Colorful, irreverent, romantic, skeptical, a master of comic asides, a bittersweet humorist, and an unflinching critic of human pretensions, Mark Twain speaks to us across time with verve and wisdom. On the occasion of the centennial of his birth, Oxford is issuing a paperback set of our landmark 29 volume collection, The Oxford Mark Twain. In addition to gathering together most of the writings ever published by Twain in the U.S., each volume is introduced by one of our most eminent writers. Their essays combine critical insights and personal appreciations of Twain as a fellow writer. An interpretive essay by a leading scholar that sets the book in its context concludes each volume. At the heart of each is a facsimile edition of Twain's original which captures its contemporary flavor. Many include original illustrations which suggest the life and times of the books in a way that other editions cannot. This remarkable offering will be treasured by all lovers of literature.