Book Reviews

A Trial Furnace: Southern Utah's Iron Mission

By Morris A. Shirts and Kathryn H. Shirts (Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 2001 xx + 523 pp $29.95.)

DURING THE INITIAL DECADE of Mormon settlement in Utah, the new residents attempted to create an independent economic society. Their distance from eastern suppliers and the anticipation of continuing immigration pressed leaders to establish a system of domestic production. They dreamt of being able not only to raise ample food but also to manufacture such things as paper, cotton, sugar, and iron. They hoped to meet the needs of the many settlements being established within the Great Basin By so doing, they could reduce dependence on distant suppliers and address the serious shortage of currency needed to buy products abroad

From this need was born the mission system. BrighamYoung and his colleagues "called" specific groups to go to locations where these specialized products could be generated. On e such effort was launche d wit h high expectations—th e Iron Mission near Parowan/Cedar City in southern Utah.

Morris Shirts spend a good portion of his life researching the story of the Southern Utah Iron Mission—the period from 1851 to 1870. He died with the manuscript only partially completed, but his daughter-in-law utilized his research notes and brought the book to fulfillment in time for the 150th anniversary of the colony's founding Brigham Young University Press recently released the book, which will be of interest to many, especially the residents of Utah's Iron County and the descendants of the Iron Mission pioneers

Appropriately, the account begins with the story of the Parley P Pratt expedition that explored the main southern Utah routes in 1849, designating sites for further settlements Even though they nearly perished, the fifty men made it over the mountains and into what became Parowan Then, after they examined the nearby iron ore that Jefferson Hunt had discovered earlier, they sent messages back to the general conference confirming the existence of that resource Brigham Young responded quickly by sending George A Smith and fifty men (some with families) to settle the valley of the Little Salt Lake and begin the production of iron

The authors describe the trek of the "called" missionaries as they retraced the Pratt pathway (later the Interstate 15 corridor) each of twenty-six days. They then turn to a detailed account of village building and the missionaries' choosing between Center Creek and Muddy Creek, selecting local officers, exploring the surrounding area, building a fort and homes, creating farms, digging ditches, plowing fields, and erecting fences.

The account details the founding of Cedar City, its later move to the present location, and the discovery of nearby coal veins. It then turns to the main theme—the attempt to produce iron This was a high priority for the missionaries because all Mormon towns needed nails, axes, horseshoes, wire, shovels, blades, hammers, and other items they could make from iron. They knew the whole "kingdom" awaited their success, but there were many obstacles The Iron Mission colony needed to eat, and much of their effort was diverted into farming Most of all, furnaces had to be built, coal and iron ore mined, and roads constructed. Finally, in September 1852, they produced the first bar of iron, but it was of disappointing quality, hinting at what the future had in store for them

A score of difficulties followed—cold weather, lack of adequate charcoal, Indian dangers, floods, internal squabbles, drought, and lack of adequate equipment Both the central and the local leaders determined to overcome each difficulty. They transformed the mission into a commercial venture with capital from European members They scoured America and Europe for possible workers and they force-fed the operation, building several different ovens and trying several formulas. The result was that by April 1854 they did in fact produce iron, but its quality never reached expectations and the cost to produce it outweighed the profits.

Interruptions caused by the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the Utah War slowed the iron project. Then, after one last try, the effort was officially ended Like some other missions attempting to create an economic independence, the Iron Mission had to shift its emphasis Many people left, but the agricultural dimensions continued on. The long-range result was the byproduct—getting towns established and bringing people to set up Mormon communities and farm the land. It would have been helpful if the authors had shown a comparison with the Cotton Mission, which began next door, and other efforts at economic independence, most of which were gradually abandoned in favor of simply creating agricultural settlements

The strength of the book is the rich documentary base that the authors consulted, diaries of men such as John D Lee, George A Smith, Joseph Fish, Henry Lunt, Isaac C Haight, and William Dame and institutional records such as the ledgers of the Deseret Iron Company It is a well-researched and significant book

DOUGLAS D. ALDER Dixie College

Writings of John D. Lee

Edited by Samuel Nyal Henrie (Tucson: Hats Off Books, 2001 viii + 427 pp Paper, $22.95.)

