Mark, that Twain passage gave me a good laugh this afternoon!

But I didn't know that Twain felt his Innocents Abroad was less than
perfect.  True, it takes a lot of effort sometimes to get through the
descriptive passages, but some of Twain's best humor is in this book.  Too
bad he didn't appreciate it over time, but I'd still say--even after several
readings--that it's all still very good.

Cordially,

Vern