This is an exquisite leatherbound edition of Mark Twain's masterpiece, first published in 1884. By turns hilarious and heartwarming, this beautiful volume features a satin-ribbon bookmark, distinctive stained edges and marbled endpapers. Desperate to escape his abusive father and the constraints of the civilised life, young Huck Finn fakes his death and with the help of his slave friend Jim, embarks on a vagabond life rafting down the Mississippi River. Looking out for each other, Huck and Jim forge a bond that protects them from the prejudices and bigotry of their time and place and a society whose rules and regulations seem as perplexing as they are inflexible. By turns hilarious and heartwarming, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", first published in 1884, is considered Mark Twain's masterpiece; this exquisite collectible edition features an elegant bonded-leather binding, a satin-ribbon bookmark, distinctive stained edging and decorative marbled endpapers. It's the perfect gift for book-lovers and an artful addition to any home library.
The last time I read this book was in high school, sophomore year, as part of the English curriculum. I didn't remember not liking it so I thought, shoot, I'll read it again. And what fun it is! I'm ashamed to say I haven't read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (though I know enough about it; Mark Twain is so ingrained in our culture), though I certainly will.
Twain, through Huck, paints the most blatantly honest view of people, from his abusive, greedy Pap to the sad, deceased Emmeline Grangerford. He's a sweet boy, and it's such fun to go down the Mississippi on his raft with himself and Jim.
Like anything of this era, it's incredibly important to remember that Huck Finn is a product of his times and while the view of the world has changed, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a notorious banned book, we should not hide literature away in a cupboard because of the world which produced it. I have similar feelings to this novel as I do Gone With the Wind, because of its racist sentiments, but one absolutely cannot let this ruin the book, as when it was written, this would have been even controversially abolitionist. Just food for thought.
To sum up, I just want to add that Tom and Jim's discourse about the necessities of prisonerhood and the need to keep a pet rattlesnake and so forth had me all but laughing out loud in the middle of my quiet office as I listened to the audiobook. That, and Elijah Wood does a recording through Audible that is absolutely sublime.
Reading updates
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23 June, 2015:
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23 June, 2015:
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Started reading
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23 June, 2015:
Reviewed