Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage (1895) is a classic Civil War novel that claims to gives a first-hand, realistic account of the war experience, which is often traumatic and without glory.

The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Writings (1869) is a collection of some of Bret Harte's best-known works. Harte was at the forefront of American literature in his day, and paved the way for many great authors, including Mark Twain.

Rudyard Kipling's Kim (1901) is the story of an orphaned Irish boy in India, who is recruited by the British Government as a spy to help keep reign over Indian soil. In his autobiography, Mark Twain says this is his favorite book.

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, originally published in 1884, is considered by many to be a seminal work of American fiction. The Annotated Huckleberry Finn (2001), edited...