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Items of interest to Twainers:

Publishing notes:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Autumn 1996 issue of _The Wilson Quarterly_ includes (on
pages 81-85) an excerpt from Shelley Fisher Fishkin's forthcoming
book, _Lighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain
and American Culture_ (Oxford University Press, November 1996).


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpts from six of the Introductions from the soon-to-be
released, 29 volume_The Oxford Mark Twain_ appear in an article
entitled, "Mark Twain: An Enduring Cultural Conversation" in the
October 25 _The Chronicle of Higher Education_ (pages B5-B7). The
samples include:

     Ursula K. LeGuin on _The Diaries of Adam and Eve_
     Bobbi Ann Mason on _The American Claimant_
     Toni Morrison on _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_
     Erica Jong on _1601 and Is Shakespeare Dead?_
     Kurt Vonnegut on _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's
Court_)
     Hal Holbrook on _Mark Twain's Speeches_

     A brief introduction by Oxford Mark Twain General Editor,
Shelley Fisher Fishkin and several 4-color illustrations
accompany the article. One important note: Erica Jong's essay
was scrambled by careless typesetting at the _Chronicle_. Two
portions of unrelated sentences are joined together and the
remainder of each is missing. Makes for interesting but somewhat
peculiar reading. The fault was not Ms. Jong's. The _Chronicle_
is planning to print a correction in the next issue, or you can
read the essay in its entirety in The Oxford Mark Twain, which is
scheduled for release in November.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The October 1996 issue of _American Heritage_ magazine includes
an essay entitled "Going Home with Mark Twain" by Willie Morris,
which is adapted from Morris's introduction to _Life on the
Mississippi_ in the Oxford Mark Twain. The piece spans 12 pages
and includes 6 black & white photographs. The single issue may be
ordered from American Heritage at 1-800-624-6283 for $4.95, plus
$2 shipping; The collector's edition is available for $9, plus $3
shipping.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_Mark Twain A to Z_ by R. Kent Rasmussen has been issued as an
Oxford University Press paperback. In Rasmussen's addendum to the
edition, he cites the importance of comments, helpful
suggestions, and new information he received from Mark Twain
Forum members since the Facts on File edition was issued in 1995.
_Mark Twain A to Z_ will be released in November to coincide with
the launch of The Oxford Mark Twain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The November 1996 issue of _Reader's Digest_ features an article
on Mark Twain Forum member and political satirist Barry Crimmins.
In the "Heroes for Today" section (pages 132-133), the story of
Barry's battle against child pornography on the Internet is
recounted. Crimmins, a writer, performer and children's rights
advocate, worked undercover and collected evidence which he
turned over to the FBI. He subsequently testified before the
Senate Judiciary Committee. The story in the Digest is adapted
from a longer article on Crimmins in _The Cleveland Plain Dealer_
(May 19, 1996),  which was accompanied by a photo of the activist
at his computer with a bust of Mark Twain and a copy of _Mark
Twain A to Z_ at his side. Crimmins quips, "I love everything
Twain wrote. If I could get a hold of his laundry lists, I would
read them."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Video Alert:

   The following was retrieved from the A&E web site. Note that
the air date is listed as November 11 *and* November 21. Check
your local listings.

A&E

November 21, 1996

Mark Twain:
HIS AMAZING ADVENTURES

     PREMIERE: November 11 at 8pm/12am ET (5pm/9pm PT)
     LENGTH: 1 hour
     HOST: Jack Perkins
     PRODUCED BY: Greystone Communications for A&E Network
     **WORLD PREMIERE**

Mark Twain

     He was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835 along the Mississippi
     River as Halley's Comet was lighting up the sky. BIOGRAPHY: MARK
     TWAIN: HIS AMAZING ADVENTURES chronicles how the young Sam Clemens
     traveled restlessly along the East Coast, working as a typesetter
     and a newspaper reporter. At the age of 22, he returned to the
     Mississippi to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a steamboat
     pilot. But his life was shattered by the onset of the Civil War. He
     joined a group of Confederate irregulars, but deserted after two
     weeks and headed west to San Francisco. He divided his time between
     mining, newspaper reporting and drinking. Soon he began writing
     under the name Mark Twain, a riverboat pilot's call, and his stories
     about jumping frogs and lectures on Hawaiian adventures made him
     famous in the West, but he knew only New York could offer him the
     worldwide fame and wealth he sought.

     He found more than fame in New York. He found a wife, a family and a
     career as an inventor, publisher, lecturer, playwright and author of
     famous books, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
     Ironically, after what has been called America's greatest novel was
     published, fortune turned against its author. He was driven into
     bankruptcy by a failed investment and his beloved daughter, Suzy,
     died. After living abroad for most of the 1890s, he returned to New
     York to a hero's welcome as a man who represented the glory and
     independence of the nation's past. Mark Twain died in New York in
     1910, with Halley's Comet visible, once again, in the night sky.
     Through lively interviews with scholars, historians and authors, he
     lives again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--KB