Since the time of its publication in 1884, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has generated heated controversy. One of the most frequently banned books in the history of literature, it raises issues of race relations, censorship, civil disobedience, and adolescent group psychology as relevant today as they were in the 1880s.

This collection of historical documents, collateral readings, and commentary will promote interdisciplinary study of the novel and enrich the student's understanding of the issues raised. It captures the stormy character of the slave-holding frontier on the eve of war and highlights the legacy of those conflicts in contemporary society. Among the source materials presented are: memoirs of fugitive slaves, a riverboat gambler, a gunman, and Mississippi Valley settlers; the southern code of honor; contemporary points of view on censorship and race in the novel; rules of dueling; 19th-century pro-slavery arguments; firsthand accounts of slavery; the text of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850; opposing views on civil disobedience from such 19th- and 20th-century commentators as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Stephen A. Douglas, and William Sloane Coffin; 19th-century cultural satires; and an interview with a 1990s gang member.

An ideal companion for teacher use and student research in interdisciplinary, English, and American history courses, the online sourcebook provides the user access to:

• E-texts of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and eight other works by Mark Twain
• Over 20 contemporary reviews of the 1884 publication
• Contemporary reaction to the Concord Free Public Library's decision to ban the book
• Current articles addressing the issues of censorship and race
• Online exhibition of archival material documenting Samuel Clemens' 1857 journey as a riverboat pilot, including the notebook he used, letters he wrote to his family, and photos of his childhood home
• Chronology and narrative on the history of slavery and racism
• E-text of the Fugitive Slave Law
• Interactive Underground Railroad journey to the North from a slave's point of view: includes routes to freedom, timeline, and classroom ideas
• Narrative of a slave auction, and sketch of a slave auction published in Harper's Weekly, on July 13, 1861
• E-texts of: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs, 1861; and The Freedman's Case, by George Washington Cable
• Biographical sites of Frederic Douglas, Harriet Jacobs, Aaron Burr, and Alexander Hamilton
• Historical document by James Henry Hammond, slavery advocate
• Timelines: of history of slavery in 19th century America; and of major national, political, and social events that occurred in Clemens' life, especially in his childhood years in Missouri
• E-texts of works by Melville, Hawthorne, Dickens, Poe, Dumas, and Scot
• Glossary of cultural references and historical idioms from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• Web-based study questions