I'm sorry, I'm procrastinating at work and only have a minute to check my email. Can you give me a summary of what is new about this edition of Tom Sawyer? I'm SUCH a huge fan of the original Tom Sawyer -- I think it is very overlooked (mainly because Huck Finn is such a classic). On Thu, Jan 17, 2013 at 3:51 PM, Mark Twain Forum List Administrator < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > _Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer: The Original Text Edition_. Alan > Gribben, ed., NewSouth Books, 2011. Paperback. Pp. 218. 9" x 6". ISBN: > 978-1-60306-239-8. $12.95. > > _Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: The Original Text Edition_. > Alan Gribben, ed., NewSouth Books, 2011. Paperback. Pp. 316. 9"x6". ISBN: > 978-1-60306-241-1. $12.95. > > Many books reviewed on the Mark Twain Forum are available at discounted > prices from the Twain Web Bookstore. Purchases from this site generate > commissions that benefit the Mark Twain Project. Please visit > <http://www.twainweb.net> > > Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by Martin Zehr. > > Copyright (c) 2013 Mark Twain Forum. This review may not be published or > redistributed in any medium without permission. > > The plethora of printings of these cornerstone works of Twain dictates > that, > when an edition warrants reviewing, it is because it offers a new > perspective on these classics, by virtue of commentary providing a novel > interpretation, or inclusion of unearthed material providing the scholar > with an expanded historical context for the period in which it was written. > The latter benefit is exemplified by the University of California editions > of Mark Twain's works which are advertised as "The Only Authoritative > Text," > and remain the gold standard of his novels. The September 2012 publication > of the NewSouth Books "Original Text Editions" (which were copyrighted in > 2011) provides an additional reason for such notice. It is no secret to > members of the Mark Twain Forum, as well as to readers throughout the wider > universe, that Alan Gribben's NewSouth Books editions of _Tom Sawyer_ and > _Huckleberry Finn_ published in 2011, a scant two years ago, elicited > reactions including praise, indignation, and even condemnation. > > A detailed discussion of the bibliophilic brouhaha which accompanied the > 2011 edition of these works is unnecessary, given the comprehensive review > of the prior edition by Kevin Mac Donnell which appeared on the Mark Twain > Forum in April 2011. The deletion of the words "nigger," "half-breed," and > "Injun" in that edition, for the purpose of rendering the works more > acceptable in classrooms, triggered a response ". . . in the mass media > (which) has run the gamut from frowns of disapproval to hysterical personal > attacks" (Mac Donnell). The most significant change in the present editions > is the reinstatement of the offending words, hence the designation, > "Original Text Edition." In his introduction to the two works Gribben does > not use the primary offender, referring to it as the "n-word," "a > linguistic > corruption of 'Negro,'" and "this racial insult," a decision which may well > reflect Gribben's own sensitivities in this regard, or an intentional > strategy which draws attention to the word "nigger" as a prelude to a > "teachable moment," an ironic strategy cited by Mac Donnell in his review, > one that might have elicited a chuckle, and a rough calculation of > additional sales, by Twain himself. > > The texts of these newest editions are not sufficiently different from most > available printings to warrant detailed discussion, except to note that the > "raft chapter" which was excised from Twain's original draft of _Adventures > of Huckleberry Finn_ and inserted in chapter three of _Life on the > Mississippi_ is incorporated in its originally intended sequence. Missing > from both of these NewSouth Books editions are the original illustrations. > > Gribben's introduction underscores their similarities, stressing his > contention that they are meant to be read and studied together. Referring > to > both works as "Boy Books," Gribben provides a brief history of the genre, > and also discusses Twain's penchant for literary burlesque, his satirical > targets, and the literary "realistic movement of which Twain was a stalwart > champion." The covers of both volumes, with portraits of Tom and Huck taken > from illustrations by True Williams and Edward Kemble, reinforce Gribben's > contention that "Mark Twain envisioned a cohesiveness between his most > celebrated novels…" and _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_ is advertised on > its cover as " . . . His Sequel Boy Book." _Adventures of Tom Sawyer_ is > the title of its counterpart, omitting the pesky original article which is > often appended mistakenly to _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_, but perhaps > this is also a