Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. [Vol. 5.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 25)
Book reviews - László Dányi: Methods and History: A Milestone in American Studies in Hungary. (Vadon Lehel: Az amerikai irodalom és irodalomtudomány bibliográfiája a magyar időszaki kiadványokban 1990-ig)
Országh appeared to be the founding father of, and which is still in its immediate post-nascent phase in Hungary. The bibliography is considered to be a contribution to accomplishing the program that was launched and formulated in László Országh's policy-making declamatory essay, 'Az amerikanisztika feladatai Magyarországon' ('The Tasks of American Studies in Hungary'), in 1965. The essay takes stand for the establishment of scientific research and for the scholarly development of American studies in Hungary. On the other hand it is also a burden to follow the footsteps of the predecessor, and, at the same time, to achieve something genuine by leaving an indelible mark behind that would be noteworthy in comparison to the perpetually fresh works of the great scholar who cast a long shadow. Lehel VadoiTs bibliography is so ingeniously impressive that 1 must proclaim my conviction here at the beginning that he succeeded in establishing a firm position and reputation in the field of American studies. László Országh laid down the foundation stones of the discipline, and Lehel Vadon's Bibliography is definitely a milestone. The volume has received high critical acclaim from Hungarian scholars of American studies. Zoltán Abádi-Nagy, a reader and a critic of the book, considers it a well-structured volume which is logical in handling concepts, and lie highly appreciates the author's accuracy and precision in being faithful to the vast material. In his comments on the volume Zsolt Virágos assumes that the bibliography bears indisputable professional benefits and scholarly values, and it implies important directions for further research in order to achieve a better understanding of the literary and cultural areas in AmericanHungarian relations; to analyze the sociology of Hungarian reading habits; to map the political forces that shape book-publishing; to explore the direct and indirect literary and cultural effects. All critics agree that the indispensable bibliography supplies a sore deficiency in a discipline where the gaps and white spots outweigh the known and explored terrain. A deficiency in the sense that the bibliographies published in Hungary —in spite of being very comprehensive and synthesizing — engaged themselves to cover mainly national literature, and they have not explored foreign literature, or secondary sources and philological studies related to literature from abroad. The exhaustive A magyar irodalomtörténet bibliográfiája (Bibliography of Hungat ~ian Literary 123
