Mark Twain (1835 — 1910), a famous American comic novelist, travel writer and journalist whose real name was Samuel Clemens, spent his boyhood in a small town on the Mississippi River. Waters of the great river were his playground. When he saw boats passing by, he climbed aboard and stayed with boatmen. It was very interesting to listen to adventure stories that they told.

When the boy was 12, his father died. He had to leave school and began to work. He was a printer, and wrote for his brother’s newspaper. He was a pilot on the Mississippi, and worked as a newspaper correspondent for different magazines. His first short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County brought him the reputation of a wonderful humourist. The stories that followed added to his fame as a witty, clever and brilliant humorous writer.BR

Mark Twain’s most famous books are "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" which paint an unforgettable picture of Mississippi life and a spirit of adventure. Tom Sawyer is based on his own childhood in Hannibal on the Mississippi.

Twain’s other popular books are "Life On The Mississippi", "The Prince And The Pauper", "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court", "The Innocents Abroad".