Mark Twain

<p>Mark Twain, who was born Samuel L. Clemens in Missouri in 1835, wrote some of the most enduring works of literature in the English language, including <em>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</em> and <em>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</em>. <em>Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc</em> was his last completed book—and, by his own estimate, his best. Its acquisition by Harper & Brothers allowed Twain to stave off bankruptcy. He died in 1910. </p>