Twain's masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), reintroduces the character of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer's best friend. While floating down the Mississippi River on a raft, Huck and runaway slave Jim escape the bonds of civilization and gain insight into human nature and conscience. Many critics consider Huckleberry Finn to be one of the greatest American novels of all time.

Twain's Roughing It (1871), a book which grew out of his journey to the West with his brother, is a humorous, loosely-constructed travel narrative that relies on the American storytelling tradition.

Twain's lifelong love affair with the Mississippi River is expressed in his Life on the Mississippi (1883), a compilation of travel narrative, anecdotes, history of the river, observations on American society, and stories from Twain's boyhood.

The Autobiography of Mark Twain (1958 edition edited by Charles Neider), which Twain worked on for...