deliberate attempt to underscore their similarities. An > Editor's Note in the _Huck Finn_ volume contains an assertion that the > "G.G., Chief of Ordnance" in Twain's prefatory "Notice" "presumably refers > to General U.S. Grant." Other scholars may agree with Lin Salamo's > conclusion, contained in the California edition of _Adventures of > Huckleberry Finn_, that the reference is to George Griffin, butler in the > Clemens's Hartford residence, whose "… role as peacemaker and two incidents > involving firearms . . . qualified him playfully as 'Chief of Ordnance.'" > (_Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_, UCal. Edition, 2001, p. 376). > > The afterward in each of these volumes consists of two pages listing > "satirical targets" by chapter, as a basis for class discussion, without > amplification or explanation. These "targets," including child abuse, > slavery, Walter Scott, and Sunday school exercises, were included in the > previous NewSouth 2011 edition. > > Gribben, in his introduction to the 2011 NewSouth Books edition, explained > that his deletion of the words "nigger," "Injun," and "half-breed" from > these works was motivated by a desire to find a way to get Huck and Jim > into > classrooms where they would otherwise be excluded. According to personal > correspondence from Gribben, his original plan in 2011 was to have NewSouth > Books issue two nearly-identical editions of both _Huckleberry Finn_ and > _Tom Sawyer_--one edition with and one without the offending language and > both versions featuring the same pagination. Different, but almost > identical > editions, would give students a choice of which version they prefer to read > and thus maximize the probability that these works will be included in > classroom syllabi. However, other publishing commitments resulted in an > almost two-year delay for the NewSouth "Original Text Editions." Gribben > restated the primary motivation for the simultaneous availability of the > two > versions of these classics: > > "The idea for having virtually identical texts with the exception of the > racial epithets is that instructors and students can choose the version > they > are comfortable teaching and reading--their pagination is exactly the same. > That way the discussions can center around larger issues of the book, > especially the price of unthinking social conformity, rather than having > that one single racial slur soak up the majority of classroom time" > (Gribben, 11 January 2013). > > The repugnance for the word "nigger" has been, and quite predictably, will > continue to be, an obstacle to teaching either of these books in a high > school or middle school setting. In this one respect, teaching or reading > these works will always entail extra effort, as will the confrontation with > racism in any setting. The use of the word "nigger" has not, however, > seemed > to diminish the attraction of either of these novels for the general > public. > In an unscientific study of the latter proposition, this reviewer visited > one of the local Barnes & Noble outlets to make a listing of the available > versions of _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_. To my surprise, the store > sells eight different versions of _Huck_, ranging from the 2010 paperback > edition of the University of California Press "Authoritative Text" edition > to a $4.95 Barnes & Noble Classics paperback, the bargain of the bunch, > which included an excellent, no-holds-barred introduction by Robert > O'Meally, an equally competent historical introduction, footnotes, > endnotes, > and a chronology of Twain's life. Equally surprising was the finding that > all eight of these editions, including a 2006 hardback printing by > "Sterling > Children's Books," used the original text, i.e., did not excise the word > "nigger." This informal case study is not, of course, dispositive with > respect to the issue of choice of words, but it does suggest that, for a > profit-oriented business like Barnes & Noble, the controversy is not one of > particular importance. It also suggests that, contrary to Twain’s > assessment, classics are sometimes praised and read. > > The use of the word "nigger" is not likely to disappear from editions of > either of these classics in the foreseeable future. Attempts to eradicate > its literary life, either through outright banning or a surgical attempt to > render Twain's works more palatable, are not likely to be successful. It > should be emphasized that this was never the intention of Gribben, who has, > likely thousands of times in the last two years, explained that his > motivation was to offer an alternative version of these books that > increases > the likelihood they will continue to be read and studied. Gribben's return > to the fray is testimony to a determination to proselytize to all comers > the > continuing vitality and importance of these masterpieces of the American > literary canon. >