The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977 Page: 451

Book Reviews

ity in the areas of his essay. As a result the studies range from good to
very good and are well worth the time needed to give them a careful
reading.
The value of the volume is increased by the inclusion of "Webb the
Schoolteacher" a prize winning essay by Walter Rundell, Jr. The volume
also contains a foreword by Jubal R. Parten, a preface by the editors and
an introduction by Ray Allen Billington.
In The Making of a History Tobin attempts to present the biography
of a book. In doing so he devotes seven chapters to a brief, but good, bio-
graphy of Webb, one chapter to the actual writing of The Great Plains,
one chapter to the general acceptance of the book, and a final chapter to
Webb's response to the ill-tempered charges of Fred A. Shannon. He has
produced an interesting and readable study, but it is doubtful that all of
the assumptions are valid.
Tobin implies time after time that a boyhood on the edge of the great
plains, difficulty in obtaining an education, an unhappy period as teacher
in the public schools, and some disappointments in obtaining the degree
needed for a career in college teaching were essential to writing The Great
Plains. This implication carried to its logical conclusion would mean that
no person now living could write about the Roman Empire or the Old
South and that it would be impossible for Tobin to write about Walter
Webb.
Even though he spent only a short while in Texas, Tobin's background
material is generally accurate; but he slips occasionally. The statement on
page 70 that Webb returned to Austin from Chicago in 1923 to find
Miriam A. Ferguson in the Governor's Mansion overlooks the fact that
Mrs. Ferguson did not become governor until January, I925. The title
of Stark Young's article in the New Republic of August II, 1917, is "A
Texas Pogrom" not "A Texas Program" as it is listed on page 140.
Readers will find the book to be both interesting and valuable.
Nacogdoches R. W. STEEN
The Cherokee Nation of Indians. By Charles C. Royce. (Chicago: Aldean
Publishing Co., 1975. Pp. xiv+272. Illustrations, bibliographical
notes, maps, index. $12.50.)
Historical Sketch of the Cherokee. By James Mooney. (Chicago: Aldean
Publishing Co., 1975. Pp. x+265. Illustrations, notes, biographical
notes, index. $12.50.)
Many Americans think all Indians live on reservations. This is not

451