Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 19:46:12 -0500

From: Gerald Cohen gcohen[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UMR.EDU

Subject: "Mudville" Update



Two developments:



1) Maybe there was a real Mudville after all. I called the very helpful

staff at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection (573-882-6028) and

asked if the extensive Peter Tamony Collection of Americanisms housed there

has anything about "Mudville." Two relevant items are there:

a) _San Francisco Examiner_, May 20, 1979, p.8/2-5, "The Original

Mudville," column by Art

Rosenbaum.

b) _San Francisco Examiner_, June 3, 1979, p.8/2-4, "Mudville

Revisited," column by Art

Rosenbaum.

Reportedly these two articles point to Stockton, California (formerly

nicknamed Mudville) as the

original Mudville. The two articles (based on the research of others) are

being mailed to me, and I'll pass along any information they contain.



2) Following Barry Popik's suggestion I telephoned SABR (Society for

American Baseball Research---216-575-0500). Staff member John Zajc pointed

out an important work: _Ernest Thayer's "Casey At The Bat_," by Jim Moore

and Natalie Vermilyea (McFarland Press, 1994). Its subtitle is

"Background and Characters of Baseball's Most Famous Poem." It is 300+

pages with a bibliography, and so this work is probably the reliable source

we're looking for. I've ordered it via interlibrary loan.



My thanks go to the helpful staff members of WHMC and SABR and to the

ADS-L members who sent along their thoughts on "Mudville." I'll let you

know the results.



--Gerald Cohen



gcohen[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]umr.edu