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Mark Twain’s Mississippi
An interactive Twain library emphasizing his work featuring the Big River.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12


http://dig.lib.niu.edu/twain/

	CONTENT: Mark Twain’s Mississippi provides a searchable and indexed digital library of some of Samuel Clemons publications under the name of Mark Twain with an emphasis on his Mississippi novels and reminiscences. This interactive site was created at Northern Illinois University.
	SITE DESIGN: The site is well organized and easy to navigate. The top navigation bar is for searching/browsing the primary sources and the left side menu is for navigating the interpretive materials. RealPlayer and a special plug-in is needed that can be downloaded for free at the site.
	REVIEW: Teachers and students who are teaching and learning about Mark Twain and the history of the Mississippi Valley during the nineteenth century will find many resources at this multimedia site. The materials include primary sources, such as historical statistics, texts and images, as well as interpretive essays and digital video segments in which scholars discuss their ideas. Twain’s Mississippi works such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Life on the Mississippi are the lenses through which the other materials can be explored. The materials are grouped into four themes: economic development, politics, race, religion and culture. Included is a biography of Mark Twain, sound files of songs such as “Steamboat Bill” and “The Slave Mother’s Lament” which illuminate society, politics and culture on the Mississippi River from 1830-1890.
	RELATED REVIEWS: Literature: American Literature History: American History Social Science: Area Studies Social Science: Culture Social Science: Economics Social Science: Geography

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02/26/2007