PDF of Auction 22 Catalogue

Dorothy Sloan —Rare Books
Mostly Americana
Auction Twenty-Two
Featuring High Spots of Texas,
The West, Borderlands & Mexico
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps,
Photographs, Iconography,
Ephemera & Realia
Dorothy Sloan—Rare Books
Auction Twenty-Two, Part One
[ MOSTLY ]
AMERICANA
With an Emphasis on Texas,
the West, Borderlands & Mexico
Rare Books, Maps, Manuscripts, Broadsides,
Photographs, Iconography,
Ephemera, Artifacts
Auction Twenty-Two, Part One
December 11 & 12, 2009
To be Conducted at
Sri Atmananda Memorial School
Austin, Texas
Dorothy Sloan—Rare Books, Inc.
w w w. s l oa n ra r e b o ok s. c om
Dorothy Sloan—Rare Books, Inc.
Box 4825, Austin, Texas 78765-4825
Phone (512) 477-8442 Fax (512) 477-8602
[email protected]
www.sloanrarebooks.com
Managing Editor: James S. Foster (Austin, Texas)
Editor: Aaron Russell (Austin, Texas)
Photography: Tommy Holt at Third Eye Photography (Austin, Texas)
Scanned images: Shelby Smith & Aaron Russell (Austin, Texas)
Design & Typesetting by Bradley Hutchinson (Austin, Texas)
Offset lithography by AusTex Printing (Austin, Texas)
Webmasters: Christina Chaplin & Aaron Russell
Cover image from Item 435. Carl Nebel, Voyage pittoresque
et archéologique dans la partie la plus intéressante du Mexique
AUCT ION T WENT Y-T WO
Entire catalogue with additional text and copious illustrations is posted at our website:
www.sloanrarebooks.com
AUCT ION
December 11 & 12, 2009, 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.
EXH IBI T ION
December 9 & 10, 2009, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chapel of Sri Atmananda Memorial School
4100 Red River Street, Austin, Texas 78751
Directions to Campus: http://www.samschool.org/about-us/our-campus.html
Price of printed catalogue: $75 plus applicable sales tax
Dorothy Sloan, Texas State Auctioneers License #10210
IMPORTANT NOT ICE
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AUCT ION T WENT Y-T WO, PART T WO
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“I dearly love Texas,
but I consider that a harmless perversion on my part,
and discuss it only with consenting adults.”
—Molly Ivins
In Memoriam
Anthony Vail Sloan
September 15, 1970 –May 7, 2009
w w w. a n t hon y s l oa n . c om
LIST OF COLOR PLATES
Frontispiece: Item 446. [OAKLEY, ANNIE]. Large format autographed photograph mounted on card,
ca. 1890.
Plate 1 upper. Item 27. AUDUBON, J.J. Plumed Partridge [California Quail] & Thick-legged Patridge.
London, 1838.
Plate 1 lower. Item 50. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. BACHMANN, John. Birds Eye View of Texas and Part
of Mexico. New York, 1861.
Plate 2 upper. Item 53. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. BROWN, G.T. Reno, The Commercial Center of Nevada.
Reno, 1907.
Plate 2 lower. Item 59. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. WOODWARD & TIERNAN. Hot Springs, Arkansas. St.
Louis, 1890.
Plate 3. Item 75. [BRANDS]. $150.00 Reward! The Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers Stock Association.
Cuero, 1882.
Plate 4 upper. Item 126. [KOPKE-GRIPON FAMILY ARCHIVES]. Large archive chronicling the
lives of two Southeast Texas families, 1844-1900. Civil War, German Texana, cotton trade, rare Confederate imprint re Confederate ship co-owned by Richard King, etc.
Plate 4 lower. Item 139. [COLORADO]. JACKSON, William Henry (photographer). Centennial State
1776...Business Men and Pioneers of Denver, Colorado. Denver, 1882.
Plate 5. Item 133. [CIVIL WAR]. TEXAS SECESSION BROADSIDE. An Ordinance to Dissolve the
Union between the State of Texas and the Other States. [Austin, February 1, 1861].
Plate 6 upper. Item 147. CORPUS CHRISTI & RIO GRANDE RAILWAY CO. Description of the
New Railway across Southwestern Texas. Philadelphia, 1874.
