BOOK REVIEWS
Bibliography of Ohio
Archaeology. By Richard G. Morgan
and James H. Rodabaugh. (Columbus, The
Ohio State Archaeolog-
ical and Historical Society, 1947. v +
189p. Paper, $2.50.)
This bibliography is by far the best of
its kind the reviewer
has seen. The number of entries will
come as a surprise to those
who think of the archaeology of a state
area as including a few
titles or even perhaps a hundred titles.
The number of published
references available will be surprising
even to those who have
specialized in Ohio Valley archaeology.
Although this bibliography
includes 1,351 entries, Morgan and
Rodabaugh have been careful
to exclude newspaper accounts, county
and regional histories and
atlases, and the unpublished manuscript
material in the Ohio State
Museum. The bibliography is then
comprehensive in its inclusion
of published references available to
interested individuals and ex-
cludes those difficult to obtain. It
should be a boon to reference
librarians. It is an essential tool of
the archaeologist.
The organization can best be described
in the words of the
authors:
"References in the Bibliography are
arranged alphabetically
by author and numbered in sequence.
References under individual
authors are listed by year of
publication. Comments and evalua-
tions have been made in cases where it
was thought such annotations
would be a value to the user. Site
names, locations, and cultural
designations have been given where
available. A comprehensive
index has been prepared to increase the
usefulness of the Bibliog-
raphy. In it items have been classified by subject and by
county.
Under each subject or county heading
have been placed the numbers
of references pertaining to it. Specific
sites have been listed by
county and by culture where such
classification has been deter-
mined. The index includes a 'Select
Bibliography of Ohio Archae-
ology' which contains the main general
reference works as well as
the most important site reports on the
several prehistoric cultures
represented in the State."
205
206
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
The bibliography is not only unusually
complete, but is un-
usually accurate and free from
typographical errors. One error
in crediting an article to an author was
easily spotted. Reference
362 should have been credited not to J.
B. Griffin, but to John W.
Griffin. The work includes not only
books and articles on Ohio or
the immediately adjacent area but also
many of the important
volumes containing references to Ohio
material. There are some
few absences from this latter category
that other authors might have
included.
Particularly valuable are the comments
and evaluations on a
large proportion of the entries. These
demonstrate that the authors
are not only competent technical
bibliographers but that they are
also thoroughly familiar with the
subject matter of the reference
and are able to indicate the relative
value and significance of the
publications in the field. These
comments are brief and pithy and
are an excellent guide to the worthwhile
articles.
Acknowledgement is made to the initial
help given by the Work
Projects Administration and to various
individuals formerly con-
nected with the department of
archaeology of the Ohio historical
society. It is clear, however, that the
present form and value of
the volume is the result of many
additional tedious hours by the
authors.
There is an introductory chapter,
"Historical Notes on Ohio
Archaeology," which is not
mentioned in the preface but which con-
tains an able, laconic statement of the
most important contributors
to Ohio archaeology. This should be
expanded to a full-scale treat-
ment at some future date. It should also
be possible to provide a
supplementary bibliography at regular
intervals, say every five
years, to keep the record up-to-date.
This Bibliography of Ohio Archaeology
is then of considerable
value to archaeologists, to historians
of the Ohio Valley, and to
reference librarians. It is an
outstanding production which does
credit to its authors and to the Ohio
State Archaeological and His-
torical Society.
JAMES B. GRIFFIN, Director
Museum of Anthropology
Ann Arbor, Michigan
BOOK REVIEWS 207
The Grassland of North America:
Prolegomena to Its History.
By James C. Malin. (Lawrence, Kans., the author, 1947. vii
+ 398p. $3.00.)
This is really the second volume of the
author's essays on
historiography, originally planned as a
single project. The first
book was more general in character; this
one is built around the
broad theme of the grassland of the
trans-Mississippi West, but the
author sometimes ranges rather far
afield to expound his views on
historical methodology and concepts, and
the relationship of science
and history. The ten chapters of Part I
are headed "The Sciences
and Regionalism"; the eleven of
Part II are simply called "His-
toriography."
