A series of stories about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn is considered the most significant contribution of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) to American literature. Moreover, these works are referred to as the so-called Great American Novels, because they are not only saturated with the color of the life of the American South, but also written in a lively colloquial language. According to experts, it was from these stories, published at the end of the 19th century, that original American literature began. This edition includes not only stories well-known to domestic readers, but also less widespread parts of the series: "Tom Sawyer Abroad" and "Tom Sawyer - Detective".
These three stories are given in the translation of Zinaida Nikolaevna Zhuravskaya. She was born in 1867, studied in the Oryol province and graduated from the Alexander Institute for Noble Maidens with a Big Gold Medal. Then she lived and worked in St. Petersburg, translating the works of European and American writers from several languages. While working on the texts, she tried to reproduce the author's speech with maximum accuracy; it is no coincidence that Zhuravskaya was already called the “Queen of Translations” during her lifetime. She ended her earthly journey in Paris in 1931.
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is given in the translation of Vladimir Germanovich Bogoraz (1865-1936). At birth, he received the Hebrew name Nathan, which later became part of his pseudonym. He was a man of versatile talents - he studied at St. Petersburg University at the Faculty of Law, professionally engaged in ethnography. As a writer, Bogoraz made his debut in 1896. Then the translation work began. He was familiar with the realities of American life firsthand - he lived in the United States for several years.
The illustrations for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" were made by the French artist Achille Sirui (1834-1904). He graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor for his magnificent work. The story "Tom Sawyer Abroad" was illustrated by the American artist Daniel Carter Beard, who became one of the founders of the Boy Scout organization in the United States. The pictures for the story "Tom Sawyer the Detective" were made by the American graphic artist Arthur Burdett Frost, who is considered one of the representatives of the "Golden Age of American Illustration".
