The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, first published in 1876, is Mark Twain's most popular novel. Its hero is a national icon, celebrated as a distinctively American figure both at home and abroad. As well as being a deft comedy and a powerful celebration of childhood, applauding Tom Sawyer's bold spirit, winsome smile, and inventive solutions to the problems of everyday life, it reflects how Twain was in the process of finding a distinctive voice with which he could express the conflicts he felt about coming of age in America.