Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

By Mark Twain and E W (Edward Windsor) Kemble

Book Overview

Referring to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, H. L. Mencken noted that his discovery of this classic American novel was "the most stupendous event of my whole life"; Ernest Hemingway declared that "all modern American literature stems from this one book," while T. S. Eliot called Huck "one of the permanent symbolic figures of fiction, not unworthy to take a place with Ulysses, Faust, Don Quixote, Don Juan, Hamlet."
The novel's preeminence derives from its wonderfully imaginative re-creation of boyhood adventures along the Mississippi River, its inspired characterization, the author's remarkable ear for dialogue, and the book's understated development of serious underlying themes: "natural" man versus "civilized" society, the evils of slavery, the innate value and dignity of human beings, and other topics. Most of all, Huckleberry Finn is a wonderful story, filled with high adventure and unforgettable characters.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486280616
• ISBN13: 9780486280615
• Release Date: May 1994
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Book for grandchildren to enjoy!

Reading worn children is fun

huck finn

i'm pleased w/the efficient process that took place in order for the book to be delivered in a timely manner.

I'm not sure how one reviews a landmark...

Plain and simple, this is a book that you have to read again and again and again just for good measure. One cannot possibly appreciate modern American literature as it exists today without reading Huck Finn. Twain's style is one-of-a-kind, and his keen sense of politics and history is one that rarely exists in modern times. Get past the racial implications of this book and look at what Twain is -saying-. Huck Finn is a character who is a rogue, a modern scoundrel; however, we trust his moral judgement and are able to look inside another time and place through his journey with Jim up the Mississippi. So get out your maps and notebook and enjoy Twain at his finest.

The Ultimate Edition of a Great American Novel!

Until something better comes along, The Annotated Huckleberry Finn will be the preferred way to journey with Mark Twain through The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. When you get an outstanding illustrated, annotated, and introduced version of an American classic, how could anyone view the result as less than five stars? The book is massive. The introduction alone is almost full-book length. There are over 175 delightful original illustrations, supplemented by dozens of photographs (including the "obscene" one), drawings, cartoons, maps, memorabilia reproductions, and prints. The annotations often overwhelm the text in their extensiveness. I found the introduction to be a joy. Although massive compared to most, the introduction is done in an interesting, illustrated style which added much to my enjoyment of the story by covering a lot of background. The introduction begins with the personal habits of Mark Twain and goes on to provide a mini-biography of him and a history of the book's creation, editing, publication, reviewer and reader reactions, bans on the book, promotion, and subsequent history. In this section, I was pleased to read what prominent African-Americans have had to say about the racist and anti-racist elements that are present here, and how the story affects young African-Americans. Most people will be amused by the attempts by Mrs. Clemens, his editors, and Mark Twain himself to eliminate his tendency to make his stories a little too colorful in their references to religion and use of swearing. These changes are well documented in both the introduction and in the annotations. Those who love to read about the process of writing will find this section to be a joy.For the average reader, the illustrations will be the most valuable addition to their enjoyment of the book. I especially liked seeing how the original Huckleberry Finn illustrations compared to the ones for Tom Sawyer. I liked the Huckleberry Finn ones much more. They have a lightness and originality that add pleasure to the reading.The annotations seemed overdone to me. But annotations should probably better be overdone than underdone. Those who are familiar with the vernacular of the mid-19th century in the United States won't need many of the explanations. Understanding how the prose was cleaned-up so as to not shock as many church-goers of that day is more of sociological interest than of literary importance. I did find several annotations that I enjoyed. I really had no idea what a huckleberry was, and that knowledge adds meaning to the choice of Huck's name. For young people who do not know this version of the vernacular well, I suspect that the annotations can make understanding the story easier in several places. The writing style of the annotations is simple, concrete, and accessible . . . rather than literary and abstract like the annotations of many European novels.For such a simple story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn often proves to