Moments With Mark Twain

Beginning hi his preface to the “Uniform Edition” of his works, Mark Twain wrote: “So far as I remember, I have never seen an Aut­hor‘s Preface which had any purpose but one—to fur­nish reasons for the publication of the book. Prefaces wear many disguises, call themselves by various na­mes, and pretend to come on various businesses, but I think that upon examination we are quite sure to find that their errand is always the same: they are there to apologize for the book; in other words, furnish rea­sons for its publication. This often insures brevity.”