&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RPuddnhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RMark Twain&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R

• New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars
• Biographies of the authors
• Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
• Footnotes and endnotes
• Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
• Comments by other famous authors
• Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations
• Bibliographies for further reading
• Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RWritten during &&LB&&RMark Twain&&L/B&&R’s so-called pessimistic period, &&LI&&RPudd’nhead Wilson&&L/I&&R is a darkly comic masterpiece that exposes the wounds of racism in America and the absurdity of judging character based upon class or skin color.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RSet in a small Mississippi River town in the state of Missouri before the Civil War, the novel begins when Roxana, a beautiful slave who can pass for white, switches the child of her master with her own infant son, now called Tom, who grows into a cruel and cowardly man. When Tom’s uncle, Judge Driscoll, is found murdered after a botched robbery attempt, suspicion is cast upon two former sideshow performers, Luigi and Angelo Capello, a pair of good-looking and charming identical twins from Italy. Meanwhile, David “Pudd’nhead” Wilson is a wise but unorthodox lawyer who collects fingerprints as a hobby. Shunned as an eccentric, he ultimately wins the respect of the townspeople when he solves the murder mystery and reveals the true identity of the killer.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&ROften hilarious, sometimes appalling, and always fast-paced, &&LI&&RPudd’nhead Wilson&&L/I&&R is ultimately a fierce condemnation of a racially prejudiced society that was predicated upon the institution of slavery.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RThis edition also includes Twain’s related short story, “Those Extraordinary Twins.”&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LB&&RDarryl Pinckney&&L/B&&R is the author of &&LI&&RHigh Cotton&&L/I&&R, a novel, and, in the Alain Locke Lecture Series, &&LI&&ROut There: Mavericks of Black Literature&&L/I&&R. &&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R