The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain Library) (Paperback)

by Mark Twain (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Each additional volume reaffirms our faith and celebration in this splendid series." -- Nineteenth-Century Fiction

"Handsome, readable and full of surprises . . . the . . . classics that come to us from the Mark Twain Library are simply superb." -- Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times

Product Description
163 b/w illustrations This is Mark Twain's first novel about Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, and it has become one of the world's best-loved books. It is a fond reminiscence of life in Hannibal, Missouri, an evocation of Mark Twain's own boyhood along the banks of the Mississippi during the 1840s. "Most of the adventures recorded in this book really occurred," he tells us. This is a book one never forgets: Tom whitewashing Aunt Polly's fence, Tom and Huck's dreadful oath, their cure for warts ("spunk water" and dead cats), Tom's puppy love for Becky Thatcher, the boys playing "pirate" on Jackson's Island. This Mark Twain Library text is the only edition since the first (1876) to be based directly on the author's manuscript and to include all of the "200 rattling pictures" Mark Twain commissioned from one of his favorite illustrators, True W. Williams.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 2 edition (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520235754
• ISBN-13: 978-0520235755
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,165 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five kids from Buenos Aires, Argentina., October 18, 2004

A Kid's Review

We're Agostina, Antú, Bruno, Nicolás and Sofia. We've studied English together for the past three years. We think "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is an awesome book, although the boys think some action was missing. Our favourite chapter was the one in the graveyard. It was very fun because there was a murder. We recommend this book and we want to read "Huckleberry Finn."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book for almost 25 years, November 3, 2004

By	Johny Bottom "Insane and lonely guitarist" (Jacksonville, NC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I have read this book numerous times and still enjoy pulling it out every now and then. From boyhood, teen, and adult years I have never seemed to outgrow the adventures of Tom Sawyer. Some of my favorite parts of the book are when there are no adventures at all and it's just every day life. For instance the Sunday morning church service cannot be called an adventure, but Mark Twain made it come to life with Tom's stumbling in front of the Sunday school after trading for tickets. David and Goliath indeed. Of course no service would be complete without the dog and the 'pinchbug'.

Every boy has a Becky Thatcher sometime in his life and it's fun to look back at your own childhood as you relive Tom's romantic exploits through his eyes and your own.

Of course Tom's adventures wouldn't be complete without his bosom pal Huck Finn. They become pirates on Jackson Island, witness a murder, and find buried treasure in a haunted house.

With other colorful characters like Muff Potter, Injun Joe, Aunt Polly, and the school master ("Who tore this book!!!"), this book by Mark Twain will live forever and be a favorite for adults and children alike.

And remember, anyone who lies will steal sheep!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A boy's life, July 31, 2007

By	David Bonesteel (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Mark Twain's story of a boy's life in a small town on the Mississippi River is worth reading for many reasons. First of all, it is just plain fun. Tom has many amusing adventures, such as the famous white-washing incident. The imaginations of the children are fully engaged; in a world without even picture shows, radio, or recorded music, much less TV or video games, the boys and girls of St. Petersburg do not lack activities to keep themselves entertained. There is also a dark side to this world, as exemplified by the murderer Injun Joe (here some of the unfortunate racism of the period sneaks into the narrative) and the many superstitions of the children.

Another reason to enjoy this novel is for its anthropological qualities. Twain took care to replicate the speech of that place and time as much as he could, and he claims that the beliefs and activities of the children (though not the specific plot developments of the novel) are accurate, which provides a fascinating window into life in the early 1800s. Yet another strong aspect of the book is Twain's portrayal of the psychology of boys. We can follow Tom's developing moral sense over the course of the story. In the beginning, he is largely amoral, his sense of ethics confined to feeling guilty over something he has already done through selfishness or impulsiveness. The murder in the cemetery and his awareness that an innocent man is going to be hanged presents him with a genuine moral dilemma, and the path he travels on his way to doing the right thing is believable and compelling.

This book is rightfully regarded as a classic of American literature.