The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a must-read for anyone who loves American literature. This great American classic novel, first published in 1884, is the story of Huck, his travels down the Mississippi River with his friend, a runaway slave named Jim, and their efforts to escape from slavery and "sivilization." Few other American novels of the nineteenth century still captivate so many readers. In an entertaining way, Twain presents interesting lessons about the Mississippi River, its people and ecology, and painful lessons about slavery, the Civil War and civil rights.

The Committee selected The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in part to tie in with Grand Excursion 2004, which celebrates the renaissance of the upper Mississippi region by recreating an 1854 steamboat expedition. The Duluth Library Foundation is very pleased to be able to offer a chance to win two tickets for a steamboat lunch cruise on July 4, 2004, to anyone who attends one of the programs held at the Duluth Public Library. Click here for details.

We hope that you will find the resources presented here to be useful in your own discussions and thinking about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Remember that the Library has many ways to help book discussion groups throughout the year.

The Duluth Library Foundation is honored to financially sponsor the third annual Reading: Bridge to a Wider World project. We join the Duluth Public Library in promoting reading, writing and discussing literature, and in bringing area communities together by focusing on one book.

Charles E. House, President
Duluth Library Foundation