《书目》(Booklist)书评
The first edition of this biobibliography was published by Gale in 1982. Now it joins other titles in St. James's series such as Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers (2d ed. [RBB N 1 91]) and Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers. This second edition has a larger, more attractive format than the first and represents the same careful editing found in other volumes in the series. Entries consist of a brief biography for each of 485 authors (up from 312 in the last edition) and a signed critical statement concerning the author's work. The bibliographies for each of the authors represent a major contribution. For little-known writers, these carefully done bibliographies are the only good listings of their work available. Included in this edition are classic writers such as Owen Wister and formula writers such as C. N. Heckelmann. Writers new to this edition include Frank Ramsay Adams, Katherine Anne Porter, and Edward R. Zietlow. The working definition of western allows the editors to include "novels and stories set in or relating to the American frontier experience of the last century, or works that embody that experience in a modern setting." Early writers like Karl May, Mark Twain, and James Fenimore Cooper (representing the trans-Allegheny west) are not included, nor are detective novels, satire, and social commentary set in the West. Fictional accounts of domestic life on the frontier that present the female viewpoint of the western experience are included. Among the women writers treated are Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mary Hallock Foote, Honore Willsie Morrow, and Tillie Olsen. This work complements Fifty Western Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook (Greenwood, 1982). That work contains longer and more critical essays on the major authors; many of the bibliographies are now dated. Students fascinated by the idea of the West or needing essays concerning topics such as folklore, lawmen and outlaws, nature, etc., are referred to the important and beautifully produced Literary History of the American West (Texas Christian Univ., 1987), sponsored by the Western Literature Association. That work also contains excellent essays on the major writers. This new edition of Twentieth-Century Western Writers is recommended for purchase by public and academic libraries. Though a title index is included, a subject index should be considered for the next edition since it is difficult to identify the women writers included and themes such as domestic life, marital relationships, and children. (Reviewed Feb. 1, 1992)
《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
This second edition of Twentieth Century Western Writers covers 467 writers, an increase of more than 150 over the first edition ( LJ 5/15/83) published by Gale. Many of the writers added are women; the inclusion of Jessamyn West, Rose Wilder Lane, and Bess Streeter Aldrich are evidence of the contributors' stated revisionist attitude toward the history of the American Western novel. Many of the essays for living authors are new and will complement the first edition. Non-genre Western writers such as Wallace Stegner and Edward Abbey are included along with the expected L'Amour and Lutz. As in the first edition, Western novels representing Native American, black, and Mexican viewpoints are included. Each entry contains a brief biography, a complete bibliography, and a signed critical essay. Autobiographical, autocritical comments are also featured in many entries. Pseudonyms are cross referenced; a title index is included. Though most of these writers are covered in Contemporary Authors and other sources, the advantages of having one power-packed volume for the Western novel are obvious. Pack this treasure trove in your saddlebag if you're doing reader's advisory work.-- Keddy Ann Outlaw, Harris Cty. P.L., Houston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.