BOOK REVIEW

Trembley-Scandela, Laura.  _Mark Twain in the Company of P.O.'d
Women_.  Hardcourt, Braced. 1998. (Deluxe edition, gilt-pages,
autographed, sealed with a kiss.)

Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by

          Laura Scandela-Trembley

well, since no one will toot my own hormns for me, I thought my
excellent, milestone, trendsetting, innovative, all-encampassing,
omniscent and omnipotent book, three years out, hardcover and
paper, deserves a second review to insure its deserved, underated,
underappreciated, underacknowledged, underpraised, and less than
lauded place amongst the august biographies of yore, espcially
since I know today's undergraduates look no further than the list
of recommended books by the Mark Twain Forum for their assigned
readings.  I think it the responsibility of the Mark Twain Forum to
update its electronic laurals, give special mention to its own
members, and of course toss aside any possible objectivity in favor
of pressure from subscribers to have their books plugged.  Whatever
else they might be doing, nothing is as important as a community's
nepotism.

Of course, my issue is broader than self-acknowledgement--I think
many important books have been written since 1966 about Mark Twain,
espcially mine, and in order that my book be raised I should
mention some of these titles, but I think my book, in the company
of too many men, really should stand out on its own and be praised
while others fight over who should dance with me.  I guess I should
have simply said that a revision of the Forum's resources might be
in order and I personally volunteer my time to do it, but I thought
that might be taking measures too far.  But, it seems, I can at
least intimidate folks into praise, agreement, and coddleing,
espcially from those who too should be on the LIST.  As I rise, so
shall ye.

While realizing the justley-dubbed "less informed" Wes Britton will
undoubtadly find something humorous in all this, I again alert the
Forum leadership to the seriousness of  my call to action and say
get to work immediatly on this.  Me, I'm off to Mt. Olympus to be
with my peers, Messers. Paine, Kaplan, et al and shall sit at the
center of the table, Queen of all I critique like a new bottle of
wine just as good as the old.

Ah vanity, thy name is critic.