Canadian Theatre Review (review)

236 BOOK REVIEWS em.), to The Creation of the World and Other Business, published 26 June 1973 (Trim size: 13.4 x 20.2 em.). Also useful and unusual is a fourteen page comprehensive index. Although this is the best bibliography on Miller's work yet to appear. an unfortunate omission is Miller's "Introduction" to Ken Kesey's Kesey's Garage Sale (New York: The Viking Press. 1973, pp. xiii-xviii), which should be added as item B10 on page 88 in Section B (" First Book Appearances"). Other omissions are slight in such an otherwise impressive work, and consist largely of articles written by others in newspapers. and the quarterlies in which Miller is quoted only in part or paraphrased. Mr. Jensen's bibliographical objective is completeness, which is certainly achieved in the work as a whole. I question. however, whether it is a bibliographic necessity to include, for example. every New York Times article written by a reporter who happens to catch Miller for ten minutes between his hotel and the theater. It seems less vital- even though conceivably useful-to have such fragmentary information as opposed to Miller 's own essays. written with whatever qualifications he may include. and developed at length. Miller is a public figure, often quoted and misquoted by reporters and in terviewers, whose recollections and statements devoid of a specific context are notable for misinterpretation. Such inclusions in an otherwise excellent work of bibliography call forth the single reservation I have about this or any other work of bibliographical scholarship. Of interest to those who will purchase this work are plans by Joseph Katz and George Jensen to provide a continuing update of omissions and additions through the issues of Proof, a journal of interest to bibliographers, edited by Joseph Katz. Bibliography, someone once said, must have a worthy subject. a worthy scope. and be worthily done. On all three counts, Arthur Miller: A Bibliographical Checklist ranks high for its careful attention to the work of one of America's most distinguished playwrights. All things considered, this will be the definitive Arthur Miller bibliography for a long time to come, and therefore indispensable 10 Arthur Miller researchers and scholars. ROBERT A. MARTIN The University of Michigan CANADIAN THEATRE REVIEW, 13 (Winter. 1977). Toronto: York University. 159 pp. $3.00. Canadian Theatre Review is a publication -something between a specialist trade magazine and a scholarly journal- that reports on all aspects of Canadian theatre. Jl has now been running for over three years. enough time to establish a character and a clientele. and the issue under review gives a fair basis for judging the contribution it is making. II shows CTR neither at its best nor at its worst. There have been, in the past, detailed historical pieces of greater interest than anything in this issue; there have also been essays by Canadian theatre professionals which have suggested not creative minds at work but a dull and sou r-tempered little establishment talking to itself. This BOOK REVIEWS 237 issue. whatever its other problems, is mostly free of those. Its main virtue- and this is typical of CTR - is the tremendous range of material presented. There is a special section on obscenity in the theatre. combining historical and philo~ saphicaJ approaches; there is the usual "Carte Blanche" section which includes reports on current theatre in Canada and abroad, reports from conferences, a brief critical essay on James Reaney, and a lament for radio drama. And there is the script of a new play. The range is typical, as is the emphasis on current work. But the price paid for this range is also, alas, typical. With a few exceptions. contributions to CTR tend to be three or four pages long, often with large photographs. A few contributors manage to write as concisely as this format demands, covering a good deal of material in a few paragraphs. But others waste time by waffling on in a general way, or give a quick survey of facts without the analysis needed to put them into perspective. This accounts for my earlier hesitation as to what sort of animal CTR is. It is published by York University and...