Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn: The Original Text Edition

By Alan Gribben

Mark Twain’s two most famous novels are published here as the continuous narrative that he originally envisioned. Twain started writing Adventures of Huckleberry Finn soon after finishing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), but difficulties with the sequel took him eight years to resolve. Consequently his contemporary readers failed to view the volumes as the companion books he had intended. In the twentieth century, publishers, librarians, and academics continued to separate the two titles, with the result that they are seldom read sequentially even though they feature many of the same characters and their narratives open in the identical Mississippi River village, St. Petersburg. This Original Text Edition brings the stories back together and faithfully follows the wording of the first editions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: NewSouth Books
• Release date: Oct 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781603062381

Alan Gribben

Fifty years of research and travel resulted in ALAN GRIBBEN’s two-volume Mark Twain’s Literary Resources: A Reconstruction of His Library and Reading. Gribben was the editor of the Mark Twain Journal: The Author and His Era and for fifteen years he reviewed books and articles about Mark Twain for American Literary Scholarship, An Annual. His NewSouth editions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn offered altered versions of the texts, which omitted racial slurs. He also coedited Mark Twain on the Move: A Travel Reader. Gribben’s Harry Huntt Ransom: Intellect in Motion was the first biography about the eminent library founder at the University of Texas at Austin. Forty-five years as an English professor concluded with Gribben’s retirement from the classroom in 2019.

Reviews for Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As Tom Sawyer might say, I don't have much truck for book banners and censorship. Hearing about attempts to ban or censor "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn" bothers the librarian in me. Then I heard about this controversial edition in which the racial epithets are replaced. It's been decades since I read "Tom Sawyer" and I've never read "Huckleberry" so I decided to see for myself how effective these versions are. And actually, I found this a suitable substitute for those who don't want to deal with the originals. As an adult reader, I discovered and better appreciated Mark Twain's humor and hilarious turn of phrase. The replacement words detracted not at all from the stories or his talent.

[portm-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Audible version. Elijah Wood's reading is simply fantastic. Unfortunately, this story is not as engaging as I remember from childhood. I understand it has a Purpose, but I suspect I'd have given the book up completely before finishing, had I been reading the print version or had it been performed by anyone else.

[tonyasbooks_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tom Sawyer is pure fun, but Huckleberry Finn is the real treasure. Mark Twain's grasp of the various Southern dialects is amazingly true to life, and in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn he satirizes many aspects of that region in the antebellum era, such as superstitions, societal teachings, and family honor. The author underwent a complete transformation in how he viewed blacks between the time he wrote Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, and it is interesting to see how the character of Tom Sawyer changes from an innocent troublemaker to a mean-spirited, "adventure"-seeking adolescent. I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer for fun in elementary school, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for my high school senior English class, and because of that, I recommend that you follow along the story on SparkNotes (or a similar guide) because it may reveal to you some insight into the time period or into Twain's satire that you would not have picked up on your own.

[annthatcher · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

American literature Classics ...With large messages "I about made up my mind to pray; and see if I couldn't try to quit being the kind of boy I was, and be better. So I kneeled down. But the words wouldn't come. Why wouldn't they? It warn't no use to try and hide it from Him. Nor from me, neither. I knowed very well why they wouldn't come. It was because my heart wasn't right; it was because I warn't square; it was because I was playing double. I was letting on to give up sin, but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all. I was trying to make my mouth say I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to [Jim's] owner and tell where he was; but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie--and He knowed it. - You can't pray a lie."

[billyhill21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

illustrations by norman rockwell are tipped in. boards arered denim

[jjaylynny · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shamefaced about my lack of exposure to the American classics. Had to read this for book club or I probably never would have. So glad I did; hilarious, touching, and in my opinion an ingenious way of presenting the moral dilemmas of the day with regard to slavery. I kind of missed Huck when Tom Sawyer showed up, but I did laugh out loud at Tom. Wonderful.

[wareaglern633 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think this is a must read for every child. I get lost in the creativity and true adventure of these boys making life interesting! Makes me wanna go play in the woods!

[woodshopcowboy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twain created two of the most eduring American characters with these two works - Jim and Huck. Notice I didn't say Tom; when I was a kid, Tom Sawyer was the slickest kid I ever read about. But now that I'm all grown up, you realize Tom Sawyer was and always will be a grade A brat.It's in Huck though, that salvation lies. Between his adventures with Tom and then Jim we get to see Huck truly mature from a poor white trash bigot into well, a poor white trash boy with a good heart and a buried chest full of money. And Twain skewers everything and everyone in between - school marms, small towns, con men, Shakespeare, lynchings - and you realize, even in this day in age that yes, being American, and living the American dream, and having that tolerance for all the people around you is possible. Even if your Pa did seem to inspire the Temptations' "Daddy Was A Rollin' Stone"...

[shanda1021 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary: This is the story of a very imaginative young boy and his best friend and their many tall tales.Personal Reaction:I remember reading this at a very young age and loving it.Classroom Extensions:1. This is a good book to read when teaching about classic books.2. I would use this as a book to read to my class as entertainment.

[supersam_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

BOOORRRIIINNNGG!!!!!!!

[jopearson56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As always, a great book. I re-read after finishing the new novel by John Clinch, Finn. Most all of Tom Sawyer is fun and funny, a delight. Always amazing to think how much freedom those kids had: times have changed.