Publisher's Synopsis
In this new unique edition: - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, inspired by Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the novel Tom Sawyer has several adventures, often with his friend Huckleberry Finn. The book ended up being the best selling of any of Twain's works during his lifetime. - With 162 Illustrations by True Williams. - Followed by "A Burlesque Autobiography and, First Romance". (With 1871 Edition Illustrations)Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance is an 1871 book by American author Mark Twain. Published by Sheldon & Co. in 1871, the book consists of two short stories: "A Burlesque Autobiography", which first appeared in Twain's Memoranda contributions to The Galaxy, and "First Romance", which originally appeared in The Express in 1870. The book bears no relationship to Twain's actual life. The two short stories present fictional characters who are supposedly part of Twain's lineage. In the final passage, Twain develops the story to a point of crisis, and then abruptly ends the tale, saying: " The truth is, I have got my hero (or heroine) into such a particularly close place, that I do not see how I am ever going to get him (or her) out of it again-and therefore I will wash my hands of the whole business, and leave that person to get out the best way that offers-or else stay there. I thought it was going to be easy enough to straighten out that little difficulty, but it looks different now. ". With that, Twain's Autobiography ends.The book was not one of Twain's personal favorites. Two years after publication, he bought all of the printing plates of the book and destroyed them. The illustrations form an interesting aspect of this book. They have no relationship to the text of the book. Rather, they use cartoons illustrating the children's poem The House that Jack Built to lampoon the Erie Railroad Ring (the house) and its participants, Jay Gould, John T. Hoffman, and Jim Fisk.About the Series. TOM SAWYER COMPLETE by TWAIN (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn / Tom Sawyer Abroad & Detective)-Volume 1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (162 illustrations by True Williams, Annotated by "Mark Twain's Burlesque autobiography; and, First romance"). -Volume 2. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (173 illustrations by E. W. Kemble, Annotated by Archibald Henderson with photographs by Alvin Langdon Coburn). - Volume 3. Tom Sawyer Abroad (24 illustrations by Dan. Beard) / Tom Sawyer Detective (20 illustrations by A. B. Frost).
