Samuel Clemens spent much of his early adult life on the road, soaking up the culture of the Northeast and wandering the untamed areas of rough-and-tumble Midwest. By the time his writing career, under the pen name "Mark Twain" picked up steam, Clemens had mastered the art of turning the plain-speak of the common man into best-selling prose. Though his later years were beset by personal tragedy, Clemens' fame only grew as he became one of America's most outspoken cultural icons.

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Photos courtesy of Mark Twain Collection (#6314), Clifton Waller Barrett Library, The Albert H. Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.