Very sad to hear of the passing of a great Mark Twain scholar and a great person. When I think of James Cox, besides thinking of how much he taught me in The Fate of Humor and other work, I think of the documentary piece that Sandy Bradley was working on, the short film she made of outtakes where scholars like Lou Budd and James Cox talked about their personal feelings for Mark Twain. As Professor Cox was talking, he choked up and teared up and could not continue. He said, "Of course, you can't use that." She did, and it captured the heart and soul of the man. John Bird -----Original Message----- From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jerome Loving Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 2:21 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: James M. Cox James M. Cox, author of MARK TWAIN AND THE FATE OF HUMOR and countless essays on Twain and other American authors died yesterday at his home in Independence, Virginia. He was 86. Jerome Loving