Mark Twain's Mysterious Stranger: A Study of the Manuscript Texts

Hardback with dust jacket. Sholom J. Kahn, Author. Approximate size, 5.75 x 8.25. University of Missouri Press, Publisher. The jacket illustration is reprinted from Mark Twain: A Biography by Albert Bigelow Paine (Harper & Brothers, 1912). Total 252 pages. The pages are age toned lightly. The book is in very good condition with sharp clean corners, the spine is tight and straight, the pages are unmarked by markings or tears. The boards are black with silver lettering on the spine. The endpages are deep green in color. 1978 Edition. The dust jacket is lightly tanned and/or lightly browned due to aging process of the book paper, the outer edges and the spine are especially a darker toned tan. The original sales price is in the inside flap of the dust jacket. The dust jacket appears to have only one tiny tear at the upper front corner of the jacket. "Sholom J. Kahn gives the true texts a fresh reading, offering the first detailed criticism of works of central importance for an understanding of the entire Twain canon. In his final decade, Twain began some remarkable experimentation, writing fantastic 'fables' about the 'damned human race.' Among these were the three 'Mysterious stranger' manuscripts, entitled 'The Chronicle of Young satan,' 'Schoolhouse Hill,' and 'No.44, The Mysterious stranger.' These manuscripts differ widely in setting, plot, and characters; yet certain basic situations, and the angel named 'Young Satan' who is later metamorphosed into 'No.44,' appear in all three." A very good read and a very interesting book! Add this one to your Mark Twain collection, it is a good one to have! A must read book and one that will make a great conversational topic. *9BC2