Cameron, I have studied _The Mysterious Stranger_ as a text representative of the later mood. It is useful alongside DeVoto's _Letters From the Earth_, a collection of later fragmentary writings in the same cynical voice with regard to Twain's attitudes towards humanity and human history. The autobiography is also a useful tool, though it's complicated in terms of editorial manipulation in a way comparable to that of _The Mysterious Stranger_. Neider's is the most accessible of the published autobiography's, though the liberties he's taken with the author's intentions are greater than Paine's and DeVoto's earlier attempts at publishing the autobiography. All three are in publication, and readily accessible. I would argue that Tuckey's _mark Twain and Little Satan_ (1963), and DeVoto's chapter "Symbols of Despair" from _Mark Twain at Work_ (1940)are required reading for anyone who would teach _The Mysterious Stranger_. I am currently engaged in research into both _The Mysterious Stranger_ and the autobiography; I'd be happy to enter into dialogue with yourself or anyone else with a questions or possible contributions. I think that there's room for interpretation outside of the typical focus on the cynicism and nihilism inherent in the later writings and life-writing. Best, JED LaCoste Dalhousie University