I agree that the Chapters from My Autobiography -- the articles 
published in 1906-1907 in the North American Review -- is a fourth 
version of Twain's autobiography.  Whether one refers to the  articles 
themselves as they appeared in NAR or to their compilation in book 
form.   My copy in book form is the 1996 edition, part of the Oxford 
Mark Twain series.  Reading it was my first introduction to Twain's 
autobio, and I found it to be among the best of Twain's writings, which 
is saying a lot.  In fact, I have heartily recommended it to friends as 
one of the best "starting points" for getting into Twain.  

The lengthy preface to the MTP edition does discuss the 1906-07 North 
American Review review excerpts, how they came about, the selection 
process, and even Twain's subsequent disappointment in that 
publication's limited circulation.   I guess they view the NAR articles 
as the "first" version of the Autobiography, rather than viewing the 
presentation of those articles in book form as the "fourth".   Even so, 
I commend Prof. Kiskis for his role in the  latter -- an enormous public 
service and a welcome addition to anyone's Twain library .... not only 
because these are the only excerpts Twain had published during his 
lifetime, but also because, as I said before, they are such wonderful 
excerpts.

-Steve Hoffman
Takoma Park MD


Michael Kiskis wrote:
> I am going to self-serving this morning, and I hope that the managers of
> this list will allow it.
>
> I am consistently surprised that most commentators on the autobiography
> insist that there have only been three versions prior to the MTP edition --
> Paine's, DeVoto's, and Neider's.  In fact, even the editors of the MTP
> autobiography focus on only those three.  There appears to be no attention
> paid to the fourth edition -- *Mark Twain's Own Autobiography, *a collection
> of the material Clemens published as "Chapters from my autobiography" in the
> *North American Review *(1906-1907).  I first presented that material in an
> edition from University of Wisconsin Press in 1990; a second edition with an
> expanded introduction and updated annotations and bibliography appeared in
> 2010.
>
> While a case can be made that the NAR text is separate from the mass of
> autobiographical manuscripts, it was shaped out of those materials by
> Clemens and George Harvey (editor of the NAR).  Therefore, I think it
> deserves some mention in the list.  And I think that the critical
> introduction to the volume, which places it within the context of the later
> editions as well as the process of composing the autobiography, deserves
> some attention for shaping questions that inform our reading of Clemens'
> chaotic texts.
>
> I apologize for this brief interruption.
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 8:11 AM, Mark Twain Forum List Administrator <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>   
>> N.B. I am posting this on behalf of Craig Fehrman.--Kevin B.
>>
>> ~~~~~
>>
>> A few months back, I sent you the link to my story on the fate of Mark
>> Twain's Greenwich Village home. I've got another weird Twain story -- this
>> time in Slate, and this time on the long history of Twain's autobiography
>> and the various editors who broke his embargo and then found themselves
>> embroiled in mini-scandals. The essay includes everything from Cold War
>> intrigue to the author of The Power of Positive Thinking. Plus, of course,
>> a
>> lot of Twain.
>>
>> Anyway, seemed like something the Twain-L readers might enjoy.
>>
>> Best,
>> Craig
>>
>> http://www.slate.com/id/2272634/pagenum/all/
>>
>> <end>
>>
>>     
>
>
>
>