When Mark Twain published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, he had high hopes for its sales. Innocents Abroad (1869) and Roughing It (1872) were both best sellers, and brought Twain fame and fortune. Twain hoped to capitalize on that success and his reputation as a humorist. Surprisingly, the book did not perform well, however, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has become one of the most well known works of American Literature. It is regarded as a masterpiece of children's literature, and its main characters, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, are recognized around the world as archetypes of childhood.
The book was also important for Twain's development as a novelist. It was the first time...