Plate 6 lower. Item 172. EHRENKREUTZ, Baron von. Vollständige Beschreibung des Staates Texas.
Coblenz, 1846.
Plate 7 upper. Item 196. FOURNEL, Henri. Coup d’Oeil Historique et Statistique sur le Téxas. Paris, 1841.
Plate 7 lower. Item 197. [FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS]. LUNGKWITZ, H. Friedrichsburg. Dresden,
ca. 1859. Lithograph view.
Plate 8. Item 208. [GLOBE]. LORING, Josiah. Loring’s Terrestrial Globe. Boston, 1846.
Plate 9. Item 227. [HOUSTON, SAMUEL]. THIELEPAPE, W.C.A. Sam Recruiting. San Antonio,
1855. Political cartoon.
Plate 10. Item 230. HUMBOLDT, Alexander von. Atlas géographique et physique des régions équinoxiales
du Nouveau Continent. Paris, 1814-1834.
Plate 11. Item 234. HUNT, R.S. & J.F. Randel. Guide to the Republic of Texas. New York: J.H. Colton, 1839.
Plate 12 upper. Item 235. [HUNTER, Robert Hancock & family]. Archive of photographs, papers, manuscripts (including two unpublished versions in Robert’s hand of his classic narrative of the Texas
Revolution).
Plate 12 lower. Item 241. IRIARTE, H. El Fandango Mexicano. Mexico, 1847.
Plate 13 upper. Item 252. LEE, Arthur Tracy. Capt. Jordan’s Quarters. Original signed watercolor painting depicting Fort Davis. Undated, between 1854 & 1858.
Plate 13 lower. Item 253. LEE, Arthur Tracy. House Occupied by Dr. Sutherland at Ft. Davis. Original
signed watercolor painting depicting physician’s quarters. Undated, ca. 1857.
Plate 14. Item 276. [MAP]. [CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH]. RICHARDSON, J.H. & Charles Bent,
Jr. Original manuscript chart in ink and pencil, showing the voyage around the Horn, Bent’s 1849
letter on verso.
Plate 15 upper. Item 295. [MAP]. FISHER, R.S. Dinsmore’s Complete Map of the Railroads & Canals in
the U.S. New York, 1856. Pocket map.
Plate 15 lower. Item 303. [MAP]. [GULF OF MEXICO]. Carta esférica que comprehende las costas del Seno
Mexicano. Madrid, 1799.
Plate 16. Item 318. [MAP]. KANSAS PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY. The Best and Shortest Route
from Texas. St. Louis, 1872.
Plate 17 upper. Item 319. [MAP]. KEELER, J.M. Mining Map of Inyo County. San Francisco, 1884.
Pocket map.
Plate 17 lower. Item 320. [MAP]. KELLY, Santiago T. Plano de la Habana. New York, 1837. Pocket map.
Plate 18. Item 346. [MAP]. MUNSON, S.B. New Map of the Western Rivers. Cincinnati, 1846. Pocket map.
Plate 19. Item 356. [MAP]. ROBINSON, J.H. Map of Mexico, Louisiana and the Missouri Territory.
Philadelphia, 1819. Enormous, excessively rare wall map.
Plate 20 upper. Item 372. [MAP]. WHITMAN, E.B. & A.D. Searl. Map of Eastern Kansas. Boston,
1856. Pocket map.
Plate 20 lower. Item 374. [MAP]. YOUNG, J.H. A New Map of Texas, with the Contiguous American &
Mexican States. Philadelphia, 1836. Pocket map.
Plate 21 upper. Item 388. MÉNDEZ, Juan Nepomuceno. Important archive of letters, documents, photographs, and printed ephemera relating to liberal leader Méndez who served as governor of Puebla,
president of the military supreme court, interim president of Mexico, etc. 1831-1928.
Plate 21 lower. Item 409. [MEXICAN COOKBOOK]. GALVÁN RIVERA, Mariano. Diccionario de
cocina. Mexico, 1845.
Plate 22 upper. Item 399. KENDALL, G.W. & Carl Nebel. The War between the United States and Mexico
Illustrated. New York & Philadelphia [& Paris], 1851.
Plate 22 lower. Item 399. KENDALL, G.W. & Carl Nebel. The War between the United States and Mexico Illustrated. New York & Philadelphia [& Paris], 1851.
