Hello, my name is Al White and I am a new member of this listserv. I am not a scholar of Mark Twain, nor do I even have an degree in English! I am merely a lover of his works. In fact, my interest in Mark Twain came about in a quite unusual way. About 10 years ago, I was working in the Archaeological Dept of a local university that was responsible for doing Archaeological work around Mark Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal (I am from St. Louis). My part was to procure, sort and caatgorize artifacts recovered. In fact, one of the bowls I reassembled (a red and white one) is on display at the museum in Hannibal. Doing this work lead me to read some of his works. Among my favorites are the books "Life on the Mississippi" and his autobiography. My favorite short stories are "The Man that Corrupted Haddlyburg", "Diary of Adam and Eve" and "Mysterious Stranger". I really look forward to learning a lot more about this wonderful writer. Al White