The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Description

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was first published in 1884. A sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, it was one of the first works of American literature to be written in the vernacular. Told in the first person it tells the story of Huckleberry Finn, and his friend Tom Sawyer as they continue their activities and adventures from the previous story. With the reappearance of his alcoholic father, Huck is forced to move into an isolated cabin in the woods. In a bid to escape the violence that is inflicted on him during his father's drinking, he fakes his own murder and sets off in a canoe down the river. Here he meets up with Jim, a slave who has also escaped. After some apprehensions on Huck's part, the two begin to bond. The story then progresses with the adventures of these two. All the while, back in town, Jim is being accused of the 'murder' of his young friend. Unlike it's predecessor, this novel is not classed as children's literature. Indeed, upon publication, it was banned by several libraries for its perceived crudeness, and criticised by Louisa May Alcott who said that if Twain couldn't 'think of something better to tell our pure-minded lads and lasses he had best stop writing for them.' Twain, however, took these complaints in his stride, remarking that 'the Concord library has condemned Huck as 'trash and only suitable for the slums.' This will sell us another twenty-five thousand copies for sure!'

№ 16 in 20 Classic Books You Must Read Before You Die.

№ 23 in The Guardian's 100 Best Novels Written In English.

№ 31 in The Guardian's 100 Greatest Novels Of All Time.

Part of Anne Haight's List of Banned Books.

Part of the Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Great Books of the Western World set.

This book has 111,198 words, 204 pages in the PDF version, and was originally published in 1884.

Production notes: This ebook of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published by Global Grey on the 5th March 2018, and updated on the 16th July 2021. The artwork used for the cover is 'Portrait of a Boy' by Wacław Koniuszko.