I'll soon be posting a lengthy critical review of the new Oxford Mark Twain (OMT) set. Because unavoidable circumstances have delayed completion of my review, I'm posting this note as a "preview" review. I want to make sure that all forum subscribers know that the set's price is going up at the end of this month. Oxford's introductory price is $295; a special library edition is $395. On January 31, the price of each set goes up $100. Individual volumes go for prices ranging from ca. $15 to $25 each. The introductory price of the entire set is thus about half the total price of individual volumes. For those not presently aware of the nature of this set, I'll briefly state that it contains 29 jacketed hardbound volumes of facsimile reprints of American first editions of books published during Mark Twain's lifetime (plus a volume of speeches published shortly after he died). Several OMT volumes combine more than a single original book (e.g., _Extracts from Adam's Diary_ and _Eve's Diary_ are bound together). Not every American first edition is represented in this set, but the most important books are in the set, and most of the contents of the missing book titles (e.g., _Punch, Brothers, Punch!_) appear somewhere in the set. Note that the OMT contains nothing that was first published in book form after 1910. (My review will discuss specifics on all these points.). Most of the book titles in the OMT have never been available before in facsimile editions (including, amazingly, the lavishly illustrated _A Tramp Abroad_ and _Life on the Mississippi_); some of these books have not been available in _any_ edition for over a century (e.g., _The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches_). Collectors should also be aware that the first editions of story and essay collections (such as _Sketches New and Old_) that share titles with later Harper uniform editions, do not have exactly the same contents as the later editions. In some cases the differences are substantial. (Again, I'll discuss specifics in my review.) The OMT bindings are sturdy; the quality of the paper is good; and the quality of the facsimile reproductions ranges from good to excellent. This much alone should be more than enough to justify the set's bargain price. It's a marvelous opportunity to pick up fine-quality copies of most of Mark Twain's original books for a price that will almost certainly never again be matched. Indeed, the average price of these books is lower than the prices of some paperback editions of certain titles. If that is not enough to persuade you to acquire this set immediately, there's more: Shelley Fisher Fishkin, the set's general editor, has assembled a remarkable group of authors and scholars to add substantial new introductions and afterwords to each volume. The illustrated volumes also contain new essays on the illustrators by Beverly David and Ray Sapirstein. A list of individual book titles and their contributors follows this note. I'll save my further remarks for my formal review. For now, I encourage anyone with a serious interest in Mark Twain to give immediate consideration to purchasing this set before the price increase. For ordering information, contact your local book stores, or any specialty Mark Twain shops, catalog book dealers, or Oxford University Press itself (800-334-4249). Allow about $20 for shipping. (I've been told, but haven't confirmed, that some catalog dealers are offering the OMT at prices substantially below $295.) OXFORD MARK TWAIN VOLUMES With original dates of publication and names of authors and scholars who have contributed new introductions and afterwords. _The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches_ (1867) Introduction: Roy Blount, Jr. Afterword: Richard Bucci _The Innocents Abroad_ (1869) Intro.: Mordecai Richler Aftwd.: David E.E. Sloane _Roughing It_ (1872) Intro.: George Plimpton Aftwd.: Henry Wonham _The Gilded Age_ (1873) Intro.: Ward Just Aftwd.: Gregg Camfield _Sketches, New and Old_ (1875) Intro.: Lee Smith Aftwd.: Sherwood Cummings _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_ (1876) Intro.: E.L.Doctorow Aftwd.: Albert Stone _A Tramp Abroad_ (1879) Intro.: Russell Banks Aftwd.: James Leonard _Prince and the Pauper_ (1882) Intro.: Judith Martin Aftwd.: Everett Emerson _Life on the Mississippi_ (1883) Intro.: Willie Morris Aftwd.: Lawrence Howe _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_ (1885) Intro.: Toni Morrison Aftwd.: Victor Doyno _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_ (1889) Intro.: Kurt Vonnegut Aftwd.: Louis J. Budd _Merry Tales_ (1892) Intro.: Anne Bernays Aftwd.: Forrest Robinson _The American Claimant_ (1892) Intro.: Bobbie Ann Mason Aftwd.: Peter Messent _The Million Pound Bank-note_ (1893) Intro.: Malcolm Bradbury Aftwd.: James Wilson _Tom Sawyer Abroad_ (1894) Intro.: Nat Hentoff Aftrwd.: M. Thomas Inge _The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins_ (1894) Intro.: Sherley Anne Williams Aftrwd.: David L. Smith _The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc_ (1896) Intro.: Justin Kaplan Aftrwd.: Susan Harris _The Stolen White Elephant and Other Detective Stories_ (1882, 1896, 1902; includes _Tom Sawyer, Dectective_ and _Double-Barrelled Detective Story_) Intro.: Walter Mosley Aftrwd.: Lillian Robinson _How to Tell a Story and Other Essays_ (1897) Intro.: David Bradley; Aftrwd.: Pascal Covici, Jr. _Following the Equator_ & Anti-Imperialist Essays (1897, 1901, 1905) Intro.: Gore Vidal; Aftrwd.: Fred Kaplan _The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories & Essays_ (1900) Intro.: Cynthia Ozick; Aftrwd.: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. _The Diaries of Adam and Eve_ (1904, 1906) Intro.: Ursula Le Guin; Aftrwd.: Laura Skandera-Trombley _What Is Man?_ (1906) Intro.: Charles Johnson; Aftrwd.: Linda Wagner-Martin _The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories_ (1906) Intro.: Frederick Busch; Aftrwd.: Judith Yaross Lee _Christian Science_ (1907) Intro.: Garry Wills; Aftrwd.: Hamlin Hill _Chapters from My Autobiography_ (from pages of the _North American Review_, 1906-1907) Intro.: Arthur Miller; Aftrwd.: Michael Kiskis _1601_ and _Is Shakespeare Dead?_ (1882, 1909) Intro.: Erica Jong; Aftrwd.: Leslie Fiedler _Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven_ (1909) Intro.: Frederik Pohl; Aftrwd.: Jim Miller _Mark Twain's Speeches_ (1910) Intro.: Hal Holbrook; Aftrwd.: David Barrow