The Mark Twain Forum needs reviewers for the following books: 1. Covici, Pascal, Jr. _Humor and Revelation in American Literature: The Puritan Connection_. Columbia and London: University of Missouri Press, 1997. Pp. 226. Cloth, 6-1/2" x 9-1/2". Bibliography, index. $39.95. ISBN 0-8262-1095-3. Both the Genteel Tradition and Calvinistic Puritanism exhibited a sense of possessing inside information about the workings of the universe and the intentions of the Almighty. In _Humor and Revelation in American Literature_, Pascal Covici, Jr., traces this perspective from its early presence to the humorous tradition in America that has been related to the Old Southwest, showing how American Puritan thought was instrumental in the formative stages of American humor. Covici argues that much of American literature works as humor does, surprising readers into sudden enlightenment. The humor from which Mark Twain derived his early models had the same sort of arrogance as American Puritan thought, especially in regard to social and political truths. Twain transcended the roots of that humor, which run from works of nineteenth-century Americans back to British forms of the eighteenth century. In doing so, he helped shape American literature. In addition to reexamining Twain's art, _Humor and Revelation in American Literature_ considers some of the writers long regarded as among the usual suspects in any consideration of cultural hegemony, including Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville. Covici explores not so much the hypocrisy as the ambivalence repeatedly displayed in American literature. He demonstrates that even though our writers have always had a strong desire to avoid the influences of the past, their independence from its cultural, theological, and psychological effects has been much slower in coming than previously thought. Original and well-written, _Humor and Revelation in American Literature_ will be welcomed by all scholars and critics of American literature, especially those interested in Puritanism, major nineteenth-century writers, Southwestern humor, and Mark Twain. 2. McWilliams, Jim. _Mark Twain in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1874- 1891_. Troy, NY: The Whitston Publishing Company, 1997. Pp. 291. Cloth, 6-1/4" x 9-1/4". Index. $29.50. ISBN 0-87875-469-5. This is an annotated, comprehensive checklist of references to Mark Twain in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (the major daily newspaper of Missouri) from 1874 until the early 1890s when he moved to Europe. There are a surprising number of references to Twain in the newspaper, from casual tidbits to lengthy articles. This checklist is an important contribution to Twain scholarship for three primary reasons: it will add to our biographical knowledge of Twain, i.e., his day-to-day activities; it will tell us what his contemporaries thought of him; and it will lead us to material by Twain that has yet to be entered into any bibliography. This work will be a gold mine for other Twain scholars, providing not only literally hundreds of leads, but also listing many pieces--some previously published and some brand new--actually written by Twain himself. THE AUTHOR: Jim McWilliams has published articles and bibliographies in many journals and reference books . . . He holds degrees from Southwest Missouri State University (B.A. and M.A.) and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (Ph.D.) and has taught at the University of Nebraska and at Southern Illinois University. This is his first book. As usual, the review must be of publishable quality, and it would be due within two months of your receipt of the book (i.e., due early-April 1997). The deadline is particularly important, as we are making every effort for Forum reviews to appear before print reviews. If you are inclined to procrastinate, please don't offer to review the book. If you're interested in reviewing one of these books, please send me both your home and institutional mailing addresses and phone numbers. If I don't already know you, it would be helpful for you to explain in what respect you're qualified to write this review. (If we haven't exchanged e-mail recently, it might be a good idea for you to remind me of this info.) I look forward to hearing from you. Taylor Roberts Coordinator, Mark Twain Forum