SAMUEL NYAL HENRIE HAS MADE an important contribution to Utah history by publishing the Writings of John D. Lee, even though it strikes at the very heart of the controversial Mountain Meadows Massacre. This volume includes eight parts. In part one, Henrie sets forth his goal of presenting Lee's worldview and view of his role in the massacre at Mountain Meadows through Lee's personal writings Part two contains the autobiography that Lee wrote while he was in prison. Part three includes the confession that Lee dictated to stenographers while awaiting his execution Part four reproduces the official report of Lee's arrest by United States marshal William Stokes Part five is comprised of a portion of the testimony of Phillip Klingonsmith during the first trial, a brief description of Lee's experience in the territorial prison, and the testimony of several witnesses from the second trial. Part six includes letters Lee wrote while in prison to family members, two poems, a list of his wives and children, and his farewell to his family. Part seven describes the execution of John D Lee In the epilogue, Henrie gives his interpretation of the value and meaning of the documents. He then describes the recent efforts to bring reconciliation between the Mormons and the descendants of those who died in 1857. In this regard, he inserts the talk that Shirley Pyron gave and the poem Stewart Udall recited at the dedication service of the new monument at one gravesite in 1999.

By arranging these documents in this sequence and by providing an introduction to each document, Henrie seeks to strip away the prejudice against Mormons that previous editors had inserted in The Life and Confession of John D. Lee and Mormonism Unveiled. Many readers will find The Writings ofJohn D. Lee a more believable account than these earlier publications because Henrie has placed these writings within the positive context of the recent efforts at reconciliation between the people of Utah and Arkansas As a result, this book may reach Henrie's expectation of filling a vacuum between the intense anti-Mormon literature on the one hand and the scholarship of authors such as Juanita Brooks on the other hand by having John D Lee speak for himself through his own words.

Nevertheless, there are a number of distracting errors in this book First, several mistakes appear in the transcriptions of the original documents. For example, on page 31 the text reads "nest" spring instead of "next" spring The text on page 99 says 'The " instead of "he." Again, Henrie transcribed "and" as "anal" on page 193

Second, Henrie's editorial comments contain several factual mistakes O n page three, he identifies Joseph Smith with the "Great Awakening," but Smith lived during the "Second Great Awakening." Page five places handcarts in the 1846 exodus, but handcarts were not used for another ten years. Henrie incorrectly dates Juanita Brooks's study of the massacre as written in 1930 His epilogue assigns 1856 as the date for the massacre.

Third, he uses several questionable interpretations. O n page 273, he treats the "Mormon War" as "a political trick to get a Federal Army out of the East." O n the same page, he incorrectly discusses the anti-polygamy legislation Under the Morrell AntiBigamy Law of 1862, he claims "the penalties...went so far as to arrest the Mormo n General Authorities and even the possible dissolution of the L.D.S. Church organization." Actually, the Mormon-controlled probate courts rendered this law ineffective

Fourth, some editorial comments are so brief that they fail to clearly treat the topic O n page 324 Henrie simply says, "Dr Forney was sent from the east to retrieve the children and return them to their surviving relatives." In 1850 Brigham Young became the ex-officio superintendent of Indian affairs and governor of the territory When President James Buchanan replaced Young, he divided these two appointments, and Jacob Forney became superintendent of Indian affairs. When government officials developed their plan to recover the children, they turned to Forney for his help.

Finally, the value of this book would be significantly increased if a good map of the region, biographical notes about the people mentioned in the text, and a complete index were included Nevertheless, people intrigued by the Mountai n Meadows Massacre, Mormon culture, and Utah and the American West will discover this book valuable to read and add to their library.

LAWRENCE G COATES Brigham Young University, Idaho

Ute Indian Arts and Culture: From Prehistory to the New Millennium

Edited by William Wroth (Colorado Springs: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 2000 xiii + 248 pp Cloth, $85.00; paper, $45.00.)

WILLIAM WROTH HAS CREATED a masterpiece This colorful and well-illustrated work grabs your attention immediately, and it does not let you go until you have gleaned over it several times. I have witnessed my son pick up the book and review it again and again If it is Wroth s intent to call attention to the beauty of the Ute Indian culture and generate respect for the Ute people (within as well as outside the tribe), then he has succeeded

Most, but not all, of the items featured in this volume are from the Southern Ute of Colorado, those who traditionally occupied parts of the south-central portion of Colorado and northern New Mexico and who now reside on the Southern Ute Reservation or the Ut e Mountai n Ut e Reservation, bot h in southwestern Colorado Other items featured came from the Northern Ute, who now reside on the Uintah and Ouray Ute Reservation (with headquarters in Fort Duchesne, Utah). Of the original eleven bands of Ute who occupied Utah, southern Wyoming, Colorado, and southern New Mexico, only three of the bands (Muache, Capote, and Weeminuche) remain in Colorado, while another three bands (Uintah, White River, and Uncompahgre) now reside in Utah.

