FOLKLORE OF THE OIL INDUSTRY.

Dallas: SMU Press, 1963. vii,220pp. Index. Notes. Illustrations by Bill Wittliff. Gray cloth. First edition, with the small book plate of Stanley Marcus. Laid-in is a small card from the Texas Folklore Society stating this book is in lieu of its annual publication. Tiniest bit of foxing on the top page edge, else, fine. The dust jacket shows minor edge wear and a few short tears (closed with acid-free archival tape), overall, very good. These folk tales end in 1940, a delineation marking the end of old techniques and unrestricted speculation. The first section of the book deal deals with finding oil and the second with stereotypical characters of the oil industry. The first is represented by the witchers,  seers, doodlebugs, and X-ray-eyed-boys. The author gives six examples of the stereotypes. There was the geologist, whom the oilmen initially viewed with suspension. There was the promoter-trickster with his salted well and schemes for selling worthless stock. The daredevil shooter who nonchalantly handled the nitroglycerin. Then there was the driller--- footloose wander, tough, and indifferent to danger. And finally, there was the landowner who reacted to sudden wealth in a variety of ways. The book concludes with songs, verses and numerous tall tales about the industry. The book contains a wealth of details from a variety of sources, including many taped interviews with men who were involved in the development of the oil industry in Texas. Valuable to the oilman and historian as well, it is scarce in the first edition.