Plate 23. Item 426. MOORE, Francis. Map and Description of Texas. Philadelphia, 1840. With Stephen
F. Austin’s map of Texas.
Plate 24 upper. Item 430. MYERS, E.E. The New Capitol of Texas. Cleveland, 1885. Large chromolithograph.
Plate 24 lower. Item 431. [NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACT]. Sioux-style beaded hide pipe bag. Ca.
early twentieth century.
Plate 25 upper. Item 435. NEBEL, Carl. Voyage pittoresque et archéologique dans la partie la plus intéressante
du Mexique. Paris, 1836.
Plate 25 lower. Item 435. NEBEL, Carl. Voyage pittoresque et archéologique dans la partie la plus intéressante
du Mexique. Paris, 1836.
Plate 26 upper. Item 456. [PHOTOGRAPHY]. [CIVIL WAR]. Rare ambrotype three-quarter portrait
of armed Confederate infantryman.
Plate 26 lower. Item 463. [PHOTOGRAPHY]. EDWARDS, Jay Dearborn (photographer). Salt print
of street scene in New Orleans dominated by the St. Charles Hotel. New Orleans, ca. 1860.
Plate 27 upper. Item 444. NORDENSKIÖLD, G. Ruiner af Klippboningar i Mesa Verde’s Cañons. Stockholm, 1893.
Plate 27 lower. Item 446. [OKLAHOMA-INDIAN TERRITORY]. CONOVER, George W. Archive
of unpublished material by and about rancher, businessman, and Indian agent Conover. Oklahoma,
1891-1907. Diaries, account books, ledgers, letters, historic photographs, and rare maps.
Plate 28 upper. Item 479. PINDER, Ulrich. Speculum passionis domini nostri Jesu Christi. Nuremberg, 1519.
Binding.
Plate 28 lower. Item 479. PINDER, Ulrich. Speculum passionis domini nostri Jesu Christi. Nuremberg, 1519.
Text.
Plate 29 upper. Item 482. [POWDER HORN]. Spanish Colonial powder horn of quality craftsmanship
with sharply engraved decoration.
Plate 29 lower. Item 501. [SCRIMSHAW]. “The Alabama.” Sperm whale tooth showing the Confederate raider.
Plate 30 upper. Item 504. [SILHOUETTES]. Collection of 25 silhouettes, primarily American, nineteenth century; includes Samuel Folwell’s 1795 from-life image of George Washington.
Plate 30 lower. Item 520. [TEXAS NAVY]. Collection of artifacts, documents, photographs, images,
and ephemera related to Edwin Ward Moore, commander of the second Texas Navy, and his fleet.
Includes Ormsby’s original drawing for the engraving on the Colt Navy revolver cylinder.
Plate 31 upper. Item 537. [TEXAS & THE WEST]. Rare collection of eight Western and Texas view
books with about 477 photolithograph images. 1880s-1900.
Plate 31 lower. Item 548. UNITED STATES. PACIFIC RAILROAD SURVEY. Reports of Explorations
and Surveys. Washington, 1855-1860. 12 vols. in 13.
Item 27. Audubon-Havell double-folio California Mountain Quail
Item 50. An extraordinary 1861 chromolithograph panoramic view of the Texas Coast
plate 1
Item 53. Unrecorded mixed media view of Reno in 1907
Item 59. Spectacular 1890 bird’s-eye view of Hot Springs, Arkansas
plate 2
Item 75. Reward broadside on linen with illustrations of brands,
issued to thwart cattle rustling in South Texas in 1882
plate 3
Item 126. Archive chronicling life in Southeast Texas 1844-1900, Civil War, German-Texana,
with a rare & elaborate Confederate imprint
Item 139. Rare 1882 Colorado book with original photographs by William Henry Jackson,
including a three-part panorama of Denver
plate 4
Item 133. Texas secedes from the Union. Broadside published at Austin, February 1, 1861
plate 5
Item 147. Corpus Christi & Rio Grande Railroad promotional from 1874,
with superb Borderlands map lithographed by Julius Bien
Item 172. Early, exceedingly rare 1846 German emigrant guide to Texas
with folding map after Hunt & Randel
plate 6
Item 196. French mining engineer’s 1844 account of Texas,
in original wrappers and with a very rare map of Texas
Item 197. First published view of Fredericksburg, Texas,
and among the earliest printed views of any town in Texas (by Lungkwitz)
plate 7
Item 208. A very handsome early American terrestrial globe
with Texas now shown as part of the United States
plate 8
Item 227. First lithograph political cartoon created in Texas, a caustic caricature of Sam Houston
plate 9
Item 230. Monumental atlas by Humboldt, with seminal maps of the Orinoco River and Cuba,
and the first printing of the Juan de la Cosa map, believed to be “the earliest extant map
showing any part of the continent of North America.”