My best compliment to Wroth is that his work has brought the public into the present-day homes of Ute people in Utah and Colorado; the book provides a glimpse of the attributes of Ute culture and an idea of what life was like during the latter part of the nineteenth century It also gives a taste of what I witnessed and experience d growin g up on th e Uinta h and Oura y Ut e Reservation in Utah. As a child, I enjoyed moments when my mother and father would open our cedar chest and display many family heirlooms I remember one time it was a silver bridle, another time it was a beautiful beaded parade horse blanket. Sometimes it would be something new that I had not experienced before. Sometimes the importance of the item, its history, and who made it would be shared I recall the time I was told about a fully beaded vest that was a gift from an elderly family friend, Edgar Greenstick, who lived northeast of Duchesne near Yellowstone, sometimes referred to as the Lake Fork area of the reservation. The vest had teepee designs, a design that was borrowed by the White River Band of Utes from the Lakota nations to the north

Sometimes these items of regalia were brought out as our family prepared to perform for a group at a tribal or public function. When I was young child in the 1960s, the powwow culture was on the wane The largest major powwow event in the West was the Gallup Ceremonials held in the spring in Gallup, Ne w Mexico. In fact, at one point, there were fewer than ten children and young adults who still performed Plains-style dances, the "war dance" or "turkey dance" (as we referred to them), on our reservation Few dancers retained the full dance regalia We had one singer, Harvey Hatchees, a highly celebrated World War II veteran who became a trusted and respected elder, who was always there to sing several songs for us Thanks to people like him and other dedicated singers and dancers, I am proud to say that the powwow culture has been revived and is growing stronger.

Another major feature of this work is that through Wroth s presentations, it is easy to see how the Utes were influenced by the other Plains Indian nations such as the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho to the north and the Kiowa and Comanche to the south In designs on moccasins, vests, and gloves, the geometric, linear influence of the Plains is witnessed. Also notable is the presence of the "rose design" that sometimes resembles northeastern woodlands designs but that signifies the Ute and other Shoshone nations.

It must have been a grueling task to locate, select, design, and in some cases collect some of the items displayed in this colorful work The black and white photos have depth and possess the right lighting. I commend the author for his tireless search for all the items and his talent for display and design; the quality of his research and the accuracy of the information and descriptions of the items are commendable I urge others to take a lesson from him in how to present the cultural designs and artifacts of our nation's first Americans.

FORREST S CUCH (NORTHERN UTE) Utah Division of Indian Affairs

Mormon History

By Ronald W Walker, David J Whittaker, and James B Allen (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2001 xi + 279 pp $32.50.)

MORMON HISTORY FOLLOWS A YEAR after the publication in 2000 of its monumental 1,152-page companion volume, Studies in Mormon History, 1830-1997. The latter volume is a reference work that includes an alphabetical listing by author of more than 16,000 books, articles, theses, dissertations, typescripts, and task papers on Mormon history. There is also an index to historical writings and a topical guide to published social literature on the Mormons.

Mormon History allows the compilers of Studies in Mormon History to describe and interpret their work in order to "provide a handbook for those starting a study of Mormon history" and offer "a synthesis of modern scholarship dealing with the writing of Mormon history" (ix).The book has five interpretive chapters— "Beginnings : Nineteenth-Century Historical Writing"; "Traditionalism Meets Modernism, 1900-1950"; "The New Mormon History: Historical Writing since 1950"; "The Challenge of Mormon Biography"; and "Flowers, Weeds, and Thistles: The State of Social Science Literature on the Mormons." The two appendices—"Mormon Imprints as Sources for Research: A History and Evaluation" and "Mormon Americana: A Guide to Reference Works and Bibliographies"—are more descriptive than interpretive in nature, but they include useful notes and subheadings by topic and genre

