I don't think it's our role (whoever "our" is) to influence how American culture absorbs, uses, abuses, or exploits Mark Twain's image or name. But it makes a great subject for study. As early as the 1870s his name or image was being used to promote the sale of luxury cruises, cigars, card games, magazines, and other peoples' books. By 1900 you could add to that list vacation resorts, flour, medicines, and fountain pens. By 1920 it included shirts, lemons, hotels, cars, sound recording equipment, oranges, oysters, shoes, whiskey, and cereal. By 1940, add cigarettes, trains, pants, coal, boards games, and crayons. More recently boats, pocket knives, lamps, banjos, and fishing poles. I don't know why Mark Twain shirts were being sold by 1920, but pants didn't come along until three decades later... and why we have Mark Twain shoes, but no socks. Whitman, Emerson, and Poe, were used to sell cigars. The classic New England authors were featured in card games, and used to promote others' books. Melville, Thoreau, and female authors were virtually ignored. But I know of no other author who has been used to promote such a variety of consumer products: food, clothing, items for children, etc. In England, even Dickens was not exploited so fully as Twain was in America. A careful and well-documented study of the enduring power of his image, its evolution, and its exploitation, would be welcome. Budd's book is the closest I've seen, and several books include sections of interest, but I've seen very little that approaches it from this angle. Who in the Forum has the inclination and the ability? Kevin Mac Donnell Austin, TX