SAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS (1835-1910), better known as Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer, and writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Designated "the father of American literature" by William Faulkner, Twain is best known for his two great novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain's keen wit and incisive satire earned him the praise of both critics and peers, as did his sober and often scathing look at the entrenched attitudes of the U.S. society of his day, particularly those relating to slavery and racism. Robert Ingpen was born in 1936 in Geelong, Australia, and still lives and works nearby in Barwon Heads. He studied illustration art and book design at The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In 1986 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his contribution to children's literature and he has been honoured with Membership of the Order of Australia. A world-renowned artist and author, Ingpen has designed, illustrated and written more than one hundred books, including his highly acclaimed series of illustrated Children's Classics, which have now been published in many editions around the world.