As a companion volume to Studies in Mormon History, Mormon History is a landmark of scholarship in its own right Walker, Whittaker, and Allen have provided an indispensable and concise resource that deals with all aspects of writing and publishing Mormo n history Examining the various genres and schools of writing and publishing in this field, the authors review literary analysis of LDS church history from the earliest days of the church to current trends by LDS and non-LDS authors alike

The chapter on Mormon biography distinguishes itself with its comparisons of the works and methods of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and its modern-day examples ranging from the former presidents of the LDS church to minor figures in Mormon history The chapter on social sciences and Mormon literature (contributed by Armand Mauss) provides an excellent interdisciplinary view of literature, bridging the literature of various humanistic and social sciences fields. Lastly, the appendices on Mormon imprints and Mormon Americana will be invaluable to scholars pursuing any of the numerous avenues of Mormon history.

Although the conclusions of Walker, Whittaker, and Allen and Mauss differ on the future of publishing in the areas of history, biography, and the social sciences, their work is fresh, insightful, and learned and will no doubt influence a new generation of writers in this field into the twenty-first century This text not only examines works of the various past and present schools of Mormon history but will also give those new to the field an appreciation for works that have been accomplished; more important, it will provide a foundation for new methods and new schools of thought in this area.

PETER L KRAUS University of Utah

Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History

Edited by Arnold K Garr, Donald Q Cannon, and Richard O Cowan (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000 vii + 1,454 pp $49.95.)

THIS SINGLE-VOLUME ENCYCLOPEDIA, containing more than 1,400 entries, provides an interesting history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Compiled by teachers and scholars of LDS church history, the book seeks to "present accurate, concise and readable articles on a wide variety of Church history topics." This volume should appeal to an immens e audience, from the international filmmaker to the religious scholar. It serves as a simple, quick reference source where one can access important information about events and people It is also enjoyable to read The serious student or the casual reader can get "hooked" and read longer than anticipated The articles are brief enough that one can peruse several topics in a short amount of time.

Approximately 350 church history scholars have contributed to this historical record Many familiar names are among the writers —Thoma s Alexander, Davis Bitton , Claudia and Richar d Bushman, Susan Easton Black, Jan Shipps, and many others. An alphabetical list of writers is included in the back of the book

While the articles vary in length, the format is consistent. The first sentence explains the importance of the topic, and the rest of the narrative provides succinct information Additional sources on the topic are listed at the end of each article The number of sources varies from one to twelve, depending on the subject. Obviously, the nature of the book limits the number of sources that can be included Unfortunately, important recent sources are missing for some of the entries For example, the reference to Alaska does not include Faith in the Far North: A History of the Fairbanks, Alaska, Stake (Fairbanks: Fairbanks Alaska Stake, 1998); although fairly short, this work covers the history of the church in northern Alaska from 1928 to 1998 The article on David Hyrum Smith does not include the 1998 biography by Valeen Tippetts Avery, From Mission to Madness: Last Son of the Mormon Prophet. There are twenty-six interesting black-and-white photographs on a variety of subjects such as the rules of the United Order, the document announcing that all worthy males could hold the priesthood, and President Ronald Reagan and Elder Gordon B. Hinckley at a church cannery

The book contains a detailed church history chronology, starting with the birth of Brigham Young in 1801 and ending with the dedication of the Boston Temple on October 1, 2000. An excellent index is also included Bold-faced words in the articles indicate a cross-reference to another article.

With all the emphasis recently placed on using the full name when referencing the church, it is surprising that Deseret Book and church scholars would not include the complete name in the title

All in all, this is an excellent source, well worth the $49.95, but a less expensive paperback edition would make it more affordable. Perhaps the encyclopedia could be made available electronically A Spanish edition also might be very helpful.

DAVID A HALES Westminster College

Sojourner in the Promised Land: Forty Years among the Mormons

By Jan Shipps (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2000 xiii + 400 pp $34.95.)