plate 10
Item 234. Hunt & Randel's rare 1839 guide to Texas with the large-scale copper-engraved map of
Texas based on Stephen F. Austin
plate 11
Item 235. Archive of photographs & manuscripts relating to Robert Hancock Hunter & his family
Item 241. Unrecorded lively lithograph of the Mexican fandango by Iriarte
plate 12
Item 252. Arthur Tracy Lee’s original signed watercolor painting Capt. Jordan’s Quarters
at Fort Davis, 1854-1858. Early Texas painting
Item 253. Arthur Tracy Lee’s original signed watercolor painting House Occupied by Dr. Sutherland
at Ft. Davis depicting physician's quarters, ca. 1857
plate 13
Item 276. California Gold Rush
Original manuscript chart of 4’ 9er’s voyage around the Horn, with letter on verso
plate 14
Item 295. Pocket map of routes of railroads & canals in the U.S. in 1856,
vibrant coloring with gesso enhancement
Item 303. One of six maps Streeter considered most important for a Texas collection,
“the first large-scale printed chart of the Texas coast based on actual soundings and explorations”
plate 15
Item 318. A legendary rarity delineating the Cattle Trails from Texas to Kansas
plate 16
Item 319. Keeler’s mining map of Inyo County,
pocket map, promotional, and a model of geological cartography
Item 320. Lithograph pocket map of Havana in 1837, vivid original color
plate 17
Item 346. Pocket map of the Western Rivers in 1846,
for a nation on the move dependent on river transportation
plate 18
Item 356. Exceedingly rare survival of one of the grandest and most significant maps showing early
nineteenth-century U.S. territorial ambitions
Item 356, detail
plate 19
Item 372. Emigration pocket map of Bleeding Kansas by abolitionists
Item 374. Classic emigrant pocket map to the Republic of Texas in 1836,
singled out by Streeter as especially desirable for a Texas collection
plate 20
Item 388. Important archive of Juan Nepomuceno Méndez (1824-1894) with letters, documents,
photographs & printed ephemera relating to liberal political and military leader of Puebla
Item 409. Substantially revised edition of Mexico’s first cookbook, with lithographs
plate 21
Item 399. Kendall-Nebel Mexican-American War portfolio
“The very best American battle scenes in existence” (Bennett), including a Texas scene (Palo Alto)
plate 22
Item 426. Very rare 1840 emigrant guide to Texas, with superb copy of Stephen F. Austin’s epochal
map of Texas & very early engravings of Texas scenes based on actual observation
plate 23
Item 430. Uncommon large-format chromolithograph of a proposed
Capitol building for Texas that never materialized
Item 431. Sioux-style beaded hide pipe bag
plate 24
Item 435. Magnificent copy of the Alpha Mexican plate book of the nineteenth century
plate 25
Item 456. Cased ambrotype portrait of armed Confederate infantryman
reflecting the immediacy this rare medium evokes
Item 463. Early New Orleans salt print photograph of street scene
dominated by the venerable St. Charles Hotel ca. 1860
plate 26
Item 444. Nordenskiöld’s classical work on Mesa Verde with extraordinary photogravures
Item 446. Transition from Indian Territory to Statehood—Unpublished archive (1891-1907) by an
eyewitness participant, rancher, businessman & sympathetic agent-adviser to Native Americans
plate 27
Item 479. Pinder’s masterful Speculum passionis domini nostri Jesu Christi (Nuremberg, 1519),
with 39 full-page woodcuts reflecting the strong influence of Dürer
plate 28
Item 482. Provincially made colonial-era powder horn with highly unusual iconography of archetypal,
stylized Spanish design in fine untouched condition
Item 501. Sperm tooth scrimshaw showing Confederate raider “The Alabama”,
highly unusual Civil War subject
plate 29
Item 504. Well-rounded collection of silhouettes, including Folwell’s 1795 image of George Washington
Item 520. Texas Navy collection including Ormsby’s original drawing
for the engraving on the Colt Navy revolver cylinder
plate 30
Item 537. Exceptional collection of eight Western and Texas view books
with about 477 photolithograph images, 1880s-1900s
Item 548. Massive Pacific Railroad Survey with over 600 plates & maps—“An American encyclopedia of
the western experience”—Goetzmann
plate 31
Medical Report from the Mexican Surgeon at the Alamo
1. [ALAMO]. Mercurio del puerto de Matamoros. Viernes, 19 de Agosto de 1836. Tom. II, núm 94 [caption
title] Matamoros: Imprenta del Mercurio á cargo del C. Juan Southwell [colophon], 1836. Pp. [133]-136,
on laid, watermarked paper in three columns. 4to (31.5 × 22 cm). A few contemporary ink notes. Some
loss at left side into first column affecting a few words. Void infilled with sympathetic acid-free paper.
