Agree that this is a good idea.  However, 
hopefully, folks will be honest (or at least 
relatively so!) in their reviews.  I.e., don't 
just praise books because the author is part of 
this forum, etc.  I realize this may be difficult 
to do!

-Steve Hoffman, Tulip


On 2/18/2017 11:07 PM, Martin Zehr wrote:
> Kent is either a super-sleuth or has too much time on his hands.  He's
> exactly right, we could do a better job of promoting the work of writers
> who have benefited us all. Most of the listed books have been reviewed on
> the Forum, so the reviewers themselves could start the ball rolling.  I
> note that I reviewed five of the books on Kent's list, so I'll steal a
> quote or two from my reviews to get the ball rolling.
> Martin Zehr
>
> On Sat, Feb 18, 2017 at 9:04 PM, Kent Rasmussen <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>> I've just been looking at Mark Twain studies on amazon.com and noticed
>> something remarkable. See if you can guess what the amazon pages for the
>> books listed below have in common.
>>
>> ___________________
>>
>> Berkove, L. & Csicsila, J., HERETICAL FICTIONS: RELIGION IN THE
>> LITERATURE OF MARK TWAIN (2010)
>>
>> Bird, J., MARK TWAIN & METAPHOR (2011)
>>
>> Caron, J., MARK TWAIN UNSANCTIFIED NEWSPAPER REPORTER (2011)
>>
>> Coulombe, J. L. MARK TWAIN & THE AMERICAN WEST (2011)
>>
>> Harris, S. K., GOD'S ARBITERS: AMERICANS & THE PHILIPPINES (2011)
>>
>> Howe, L., MARK TWAIN & THE NOVEL (1998)
>>
>> Hsu, H., SITTING IN DARKNESS: MARK TWAIN'S ASIA (2015)
>>
>> Justus, J., FETCHING THE OLD SOUTHWEST: HUMOROUS WRITING FROM LONGSTREET
>> TO TWAIN (2004)
>>
>> Knoper, R., ACTING NATURALLY: MARK TWAIN IN THE CULTURE OF PERFORMANCE
>> (1995)
>>
>> Kolb, H. H. MARK TWAIN: THE GIFT OF HUMOR (2015)
>>
>> Krauth, L., MARK TWAIN & COMPANY: SIX LITERARY RELATIONS (2003)
>>
>> Krauth, L., PROPER MARK TWAIN (1999)
>>
>> Kupersmith, A., TWAIN & FREUD ON THE HUMAN RACE (2009)
>>
>> Lai-Henderson, S., MARK TWAIN IN CHINA (2015)
>>
>> Lowry, R. S., "LITTERY MAN": MARK TWAIN & MODERN AUTHORSHIP (1996)
>>
>> Melton, J., MARK TWAIN, TRAVEL BOOKS, & TOURISM (2002)
>>
>> Mensh, E., & H. Mensh, BLACK, WHITE, & HUCKLEBERRY FINN (2000)
>>
>> Messent, P., MARK TWAIN (1997)
>>
>> Messent, P., THE SHORT WORKS OF MARK TWAIN (2001)
>>
>> Quirk, T., COMING TO GRIPS WITH HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1993)
>>
>> Quirk, T., DICTIONARY OF LITERARY BIOGRAPHY: MARK TWAIN=E2=80=99S HUCKLEB=
> ERRY
>> FINN (2008)
>>
>> Quirk, T., MARK TWAIN: A STUDY OF THE SHORT FICTION (1997)
>>
>> Railton, S., MARK TWAIN: A SHORT INTRODUCTION (2003)
>>
>> Robinson, F. G., et al., THE JESTER & THE SAGES: MARK TWAIN IN
>> CONVERSATION WITH NIETZSCHE, FREUD, & MARX (2011)
>>
>> Robinson, F. G. IN BAD FAITH: THE DYNAMICS OF DECEPTION IN MARK TWAIN'S
>> AMERICA (1992)
>>
>> Robinson, F. G. THE AUTHOR-CAT (2007)
>>
>> Robinson, F. G. CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO MARK TWAIN (1995)
>>
>> Sloane, D., MARK TWAIN'S HUMOR (1993)
>>
>> Sloane, D., STUDENT COMPANION TO MARK TWAIN (2001)
>>
>> Wieck, C., REFIGURING HUCKLEBERRY FINN (2000)
>>
>> Wuster, T., MARK TWAIN, AMERICAN HUMORIST (2016)
>>
>> ______________________________
>>
>> Did you guess correctly? The answer is that none the books in this list
>> has a single customer review on its amazon page--and this list is only a
>> sampling of Mark Twain books without customer reviews.
>>
>> It's awfully deflating to spend years working on a book, only to see it
>> virtually ignored after it's published. I'd therefore like to suggest
>> that each of us (me included) take a few minutes to go on amazon and
>> distribute a little praise where it is due. We've all gotten a lot out
>> of the work of our colleagues. Would it kill us to show a little
>> appreciation in return?
>>