ALTHOUG H JAN SHIPPS, a nationally recognized scholar of Mormon studies, characterizes this work as "an intellectual biography" (5), it is not a memoir in the form of Leonard J Arrington's 1998 Adventures of a Church Historian. Instead, Shipps has brought together a diverse collection of seventeen essays written over some twenty years. These essays sum up the author's penetrating observations concerning the craft and challenges of Mormo n history. Seven have been previously published in "relatively unknown articles and book chapters" (4), with the remainder published here for the first time. Shipps occupies a somewhat unique status as a socalled "inside-outsider"—a non-Mormon scholar seeking to present Latter-day Saint history in a scholarly yet sensitive manner

Undoubtedly the most valuable essay is "From Satyr to Saint: American Perceptions of the Mormons, 1860-1960," written years ago and widely circulated in manuscript form but published here for the first time Meticulously researched, "From Satyr to Saint" utilizes "content analysis" and "survey research techniques." Through careful examination of non-Mormon periodicals from 1860 to 1960, Shipps shows how non-Mormon perceptions of the Latter-day Saints gradually changed from intense antagonism/disdain to respect and admiration.

Also enlightening are two companio n essays Th e first, "Surveying the Mormon Image since 1960," provides a valuable overview of contemporary non-Mormo n perceptions of the Latter-day Saints Shipps observes that "Mormonism is rapidly losing the protection of minority religious status" and is no longer immune from critical examination of its doctrines and practices (112). She also concludes that "never again is there likely to be a single Mormon image It is much more probable that along with nuance will come multiple images of the Latter-day Saints" (115).

The second essay, "From Gentile to Non-Mormon: Mormon Perceptions of the Other," provides an engaging overview of changing Latter-day Saint images of non-Mormons The initial formation of such images was largely influenced by emerging Latter-day Saints ethnicity as they identified themselves as the literal descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob As self-proclaimed members of the House of Israel, they labeled non-Mormon s "Gentiles." During the nineteenth-century peak of Mormonnon-Mormon conflict, "Gentile" became synonymous with the term "anti-Mormon." But over time, as the larger society came to view the Saints more favorably, Latter-day Saints in turn viewed others more positively, to the point of abandoning the term "Gentile " altogether and utilizing instead the ter m "nonMormon" or "non-member."

In other essays, Shipps points to three basic challenges facing scholars brave or foolhardy enough to do Mormon history. The first, discussed in "Gentiles, Mormons, and the History of the American West," involves the fact that Mormon history, despite being part of the larger story of the American West, "is frequently neglected or altogether overlooked." Through a colorful metaphor, Shipps laments that western historians "shape the western story like a doughnut, circling all around the Great Basin...telling nearly every western story except the Mormon one" (19-21). A second challenge is that Mormon history (like all religious history) is written for two different audiences, often with conflicting perceptions and objectives. One audience, made up of the community of believers (be they Mormon or otherwise), favors a faith-affirming, heroic approach, whereas a second audience, made up of "the general public" and oriented toward academia, favors a more secular approach, wanting religious history presented from a social/scientific perspective (171-73)

A third challenge involves the negative reaction to Mormon historical scholarship from church officials at the highest levels, increasingly evident over the past twenty years Most outspoken has been Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Council of the Twelve, who on various occasions has condemned frank portrayals of the LDS past influenced by the so-called "Ne w Mormon History." Packer has explicitly warned "historians that LDS history was escaping the informal monitoring that made possible the classification of LDS history into clearly defined Mormon and anti-Mormon categories" (384)

Space does not permit discussion of all the acute observations made by the author through the rich variety of essays in this volume. Shipps also offers tantalizing glimpses of her background, immediate family, and personal religious beliefs But this reviewer would have liked more on these subjects, which raises a number of questions. In what ways were the author's perceptions of the Mormon past affected by her having been born and raised in the deep South—an area notoriously noted for its strong antiMormon heritage? Shipps's southern heritage surely must have influenced the choice of topic for her first published essay, "Second-Class Saints" (1962), which examined the status of blacks within Mormonism.

Also what were the influences of the author's family? Specifically what impact did Shipps's parents and other birth family members (nowhere even mentioned) have in forming the author's perceptions? This seems relevant, given the central role assigned to family within Latter-day Saint culture A final, particularly cogent, question concerns the impact of Shipps's Protestant background and personal beliefs as an active practicing Methodist Revealing is the author's confession that her "Methodist commitment" has not only continued but "even strengthened...over the many years that I have had the opportunity to learn more about Mormonism" (336-37) Despite these questions, Jan Shipps has produced an important work, essential reading for serious students of Mormon studies. It was most deserving of being honored with the Mormon History Association 2000 Best Book Award

NEWELL G BRINGHURST College of the Sequoias Visalia, California

Worldviews and the American West: The Life of the Place Itself

Edited by Polly Steward, Steve Siporin, C.W Sullivan III, and Suzi Jones (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2000. viii + 257 pp. Paper, $19.95.)