The review of the sciences in Part I and
the impressive bibliog-
raphy-"the first time such a
bibliography has been compiled any-
where"-suggest that the author is
doing for the scientists what
they ought to have done for themselves.
Certainly only a scientist
could appraise these chapters fairly,
and he would need to be well
grounded in many fields, for they deal
with plant, animal, and in-
sect ecology, plant-animal relations,
climatology, geology and geog-
raphy, and soil science and soil
microbiology. In places, the grass-
land almost disappears from view as the
author discusses the chang-
ing concepts and differing
interpretations of authorities in these
fields. His presentation gives ample
evidence of his industry and
the thoroughness of his research. The bibliography
alone consti-
tutes a valuable contribution to the
literature of science.
The chapters on
"Historiography" are a series of essays with
the emphasis on a methodology for the
study of the history of social
change. The key chapter, headed
"Webb and Regionalism," is a
critique of the critique of Webb's Great
Plains by the Sky Top con-
ference of September 1939, which,
according to Professor Malin,
never really defined and dealt with the
problem of regionalism. A
quotation reveals his viewpoint:
"An idealized approach to such a
problem might start with a survey of the
literature of physiography,
of climatology, of physiology, of
genetics, of plant ecology, of
animal ecology, of soils, of soil
microbiology, of agronomy, of the
geographers' attempts at regional
definition, and the question raised
by some, whether or not regionalism
possesses any validity." Ob-
208
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
viously such an approach would require
the cooperation of special-
ists in the respective fields, for few
historians would care to under-
take such an ambitious program.
Professor Malin is strongly opposed to
geographical determin-
ism, but he comes very close to it in
his emphasis on environmental
factors as basic in determining social
patterns. For example, Kan-
sans have had to learn that they must
harmonize with their environ-
ment. Populism was "a revolt of
forest-corn culture against the
grassland wheat environment." When
middle Kansas turned to hard
winter wheat, culture and environment
were reconciled. Appar-
ently prices, railroads, middlemen, and
creditors were not at fault.
The author does not suggest an
"ecological" interpretation of farmer
unrest of the 1920's and 1930's.
The book contains some stimulating ideas
and in the closing
chapters presents some examples of
careful statistical studies of
social change. Unfortunately, the
arrangement and organization of
the essays cannot be commended. Not even
the broad spaces of
the grassland can quite contain all that
the author is trying to set
forth. A monotonous style that is often
verbose and repetitious
adds to the reader's difficulties. The
book is lithoprinted and is
bound in paper.
EUGENE H. ROSEBOOM
Professor of History
Ohio State University
Niles' Weekly Register. 19th Century
News Magazine. By
Norval Neil Luxon. (Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University
Press, 1947. 337p. $5.00.)
A kind of Time magazine of the
nineteenth century, Niles'
Weekly Register accomplished precisely what its name suggests-
registering, chronicling, and recording,
in a surprisingly balanced,
objective manner, the fabric of history
during its life time. This
newspaper was founded in 1811 by
Hezekiah Niles, and through-
out the 25 years of his editorship,
reflects the facets of his charac-
ter, his philosophy, and the honesty of
his purpose. The Register
was simply the man Niles in print, and
any examination of the
paper is therefore an examination of the
man.
BOOK REVIEWS 209
This, Norval Neil Luxon has carefully
and colorfully done.
Mr. Luxon, assistant to the president
and professor of journalism at
Ohio State University, is the 1948
president of the American Asso-
ciation of Schools and Departments of
Journalism. His work repre-
sents not only an analysis of the
complete file of the Register and a
virtual biography of the editor; it is a
veritable wealth of Americana
and provides sound groundwork for
further research. The his-
torian and the scholar who have studied
old newspaper files can
appreciate the dimensions of his task in
examining 76 volumes of
the Register.
A major importance of the Register lay
in its national charac-
ter, both in content and circulation.
