April 2011 — Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 (University of California Press, 760 pages, $34.95), edited by Harriet Elinor Smith and other editors of the Mark Twain Project

This uncensored autobiography is published just as Mark Twain wrote it a century ago. The first of three volumes, this edition includes 66 line figures and photos that augment the text.

Why has it taken so long for this book to appear? By Twain’s own request, the memoir was not to be published until 100 years after his death so that he could speak freely “with his whole frank mind” about his ideas, without any form of self-censorship.

You might call this book Mark Twain’s blog for the 21st century. The editors had at their disposal a collection of four years of the author’s dictations, compiled from over 5,000 manuscript pages.

The material in this first volume covers the period from 1904-06 and provides the author’s candid thoughts, insights into his relationships with family and friends and true stories behind his fiction.

Brimming with Twain’s humor, ideas and opinions, this is certainly a book that anyone interested in the writer’s work and life will want to read. Don’t be deterred by the number of pages, though. You can read it in small increments and some of the book’s bulk is due to the scholarly notes included, which explain how the material was assembled and edited.

Buy it now and take your time reading it, but try to be finished by the time the second installment is released!

Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens (Anchor Books, 336 pages, $17), by Mark Lamster

As you’ll discover when you read this fascinating biography, Peter Paul Rubens was more than just one of the 17th century’s finest artists. Due to his artistic celebrity, Rubens had access to all the royal courts of his time. Consequently, although he might be working on an artistic commission, the skilled painter was often also engaging in secret diplomacy on behalf of one ruler or another.

Better known for his portraits and exquisite altarpieces, Rubens became one of the most sought after diplomats of his time, and his savvy behind-the-scenes negotiating skills rivaled his reputation as an artist.

In this comprehensive biography, Mark Lamster delves into Rubens’ double life in great detail. Witty and intensely informative, the narrative is accompanied by eight pages of color illustrations that show the scope of the artist’s work. Anyone interested in Rubens as a painter will find this discussion of the other facet of his life fascinating.

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession (Vintage, 416 pages, $15.95), by David Grann

This collection of true stories investigates individuals whose fixations steered them into unfathomable and often deadly situations. As the author explains in the book’s introduction, only one of these stories touches on the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — and that piece actually is about the curious death of the world’s foremost Holmes expert. In fact, Graham Moore recently authored a mystery novel about the man entitled The Sherlockian.

The other 11 chapters delve into the stories of an eclectic range of personalities — including a French con artist, Frederic Bourdin, who could change personalities as easily as most people change clothes. Unfortunately for the pathological liar, the cleverest “con” he was involved in was the one someone played on him.

You’ll also meet giant squid hunter Steve O’Shea — he’s a marine biologist from New Zealand — and accompany sandhog Jimmy Ryan as he takes you on a tour of New York City’s underground water tunnels.

In “Crimetown, U.S.A.” — a story he subtitles “The City That Fell in Love With the Mob.” And then there’s the very odd tale of obsession that centers on former baseball great Rickey Henderson. After his productive years were over, the Hall of Famer — refusing to accept the ravages of age — joined the Golden Baseball League, which was considered to be “the bottom of the bottom.” Playing for less than $3,000 a month, Henderson joined the San Diego Surf Dawgs, trying to recapture his former “glory days.”

“To steal a base, you need to think you’re invincible,” Henderson told the author. Sadly, his stint with the Dawgs proved the former base-stealing king wasn’t!