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The classic boy-hero of American literature

About the Author

Mark Twain (Author)
Mark Twain's real name was Sam Clemens, and he was born in 1835 in a small town on the Mississippi, one of seven children. He smoked cigars at the age of eight, and aged nine he stowed away on a steamboat. He left school at 11 and worked at a grocery store, a bookstore, a blacksmith's and a newspaper, where he was allowed to write his own stories (not all of them true). He then worked on a steamboat, where he got the name 'Mark Twain' (from the call given by the boat's pilot when their boat is in safe waters). Eventually he turned to journalism again, travelled round the world, and began writing books which became very popular. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are his most famous novels. He poured the money he earned from writing into new business ventures and crazy inventions, such as a clamp to stop babies throwing off their bed covers, a new boardgame, and a hand grenade full of extinguishing liquid to throw on a fire. With his shock of white hair and trademark white suit Mark Twain became the most famous American writer in the world. He died in 1910.

Mark Twain (Author)


Mark Twain is the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 - 1910). He was born and brought up in the American state of Missouri and, because of his father's death, he left school to earn his living when he was only twelve. He was a great adventurer and travelled round America as a printer; prospected for gold and set off for South America to earn his fortune. He returned to become a steam-boat pilot on the Mississippi River, close to where he had grown up. The Civil War put an end to steam-boating and Clemens briefly joined the Confederate army - although the rest of his family were Unionists! He had already tried his hand at newspaper reporting and now became a successful journalist. He started to use the alias Mark Twain during the Civil War and it was under this pen name that he became a famous travel writer. He took the name from his steam-boat days - it was the river pilots' cry to let their men know that the water was two fathoms deep.
Mark Twain was always nostalgic about his childhood and in 1876 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published, based on his own experiences. The book was soon recognised as a work of genius and eight years later the sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was published. The great writer Ernest Hemingway claimed that 'All modern literature stems from this one book.'
Mark Twain was soon famous all over the world. He made a fortune from writing and lost it on a typesetter he invented. He then made another fortune and lost it on a bad investment. He was an impulsive, hot-tempered man but was also quite sentimental and superstitious. He was born when Halley's Comet was passing the Earth and always believed he would die when it returned - this is exactly what happened.

Reviews

The hero is one of the most endearing in literature
*Daily Telegraph*

Twain shares a talent for well-observed caricature with Dickens...adventure, social commentary and good humour runs though his fiction
*Sunday Express*

In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain anticipates every modern American novel, from Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye to Pynchon's Mason And Dixon, in mapping a fluvial, free-flowing adventure
*Guardian*

Twain had a gift for reliving the innermost feelings of growing up, the insecurity, fears and hopes that lie beneath the swagger that young boys maintain. He turned them into literature
*Daily Mail*

This classic story will stay with you through life, and always remind you of the things that you knew were important when you first read it
*The Independent*

Gr 5 Up‘Lapointe has colorfully illustrated various scenes from Twain's original story with detailed paintings and captioned each one with a quote from the text. Additional historical maps, reproductions, modern photographs, and other types of pictures from numerous sources give readers a better insight into life in the 1800s. They include pictures of Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain's birthplace and the inspiration for much of his work; animals and plants appear in the text along with common objects of the times. Most of them enhance readers' understanding. The result is a combination picture story/social commentary on the period. The trim size is a bit larger than that of most novels, allowing for a comfortable print size. Almost every page has at least one illustration and there are several double-page spreads. The only drawback to this version is that youngsters who are not familiar with the story may find the abundance of captioned illustrations in their myriad styles, formats, and colors distracting. However, for those who already know the story or are studying it in conjunction with 19th-century America, this version is a must.‘Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC

The hero is one of the most endearing in literature * Daily Telegraph *
Twain shares a talent for well-observed caricature with Dickens...adventure, social commentary and good humour runs though his fiction * Sunday Express *
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain anticipates every modern American novel, from Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye to Pynchon's Mason And Dixon, in mapping a fluvial, free-flowing adventure * Guardian *
Twain had a gift for reliving the innermost feelings of growing up, the insecurity, fears and hopes that lie beneath the swagger that young boys maintain. He turned them into literature * Daily Mail *
This classic story will stay with you through life, and always remind you of the things that you knew were important when you first read it -- Katy Guest * The Independent *