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Reviews 365 volume which deals with sociological as well as historical dimensions in describing both Santa Fe and Taos. Although he is not a participant in the esthetic pursuits of art, music, and literature in the two colonies, he reports in faithful detail the objectives, performances, and consequences of life among painters, musicians, novelists, and poets in each of the communities he writes about. His product, therefore, can be read with the interest of a narrative as well as a critique of creative accomplishment. In an early chapter of his book, Professor Gibson stresses the background which the southwestern mountain colonies have with such eastern art groups as Woodstock in the foothills of New York state, the MacDowell colony in New Hampshire, New Hope in Delaware near Philadelphia, and Provincetown near Cape Cod. However, few of these artistic retreats can match the environ­ ment of the lengthy Spanish occupation of Santa Fe or the three-level com­ munity dwellings and underground kivas of the Pueblo Indians at Taos where the Indians in costume danced to become models for painters in Taos. The black mantillas of women and the colorful jackets of woodhaulers in Santa Fe provided diversion in the landscape as men guided caravans of burros trans­ porting wood for stoves and fireplaces in the city. Professor Gibson stresses the spectacular aspects of mesas, mountains, and archeological sites in New Mexico. He also notes the brilliant light of sun and sky in the clear air and landscape of the far southwestern towns. His text is filled with the names and inventive activities of men and women who founded new cultural institutions which adapted Anglo-American patterns of thinking and social customs to Indian-Spanish viewpoints. “Anglo” as a communi­ cative term assumed new meanings placed beside the term “native,” which, strange to declare, substituted for “Spanish American,” rather than for “Indian.” A review that covers a period that extends over four decades cannot list the names of all the individuals who earned fame or established cultural insti­ tutions during that time. Professor Gibson’s book gives his sources for bio­ graphical and literary references. Photographs of individuals, buildings, and places contribute value to his text. He proves conclusively that history is animated as well as factual, personal as well as social. This reviewer often visited in Santa Fe and Taos in the years from 1927 to 1942. He became acquainted with many of the colonists in each place. He congratulates the author upon the authenticity of his work and its imaginative treatment. T. M. PEARCE, University of New Mexico The Novels Of Jack London — A Reappraisal. By Charles N. Watson, Jr. (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1983. 304 pages.) If you happened to stroll through a bookstore and saw The Novels Of Jack London — A Reappraisal, by Charles N. Watson, Jr., you might not buy 366 Western American Literature it because of its dreadful dust jacket. The cover resembles a gothic version of one of Jack London’s nightmares; a haunted hollow-eyed figure stares for­ lornly from a hot blue background of clouds. Passing up the book would be a serious mistake, though, because it is a splendid re-evaluation of London’s reputation as a novelist. Watson sensitively examines nine of Jack London’s novels, including A Daughter Of The Snows, The Call Of The Wild, The Sea Wolf, White Fang, The Iron Heel, Martin Eden, Burning Daylight, The Valley Of The Moon, and The Little Lady Of The Big House. He argues that London’s novels reveal the chief conflict within his own character — “the uneasy mar­ riage between the sensitive, bookish aspirant to art and culture and the brash adventurer, the ‘brain merchant’ for whom writing was only another trade.” He portrays London with a double vision which stems from his life as a lonely proletarian writer, on one hand, and as Charmian’s loving husband on the other. Although he describes this duality, he fails to fully explain the conse­ quences of these contradictions both personally and professionally. However, Watson skillfully explores the novels from a biographical perspective and identifies London’s debt to other writers like Kipling, Conrad, and Melville. Generally his discussion of...

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