Overall fair. Professionally restored and deacidified. Exceedingly rare.
First edition. Charno, p. 298 (noting the newspaper was established in 1834 and locating some issues
at Yale and a few other scattered ones at American Antiquarian Society and the San Jacinto Museum).
The section “Remitido. SS. EE. del Mercurio” (pp. 134-135) consists of devastating reports about
medical treatment and care available to soldiers who marched with Santa-Anna into Texas and fought
at the Alamo. Two are by José Faustino Moro (a surgeon on the campaign), a third by Adrian Woll, and
a fourth by Nicolas Condelles. Moro reports that after having been left behind in Monclova because
Santa-Anna could not afford to bring him along, he finally arrived on his own at Béjar after the battle
of the Alamo to discover a shocking scene. There were over two hundred wounded who had received
absolutely no care and there were no facilities of any type to even care for them. There were no medicines or bandages. Even the food was inferior. When surgeon Andrés Hurtado arrived, he was ordered
to move on to Goliad with the medicine chest, although he left a few supplies behind. Moro poses the
rhetorical question: “¿Era culpable de esto el cuerpo de sanidad militar, ó lo eran los que habían dispuesto las cosas de este modo?” (Is the medical corps guilty, or does that fall on those who arranged
matters like this?) Subsequent reports by Adrian Woll and Nicolas Condelles reveal the number of
wounded that were involved in the retreat from Texas.
This newspaper preserves a rare and fascinating glimpse into the medical treatment available to
Santa-Anna’s soldiers during his Texas campaign but does not paint a flattering picture of the situation.
A small part of Moro’s report is translated and printed in Todd Hansen, ed., The Alamo Reader
(Mechanicsburg: Stackpole, 2003), pp. 437-438. So far as is known, the publication here is the only full
printing of Moro’s report.
($300-600)
An Alamo Rarity with Copious Manuscript Notes & Corrections by Author
2. [ALAMO]. POTTER, R[euben] M[armaduke]. The Fall of the Alamo: A Reminiscence of the Revolution of Texas. San Antonio: Printed on the Herald Steam Press, 1860. [1-3] 4-16 pp., untitled plan of
Alamo on recto of preliminary leaf at front (presenting positions of men and supplies within); blank following text has pasted on recto and verso the author’s article “The Fall of the Alamo” which appeared
in the San Antonio Herald, August 28, 1860, followed by an inserted leaf signed by author “RMP” and
densely written notes, corrections, and discussion of disparities between the various accounts (includes
material from a “Mexican Officer” whom author had not interviewed before this 1860 publication), text
copiously annotated throughout in ink by author. 8vo (22 × 14 cm), original green printed wrappers with
title reproduced within line border on upper wrapper, original stitching. Fragile wrappers neatly restored
(a few chips sympathetically infilled), old pencil scribble on rear wrap, creased where formerly folded,
interior with a few dog-eared pages, a few light paste stains at end where Potter pasted in his newspaper
article, overall a very good copy of an exceedingly rare pamphlet, a very desirable copy due to the author’s
extensive additional handwritten material. Title with author’s signed presentation copy to “Br[igadier]
Gen[era]l Joseph E[ggleston] Johnston, U.S. Army with the authors compl[iment]s, RMP.” Johnston
(1807-1891) is best remembered as the Confederate general who surrendered the Army of Tennessee to
Sherman on April 26, 1865. Exceedingly rare and a very desirable copy.
