Valerie Sherer Mathes

argues, based on an 1885 Overland Monthly review, that with Ra-

mona’s publication “more poet than reformer emerged. [Ramona]

possessed ‘no burning appeal, no crushing arraignment, no such

book as ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’” (83

John M.

Gonzalez contends that the novel’s success, ironically, further erod-

ed Native American land rights, arguing that “the novel’s very suc-

cess prompted heavy promotion of southern California for literary

tourism and homesteading, further displacing Indian communities

as more white settlers migrated to the area” (455). Overall, critics

have blamed Jackson’s plot, characterizations, and excessive praise

of the mission system for the novel’s failure to establish itself as an

important protest novel.

The

covers, advertisements, illustrations, and prefaces that the publish-

er chose for her novel responded to growing interest in Ramona-

related sites as travel destinations and sites of mythmaking. By

choosing to reinforce a changing perception of the novel in its

physical appearance, Jackson’s publishers confirmed and forward-

ed a message about Ramona that encouraged readers to travel to

the sites mentioned within it. I argue that the publishers craft this

message through a growing number of paratextual inclusions that

emphasize the natural beauty of the novel’s California setting to

the exclusion of the people whom Jackson’s reform message was

intended to help.