The Papers of Will Rogers: The Early Years, November 1879–April 1904 - Hardcover

Rogers Jr., Will

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0806127457 ISBN 13: 9780806127453

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996

Synopsis

Horses, friends, ragtime music, and steer roping-those were the interests of the youthful Will Rogers as he came of age in the Indian Territory and traveled to the Southern Hemisphere in this first of six definitive volumes of The Papers of Will Rogers.

By separating fact from legend and unveiling new knowledge via extensive archival research, this documentary history represents a unique contribution to Rogers scholarship and to studies of the Cherokee Nation West. Using many previously unpublished letters and photographs-together with introductions, notes, and biographies of his friends and relatives-volume one illuminates Rogers’s complex relationship with his father, his Cherokee heritage, his early education, first encounters with his future wife, Betty Blake, his voyage to Argentina, and his fledging years in Wild West shows and circuses in South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.

Coorespondence, performance reviews, and rare newspaper documents spotlight the singular experiences that shaped the young Rogers within the context of his family, his ethnic background, and historical events. No other book describes so provocatively and authentically the genesis of America’s most beloved and influential humorist.

About this title

From Library Journal:

The commencement of this six-volume set of the papers of Will Rogers, edited by veterans of several projects documenting American studies and performing arts, is indicative of his emergence as probably the most studied entertainer in recent memory. The book contains all of Rogers's extant letters from the period, many letters to him, genealogical and school records, and a few reviews of his early performances. The documents are divided thematically, and each section is prefaced by a substantial introductory exposition. Virtually every personal place or place name mentioned is explained in a note, and the major figures are listed in a biographical appendix. The many illustrations add spice, and the book as a whole is far more interesting than most such collections. A good choice, particularly for academic libraries.?Fritz Buckallew, Univ. of Central Oklahoma Lib., Edmond
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0806127457
• ISBN 13: 9780806127453
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 640
• Editor: Wertheim Arthur Frank, Bair Barbara