Along with their appealing homespun humor and language so vivid and colorful you can virtually hear it pouring out of the characters’ mouths, Mark Twain’s works had a wickedly satiric bite. In a proudly democratic spirit, and with a lively storytelling style that both children and adults alike devour, Twain took comic aim at antebellum Southern racism–especially in his often-misunderstood masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; aristocratic superiority (in The Prince and the Pauper); and even the American can-do spirit (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court). With its array of wonderful illustrations, this collection from perhaps the ultimate American writer is perfect for all ages, and includes not only the above titles, but The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, with its clever, mischievous hero; Pudd'nhead Wilson, a complex mystery about a slave woman who swaps her light-skinned son with a judge’s child; and several short stories.