Hubert Howe Bancroft

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Hubert Howe Bancroft (May 5, 1832–1918), an American historical writer and ethnologist, was born at Granville, Ohio. He attended the Granville Academy until sixteen years of age and was a clerk in a bookstore in Buffalo, New York. Relocating to San Francisco, California, he ran a bookstore from March 1852 to 1868, and also started his own publishing house. During this period he accumulated a great library of historical material, and eventually gave up business in order to devote himself to writing and publishing history.

In 1885 Bancroft purchased a ranch and adobe in Spring Valley, in San Diego County, as a retirement home. It is now designated as a National Historic Landmark. Bancroft is interred in the Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California. The Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley is named in his honor.

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Critique of production methods

Bancroft produced a conspicuous group of local histories. Having formed a large collection of materials on the history of the Pacific coast, he employed research and writing assistants to organize and produce statements of facts for large sections of the proposed history. Originally he seems to have intended to use these statements as the basis of a narrative from his own hand; but as the work progressed he came to use them with slight changes. He stated that these assistants were capable investigators, and there is independent evidence to show that some of them deserved his confidence. However, his failure to acknowledge each contribution created doubt concerning the value of any particular section. Overall, although Bancroft considered himself the author of the work, it is more accurate to consider him an editor and compiler.

Neither Bancroft, nor most of his assistants, had the preliminary training to save them from pitfalls common to historical works of this period. Their writing reflected personal opinions and enthusiasms and their good books consequently have some serious defects. However, they were generally very well received for their time. Historian Francis Parkman gave The Native Races high credit in The North American Review. Lewis H. Morgan, however, was more critical. Based on his newly published theory of Indian culture, in an article called Montezuma's Dinner, Morgan completely reversed Parkman's verdict and raised doubt in the minds of the public on this and other volumes of the series. Bancroft's response to Morgan's criticism suggest that he did not understand Morgan's theory, now generally accepted by scholars.

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Published works

  • Native Races of the Pacific States (vols. 1–5, 1874)
  • History of Central America (vols. 6–8, 1883–87)
  • History of Mexico (vols. 9–14, 1883–87)
  • History of the Northern Mexican States and Texas (vols. 15–16, 1884–89)
  • History of Arizona and New Mexico (vol. 17, 1889)
  • History of California (vols. 18–24, 1884–90)
  • History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming (vol. 25, 1890)
  • History of Utah (vol. 26, 1889)
  • History of the North-West Coast (vols. 27–28, 1884)
  • History of Oregon (vols. 29–30, 1886–88)
  • History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana (vol. 31, 1890)
  • History of British Columbia (vol. 32, 1887)
  • History of Alaska (vol. 33, 1886)
  • California Pastorals (vol. 34, 1888)
  • California inter Pocula (vol. 35, 1888)
  • Popular Tribunals (vols. 36–37, 1887)
  • Essays and Miscellany (vol. 38, 1890)
  • Literary Industries (vol. 39, 1890).
  • Book of the Fair
  • Book of Wealth
  • Resources of Mexico
  • The New Pacific
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External links

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Sources

  • This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition{{#if:{{{article|}}}| article {{#if:{{{url|}}}|[{{{url|}}}}} "{{{article}}}"{{#if:{{{url|}}}|]}}{{#if:{{{author|}}}| by {{{author}}}}}}}, a publication now in the public domain.
  • The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21) (VOLUME XVII. Later National Literature, Part II: XV. Later Historians: § 27. Hubert Howe Bancroft.)
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