Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Books In Order

Publication Order of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Books

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are fictional characters that are featured in a variety of full-length novels written by the American author Mark Twain. The characters and the books that they appear in are part of American literature and they are published internationally (although they have had a long time to get known as they were published in the nineteenth century).

Tom Sawyer is best friends with fellow boy Huck Finn. They are fictional characters that are in part inspired by Twain’s own experience of childhood and living an idyllic existence as a young boy in the South. The character of Huck Finn is actually based by Twain on a version of himself in childhood, while Tom Sawyer is inspired by three of his friends in childhood. Besides appearing in the classic novels penned by Twain, these characters have made appearances in other novels and movies since.

Tom and Huck are known for being curious explorers. They sort of live in their own little world and they are rebellious in their own ways. Both Tom and Huck appeared for the first time in the debut book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Readers were instantly fans of the boys, who always did their best to find their ways out of getting punished and found themselves on adventures tearing through their neighborhoods.

The Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Series consist of five books, which also include Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer Detective. They were published in 1894 and 1896, respectively The last official book written by Mark Twain to include these characters was Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians and Other Unfinished Stories.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the first book in the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn series. It was first published in 1876. Twain’s writing of this novel was impossible to do without the memories that he had from his childhood and that very real nostalgia. The book focuses on how free and natural childhood can be and celebrates that time and the life of Huck and Tom.

Tom is the star of this book, as it is named after him. He’s not a bad kid, but he does get into trouble. Some of his traits can be attributed to just being a growing young boy– he doesn’t do well at school, he makes rash decisions, he tries to get out of punishments or getting caught in the first place, and he is curious. His inclination to explore sometimes gets him into trouble.

Tom Sawyer also terrorizes his benevolent aunt, Aunt Polly. All in all, this is a story that epitomizes what it was like for Twain growing up in the Mississippi at the turn of the nineteenth century. Plenty is going on in the country, but Tom as a young boy is blissfully unaware of many of the issues going on in society at that time. That is left to the adults as a fictional tale inspired by Twain’s real life unfolds.

Tom gets into trouble quite a bit and usually, his aunt tells him to do some chore or another in order to punish him. He tries to get out of doing schoolwork whenever possible and is a very bad student but also quite smart at avoiding doing what others want him to do.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the second book in the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn series. It was first published in 1885. This American classic introduces audiences in more depth to the dynamic character of Huck Finn. He is a regular boy living in the Mississippi and ends up on a raft down the river as a result of trying to avoid his father, who is prone to drinking and being a bit of a menace. He also gets to escape the Widow Douglas, who he doesn’t like very much.

Huck is on a temporary path of freedom and joining him is the runaway slave Jim. Huck has no objections to a companion on his journey, so they float down the river together and even have a few adventures. Set in America in the nineteenth century, this novel will blow readers away with the authentic use of terms and accents used in dialogue that was being used in the South at that time. Huck and Jim have adventures on the river, and these two friends are natural companions– but can it stay that way? Or will Huck and Jim find themselves separated due to circumstances that they cannot control?

Impossible to reproduce and a genuine treasure in Literature, Mark Twain brings another installation of the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn series to life. Get sent back to a time in history where the United States was a very different republic than from the one that currently stands and receives a sense of the issues and themes of the time sweeping through the country. Slavery, racism, discrimination, and a patriarchy and growing nation in full swing were some of the defining elements of a book that is stocked in libraries around the world and taught to students to this day.

Even over a hundred years later, this social commentary is as sharp and as enlightening as ever. Twain is the perfect person to bring the times of this period in America straight to life, and the mischievous and free-spirited characters of Tom and Huck will hopefully grow to hold a special place in your heart.

Whether you want to check out The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Adventures of Tom Sawyer first, it doesn’t matter. Either of these two novels is a great addition to your literary lexicon and will give you a great idea of the south at the time as well as Twain’s story-telling ability.

One of the benefits of reading Twain in the modern age is that you can find something to enjoy or take away from a book in this series. While some may take issue with the use of what would be considered ‘strong’ or even ‘racial’ language, it is authentic to the time and at the end of the day is a story about innocence and adventure as a child on the Mississippi. Pick up any of the books in this series to get to know Huck or Tom and live their adventures too.