Tom Sawyer is an intelligent resourceful orphan who enjoys a life of
freedom that is unsheltered from life's hardships. He is an immediately
attractive character who draws the reader through his adventures. Huck
Finn is more superstitious and naïve, but still an adventurous survivor.
Together they engage with their world in this classic coming of age
story.
What makes these two books classics? Twain's characters are surprising,
unforgettable and truly human. The dialog faithfully reproduces the
common speech of his day. Twain explains, "In this book a number of
dialects are used, to wit: the Missouri negro dialect; the extremest
form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect; the ordinary 'Pike County'
dialect; and four modified varieties of this last. The shadings have not
been done in a haphazard fashion, or by guesswork; but painstakingly,
and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity
with these several forms of speech." The plot combines adventure,
suspense and mischief with the darker side of humanity: murder, deceit,
brutality and racial prejudice. Twain's trademark humor and observations
of human nature are never far.
Hemingway concludes "All modern American literature comes from one book
by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn . . . It is the best book we
have."
Features of this edition:
- Complete and unabridged
- Includes 335 original illustrations
- Crisp text set in modern easily read font.