What's It All About?

This is a PDF version of Mark Twain's classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, first published in America in January 1885, has always been in trouble. According to Ernest Hemingway, it was the "one book" from which "all modern American literature" came, and 20th-century critics and scholars have treated it as one of the greatest American works of art. Of all MT's novels, it was also the one that sold best at its initial appearance. On the other hand, it was condemned by many reviewers in MT's time as coarse and by many commentators in our time as racist. In 1885 it was banished from the shelves of the Concord Public Library, an act that attracted a lot of publicity and discussion in the press. It is still frequently in the news, as various schools and school systems across the country either ban it from or restore it to their classrooms.

CAUTION: This story is presented in it's original form, and some of the language is no longer deemed politically correct. Please keep in mind that some of the 'slang' in this story may offend some people, and if so, please refrain from viewing this document.