The Author

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, commonly known as Mark Twain (A term used in river navigation, mark twain means water that is two fathoms, or about 12 feet deep), was born in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835 (when Halley's Comet was in the skies). As a young man, Twain worked as a typesetter and printer. In 1857 he became a riverboat pilot and spent four years steaming up and down the Mississippi. In 1876 he wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and in 1884 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, two major classics of American literature. Twain made a substantial amount of money through his writings, but lost a great deal through investments, mostly in new inventions and technology. The deaths of his daughter Susy in 1896 and his wife in 1904 contributed to the deep sadness that he experienced in his later years. Twain died in Redding, Connecticut, on April 21, 1910 (during Halley's Comet return).