The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 4, March, 1903-December, 1903Oregon Historical Society
History
The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 4, March, 1903-December, 1903
Oregon Historical Society
Oregon -- History -- Periodicals
The Native Races was very much in the nature of a compilation, and our
knowledge concerning the authorship of its various parts is
necessarily less exact than is true of any of the other Bancroft
works. Such facts as are at hand come from two schedules--one of his
own works, the other of that of the corps generally--prepared by
William Nemos, a gifted Swedish writer who entered the library in
1873, subsequently becoming Oak's chief assistant, and ultimately his
successor in the librarian's office; from separate information gained
by Frances Fuller Victor as to the part of the work done by Oak. (This
consists of three different statements, one in a letter to a friend,
another in an autobiographical sketch, and a third in a statement
copied by Mrs. Victor. Mr. Oak himself refuses to give testimony,
doubtless on account of his former intimate personal connection with
Mr. Bancroft and his acquiescence in the plan followed, as well as his
poor health, which renders him unwilling to enter into a discussion
of the question, and from statements in an autobiography of Thomas
Savage, chief Spanish interpreter in the library after August, 1873.)
The facts as deduced from these sources show that Oak wrote more of
the Native Races than any one else, two fifths of the entire work, or
to be exact, fifteen hundred and ninety-seven pages out of four
thousand. While engaged in this writing, it must be remembered that he
also acted as "chief assistant to Mr. Bancroft, manager of all details
of this work, as well as that on the History, overseer of the corps of
workers, and chief proof reader," duties which so engrossed his time
that he wrote principally between eight o'clock in the evening and
midnight. The fourth volume on Antiquities is his work entire, as is
also the fifth on Primitive History, except the introductory chapter
on the Origin of the Americans, in the preparation of which it would
appear that Bancroft had a hand (Lit. Ind., 570), and the last three
chapters dealing with the tribes of Central America, the authorship of
which the writer has no means of determining. Nemos says, however,
that he prepared "a good deal of clean manuscript" for this volume as
well as for some others.
To Harcourt the division of the field as already given points as the
author of the second volume. Oak wrote the introductory chapter
entitled General View of the Civilized Nations, and also the chapter
on the Aztec Picture Writing and Maya Arts Calendar and Hieroglyphics.
Bancroft is the author of the chapter on Savagism and Civilization,
and Nemos is to be credited with the writing of some parts. As
Harcourt wrote six hundred and thirty-six pages of the Native Races,
and there appears but one reference to his writing in connection with
another volume, and that a chapter of a hundred and fifty pages, we
may conclude that the remainder of Volume II is from his pen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account