Mark Twain's Black Muse: The Life and Legacy of His Butler, George Griffin

The first comprehensive biography of the former slave who became the inspiration for a literary icon

Mark Twain’s butler George Griffin has long been recognized as a model for Jim, the runaway slave in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Griffin’s years with Twain’s family in Hartford are well documented, but until now his earlier and later years have been terra incognita. Drawing upon newly discovered photographic evidence and documents, this first full biography of Griffin reconstructs his chi...