First edition. Eberstadt, Texas 162:612. Library of Congress Exhibition 281. Raines, p. 167n (citing the
1878 reprint and commenting in general on Potter’s historical works): “Style clear and vigorous. An
invaluable contribution to the military history of Texas.” Winkler 1368 (locates copies at the University
of Texas and State Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin). OCLC locates copies of the 1860 edition
at six institutions, but five of the locations are actually the 1977 reprint (only the University of Texas at
Austin copy is the original edition of 1860). Other copies we located are Library of Congress, the Garrett Collection at the University of Texas at Arlington, and Yale.
Potter’s book is one of the foundation sources of the battle of the Alamo, based on interviews with
members of Santa-Anna’s forces and others, along with minute inspection of the Alamo grounds begin-
ning in 1841. Since there were no Texas Alamo combatant survivors, Potter’s account is about as close as
we can get to the reality of what occurred with the Texan defenders. Todd Hansen in The Alamo Reader
(Stackpole Books, 2003, p. 694) deftly sums up the importance of this work: “Reuben Potter’s account is
perhaps the most carefully researched balanced version of the siege and fall of the Alamo from the nineteenth century.” Schoelwer, et al., Alamo Images: Changing Perceptions of a Texas Experience (Dallas:
DeGolyer and SMU Press, 1985), cite Potter’s account several times, sometimes pointing out errors he
made which contributed to the mythological canon of the Alamo (see pp. 8, 39, 41, 112, 115, and 144).
In his printed account Potter provides an excellent description of the fall of the Alamo, from the
Mexican invasion to what happened after the smoke cleared and the dust settled. He discusses mistaken
beliefs and errors compounded in the time following the battle and critiques misconceptions by both
Texans and Mexicans; he corrects mistakes by historians, such as Yoakum. Especially valuable for historic archaeologists is the detailed and long description of the physical structure and grounds, including the plan at the front, based on measurements made by Potter in his first investigations on site at the
Alamo in 1841. He sets out the Mexican military assault and compliments General Castrillon’s strategy.
The actions and deaths of Travis, Crockett, Bowie, and other Texans are discussed. Some of what we
learn about the men and their interactions does not mesh entirely with the stereotypes. Especially moving is Potter’s description of Almaron Dickinson’s fatal leap while taking mortal wounds as he sought
to save his child’s life. Military lessons have been learned from his assessment of the battle. Potter concludes with a plea for a memorial to the honor the Alamo defenders:
The Government of the State of Texas has never secured or preserved but one memento of the
Alamo. A small but finely executed monument was made from the stones of the fortress in 1841
by an artist named Nangle; and after lying long neglected it was purchased by the State. It now
stands in the hall of the Capitol of Austin; but neither at the Alamo itself, nor at the forgotten
grave of its defenders, does any legend or device, like the stone of Thermopylæ, remind the
stranger of those who died for their country’s rights.
After the fall of the Alamo, Captain Potter became highly interested in that pivotal battle and wrote
this narrative for the San Antonio Herald in 1860. Because of great interest in the subject of the Alamo,
this pamphlet was circulated extensively.
Page 6 discusses how many Texans were actually at the Alamo and questions the calculation thereof
by Francisco Antonio Ruiz, who as Alcalde of San Antonio at the time, was ordered by General Antonio López de Santa-Anna to count, identify, and dispose of fallen Texans: “The dead bodies of the
defenders when burned according to the statement of Mr. Ruiz numbered 192. Contrary to this as the
number of living men in the garrison on the morning of the assault, we may fairly estimate that not
more than 165 or 170 were effective.”
