The Nevada Historical Society's 2017 single issue "Quarterly" which has just been published contains my (Robert E Stewart) article on "Mark Twain, Ruel Gridley, and the U.S. Sanitary Commission." The Commission was formed to aid Union soldiers in the Civil War, and Gridley raised funds for it by continually auctioning off a 50-pound sack of flour, which was then given back to auction off again. In the article the role played by Twain in helping Gridley raise funds on the then-booming Comstock silver mining region is detailed, along with a discussion on how the adrenaline of that project may have led Twain to write the infamous "miscegenation" column. The issue also contains my lengthy article on Nevada's role in passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. For $10 copies of the entire 308-pqge issue, contact the Society in Reno, By telephone the bookstore is extension 225.