http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2006 by the authors Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:40:16 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/12/03/143014.php#comment-495730 Congratulations! This article has been selected as an <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/12/14/121530.php"><a>Editors' Pick</a>. 495730@blogcritics.org Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:40:16 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/12/03/143014.php#comment-493687 Good review of Nelson, "Steel Drivin' Man." You picked up a few flaws I hadn't noticed. Overall, I like the book very much, but as Jon notes, there are some flaws in it. Some of its statements about early 20th century ballad and folksong scholarship are misleading if not simply incorrect. Jon states that the evidence identifying John William Henry with the legendary steel driver is "inconclusive." I'd go further: it is nearly nonexistent. I believe that the evidence for the historic John Henry at Dunnavant, Alabama, in 1887 is much stronger. It is not compelling, perhaps, but to me it is persuasive. See my article, "Chasing John Henry in Alabama and Mississippi," in Tributaries: Journal of the Alabama Folklife Association, Issue No. 5, 2002. 493687@blogcritics.org Sat, 9 Dec 2006 10:59:03 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/12/03/143014.php#comment-490943 This article has been selected for syndication to <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/newslogs/bookreviews"> Advance.net</A>, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work! 490943@blogcritics.org Sun, 3 Dec 2006 21:35:48 EST