[N.B.: The following book review was authored by Wesley Britton, who does
not have access to e-mail.  I am merely posting it on his behalf. --Taylor
Roberts]

BOOK REVIEW

     De Quille, Dan (William Wright).  _The Sorceress of Attu_.  Edited
     with an introduction by Lawrence I. Berkove.  Dearborn: Mardigian
     Library, University of Michigan-Dearborn, 1994.  Pp. 57.  Illustrated.
     $20.00.  ISBN 0-933691-06-8.

     Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by:

          Wesley Britton
          1202 S. Walnut
          Sherman, TX 75090

     Copyright (c) Mark Twain Forum, 1995.  This review may not be
     published or redistributed in any medium without permission.

This first-ever publication of _The Sorceress of Attu_ is part of Lawrence
I. Berkove's ongoing revival of neglected writings by one of "the Old
West's most knowledgeable, prolific, and talented writers" known primarily
for his friendship with and influence on Mark Twain--both veteran writers
of the Virginia City _Territorial Enterprise_.  Previous volumes include
the important _Fighting Horse of the Stanislaus_ (University of Iowa Press,
1990), a collection of short pieces demonstrating De Quille's overlooked
gift for story telling and his intimate knowledge of Comstock mining.
Shorter editions include _The Gnomes of the Dead Rivers_ (Fulton Hill,
1990) and _Dives and Lazarus_, a novella (Ardis, 1988).  _The Big Bonanza_
(1876), the only novel De Quille published in his lifetime, reflected his
early promotion of the Comstock, an area he spent over forty years in (as
compared to Twain's six and Bret Harte's seventeen).  According to Berkove,
_Attu_ reveals De Quille's late-life elegizing of Nevada's glory years,
although most readers will find connections between the Old West and
_Attu_'s Alaskan island legend remote at best.

Written in 1894, the manuscript of _The Sorceress of Attu_ was lost until
Berkove discovered it in 1986.  The short legend (thirty text pages), on
its most basic level, should endear itself to young readers for its
synthesis of magic, myth, and the epic travails of a young hero seeking a
dowry and aided by a Shaman and a Sorceress in "a time of mysteries."  This
supernatural journey parallels De Quille's use of Old World "sprites" in
_The Gnomes of the Dead Rivers_, another De Quille late-life fantasy told
as a moral fable rather than a Western tall tale.  _Gnomes_, in many ways,
is a companion piece to _Attu_.

On another level, the legend of _Attu_ doubly points to Native American
encounters with white outsiders.  The tale itself focuses on two cultures,
one of spiritual, tribal symbolism and magical powers, the other warlike,
materialistic, at odds with nature.  And, as the story is not an authentic
Aleutian legend but is rather an imaginative tale by De Quille himself, the
very composition of _Attu_ merits discussion regarding white
interpretations of culture clashes.  De Quille's particular perspective
should draw positive responses for his depiction of native, "holy"
Alaskans, his characters clearly woven from a sympathetic heart.  The
interlopers, in this case Russian seamen, are threats to a spiritual way
of life.  Support for finding De Quille sensitive to Native perspectives,
again, can also be seen in _Gnomes_ with its echo of Indian notions of
property and its emphasis on human and supernatural interconnectedness.

Berkove believes that, for De Quille, the story of _Attu_ was analogous to
the ruining of the American West by the ravages of "The Big Bonanza" years,
although, again, this connection would be obvious only to those intimate
with De Quille's biography, knowing the author's late-life feeling that he
had been part of the despoiling of the Western environment.  This anti-
materialistic theme as related to the Comstock is more evident in _Gnomes_,
composed in the same period and reflecting similar concerns.

On its deepest level, the fable of _Attu_ explores spiritual values, of
pride, faith, and the consequences of foolish materialism versus the
rewards of generational ties and interconnectedness with the natural world.
White gunpowder is clearly a symbol of corruption; the protecting powers
of the Sorceress clearly show the pure and faithful will always triumph--
again, a theme also expressed in _Gnomes_.  Like _Gnomes_, _Attu_ is a
story as old as stories themselves and is as well told as by any
storyteller with a gift for such simple sincerity.

Berkove adds three appendices to the volume demonstrating De Quille's
interest in Alaskan subjects.  The first, "An Alaskan Legend," is a brief
sketch precursing _Attu_.  The latter two, "To the Editor, _Overland
Monthly_" and "The Lost Seal Island," are hoaxes De Quille wrote showing
the distress he felt with Russian seamen's treatment of Aleutian islanders,
a theme evident in _Attu_.  While De Quille himself never set foot in
Alaska, the detail of the last two appendices point to his research into
available material, using believable details to make these hoaxes (a De
Quille trademark) convincing reading for contemporary audiences.

Few scholars of Twain or western writers will find _The Sorceress of Attu_
significant reading, save as a basis for comparison; Twain's latter-day
work is marked by its surreal bitterness, and nothing could be farther
afield from his views than De Quille's peaceful optimism.  (An interesting
compare/contrast study of these two authors could revolve around De
Quille's _Gnomes_ and Twain's _Hadleyburg_, both stories having differing
takes on the corrupting temptation of gold, the need to look good in the
community--particularly regarding charity--and the phrase "You are not a
bad man.")

For those interested in myth, Native American folklore, and particularly
white interpretations of native culture, this attractive volume, printed
on archival paper, will prove both useful and enjoyable.  Perhaps the best
beneficiary of this edition will be the general reader interested in a
quick read that is uplifting, reassuring, and gentle.  For those curious
about discovering and exploring De Quille's best (and more characteristic)
work, _The Fighting Horse of the Stanislaus_ remains an anthology no
student of the American frontier can ignore.  _Attu_ can perhaps be best
considered a supplement to _Fighting Horse_ and the other Berkove-edited
volumes, another slice of De Quille's canon that should reach a new
audience for a neglected, gifted, American storyteller who, like Twain,
"preached" as much as he entertained.