Mark Twain once defined a classic as "a book which people praise and don't read," a humorous definition that has never applied to his own works. One of America's great writers and the first truly American humorist, Twain is still a favorite with readers long after his works were hailed as literary classics.
Children and adults both love The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, laughing at the escapades and misadventures of the irrepressible Tom. Whether "allowing" his friends to pay for the privilege of whitewashing Aunt Polly's fence or letting the town believe he's dead so he can watch his own funeral, Tom is always a scamp and always entertaining.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of Twain's best-known and well-loved works. Huck and Jim floating down the Mississippi on a raft is everyone's dream of freedom. But the story of Huck's maturation on the trip makes the book more than just an adventure tale; it has depth and insight as well.
Also in this volume is a selection of Twain's sketches—the humorous pieces for which he was first known, including "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," which launched Twain on his literary career. Other pieces, such as "The Petrified Man" and "Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography," show further proof of Twain's mastery of the humorous short sketch.
The Prince and the Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
are representative of Mark Twain's historical novels, where Twain applied his nineteenth-century eye to the 1500s and the Middle Ages, respectively. The Prince and the Pauper is the lighter of the two works and is frequently dramatized, while A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is more strongly satirical.
The stories collected here will be a lasting source of pleasure for the many fans of Mark Twain. They serve to prove that Twain's definition of a classic is incorrect—these stories are read, as well as praised.