Mark Twain
Originally published in 1826 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer recounts some of Mark Twain's own childhood adventures along the Mississippi River — and introduces us to some of the most memorable characters in all of American literature: Tom Sawyer, Tom's Aunt Polly, his favorite girl Becky Thatcher, and his mischievous friend Huckleberry Finn.
The spirit of this uniquely American book is ultimately tolerant and bold, down to earth and confident.
...Although Mark Twain is revered as a master of American fiction, he was also known in his time for possessing a remarkable facility with the essay form. This collection of surprisingly insightful non-fiction and fiction pieces showcases Twain's astounding breadth as a writer. A must-read for fans of Twain's no-nonsense prose.
3) Eve's Diary
Only humor writer extraordinaire Mark Twain could inject so much wit and hilarity into the story of Adam and Eve and the Fall of Man. This short story takes the form of excerpts from Eve's personal journal, providing a unique feminine account of the first human couple that deviates in a few important regards from the "official" version.
Though he is best known as a humorist, famed American author Mark Twain also tried his hand at social satires, to much critical and popular acclaim. In The American Claimant, Twain provides a thematic follow-up to his previous novel, The Prince and the Pauper, with a tale of an American con artist and a British aristocrat who essentially switch places and reveal the unsavory aspects of each lifestyle and social milieu.
5) Roughing It
Books such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have firmly established Mark Twain's reputation as one of the best-loved American humorists, but the author's non-fiction works are packed with as much laughter and keen insight as his popular novels. In the series of essays presented in the volume Roughing It, Twain recounts his years as a soldier, sailor, and speculator in the Wild West.
Before his literary career took off and he emerged as one of America's foremost men of letters, Mark Twain worked as a steamboat pilot in the antebellum South and Midwest. This fascinating account offers a brief history of commercial boating in the period and a probing, insightful, and eminently entertaining look at Twain's own experiences.
In Mark Twain's 1889 novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Hank Morgan awakes from a blow to the head only to find that he has been mysteriously transported back in time. It is early medieval England, the time of King Arthur and Hank is taken to the Camelot castle by a Knight of the King's. Ridiculed for his funny manner and dress sense, and sentenced to burn at the stake, Hank recovers through an incredible stroke of luck,
...In the last extended piece of fiction from beloved American fiction writer and humorist Mark Twain, Satan proudly surveys fin-de-siecle civilization and marvels at its hypocrisies. Twain was heavily invested in this story and rewrote it multiple times over the course of several decades. Although critics regard it as a serious work of satire, it is full of the side-splitting humor for which Twain's writing is known.
The $30,000 Bequest And Other Stories is a collection of short stories by the iconic American writer and humorist Mark Twain. Twain was immensely popular in his day, among his critics and contemporaries as well as the numerous artists, presidents, industrialists and members of royalty whom he counted as friends. He remains popular to this day and is considered one of the great American authors.
Following the Equator is an account by Mark Twain of his travels through the British Empire in 1895. He chose his route for opportunities to lecture on the English language and recoup his finances, impoverished due to a failed investment. He recounts and criticizes the racism, imperialism and missionary zeal he encountered on his travels - and all with his particular brand of wit.
The only book that Mark Twain ever wrote in collaboration with another author, The Gilded Age is a novel that viciously and hilariously satirizes the greed, materialism, and corruption that characterized much of upper-class America in the nineteenth century. The title term—inspired by a line in Shakespeare's King John—has become synonymous with the excess of the era.