Surrounded in 1811 in Balti-
more by daily newspapers which were
reporting an assemblage of
journalistic miscellany, Hezekiah Niles
saw the need for a "register"
of the more important events of national
and international interest
-speeches and debates in congress, laws,
documents, and corre-
spondence of public officials,
developments in science and agricul-
ture, subjects of import such as
slavery, internal improvements,
tariffs, banks, and transportation. The Register
was multipurposed:
its dedication to "The Past-The
Present-For the Future" was no
hollow motto but was followed
religiously throughout most of its
life. Niles felt that he was living
through a period of great historic
importance, not only in this country but
in the world, and he wished
to set down for future historians a true
picture of the period. Toward
this end, Niles worked feverishly,
diligently, and accurately for 25
years, often with financial hardship
threatening ruin; yet so power-
ful was his influence that later editors
were similarly inspired, but
in lesser degree.
Following Niles's death the Register lived
on under the suc-
cessive direction of three other men.
William Ogden Niles, eldest
son of Hezekiah, published the paper for
only a brief period and
sold out to Jeremiah Hughes, who
published it for over eight years.
Finally, under the mismanagement of the
fourth and final editor,
George Beatty, the paper ceased
publication in 1849.
Niles' Weekly Register differed markedly from other newspapers
and periodicals of the time in that it
contained no advertising. In
spite of financial difficulties
resulting from this policy, Niles had
210
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
little interest in advertising or
sympathy for its influence, either
directly or indirectly, on a free press.
A new country had something
to say and he felt impelled to say it.
He believed there were many
sides to many issues and he aimed to
print them, fairly and com-
pletely. Niles believed in the
importance of the individual and his
right and privilege to reach his own
conclusions. Journalists and
historians at this point should pay
glowing tribute! Mr. Luxon
points out that Niles constantly had his
hand on the pulse of the
nation: on an exchange basis he received
papers from all parts
of the United States, and many nights
the oil burned late in the
office of the Register. From these papers articles were digested
and reprinted, often with some comment
inserted by Niles. The
periodical was choice for reprint
material. It was aptly said that
Niles' Register was the mentor of the country editor.
Although generally considered a newspaper,
the Register was
actually a news magazine. Knowing its
reference value to contem-
poraries as well as to future
historians, Niles printed the Register
on medium octavo (no larger than the
average book), which was a
convenient size for use as well as
binding. The Register became
virtually a handbook for presidents and
politicians; the several con-
temporary presidents admittedly relied
on it, and serious politicians
subscribed for it almost 100 per cent.
An average circulation of
4,000 in the limited United States of
1811-49 would indicate a rather
select group of subscribers; however,
Niles's thinking and philosophy
reached an even greater audience through
local editors and leading
citizens.
This study of the Register files,
1811-49, provides excellent
source material both for history and
journalism students. In spite
of the very academic nature of such a
study, the book is not exces-
sively academic in its treatment. The
reader may feel, however,
in Mr. Luxon's study, that the Register
looms over-large-not be-
cause the paper was not in itself
exemplary but because no specific
comparison is made with other
contemporary newspapers. Mr.
Luxon makes a hasty reference to the
scores of other papers of the
time which were, for the most part,
scissor-wielding, opinionated,
and partisan. They obviously lacked the
originality and high mo-
tives of Niles; but, for the purpose of
perspective, the reader would
BOOK REVIEWS 211
be interested to know how other papers
treated certain important
events and controversial issues of the
period.
The historian, the scholar, and the
journalist will come away
with renewed and heightened respect for
the Register; the lay reader
will feel he has been given a helpful
and interesting background for
understanding and appreciating the
problems and the stature of a
vitally important mass medium-the press.
ROBERT C. WHEELER
Newspaper Librarian
Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical Society
Grass Roots History. By Theodore C. Blegen. (Minneapolis,
University of Minnesota Press, 1947. x +
266p. $3.00.)
Dean Blegen, the distinguished Minnesota
scholar, teaches by
both precept and example. In Grass
Roots History he asks Amer-
ican historians to explore more
thoroughly "our culture to its roots
in terms of the common life," and
prints fifteen articles and speeches
of his own which are contributions
toward that objective. Six of
these are in the field of his specialty,
Norwegian immigrant culture.
The rest deal with aspects of Minnesota
social history, among them
travel, medicine, science, newspaper
advertising, and early political
observers.
