Oklahoma: A History (review)

400Southwestern Historical QuarterlyJanuary Death Lore cannot and should not be judged as a work of history. The book's study of the formal and informal rituals surrounding death is neither an examination of the nineteenth-century "art of dying" nor a catalogued explication of these rituals. It can only be critiqued for what it purports to be: a description of the subjective impact of death on the living, as told in personal stories. The essays in Death Lore touch on several ethnic groups in Texas, but the vast majority are stories about the authors' own friends and relatives, primarily Anglo, told in first person with occasional accompanying poetry or folksongs, many written by the authors themselves. One memorable essay, for instance, describes life at a Lubbock funeral parlor belonging to the author's family. Another deals with the struggle to bury a beloved pet cat. The final essay, apparendy the author's reflections on consciousness and the supernatural, is at the far end of the spectrum. There arc notable exceptions to this pattern, however; two árdeles regarding the celebratíon ?? Día de hs Muertos (Day of the Dead) among Hispanic Texans focus more on the anthropological and historical underpinnings to the ritual. Due to die nature of the essays included, the resultant book is highly anecdotal but largely uninformative. The atmosphere is reminiscent of a family reunion, where old friends share their stories and their sympathies with others oflike mind. Although the essays are grouped in sections (essays on cemeteries in one section, for example, funerals in another), within these essays themselves the stories are placed almost randomly, as they would be in casual conversation. Given the goals of the Texas Folklore Society, this may be intentional, but it makes it difficult for those interested in studying death and its cultural framework to glean information for their own research. As noted above, this does not include the studies mentioned above regarding Día de hs Muertos or, in addition, a fascinating exploration of life on death row in the state penitendary at Huntsville. The Society's hesitatíon at being too steeped in academia is understandable and in many ways refreshing. History is meant to be shared, not guarded behind unnecessarily technical and exclusive language. Nevertheless, it would be helpful to provide at least a basic framework for Death Lore's stories to hang upon. Lacking this, Death Lore remains a diverting read for a general audience, ideally one with a taste for the unusual. In that, I think, they have achieved their goals. Richardson, TexasAdrienne Caughfield Oklahoma: A Hutory. By W. David Baird and Danney Goble. 2nd ed. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008. Pp. 356. Illustrations, maps, recommended readings, index. ISBN 9780806139104, $24.95 cloth.) Respected Oklahoma historians Baird and Goble have contributed a second edition of their history of Oklahoma and its people, which began life as a wellreceived textbook for Oklahoma junior high and high school students when it was first published in 1 994. The prologue provides an overview of Oklahoma's landscape and sets the stage for conceptualizing the influence the state's physical features had on the course of its history. The narrative format provides texture as the story of Oklahoma unfolds across the pages. 2?? o Book Reviews401 American Indians played a dominate role in the history of Oklahoma in the nineteenth century, and the authors place this part of the story in the broader context of the history of the United States. From big-game hunters, to drilling for oil, to conservation efforts to save the forests and soil, to storm watching, to the Oklahoma City Bombing, the authors paint Oklahoma history in broad strokes, which may leave some readers wanting to know more about specific events and places. Oklahomans such as C. M. Beiden, Charles Haskell, Alice Mary Robertson , Henry Bellmon, and Elva Shartel Ferguson are highlighted. There is even a brief mention of "Pretty Boy" Floyd and other infamous people of questionable character. As transportation improved, the state grew and changed. From trails to trains to interstate highways, the authors emphasize how modernization has impacted the state through the movement ofpeople and products. Agriculture has played— and cont...