After noting for any interested Forumite that I was one of the advisers for the OXFORD COMPANION TO MARK TWAIN, I add to a recent review of it on the Forum: Oxford UP makes a mistake in promoting the COMPANION as an encyclopedic tool primarily. Its heart (as well as soul) lies in Gregg Camfield's essays--not just entries--on Twain's major writings and ideas. Camfield's essays impress me as keenly original, insightful, and often eloquent. They are rewarding even for those who have already followed up on some particular subject. The book will last long as eminently companionable.