The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (For Further Study)

For Further Study

• Bernard DeVoto, Mark Twain's America, Chautauqua Institution, 1932.

  DeVoto, who published his book following the publication of Albert Bigelow Paine's biography of Twain, called his own book "an essay in the correction of ideas." The book looks at Twain's works in the context of his American culture.

• William Dean Howells, review in Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 37, May, 1876.

  In this glowing review written before the novel's American publication, Howells singles out Clemens' depiction of the "boy-mind" as especially wonderful.

• William Dean Howells, My Mark Twain, Dover, 1997.

  Howells was "the dean of American letters" during Twain's day, and also Twain's close friend and editor. In this book, Howells presents his personal account of his friendship with Twain.

• Jim Hunter, "Mark Twain and the Boy-Book in 19th-Century America," College English, Vol. 24, 1963.

  Hunter provides a valuable survey of contemporary boys' literature, showing the role of the "Bad Boy" that Clemens adapted for Tom Sawyer.

• Justin Kaplan, Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain: A Biography, Simon and Schuster, 1966.

  A groundbreaking biography of Twain when it was first published, Kaplan's book made use of material about Twain's life and work that had been previously unavailable to biographers.

• Charles A. Norton, Writing Tom Sawyer: The Adventures of a Classic, McFarland and Co., 1983.

  Norton traces the creation of the novel, suggesting that Clemens' main motivation in writing it was to present an acceptable version of his childhood to his wife's family.

• Dennis Welland, The Life and Times of Mark Twain, Crescent Books, 1991.

  Lavishly illustrated, this book covers Twain's life and culture, organizing its information through a geographical approach.