I thought the following might be of interest --- from an unpublished manuscript by Poultney Bigelow: <<<< The following refers to his Joan of Arc -- a work that should not have been attempted. Anatole France has done it well, but Mark Twain has made rather a wearisome and uncritical rhapsody. Moreover his anonymity served no good purpose -- it raised no violent discussion as was the case when Walter Scott hid himself in Waverly or John Hay in his Bread Winners. Few of his best friends recognized him in this very serious book -- and even after its true authorship was divulged people preferred the old Mark Twain of Innocents Abroad.>>>>>> Ric Dragon