Rick Bass Criticism: Further Reading

Abbott, Lee K., "Rick Bass Seeks Solace in Snowland," Chicago Tribune Books (17 February 1991): 6. (Praises Bass's descriptions of his surroundings in Winter: Notes from Montana yet faults the absence of introspection in his narrative.)

Barra, Allen, "Plunging into the Minds of Rick Bass' Ordinary People," Chicago Tribune Books (30 July 1995): 7. (Discusses Bass' talent for descending into the thoughts of his “ordinary” characters in In the Loyal Mountains.)

Coates, Joseph, "A ‘Natural’ Writer Who Won't Grow Up," Chicago Tribune Books (11 December 1988): 1, 12. (Praises Bass's writing style but faults his lack of conceptual thought in The Watch.)

Coleman, Ancilla F., "Rick Bass: Contemporary Romantic," Publications of the Mississippi Philological Association (1990): 53-8. (Discusses Bass as a romantic writer of modern times, focusing on elements of romantic style in Wild to the Heart, Oil Notes, and The Watch.)

Duffy, Martha, "At Play in Fields of Energy," Time 134, No. 3 (17 July 1989): 84. (Praises Bass's candid and descriptive prose style in The Watch.)

Frater, Alexander, "King of the Furries," London Observer (6 October 1996): 18. (Presents a positive assessment of The Lost Grizzlies: A Search for Survivors in the Wilderness of Colorado.)

Glasser, Perry, "Purer Than Everything Else," North American Review 134, No. 3 (17 July 1989): 84. (Characterizes The Watch as the work of a talented amateur.)

Goodrich, Chris, "A review of The Ninemile Wolves," Los Angeles Times Book Review (19 July 1992): 6. (Presents a negative assessment of The Ninemile Wolves.)

Hedstrom, Elizabeth, "A review of The Ninemile Wolves," National Parks (November 1993): 50-1. (Presents a negative assessment of The Ninemile Wolves.)

Hegi, Ursula, "Splendid Isolation," New York Times Book Review (10 February 1991): 19. (Praises Bass's descriptions of nature and the insightful quality of his narrative in Winter: Notes from Montana.)

Jones, Stephen, "Of Stone Walls, Oil Wells and Life Itself," Chicago Tribune Books (23 July 1989): 6-7, 9. (Commentary on the eclectic compositional style of Oil Notes which characterizes the work as shallow but unpretentious.)

Kamine, Mark, "The Macho Myth Unmasked," New Leader 72, No. 3 (6 February 1989): 19-20. (Applauds Bass's characterizations in The Watch.)

Kanigel, Robert, "Oil Drilling with a Human Face," Los Angeles Times Book Review (9 July 1989): 2. (Presents a negative assessment of Oil Notes.)

Kirkpatrick, Dick, "A review of Oil Notes," Western American Literature 25, No. 3 (November 1990): 273-74. (Presents a positive assessment of Oil Notes and evaluates Bass's writing style.)

Koenig, Rhoda, "The Long and Winding Road," New York Magazine 22, No. 28 (17 July 1989): 49-50. (Commends Bass's honesty and sensitivity in Oil Notes.)

Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher, "The Lure of the Outdoors, Then and Now," New York Times (24 July 1989): C16. (Faults Oil Notes as being superficial.)

Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher, "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolves?" New York Times (30 July 1992): C17. (Cites Bass's argument to preserve a wolf pack as persuasive in The Ninemile Wolves.)

Little, Charles E., "We Salute New Advocates for Wilderness," Wilderness 51, No. 181 (Summer 1988): 60-1. (Bass's wit and depth of emotion are praised in Wild to the Heart.)

Lowell, Susan, "Country Love and Naked Laundresses," New York Times Book Review (5 March 1989): 11. (Provides a positive assessment of Wild to the Heart, discussing structural elements and symbolism in the stories.)

Mardon, Mark, "A review of The Lost Grizzlies: A Search for Survivors in the Wilderness of Colorado," Sierra 81, No. 1 (January 1996): 124. (Positively assesses the work as an insightful narrative.)

Mort, John, "A review of Platte River," Booklist 90, No. 11 (1 February 1994): 993. (Positively assesses Platte River.)

Murray, John, "A review of Winter: Notes from Montana," Bloomsbury Review 11, No. 3 (April 1991): 11. (Characterizes Bass as a truly significant writer.)

Noxon, Christopher, "A review of Winter: Notes from Montana," Quill and Quire 57, No. 2 (February 1991): 33. (Praises Bass's narrative style.)

Prescott, Peter S., "Old Witchery, New Elegance: Unusually Fine Stories," Newsweek 113, No. 2 (9 January 1989): 57. (Provides a positive assessment of The Watch.)

Ruiter, David, "Life on the Frontier: Frederick Jackson Turner and Rick Bass," Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas (26 October 1995): 66-73. (Comparison of Bass to Turner. Discusses the treatment of the American frontier.)

Slovic, Scott, "An Interview with Rick Bass," Weber Studies: An Interdisciplinary Humanities Journal 11, No. 3 (1994): 11-29. (Bass discusses his literary influences, his writing habits, and his concern for environmental issues.)

Williams, Nancy, "A review of The Deer Pasture," Western American Literature 21, No. 1 (May 1986): 72-3. (Praises Bass's complex and paradoxical depiction of deer hunting.)

Wright, Ronald, "Dilemmas of a Gas Lover," Times Literary Supplement No. 4521 (24 November 1989): 1297. (Provides a positive assessment of Oil Notes, focusing on Bass's portrayal of the relationship between his personal life and his career.)

Zenowich, Christopher, "Watchers in an Unquiet Country," Los Angeles Times Book Review (12 February 1989): 1, 9. (Commends Bass's ability to create memorable characters and comments on the author's use of two opposing narrative styles.)

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