The author's central principle is that
the "pivot of history is
not the uncommon, but the usual, and the
true makers of history are
'the people, yes.' This is the essence
of grass roots history." This
thesis he enforces in an introductory
chapter entitled "Inverted
Provincialism," in which he
criticizes the artists, scholars, and writ-
ers of the past who cultivated the
faraway and the foreign because
they did not understand the near-at-hand
and the native, and be-
cause they mistakenly considered
themselves urbane and cosmopoli-
tan. The blanket indictment is a little
extreme considering the
welcome which nineteenth-century
Americans gave to regionalists
like Edward Eggleston, indigenous
artists like Winslow Homer, and
innumerable educators who broke with
European tradition. More-
over, one ought to remember that those
who were provincial snobs
(it is a little difficult to identify
them from Dean Blegen's data, but
212
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
presumably they were "foreign
thinkers" like Charles Eliot Norton)
were born too early to benefit by the
work of the new school of
folk historians. The fact that, in the
past, as the author points out,
"the novelist often has done a
better job than the historian" is one
reason why the Nortons were not better
educated.
But this is a minor objection to an
inspiring book. The Ohioan
should be particularly attentive to Mr.
Blegen's suggestions about
new fields to exploit and conquer in
regional history. In spite of
the great contributions of writers like
Harlan Hatcher, Walter
Havighurst, Carl Wittke, and Francis P.
Weisenburger, the history
of Ohio culture is still, for the most
part, unwritten. We need cul-
tural studies (some of them are now
under way) of Ohio communi-
ties, counties, and regions; of the
history of libraries, lyceums,
newspapers, and theaters; of our
industries and commercial ven-
tures; of racial groups, immigration,
education, and religion. The
life, past and present, of a state so
crucial in the history of the
development of the nation offers the
richest possible field for studies
in cultural history. Why should scholars
in Ohio yearn for the
resources of Eastern libraries when the
materials for vital history
are available in their own state?
It takes only imagination to realize
what can be done with the
immense stores of newspaper files,
manuscripts, documents, and local
imprints now owned by the libraries and
historical societies of the
state of Ohio.
WILLIAM CHARVAT
Professor of English
Ohio State University
The Lincolns in Virginia. By John W. Wayland. (Staunton,
Va., the author, 1946. 299p.
$6.00.)
The author of a History of
Rockingham, Virginia presents, in a
detailed manner, a commendable effort to
perpetuate the memory of
the Lincolns in Virginia. In seventeen
chapters the author chron-
icles, in a detailed and laborious
manner, the names, possessions,
and deeds of the descendants of
"Virginia John" Lincoln from Rock-
ingham County, Virginia, through
Kentucky, and into Ohio. Ade-
quate attention is devoted to Abraham
and Thomas Lincoln, the
BOOK REVIEWS 213
grandfather and father of the sixteenth
president of the United
States. Mr. Wayland corrects the
oft-repeated "fiction" concerning
the birthplace of Thomas Lincoln. The
final chapter partakes of a
memoir in which the author outlines, in
some detail, his adventures
in guiding scholars and other interested
persons through cemeteries
and to historical sites in Lincoln land.
It is to be regretted that the work is
strictly limited to lists of
names, genealogical matters, inventories
of furniture, and the loca-
tion of lands. Indeed, there is little
attempt to present a consistent
narrative or to project the family
against an adequate historical
background, but the facts are recorded
in such a manner as to be
useful to historical students.
In preparing his study the author has
consulted important
source materials. His chief reliance has
been upon county records,
including wills, deeds, surveys, plats,
circuit court records, and news-
papers. He has also examined family
Bibles and tombstone inscrip-
tions. Although the author occasionally
reveals his source of in-
formation in the text, the absence of a
classified bibliography and
footnote citations to support factual
matters subtract from the
scholarly aspect of the work.
The volume, well printed and
attractively bound, contains
eleven plats and maps, forty
illustrations, a 25-page chronology of
the Virginia Lincolns, and an adequate
index.
The volume is a satisfactory
contribution to the ever growing
mass of geneaological materials and
should be useful to those in-
terested in the Lincoln family.
JOHN 0. MARSH
Curator of History and Librarian
Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical Society