Few authors have been so connected to a place as Mark Twain, who used the Mississippi River as the setting for such classics as Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Here Peter Schilling re-creates the bygone era when the Mississippi was truly the nation's main artery for travel and trade, discussing Twain's years as a steamboat pilot, as well as detailing how this experience inspired the books that would forever evoke the river for readers. Completing this well-rounded portrait of the iconic American writer, the 200 color and black and white images here include maps, period art, and archival and contemporary photographs, as well as classic illustrations from Twain's novels.