Worldviews and the American West: The Life of the Place Itself is a festschrift for distinguished folklorist of the American West and current director of the folklore studies program at Utah State University, Barre Toelken As festschrifts go, one can usually expect an uneven and scattered thematic array of essays by scholars, former students, and colleagues, focused somewhat loosely on the area of study where the honored individual made significant contributions Oftentimes the essays are a combination of new material and dated, republished versions of earlier work This is not the case, however, with Worldviews and the American West.

Of the seventeen essays that comprise this collection, only five are reprinted and one of these, "The Language of Animals," is a fitting personal essay by naturalist writer and fellow Oregonian Barry Lopez. Lopez's essay grounds the rest of the essays into an American West which is all at once wild, part of a natural ecosystem, expanding, and succumbing to modernization, but at the same time it communicates a sense of place that is irrevocably tied to a landscape Says Lopez, "When I walk in the woods or along the creeks, I'm looking for integration, not conversation. I want to be bound more deeply into the place, to be included, even if only as a witness, in the events that animate the landscape" (12)

It is this "integration" that the editors (indeed former students of Barre Toelken) and contributors use as their approach to this fine collection of essays. Each essay uses a particular lens to look at the American West, "variously applying Toelken's path-breaking ideas about worldview to the topic of the American West, a region that is both prominent in his work and a source of endless fascination" to the contributors of the collection (1)

Lopez's essay also reminds readers of the diversity of the ecosystem we call the "American West," a diversity not only in terms of the ethnicity of its inhabitants but also one in terms of the languages of landscapes and how those languages shape ideas of the western environment and the worldviews of its inhabitants. For example, in his essay "Blue Shadows on Human Drama," Hal Cannon writes about his quest to find and collect environmentally sensitive songs and stories having to do with the American West but discovering instead how "the cowboy is the symbolic recipient of an enchanted melding of western landscape through human drama" (33) This drama, according to Cannon, is played out on the western landscape, where humans from many corners of the earth, domesticated and wild animals, and frontier wilderness rely on each other for long and "trying odysseys" (33)

With the study of the cowboy there are many jumping-off points. A collection of the kind described herein would be incomplete without essays dealing with cultural archetypes: the outlaw, "Jesse James: An American Outlaw" (Sullivan III); the modern regional folk hero, "John Campbell's Adventure, and the Ecology of Story" (Ramsey); Indians, "Faith of Ou r Fathers" (Venn), "Th e Coquelle Indians and the Cultural 'Black Hole' of the Southern Oregon Coast" (Wasson), and "Raven and the Tide: A Tlingit Narrative" (Dauenhauer and Dauenhauer); and western communities, "'Two Moonlight Rides and a Picnic Lunch': Memories of Childhood in a Logging Community" (Scofield), "The Concept of the West and Other Hindrances to the Study of Mormon Folklore" (Wilson), and "Visible Landscapes/Invisible People: Negotiating the Power of Representation in a Mining Community" (McCarl)

What makes this an especially compelling collection, however, is the inclusion of essays that go beyond what one might expect to find in a collection of this type, namely, silent voices of invisible humans : women , "In Her Own Words: Women's Frontier Friendships in Letters, Diaries, and Reminiscences" (Brady); borderland cultures, "A Diversity of Dead Helpers: Folk Saints of the US-Mexico Borderlands" (Griffith); animals, "Tall Tales and Sales" (Siporin); and transients, "Local Character" (Stafford), all of whom are woven into the fabric of the American landscape

Finally, issues of modernity and post-modernity and the representation and commodification of western icons and material culture are addressed in "Icons of Immortality: Forest Lawn and the American Way of Death" (Oring), and "Ride 'Em Barbie Girl: Commodifying Folklore, Place, and the Exotic" (Thomas).

Enthusiasts of western American studies, folklore, history, and literature will find this collection an important and valuable lens into slices of American culture that are rarely examined. More important, the book is a tribute to the significant contributions and influence of American West scholar Barre Toelken

GEORGE H SCHOEMAKER Utah Arts Council, Folk Arts Program