A Treasury of Nebraska Pioneer Folklore by Roger L. Welsch (review)

Reviews 71 Jack London: A Bibliography. Compiled by Hensley C. Woodbridge, John London, and George H. Tweney. (Georgetown, California: The Talisman Press, 1966. $15.00.) The bibliography is a major contribution to Jack London scholarship. The book is divided into two parts. Part one includes the writings -of Jack London: books, collections in English, anthologies in English, foreign language collections and anthologies, short stories, contributions to periodicals, contribu­ tions to newspapers, introductions and prefaces, separately published ephemera, spurious works, and motion pictures based on London’s works. Part two includes writings about Jack London: books and pamphlets in English, parts of books about London in English, articles about London in English, foreign writings about London, theses and dissertations, reviews of books in English, and reviews of books in foreign languages. The coverage is amazingly extensive, and up to 1966 would give a scholar a practically complete bibliographical reference. The book is ex­ tremely well organized, which makes it a quick as well as authoritative refer­ ence source to London material. It has both a title index and- a personal name index, which is naturally a great advantage to the user. The coverage, the organization, the practical usability, the double index, and the information and accuracy of the individual entries reflect the painstak­ ing and scholarly work of the compilers. It is a book that should be in the hands of every teacher of western American literature and in the libraries of all the colleges and universities where American literature is taught. K in g H e n d r ic k s , Utah State University A Treasury of Nebraska Pioneer Folklore. Compiled by Roger L. Welsch. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1966. xviii+391 pages. Illus. index, motif analysis. $5.95.) In an attractive, readable form Roger L. Welsch has put together his gleanings from various early efforts toward collecting Nebraska folklore. He has, for instance, relied heavily upon the Nebraska Folklore Pamphlets, a series of publications resulting from the Federal Writers’ Project of the 1930s. A Treasury of Nebraska Pioneer Folklore is a good demonstration of the in­ herent value of certain of these pioneer attempts and ought to encourage other folklorists to re-examine library holdings as an exercise ancillary to field collection. Mr. Welsch, in a scholarly yet readable introduction says that his heavy indebtedness to the NFP will likely cause the book to reflect their weaknesses and that he can only hope that his selections “contain most of the diamonds and only a little of the gravel.” He can be reassured that they do. 72 Western American Literature The structure of the book is also engaging. Following the introduction are the three principal divisions of the work: “Songs and Dances,” “Tales,” and “Customs.” Not only does each division have a short explanatory essay but also each individual entry within the division has at least a paragraph telling from whom the item was collected and supplying sufficient scholarly remarks to place it in historical and folkloric perspective. “Songs and Dances” includes the topics “Songs of Trail and Prairie,” “Songs of the Farmers’ Alliance,” and “Square Dances.” This section is en­ hanced by the inclusion of the music for six of the songs. Of particular interest to a generation for whom protest is not an unknown reaction are the “Songs of the Farmers’ Alliance.” In hi-s introduction Mr. Welsch makes it clear that certain folklorists would reject the Alliance songs as folklore and cites reasons for such exclusion. He then observes that “another school . . . would accept them as folksongs for they were born of and sung by ‘the folk.’ ” By including them in his Treasury, he makes his own inclinations clear. And to avoid expending energy upon matters that do not yet admit of resolution, he refers the reader to John Greenway’s American Folksongs of Protest for a recital of the arguments pro and con. This is sound judgment. A motif analysis for the Tales (“Whiteman’s Tales” and “Indian Tales” ) is included as an appendix. Although one might be initially troubled by the title, perhaps this work will restore the luster to good compilations and collections that are indeed treasuries. L o u ie W...