a brand new book that is the considerable work of a wise and learned long-term practitioner -- Michael Gilmore’s* The War on Words: Slavery, Race, and Free Speech in American Literature *(Chicago, 2010) -- contains a chapter entitled: "Was Twain black?" Others on here besides Shelley might find this both amusing and provocative. -- Harold K. Bush, Ph.D Professor of English Saint Louis University St. Louis, MO 63108 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h) <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml>