The Mark Twain Forum needs a book reviewer for the following:

Messent, Peter.  _The Short Works of Mark Twain: A Critical Study_.
University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001.  Pp. 280. 6 x 9. Cloth.
$45.00. ISBN 0-8122-3622-X.

The book consists of twelve chapters and is a critical examination
of a number of Twain's shorter works.  Text from the jacket reads:

~~~~~
Between 1867, when The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and
Other Sketches was published, and the appearance in 1906 of The $30,000
Bequest and Other Stories, seven major collections of short works appeared
under the name Mark Twain. It has long been held that in most cases Twain
had little to do with assembling these books, viewing them mainly as
moneymaking ventures and leaving the work largely to others. In the first
full and sustained study of the collections ever to appear, Peter Messent
argues to the contrary. Exploring the publication history of the volumes
as well as a wealth of primary documents, Messent demonstrates that
Twain's part in the making of these books was, in fact, considerable.
Reading the collections of short works as well as individual tales
alongside his novels, Messent discusses Twain's development as an artist
in terms of the changing emphases that mark his use of different forms and
themes, and the changing modes of humor that he employed.

~~~~~

The review would be due within two months of your receipt of the book,
i.e. mid-January.

If you would be interested in writing this review, please email me
with your qualifications.

Thanks,
Barbara Schmidt
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