The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 621

Book Reviews

Monica Heiman's book was published by S. M. Udden as a
memorial to his father, the first member of the family to reside
in 'Texas, but it was not written as a memorial. Mrs. Heiman, a
native of England, who attended college in the United States
after the Second World War, was greatly attracted to Trans-Pecos
Texas. It was her desire to add something permanent to the record
of this second country in her life. Mrs. Heiman uses both a his-
torical and a subject approach in a personal study of a personable
man. Her book is divided into five sections: (1) a description of
Udden's early life as the son of Swedish-born parents in the harsh
pioneer environment of Minnesota up to his ultimate growth into
the mature scientist; (2) a discussion of Udden's first impressions
of Texas and his early geological work; (3) a discussion of
Udden's work in the Shafter and Terlingua mining districts; (4)
an appraisal of Udden's scientific work and his permanent move
to Texas; and (5) a treatment of Udden's influence on the devel-
opment of the petroleum and potash industries in the State of
Texas.
The footnotes and bibliography are not unusual, but unusual
and interesting appendices include reproductions of some of the
notes from Udden's field notebooks, and, most interesting, copies
of letters from Orville Wright discussing heavier-than-air flying
machines.
In the printing and editing process the author's name was
omitted, and is known only because she is mentioned in an intro-
duction by Sam M. Udden, a grandson of the "Pioneer Geologist,"
and also a geologist. The book was offset from Mrs. Heiman's
thesis for the degree of Master of Arts at Sul Ross State College
at Alpine, Texas.
Influenced by the location of Sul Ross State College and her
own personal interests, Mrs. Heiman emphasizes Udden's work
in Trans-Pecos Texas out of proportion to his other work, but to
the habitue or dilletante of all things of West Texas this part of
the book will prove the most interesting. The Big Bend country
can be seen through the eyes of a professional man rather than
through the eyes of a cowboy or housewife, whose memories docu-
ment most of the history of that wild area. Also described are the
rough conditions under which pioneer geologists worked, condi-

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