Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand. Mark Twain is perhaps the most widely read and enjoyed of American writers. His works span a remarkable range, from the enchantments of boyish fantasy to passionate political invective, and probe the complexities of postbellum life: the violent transformation of the old frontier, the American preoccupation with Europe, and the imperfect reckoning of slavery's terrible cost. Here are Twain's essential works: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Pudd'nhead Wilson; No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger; Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog; The Private History of a Campaign That Failed; Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences; How To Tell a Story; The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg; and more.