NOTE: I WAS CONNECTED WITH THE PRODUCTION OF THE OXFORD MARK TWAIN COLLECTION, SO PLEASE TAKE ALL MY COMMENTS IN THE SELF-SERVING SPIRIT IN WHICH THEY ARE INTENDED. I must respectfully disagree with Matthew. Although the dubiously named "comprehensive" edition from Random House does have MORE material, that does not mean it is a better scholarly edition or that it will serve your personal collection better over the long run. Both the Oxford Mark Twain and the Random House editions have excellent essays by Vic Doyno, and both have wonderfully reproduced illustrations. However, the Oxford edition of Huckleberry Finn has three major advantages over the Random House: 1) The essay by Toni Morrison. In is she describes the thrill she encountered the first time she read the book, and explains its lasting influence on her and other writers. This essay alone is reason to buy the set. In a better world, her essay would lay to rest the turmoil the book has endured in recent American racial discourse. In this world, it will open up some minds and reinforce the arguments of those of us who see Huck Finn as an essential document in the process of understanding race in 19th century America. If Jane Smiley troubled you last year, then you need to read Morrison on Huck. Lend it to people who still take Smiley's article seriously. 2) The essay by Ray Sapirstein and Beverly David. They do what no other scolars of this book have been able to do. They explain how Edward Kemble's original illustrations open up exciting new readings of the text, and show just how much interest and control over illustrations Twain exercised. Sapirstein and David have interesting essays in every volume that serve to elevate this set above previous Twain collections. 3) The fact that as a facsimile of the first American edition you will get a much better picture of what Twain meant for his readers to read and how publishers at the time constructed his books. Each volume has a note on the text by Robert Hirst and another mini-essay by Sapirstein and David that describe how these books were designed and sold. So, the Oxford edition of Huck IS essential. In addition, I would suggest buying the following volumes: * _1601_, because you can't get it anywhere else. *_Jumping Frog_, because Roy Blount's forward is so funny it "warms up" the reader to the humor of the young, irreverent Twain himself. Imagine seeing Richard Pryor warm up an audience for Lenny Bruce. No, just go ahead and imagine Roy Blount warming up an audience for Mark Twain. There. Nice, huh? * _The Prince and the Pauper_ for the forward on how the book can be read as a comment on American manners, written by Miss Manners herself, Judith Martin. This is my favourite forward in the set. I had never really enjoyed this book much before, but Martin gave me a reason to really get into it. She is a skilled humorist in her own right. This world, and this set, would be much ruder without her. Picking two or three volumes out of the collection is a tough assignment. While the three best forwards are by Morrison, Blount and Martin, even the less interesting or influential Twain works, like _Christian Science_ and _Joan of Arc_ are enriched by entertaining forwards and insightful afterwords. The best thing to do is spend some time with a set in a library, scan the forwards and afterwords, and select which books best fit your interests. Have fun, Siva Siva Vaidhyanathan American Studies Department University of Texas Austin, TX