Texas Myths ed. by Robert F. O’Connor (review)

Reviews 233 tifies English-language series and their titles, which latter recur in a separate title index. The implicit focus on the twentieth-century paperback market might account for the exclusion of dime novel and pulp fiction forerunners such as “Denver Dan” and “The James Boys,” which are only mentioned s.v. By the same logic, Drew includes “The Rio Kid,” while he omits the other pulp series “The Pecos Kid.” The listings for the twentieth century testify to thorough research on the part of the compilers, not only in the case of such American series as the significant “Powder Valley,” the exotic “Six-Gun Samurai,” and the erotic “Longarm,” but also with regard to non-American series like the Australian “Larry and Stretch” and the British Piccadilly cowboys’ (Harknett, Harvey, Edson) prolific output of sensational series such as “Edge,” “Herne the Hunter,” and “The Floating Outfit.” In the “List of Authors,” by the way, “Steele” is wrongly listed under Harvey rather than Harknett, in addition to Gilman. The compilers kindly say that “there are some gaps and perhaps a few errors,” and they expressly invite information for a future edition. PETER BISCHOFF University of Munster, Germany Texas Myths. Edited by Robert F. O’Connor. (College Station: Texas A &M University Press, 1986. 248 pages, $17.95.) The essence of the sesquicentennial celebration in Texas is perhaps best represented in print not by James Michener’s Texas or even by Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. The spirit of the state may be revealed most clearly in Texas Myths, a collection of perceptive essays exploring the various facets of the myths that merely mentioning Texas calls forth in the minds of people inside and outside the state. The list of impressive authors in the volume includes Richard Bauman; William W. Newcombe, Jr.; William H. Goetzmann; Sandra L. Myres; T. R. Fehrenbach; and James F. Veninga, to name only six of the fourteen whose essays range under the headings of Theory [of Myth]; the Clash of Cultures on the Texas Frontier; and Historical and Contemporary Myths About Nature, the Individual, and Social Life. The question of whether Texas has a single myth or many is unresolved in this book, and would be in ten more books on the subject. The geographic and ethnic diversity in the state presents a major problem with identifying and codifying the viable myths present there. The book certainly addresses the subject well and should lead to even further discussion, which perhaps one day will provide a clearer delineation of the myths that permeate the state. 234 Western American Literature Fortunately, the collection, though varied in concerns, is thematically coherent. The essays are well documented, somewhat scholarly in tone, but quite readable. Several are richly anecdotal with stories and tales of Black, Indian, Mexican, and Anglo cultures. The book provides insight into the contemporary identity questions that most cultures in and out of Texas are struggling with as they become more fragmented under the pressures of modern life. The book is a bold attempt to explore this subject and is certainly worth careful reading. LAWRENCE CLAYTON Hardin-Simmons University Sonovagun Stew: A Folklore Miscellany. Edited by Francis Edward Abernethy . (Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1985.171 pages, $24.95.) Serious folklorists read folklore studies for scientific information and classifications of material. Others read folklore studies for amusement. Neither group will be wholly satisfied by Sonovagun Stew. This volume contains only one study that could be considered serious (a good one on Coyote as Trick­ ster) . The rest of the essays are supposed to be amusing and interesting, yet far too few are. The most disappointing essay in the volume—probably because it prom­ ises so much and treats such fascinating material—purports to compare cowboy and gaucho songs but really examines superficially a handful of each. The conclusion drawn is, in effect, that people who work at similar jobs in similar landscapes have some similar interests. Actually, the songs the authors present clearly show more differences that similarities, and the differences seem extremely profound. Yet the authors barely mention differences. Still, the essay is worth reading if only for the gaucho songs it contains. James Ward Lee’s “Heaven...