The following book review was written for the Mark Twain Forum by Wesley
Britton.
- Barbara Schmidt

~~~~~

Twain, Mark. _Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians and Other
Unfinished Stories_. Foreword and Notes by Dahlia Armon and Walter Blair.
University of California Press, 1989, 2003. 392 pages. Softcover. $14.95.
ISBN 0-520-23895-8.

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Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by:
Wesley Britton, Harrisburg Area Community College

Copyright (c) 2003 Mark Twain Forum. This review may not be published or
redistributed in any medium without permission.

Reviewing this "new" edition of outstanding Twain short works by the
editors at the University of California begins with one problem. It's
essentially a reprint of the edition that appeared in 1989 -- a book that
few general readers ever knew about. When the first edition appeared, the
University of California Press didn't send out review copies. They didn't
realize that until about a year later, at which point few reviewers wanted
to review a book already a year old. The volume nearly sank without a
trace. So, why bother reviewing a book now 13 years old that is different
only in its cover? In addition, what use is a volume of interest to Twain
researchers and libraries but without much readable material for the
general public?

Well, as few reviews of the first edition are out there (online, only Jim
Zwick's review at boondocksnet.com is readily available), it's worth
remembering what this collection offered in the first place. One nugget
close to my heart was, and is, "Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the
Indians," a literary fragment which has moved scholars beginning with
Walter Blair to speculate why Twain abandoned the project as well as
inspiring various writers to finish the story on Twain's behalf. Another
nugget is "Tom Sawyer's Conspiracy," a puzzle in that the story seemed but
a few pages short of completion -- one more afternoon of work would have
resulted in a text akin to _Tom Sawyer Abroad_ and _Tom Sawyer, Detective_.
 For $15.00, there's no reason not to have these stories on your bookshelf.

For scholars, this collection offers the most definitive version of the
important "Villagers of 1840-3" material, including the proper placement of
the ending. Before this collection, the "Villagers" texts were published in
other University of California volumes over six years when no one knew how
to transcribe Clemens's hand accurately. The editor's extensive revisions
of the biographical directory (first published in shorter form in 1969 in
_Hannibal, Huck and Tom_) helps illumine the point that "Villagers" was
more fact than fiction. In-depth studies revolving around the all important
"matter of Hannibal" should look to "Villagers" where the Clemens family
becomes the "Carpenters." Again, the "Villagers" material would interest
few general readers, but the lists of names with brief descriptions are
Twain's notes and offer insights for scholars and researchers.

Nonetheless, reading these extremely entertaining fragments, I am forced to
admit anyone without a great deal of knowledge about Twain's canon would
find encountering this collection an exercise in frustration. Who but a
devoted aficionado wants to read stories without endings? For scholars,
"Schoolhouse Hill" is a step in the process that led to _No. 44, The
Mysterious Stranger_; for the casual reader, a tale beginning with Huck and
Tom, then shifting into mystical fantasy leaving Twain's beloved boys
behind as mere supporting characters, can only lead to questions. Murders
and boy detectives are one thing: snowstorms that kill on contact seem more
precursors to Stephen King. "Hellfire Hotchkiss" intrigues the reader with
a dramatic opening to a potential adventure. Then, the heroine disappears
riding down the river. For scholars, this sketch is a piece of a puzzle
that adds depth to studies on independent women in Twain's work. For the
uninitiated, it's like watching the first scenes of _Pulp Fiction_, or any
film with pretitle action for that matter, without seeing what happens
after the theme music ends.

Of course, this collection was never intended to be more than what it is --
the most authoritative assembly of interrelated unfinished manuscripts
which supplement explorations into all the "Hannibal" writings. For years,
the Twain community has used these fragments and no doubt new generations
will put these puzzles to fresh uses. For them, and any Twainian who missed
the opportunity to pick up a copy the first time around, this book is
indispensable.

Still, for those who've poured over these pages before, we can but wish the
collection will someday warrant more than a simple reprint to become a true
new edition. What would be most useful is an introduction pulling some of
the key materials from the extensive "Explanatory Notes" into preparatory
pages at the beginning of the book. This would help readers unfamiliar with
the contexts of the fragments for what follows rather than assuming anyone
picking up this volume will take the time to thumb to the back matter to
seek clarifying explanations. Of course, I'm talking about an audience the
first edition wasn't attempting to reach, but even Twain devotees would
find the collection more "user friendly" had the explanations been divided
between preparatory and supplementary pages. In addition, such an
introduction could include summaries of what speculations have been offered
regarding the fragments. For example, those who've not read the suggestions
published by Walter Blair long ago in _Life_ magazine (December 20, 1968)
might be intrigued by Blair's notion that Twain abandoned "Indians" for
fear he would have had to explore the issue of rape.

As the edition stands, it's worth noting that there remain issues and
puzzles not resolved in the past 13 years. Those notes at the back of the
volume are worthy of a second look. For example, the notes for "Jane
Lampton Clemens" (p. 278) throw an entirely different light on John
Marshall Clemens and his slave trading with a slave named "Charley." The
notes point out that it is plausible that "Charley" may have actually been
a horse and not an African-American male. Scholars who've written about
John Marshall Clemens taking "Charley" down river to sell him for a barrel
of tar may need to rethink this conclusion -- the evidence is not
conclusive one way or the other. Perhaps even old hands in Twain-craft can
pick up fresh insights from this, ah, old horse.

So, after 13 years, it's worthwhile for researchers, students, and
libraries to have access to these hors d'oeuvres, and hopefully the volume
can find a useful place in the classroom. Students interested in Twain's
views on Indians have the "Indians" fragment as well as the excellent notes
which summarize Twain's views on Native Americans throughout his career.
Students wishing entertaining insights into Twain's playfulness with
spiritualism (I love the séance where Byron, Shakespeare, and other
dignitaries "appear") can find nuggets in "Schoolhouse Hill." Such delights
for students, and for Mark Twain aficionados, are not to be missed. All
other readers should be aware this is a collection not intended for casual
reading.