ape (Mark Twain 2). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is almost entirely narrated from Huck’s point of view, is noted for its authentic language and for its deep commitment to freedom (Marshall 232). In 1884, Twain formed the firm “Charles L. Webster and Company” to publish his and other writer’s works. The most famous books published there were The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Personal Memoirs, which was written by American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (Mark Twain 2). A disastrous investment in an automatic typesetting machine led to the firm’s bankruptcy in 1894. A successful worldwide lecture tour and the book he wrote in 1897 based on those travels, Following the Equator, paid off Twain’s debts.In Mark Twain’s later years he wrote less, but he became a celebrity, frequently speaking out on public issues. He also came to be known for the white linen suit that he always wore when making public appearances (Unger 204). Twain received an honorary doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1907. He died in 1910, at the age of 75. When Twain died, he left an uncompleted autobiography, which was eventually edited by his secretary, Albert Bigelow Paine, and published in 1924 (Mark Twain 2). Mark Twain is still credited as being a major influence by most writers today. His work is still popular and will live on for many years. Works CitedBain, Flora, and Rubin. Southern Writers: A Biographical Dictionary. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979.Bloom, Harold. Mark Twain. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.Kunitz, Stanley J., and Haycraft, Howard. American Authors 1600-1900:A Biographical Dictionary of American Literature. New York: H.W.Wilson Company, 1938.Marshall, Sara. America In Literature: The South. New York: Charles Scribner’sSon’s, 1979.“Twain, Mark”. Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation...
