I might grade Neider a mite higher than Kevin & Ben do, but if you think (as I do) that the Cold War era propagandizing of Twain has been a net negative for both Twain scholarship & Twain’s reputation, Neider has to be at the top of the list of Twain scholars who were complicit in that propagandizing, if not necessarily driving it. - MS > On Feb 14, 2024, at 11:15 PM, Benjamin Griffin <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > A conscienceless plunderer. > > >> On Wed, Feb 14, 2024 at 1:16 PM <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> Well, you caught me in a good mood, the weather clear, my hopes bright, >> birds chirping nearby, and feeling more charitable than I've felt in >> months. So, you might have to factor this in when I grade Mr. Neider on >> a curve, but I'd give him an F. >> >> That's his grade as an editor. As for popularizing Twain, he seemed >> quite good at PR, either promoting himself or Twain. >> >> Kevin >> @ >> Mac Donnell Rare Books >> 9307 Glenlake Drive >> Austin TX 78730 >> 512-345-4139 >> >> You can browse our books at: >> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com >> >> >> ------ Original Message ------ >> From: "Dave Davis" <[log in to unmask]> >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Sent: 2/14/2024 10:04:40 AM >> Subject: Charles Neider, editorial reputation? >> >>> >> https://www.edseditions.com/pages/books/192304/mark-twain/the-adventures-of-colonel-sellers-edited-with-an-introduction-notes-by-charles-neider >>> >>> I'm reading in this version, while I wait for my Library of American >> volume >>> to come in the mail. >>> In it, Neider took the liberty of excising Warner's chapters, leaving >>> SLC's, and explained why he thought that was a good idea. Apparently >>> Doubleday (the publishers) thought so as well. I guess there was market >>> demand for 'new' Twain works in the American book market at the time. >>> >>> What is anyone's view of Neider's editorial work on MT, nowadays? He got >>> out several volumes of Twain material -- (see list below) --the stuff that >>> was on the shelves when I first wandered into my Jr. High School library >> in >>> the late 60's. I read and enjoyed his edition of the Autobiography, which >>> included some previously unpublished chapters and excellent period >>> photographs, including the "rocking chair" series which SLC annotated. >>> >>> Like Holbrook, Neider did a lot of this Twain-related work during the last >>> decade of Clara Clemens's life and tenure of the Estate. >>> >>> From Wikipedia-- >>> >>> >>> "Neider edited a major edition of the Autobiography of Mark Twain, >>> published in 1959. In this, he expressed regret that Twain's daughter >> Clara >>> Clemens would not permit him to include Samuel Clemens' dictations from >>> June 1906 (the 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, and 25th).[6] >>> >>> "Other Mark Twain Publications he edited include: >>> >>> >>> - The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain (1957) >>> - The Autobiography of Mark Twain (1959) >>> - The Complete Humorous Sketches and Tales of Mark Twain (1961) >>> - Mark Twain: Life As I Find It (1961) >>> - The Travels of Mark Twain (1961) >>> - Complete Essays of Mark Twain (1963) >>> - The Adventures of Colonel Sellers (1965) >>> - The Complete Travel Books of Mark Twain (1966) >>> - Mark Twain (1967) >>> - The Comic Mark Twain Reader (1977) >>> - The Selected Letters of Mark Twain (1972) >>> - A Tramp Abroad (1977) >>> - Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims and Other Salutary Platform Opinions >>> (1984) >>> - Papa: An Intimate Biography of Mark Twain by Susy Clemens (1985) >>> - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1985) >>> - Mark Twain at His Best: A Comprehensive Sampler (1986) >>> - The Outrageous Mark Twain (1987)." >>> >>> (The ones in that listing that were authored entirely by Neider, I don't >>> know anything about.) >>> >>> Thoughts? /DDD >>