While it’s certainly not necessary that one be a Twain expert to enjoy this collection, readers who have some familiarity with Twain and a fondness for his work and his history will get the most out of it. This one-sitting read would be a great gift for lovers of American literature and a nice addition to any serious reader’s library.

Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog. ( )

While I am a Twain aficionado, I'm by no means an expert on his works. I feel this disclaimer is necessary because great Twain scholars are probably even now queuing up their full-scale reviews of this book. While I can't help but admire his fiction, it is Twain's essays which I look to for inspiration and Who is Mark Twain? did not disappoint. What I found especially interesting is that, according to Robert Hirst, General Editor of the Mark Twain Project (what a dream job that must be!), Twain wanted these works published. It mattered not whether they were incomplete, inicindiary, or as, in the case of "Frank Fuller and My First New York Lecture," the roughest of drafts, Twain put them in his "box of Posthumous Stuff" to let the readers decide their worth. Brave man! Ahh, well, his opening essay, "Whenever I Am About to Publish a Book" (which I blogged about here) made it pretty clear he cared about readers and not critics. Yes, I think that would make one a braver (and perhaps better?) writer. How different is his perspective on posthumous works than that of Nabokov, who so feared death as the ultimate loss of control over his work (or so it seems) that he wished for his unfinished works to be destroyed.

These essays are invaluable for the insight they give into Twain's writing process -- how he developed the essay's point of view by circling round things for a while, then settling like an eagle in its perch to declare what's wise or foolish. Perhaps because I've just undergone some painful moments in the dental chair, I particularly enjoyed his essay on "Happy Memories of the Dental Chair." Also, on this the day of another postage hike, "On Postage Rates on Authors' Manuscript" is a must-read. (Thank god the world is switching to cheaper digital submissions, is all I can say). But now, as I go back over the essays once again, I want to list what's special about each and every one of them, which tells me, this is a must-read for essay lovers, Twain lovers and writers one and all. Take one more trip with Twain. You won't be sorry. ( )

Disappointing publication of unfinished and unpublished Twain works. Some good ideas scattered in the 24 stories and essays, but nothing wonderful like other Twain works. ( )