Of all the contenders for the title of The Great American Novel, none has a better claim than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Intended at first as a simple story of a boy's adventures in the Mississippi Valley—a sequel to Tom Sawyer—the book grew and matured under Twain's hand into a work of immeasurable richness and complexity. More than a century after its publication, the critical debate over the symbolic significance of Huck's and Jim's voyage is still fresh, and it remains a major work that can be enjoyed at many levels: as an incomparable adventure story and as a classic of American humor.

Introduction by John Seelye   ix
Suggestions for Further Reading   xxxi
A Note on the Text   xxxv

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn   9

Appendix: The Raft Episode   309
Explanatory Notes   323

"All modern American literature comes from [this] one book." —Ernest Hemingway