Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians: And Other Unfinished Stories

by Mark Twain

o Includes the authoritative texts for eleven pieces written between 1868 and 1902

o Publishes, for the first time, the complete text of "Villagers of 1840-3," Mark Twain's astounding feat of memory

o Features a biographical directory and notes that reflect extensive new research on Mark Twain's early life in Missouri

Throughout his career, Mark Twain frequently turned for inspiration to memories of his youth in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Missouri. What has come to be known as the Matter of Hannibal inspired two of his most famous books, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn , and provided the basis for the eleven pieces reprinted here. Most of these selections (eight of them fiction and three of them autobiographical) were never completed, and all were left unpublished. Written between 1868 and 1902, they include a diverse assortment of adventures, satires, and reminiscences in which the characters of his own childhood and of his best-loved fiction, particularly Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, come alive again. The autobiographical recollections culminate in an astounding feat of memory titled "Villagers of 1840-3" in which the author, writing for himself alone at the age of sixty-one, recalls with humor and pathos the characters of some one hundred and fifty people from his childhood. Accompanied by notes that reflect extensive new research on Mark Twain's early life in Missouri, the selections in this volume offer a revealing view of Mark Twain's varied and repeated attempts to give literary expression to the Matter of Hannibal.

Texts established by Dahlia Armon, Paul Baender, Walter Blair, William M. Gibson, and Franklin R. Rogers

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

cloth

First published March 28, 1989

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.

Reviews

[Nathaniel Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A carefully and meticulously compiled collection of mostly unfinished works from American writer Mark Twain.

Some tales were better than others, with my personal favourites being Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians, as well as Clairvoyant. Hellfire Hotchkiss had the potential to be a fiery female protagonist and Schoolhouse hill reminded me of Bulkagov’s Master and Margarita. Boy’s Manuscript showed clear inspiration for what would later be the character Tom Sawyer and his fondness for Becky Thatcher.

Tom Sawyer’s Conspiracy was alas not a fun sequel to read. It seemed to have taken all of the worst/most tedious parts of ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, such as the King and Duke characters returning, as well as Tom making terrible decisions that affect poor Jim, which is alarming and frustrating for the reader. I can see why Twain abandoned this story pages away from completion.

My ratings of each fiction/non-fiction piece:

Boy’s Manuscript ****
letter to William Bowen ***
Tupperville-Dobbsville **
Clairvoyant ****
Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians ****
Jane Lampton Clemens **
Villagers of 1840-3 **
Hellfire Hotchkiss ****
Tom Sawyer’s Conspiracy **
Schoolhouse Hill ***
Huck Finn **

[David Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twain got 50 pages into a (shocking, anti-Indian) sequel to "Finn" meant to strip away myths about the Old West that he abandoned after realizing he'd painted himself into a corner. An attempt at a light "Finn" sequel, a mystery, was pages from the likely end before Twain dropped it too. A few slight Hannibal pieces round out this collection. Interesting, but, organized as it is around two unfinished novels, hardly satisfying.

[Josh Karaczewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and enjoyable collection of abandoned works from Twain. My favorites were the Tom & Huck title piece, and Tom Sawyer's Conspiracy, both of which far outshine Tom Sawyer, Detective in my estimation. The only frustration with the book was turning the page of a story you were enthralled with to find it abruptly end.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable look into Twain's writing process. My favorite stories in the collection are the nearly complete Tom Sawyer's Conspiracy and the false start of an early Mysterious Stranger story, Schoolhouse Hill. The Biographical Dictionary appendix is enlightening and educational, plus interesting to read.

[Mateo Tomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

One last taste of the adventures with Tom and Huck and Jim, unfinished, as if waking up from a dream midway.

All of the stories are worthy of your attention. I really wanted more of all of them.

Villagers 1840-3, a curious and detailed description of the people of Hannibal via Twains amazing recall.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Twain is one of my favorite authors. This book was very different as it is a variety of unfinished stories so they abruptly end and you just have to imagine the ending Mark Twain would have given it.