Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, is the author of such classics as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper. He was born in Florida, Missouri and grew up along the Mississippi Valley. Although he left school at the age of 12, when his father died, he was eventually awarded honorary degrees from Yale University, the University of Missouri, and Oxford University. His career encompassed such varied occupations as printer, miner, Mississippi riverboat pilot, journalist, travel writer, novelist, and publisher. His vivid imagination, keen sense of humor, and sharp wit resulted in some of the most beloved classics of American literature. This book contains some of Clemens' best loved short stories and essays, both humorous and thought provoking. Includes "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," "The Stolen White Elephant," "A Dog's Tale," and "Extracts from Adam's Diary," among others. Illustrated.