The popular rumor that the body of Laurence Sterne was exhumed and sold to anatomy students forms the metaphor for this study of imitation. Oakley (English, Leeds University) looks first at the ways that Sterne used mimicry in his own work, in Tristram Shandy, his letters and some minor works and then discusses the use made of Sterne's writing by editors, writers and publishers after his death. The work was often dissected and reassembled in anthologies tailored to suit particular readers. Sterne's subtle comparison of Yorick's mental and physical excitement was truncated, with only the erotic parts remaining. Many authors took themes from the stories to create their own interpretations, much as Sherlock Holmes has spawned an industry far removed from Conan Doyle. Oakley posits reasons that are endemic to the books and to Sterne's personality that encouraged others to remake his works from the author's death to the present. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)