Jean. The tone of Twain's writing also turned progressively more bitter. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), a detective story hinging on the consequences of slavery, was followed by powerful anti-imperialist and anticolonial statements such as 'To the Person Sitting in Darkness' (1901), 'The War Prayer' (1905), and 'King Leopold's Soliloquy' (1905), and by the pessimistic sketches collected in the privately published What Is Man? (1906). The unfinished novel The Mysterious Stranger was perhaps the most uncompromisingly dark of all Twain's later works. In his last years, his financial troubles finally resolved, Twain settled near Redding, Connecticut, and died in his mansion, Stormfield, on April 21, 1910.
Author biography courtesy of Random House, Inc.
Anonymous
Posted Fri Jan 07 00:00:00 EST 2000
This classic of American literature is perhaps the most misunderstood and maligned book since the Bible. Nobody who has ever actually read the book could ever call it racist. True, it is filled with the 'N' word that decent people find offensive, but it was necessary in the context. This wonderful book is just as powerfully anti-slavery as 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriett Beecher Stowe, but while her book is still praised, Mark Twain's book is being banned from high school libraries. I first read this book at age 12, and have re-read it at least every two years ever since. I'm in my 40's now, but Huck and Jim take me right back to 12 every time I see them again.
31 out of 33 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 2011
The story is a classic but this e-version was not the worst nor the best. There are funny breaks and odd fonts randomly placed through the story. It is worth looking for a better e-version.
11 out of 20 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jan 13 00:00:00 EST 2009
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain, is a book about Huckleberry Finn, the namesake of the book. Continuing the events of the last book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Huck is living with widow Douglas, who has adopted him. Huck gets bored of the widow trying to civilize him, he runs out and his abusive father finds him. His father takes him in, and Huck tries to get out. He finds an old saw and cuts his way out of the house and fakes his own death. He catches a canoe and hides out on Jackson's island, Huck finds the widow's slave, Jim, who is also hiding out. Tom and Jim build a raft, and escape down the river. <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> During their trip, Huck and Jim meet a few colorful characters, including two feuding families, and two cons who claim to be a king and a duke. Huck may not seem so, but he is very clever, and able to see through the king and dukes' antics, which makes him sick to his stomach. Huck is always trying to do good, and sometimes has a conflict with himself in deciding exactly what is good. One night, he even thinks about turning Jim in, because he feels bad for helping the widow's slave escape. He tells two white men in a canoe to check the raft, claiming his sick uncle to be on it. He ends up convincing them that his uncle has smallpox, so they give him 40 dollars and leave him alone. <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> I think that this book is great. One of the best I've ever read. This book's plot may be a little over-used, a boy helping a slave escape from his master, but you never really know what's going to happen. Mark Twain is one of the best authors from whom I've ever read. This book easily makes me want to read some other books of his. There are twists, turns, and, like a punch to the face in a dark room, you never see them coming. If your okay with a few politically incorrect words (The book was written in the 1800s, when slavery was legal) and you love adventure, I definitley recommend this book to you.
11 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Jan 05 00:00:00 EST 2011
Twain initially conceived of the work as a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer that would follow Huck Finn through adulthood. Beginning with a few pages he had removed from the earlier novel, Twain began work on a manuscript he originally titled Huckleberry Finn's Autobiography. Twain worked on the manuscript off and on for the next several years, ultimately abandoning his original plan of following Huck's development into adulthood. He appeared to have lost interest in the manuscript while it was in progress, and set it aside for several years. After making a trip down the Mississippi, Twain returned to his work on the novel. Upon completion, the novel's title closely paralleled its predecessor's: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer's Comrade).
Unlike The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn does not have the definite article "the" as a part of its proper title. Essayist and critic Spencer Neve states that this absence represents the "never fulfilled anticipations" of Huck's adventures-while Tom's adventures were completed (at least at the time) by the end of his novel, Huck's narrative ends with his stated intention to head West
7 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat May 09 00:00:00 EDT 2009
The audiobook assisted with the understanding of the dialects of the characters, similar to a play but with the images in your mind.
5 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Jan 05 00:00:00 EST 2012
I like this book very much. It does get a little boring in the middle, but the ending is my favorite! It's worth reading.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Jul 06 00:00:00 EDT 2007
this book will not appeal to young people, but is still a classic read. Adventures of tom sawyer is much more interesting.
4 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Feb 09 00:00:00 EST 2012
This classic story is a marvelous example of Mark Twain's writing skills and of his prominence as a writer. This story is hilarious and heartwarming, and is sure to enchant anyone who reads it!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 EST 2012
Even though I'm sure a lot of people hear this is a classic and think it's just some old book, I have to say I love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The characters are incredible. The dialogue is often hilarious and tragic. It's just an all-around incredible novel.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Jan 08 00:00:00 EST 2012
A very favorited classic.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 2011
I loved reading this book from front to back it is on of the greaatest books ive ever read ndd ull love it too
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011
BORING. With occasional excitment. Hard to understand at times because of the old english language the characters use, but overall well written. I just wish it could have been a little more of a page turner. I prefer Tom Sawyer over Huck Finn.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Jul 16 00:00:00 EDT 2011
This appears to be the original text of the story with the "N" would used very frequently. NOT the version I read in school or wish my child to read at his age (9). Still a good story but be mindful if that word is not one you wish to read
3 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Jun 07 00:00:00 EDT 2012
Testing 123
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed May 09 00:00:00 EDT 2012
Huckleberry Finn is a young boy who has been adopted by Widow Douglas due to difficulties with his drunken father. After becoming acquainted with her strict ways, Huck is kidnapped by his father, wanting Huck's money for alcohol. After spending months in a deserted house in the woods, Huck finally escapes, and decides to run away. On his voyage, he runs into Jim, Widow Douglas's slave. Together, they embark on a journey, filled with both misfortune and adventure. During this extended journey, Huckleberry and Jim endure snake bites, being mixed up in a series of murders, becoming separated from each other multiple times, running into trouble with the King, and much more. Throughout the long nights on the river they spend together, Jim and Huck become the best of friends.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a timeless classic. Written as a sequel to the book the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, this book provides a second side of the story. Although it is written in a way which is slightly hard to understand, the writing style emphasizes the various personalities of the characters. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a timeless classic.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Mar 06 00:00:00 EST 2012
There's actually a free version of this book on the nook . It's no different . The only thing you wouldn't like is the fact that it has no cover . But I don't think people would make such a fuss for a cover .
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Dec 27 00:00:00 EST 2011
Lolz
2 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Dec 26 00:00:00 EST 2011
I love the story but when they talk it is kinda hard to umderstand because they talk with a southern acent. If you can get past that it is a good book for 10-12 yo.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Although Huck Finn is a classic book and loved by many, I found it hard to read. It was written in many different Southern dialects, and it had sentences like, "How you gwyne git'm? You can't slip up on um en grab um; en how's a body gwyne to hit um wid a rock?" Reading conversation after conversation like this gets old fast. Overall, it was a great story, and the major theme of "looking for freedom" was pretty cool. If it was easier to read, I would have LOVED this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who can stomach weird dialects and old fashioned writing.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Dec 08 00:00:00 EST 2011
JUST SAW TOM SAWYER PLAY IT WAS AWESOME
2 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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