Jack London First Editions: A Chronological Reference Guide by James E. Sisson III and Robert W. Martens (review)

234 Western American Literature true as are “A Twenty-four-Hour, Seven-Days-a-week Preacher,” “The Killings,” and “The Education of Robert.” That which is important to the rural East Texas folks is all here. Harvey W. Johnson has illustrated the work impressionistically and Texas A&M University Press has done a fine job of printing. JAMES M. DAY The University of Texas at El Paso Jack London First Editions: A Chronological Reference Guide. By James E. Sisson III and Robert W. Martens. (Oakland, California: Star Rover House, 1979. 140 pages.) Few American authors have excited the large loyal band of followers that march after Jack London to snap up any book, essay, or tidbit that appears about their hero. While some of the groupies lack sufficient perspective to see their man in context, others avoid the provinciality of their brethren. Still other aficionados aim at providing useful information about London the man and writer without attempting to evaluate his writings or interpret his life. The volume under review seems to fit this third category. This book will be especially useful for London collectors all over the world who vie for first editions of London’s more than fifty volumes. The editors, Sisson and Martens (the former seems to have done most of the bibliographical work in the volume), provide London buffs with extensive information about the first editions of all his works and additional com­ mentary on some variant first editions. This commentary will be of primary importance to collectors; of less value to other London specialists not likely to hunger and thirst after first editions. The most extensive commentary is provided on those posthumously-published books, Daughters of the Rich (1971) and Gold (1972), which Sisson helped edit for publication. The “Foreword” (Martens) and “Introduction” (Sisson) are brief and add little to general accounts of London’s life and career. In short, this book will appeal most to avid London collectors, less to other students of London, and least to general students of western American literature. One hopes that Sisson will now turn his notable skills in ferreting out obscure information about London to projects of even broader interest to specialists in western literature. For example, no one has examined the possible changes between London’s serial and book publications; the details of the writing and publication of Call of the Wild need treatment; we know little about international critical reactions to London’s works (except in Russia); and we have no collection of London’s earliest magazine publica­ Reviews 235 tions. The London Revival will continue; that seems certain. Such persons as Sisson and Martens can support the Revival by continuing to turn up new information about London, but their contributions will be even more important if they turn their abundant energies, enthusiasm, and talents to more significant projects concerning Jack London and his times. RICHARD W. ETULAIN, University of New Mexico The American Indian in Short Fiction: An Annotated Bibliography. By Peter G. Beidler and Marion F. Egge. (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1979. 215 pages, $10.00.) American Indian Poetry. By Helen Addison Howard. (Boston: Twayne, 1979. 191 pages.) American Indian Literature: An Anthology. Edited and with an introduc­ tion by Alan R. Velie. (Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1979. 356 pages, $15.95 cloth, $6.95 paper.) Of these three books — each full of promise at first glance — only The American Indian in Short Fiction lives up to its promise. That is so in part because the authors’ preface does not promise a comprehensive bibliography of all American short stories about American Indians, but only a bibliography which has located “a sufficiently large number of stories to enable scholars to identify characteristic trends.” They have done so: 900 stories are listed alphabetically by author’s name, with plot summaries for each. Two indexes are provided: one by Indian Tribes (150 are listed), the other by “Subject Key Words” (50 are listed. Examples: Drunken Indian, Cultural Misunderstanding, Educational Disorientation/IndianNon -Indian Inner Conflict, Humor, Reservation, Romance, Science Fiction/ Fantasy). For the scholar wishing to research American attitudes toward the Indian as revealed in short fiction beginning in the late 19th century and continuing up to...