Kevin, thank you for this. Still it was such a delight to see one of ours on a Sunday morning show. John, we're proud of you. We'll stay tuned. Sent from my iPad > On Oct 1, 2017, at 11:20 AM, Kevin Mac Donnell <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > I was happy to see John Bird get the recognition that he got, but it wasn't > the recognition that he deserved. There was no mention that he wrote a far > superior ending to the story consistent with Twain's plot, characters, and > themes. There was no mention of exactly how Random House/Doubleday co-opted > (a much politer word than they deserve) the project in a mad scramble to > exploit Mark Twain's name and foist off on an unsuspecting public a work by > the Steads. I have no problem with the Steads; they were just following > orders. But did anybody give them orders to toss Twain's themes out the > window and pretend that making Johnny black was the only change they made > that matters? I must also admit, sadly, that I'm disappointed by those who > are willing to profit by all of this. Those who object are dismissed as > "purists"--the word actually used in the report. This brings me back to the > conclusion of my review: some readers will find the story charming, but it > isn't Mark Twain doing the charming. Using Twain's name to sell this book is > execrable (to borrow a favorite word of Twain's). > > Twainians are grateful that Twain did not follow the custom of so many > authors and destroy his unpublished manuscripts, but if you have ever > wondered why so many authors do so, you need look no further than this > vulgar breach of literary ethics. This is not a Twain't; it's just a twaint. > > Kevin > @ > Mac Donnell Rare Books > 9307 Glenlake Drive > Austin TX 78730 > 512-345-4139 > Member: ABAA, ILAB > ************************* > You may browse our books at: > www.macdonnellrarebooks.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Barbara Schmidt > Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2017 9:44 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Piece on Mark Twain Fairy Tale Tomorrow > > I think this is a case of a publisher pushing Mark Twain's name off on an > unsuspecting public. As Kevin Mac Donnell would call it -- the present > fairy tale is a "Twain't." I think there is a lot more to the > "oleomargarine" connection and its influence on Twain's later works. I am > looking forward to John Bird's scholarly interpretation along with the > publication of the full manuscript. > > Barb