Samuel Langhorne Clemens (30 November 1835 - 21 April 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, is widely acknowledged to be the best American humorist of his age. Mark Twain's greatest literary achievements are the unforgettable characters he created; his riotous inventiveness, both in short and log fiction, and his unrivalled skill in the handling of plot. Twain is also celebrated for his biting wit and satire, whcih can be sampled in al the stories in this volume, chief among which are 'The Story of the Bad Little Boy', 'Luck', 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country' and 'A Burlesque Biography'. It was for his towering accomplishements in the world of letters that Twain was hailed by William Faulker as the 'father of Amrican literature'.