"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is often cited by critics as the Great American Novel. Mark Twain's follow-up to his enormously successful "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Twain this time gives voice to Tom Sawyer's ne'er-do-well friend and companion, the wild and reckless young river-rat, Huckleberry "Huck" Finn.

As the story opens, Huck has come into some money (splitting the treasure he and Tom Sawyer found at the end of the previous book) and has been taken in by Tom's Aunt Polly who will, Huck is sure, try to "sivilize" him. Before she can do so, Huck's drunken, scheming father kidnaps the boy and holds him captive in a cabin while trying to figure out how to get his hands on Huck's money. Eventually, Huck fakes his own murder and flees, finding himself on the run and in the company of an escaped slave named Jim. The two fugitives stumble upon a raft and begin a long journey to Illinois, where Jim - they hope - can live as a free man.

An epic, sweeping tale of life on the Mississippi, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is an American classic and the book has been adapted numerous times to both the stage and screen. It is presented here in its original and unabridged format, as it first appeared in print in 1885.