Most of us know Mark Twain as a distant figure in American literary history and the author of Huck Finn. But it turns out that Twain was also a daring humorist, an insecure writer, and a searing cultural critic. I’ve been reading his unpublished essays in anticipation of our publication next April, and am really surprised by how wickedly funny he is, not to mention ahead of his time.

There’s one essay titled “Whenever I am About to Publish a Book” in which Twain explains how, before he publishes a book, he always reads the manuscript to “a private group of friends, composed as follows:

1. Man and woman with no sense of humor.

2. Man and woman with medium sense of humor.

3. Man and woman with prodigious sense of humor.

4. An intensely practical person.

5. A sentimental person.

6. A person who must have a moral in, and purpose.

7. Hypercritical person.

8. Enthusiast

9. Person who watches the others, and applauds or condemns with the majority.

10. Half a dozen bright young girls and boys, unclassified.

11. Person who relishes slang, and familiar flippancy.

12. Person who detest them.

13. Person of evenly balanced judicial mind.

14. Man who always goes to sleep.

Market research is one of the ways we want to use our blog. We’ve watched with interest as authors have increasingly been using the internet in the same way that Mark Twain used this group. So, in the spirit of Mark Twain, we’re doing some market research for his next publication.

Here are two possible jackets for WHO IS MARK TWAIN? by Mark Twain. Let us know what you think.

Turns out some people think Mark Twain would have loved blogging too.

Debbie