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One might argue that Herbert Gutman was the most influential American historian of his time who never published a monograph. His books consist of two collections of essays, one of which was published posthumously, an extended critical review of Time on the Cross by Fogel and Engerman, and the massive, sprawling volume The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, which undoubtedly comes closest to resembling a traditional monograph. Any cynical observer might well ask why Gutman is so important. Indeed one of the review essays on Power and Culture is titled "What Was So Great about Herbert Gutman?" The answer, of course, lies in the role that Gutman played as a teacher, advocate, and enthusiast. His enthusiasm for, and commitment to, studying the history of the underclasses was absolutely infectious. Readers of the essays in the special memorial issue of Labor History will find this theme echoed time after time by the contributors. The scope of his concerns, which goes some way toward explaining his influence, is best pursued by examining more carefully his Power and Culture. Ira Berlin, a close friend and collaborator of Gutman's, has chosen these essays well. He has also provided readers with a substantial, critical introduction which provides important new information about Gutman and which, despite criticism from the "Genovese camp" in the New York Review of Books, tries to shed light on the inexplicable-to-some, holy war between these important American social historians. The title of Berlin's volume is, of course, a resonating fusillade in that war alluding directly to the major criticism of Gutman by Eugene Genovese and Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, namely that his work paid insufficient attention to the question of power. For the Genoveses, as they put it in their "Political Crisis of Social History," "History, when it transcends chronicle, romance, and ideology ? including 'left-wing' versions ?is primarily the story of who rides whom and how." The essays collected here are an unusual combination of articles or book excerpts published between 1963 and the author's death in 1985, translations of

The last year was quite significant for Canadian work in this field. Three conferences of considerable importance highlighted the year and each was quite different. In addition the year brought significant developments for the two organi zations of labour historians in the country and for their publications. Finally the year brought recognition to the field for previous publications, saw a number of important new titles appear, and held out the promise of major works to appear in 1982. To begin with the conferences. The Third Blue Collar Workers Conference was held at McMaster University in Hamilton in May. This four-day conference brought together academics from numerous disciplines which was refreshing, but even more important it was also attended by numerous political activists and trade unionists. This mix had not worked well at the second conference held in Windsor in 1979, where there was much uncreative tension about the relevance of even po litically committed scholarship. These tensions were not apparent in Hamilton. In stead both academics and labour activists seemed to realize in the dreary and threatening economic and political climate that they had much to offer each other. Memorable sessions were held on contemporary shop floor struggles, on the la bour history of Hamilton (Canada's Pittsburgh), and on memories of the great steel strike of 1946. A social/political evening at The Steel workers Hall also rein forced the tangible reality of the contemporary scene as Hamilton's USWA mem bers were well on their way toward a bitter conflict with Stelco which culminated in a four-month strike.