Twain's relevance will continue to diminish because of his Catch-22 where his best material is the most racially problematic, in many modern eyes.  Best chance to keep  him relevant is by making his stories less timely for back then and more timeless for all time.  See, e.g., In Jim's Journey Homeward, Book One: Escape with Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Time addresses the critical omission in the original Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn books – Mark Twain ignoring the slave’s perspective and the seriousness of slavery – by re-imagining the characters Jim and Nat, primarily, and re-telling the story through the eyes of Jim, the runaway slave who traveled down the Mississippi River with Huck........

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Lee, Judith
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2022 3:32 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Purging Twain?

Not likely. Libraries cull their collections all the time, deaccessioning titles that have not circulated recently.  Public libraries have more pressure to do so because otherwise they rapidly run out of space, considering the need to keep up with current titles for leisure reading, children’s school research, and adult reference materials.
Judith

Judith Yaross Lee, Ph.D. (she/her)
Distinguished Professor Emerita

School of Communication Studies • Ohio University  • Schoonover Center 400  • Athens, OH 45701 Please request home address before mailing packages or important documents.

[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>  • https://www.ohio.edu/scripps-college/comm-studies/about/faculty-student/leej<http://www.coms.ohiou.edu/judith-yaross-lee>

My newest book: Seeing Mad: Essays on Mad Magazine’s Humor and Legacy (University of Missouri Press, October 2020) <https://upress.missouri.edu/9780826222138/seeing-mad/>



On May 5, 2022, at 3:22 PM, Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

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I've just received a copy of Gary Scharnhorst's book, Mark Twain on Potholes & Politics.  I bought it through Abebooks from Better World Books.  The book is in perfect condition but stamped on the very first page is "WITHDRAWN FROM Greenville (SC) Co. Library System".  Ummmmm