The Mark Twain Forum needs a book reviewer for the following: Carl F. Wieck, _Refiguring Huckleberry Finn_ (Univ. of Georgia Press, 2000). The text from the jacket reads: Much about _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_ is ageless, yet its author was completely immersed in the age in which he wrote. _Refiguring Huckleberry Finn_ looks at ways contemporary American culture and history influenced the formation of Mark Twain's masterwork. It also shows how the novel reflects Twain's deep investment in what Carl F. Wieck calls "an open-minded, unbiased perception of the well-springs of the American spirit." Clearly, Twain knew the Mississippi River and its people well. With Frederick Douglass, William Dean Howells, Ulysses S. Grant, and John Hay (Abraham Lincoln's personal secretary) among his friends, Twain also knew America. That understanding, Wieck shows us, is richly evident in _Huckleberry Finn_ by the ways Twain explored themes of justice, rights, knowledge, and truth; engaged with the thoughts of Douglass, Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson; and expressed concern over the public discourse on race and equality. In addition, in discussions that range from number play in the novel to the symbolic potential of the Mississippi's awesome, one-way flow, Wieck looks closely at Twain's storytelling craft. Filled with new and challenging insights, _Refiguring Huckleberry Finn_ reintroduces us to one of our greatest novels and one of our finest novelists. "A hymn to the novel, meditating it word by word and even number by number.... The result is that we understand better than ever before many touches and episodes." - Louis J. Budd Title: Refiguring Huckleberry Finn Author: Carl F. Wieck is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Translation Studies, Tampere University, Finland. ISBN: 0-8203-2238-5 Pub date: November 22, 2000 Price: $40.00 ~~~~~ The book is 239 pages (66 pages are reference notes and index.) As usual, the review must be of publishable quality, and it would be due within two months of your receipt of the book (i.e., due the first of April.) The deadline is particularly important. In all fairness to publishers and authors, if you are inclined to procrastinate, or have difficulty meeting deadlines, please do not offer to review this book. If you would like to see the general content and style of Forum reviews, please browse the reviews page at TwainWeb: http://www.yorku.ca/twainweb/reviews/ A link to the style sheet is at the bottom of the reviews page. If you're interested in writing this review, please send me both your home and institutional mailing addresses and phone numbers. Please include a brief explanation regarding your qualifications to review this book. Thanks, Barbara Schmidt Book review editor, Mark Twain Forum