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Mark Twain

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About Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Missouri in 1835, the son of a lawyer. Early in his childhood, the family moved to Hannibal, Missouri - a town which would provide the inspiration for St Petersburg in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. After a period spent as a travelling printer, Clemens became a river pilot on the Mississippi: a time he would look back upon as his happiest. When he turned to writing in his thirties, he adopted the pseudonym Mark Twain ('Mark Twain' is the cry of a Mississippi boatman taking depth measurements, and means 'two fathoms'), and a number of highly successful publications followed, including The Prince and the Pauper (1882), Huckleberry Finn (1884) and A Connecticut Yankee (1889). His later life, however, was marked by personal tragedy and sadness, as well as financial difficulty. In 1894, several businesses in which he had invested failed, and he was declared bankrupt. Over the next fifteen years - during which he managed to regain some measure of financial independence - he saw the deaths of two of his beloved daughters, and his wife. Increasingly bitter and depressed, Twain died in 1910, aged seventy-five.

Recent updates about Mark Twain

European Day of Languages

Penguin Readers Level 2: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (ELT Graded Reader) is a wonderful book for your children. Published by Penguin.

8 days ago

International Literacy Day

Reading is so much fun, why not read Penguin Readers Level 2: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (ELT Graded Reader). Written by Mark Twain, published by Penguin.

26 days ago

Back to school

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain from ##Published## a perfect book for today.

1 month ago

International Day of Friendship

So why not read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain from Penguin Random House Children's UK

2 months ago

International Museums Day

Read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain from Macmillan Collector's Library to delve into the past!

4 months ago

Local and Community History Month

A book to enjoy and add to your bookshelves... The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain from Macmillan Collector's Library.

5 months ago

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