Mark Twain

Item 13D

Huckleberry Finn

1885
First American Edition
Likely First Copy Issued
Presentation Copy

This copy of Huckleberry Finn was the first printed copy to arrive in Mark Twain’s hands, which he then dedicated to his wife, Olivia, also called Livy: “with the matured and perfect love of the author Mark Twain.” Twain tells his story from the point of view of Huck Finn, a teenager barely able to read and write who fakes his own death in order to escape his abusive, drunken father. Huck encounters a runaway slave named Jim, and the two embark on a raft journey down the Mississippi River. The novel is an often-scathing satire on entrenched attitudes, particularly racism and freedom, and for these reasons is sometimes seen as a controversial text when assigned to high school students.