A footnote on p. 9, refers the reader to the leaf of handwritten notes by Potter inserted at end of printed
text. This note relates to the details of the Mexican attack and an analysis of casualties and wounded:
*1—Since this was published I have learned a few additional particulars from a gentleman who
was an officer in the Army of Texas at San Jacinto [Francisco Becerra], and, being a native of San
Antonio, was able to converse understandingly with the Mexican officers captured there. I
learn[ed] from him that when the columns of attack first moved, and for some time before, the
guns on the south side of the fort were answering the battery in front of them. I therefore erred
in my stating that the cannon on both sides were at that moment silent.—Mr. Ruiz, who, according to this statement, listened to the din of the operations where he could not see them, seems to
have been misled by this cannonade, and, in his recollections twenty odd years after, supported the
fire of the Fort was all directed against storming parties, instead of against the besieging batteries. Hence his idea that a large portion of the Mexican loss was caused by Travis’ artillery.—See
the Scrap pages which follow this.—My informant above referred to says that the guns on the
north side of the Fort had time to make but one fire against the column advancing in that quarter, although it was staggered a short time near the breach. The guns on the south side, when their
aim was turned from the besieging batteries to the assaulting force, could not have made more
than two discharges before one of the columns on that side entered. The column against the north
breach was checked, and that against the chapel repulsed, I presume, at nearly the same moment;
and I infer that while the main attention of the garrison was drawn to these two points, the other
column entered with less opposition.
My informant thinks I have rated the average force of the Mexican corps a fraction too high, and
that it fell short of five hundred. He is confident the battalion of Toluca contained but four hundred
and odd.—Mr. Ruiz in his statement asserts that it numbered 800, out of which only 130 were left
alive.—Now if 670 were slain outright, how many were wounded? The remaining 130 would be an
incredibly small proportion. The whole corps must have gone to the grave yard and hospital; yet only
seven weeks after, a portion of it was killed and taken at San Jacinto, and a small remnant, not in
that action, retreated with Urrea to Matamoros.—The Story of the Eight Hundred, equally with
that of the 1600, in Ruiz’s statement shows what reliance is to be placed on local legends.
My San Jacinto informant thinks my estimate of the Mexican loss about right—that is five
hundred killed & wounded, a little more or less. The captured officers who had been in the assault
generally rated thereabout,—some above & some below it.—The highest conjecture, made by one
officer only, was that the killed and wounded might have approached seven hundred. This though
probably in excess indicates that I have not gone too high.
A footnote on p. 12, refers the reader to the leaf of handwritten notes by Potter inserted at end of
printed text. This note relates to Almaron Dickinson’s fatal leap when trying to rescue his child:
*2.—The authenticity of this incident, Dickenson’s [alternate spelling for Dickinson] has been
questioned.—I heard it related with doubt on my part in the earliest verbal accounts of the action
which I listened to in Texas; but it was afterwards mentioned by my servant ex-Sergeant Becero,
who said he witnessed it. His reference to it was not suggested by any inquiry or allusion of mine;
and, though he may have heard it spoken of before by others, it, seemed to come up spontaneously
among his recollections when he first narrated the assault to me. The leap is generally spoken of
as being made from the top of the chapel; but Becero, according to my present recollection, said
it was from an upper window of the south side. When I first saw that building in 1841, there was
at the point referred to, not a window, but a small breach or notch in the upper part of the wall,
which may have been knocked out to serve as an embrasure. The opening, which is now converted
into a window, is about 15 feet from the ground.
On p. 12 (third paragraph) is a discussion of a few men who attempted to leap from the outer barriers but who were cut down by Mexican gunfire: “One of the men concealed himself under a bridge of
the irrigation ditch near the font, & remained hidden till late in the day, when he was discovered by
some of the camp women who were washing near the bridge. He was dragged out & manacled.”
Reuben Marmaduke Potter (1802-1890), soldier, author, and customs officer, son of Ichabod Potter,
was born in Woodbridge, New Jersey. He held a large variety of important military and political positions during the Texas Revolution, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War. Handbook of Texas
Online: Reuben Marmaduke Potter.
For further information, consult the web site.
($7,500-15,000)
Alamo Ephemera
3. [ALAMO]. Print, photographs, post card, pamphlet. Lot of five Alamo ephemera:
POTTER, R[euben] M[armaduke]. “The Fall of the Alamo,” in The Magazine of American History with
Notes and Queries Edited by John Austin Stevens, in Vol. II, No. 1, January 1878, pp. [1]-21 plus map: Plan
of the Alamo by Capt. R.M. Potter. U.S.A., neat line to neat line: 14.4 × 13.4 cm. Imprint and collation of
entire issue: New York & Chicago: A.S. Barnes & Company, 1878. [2], 64, [16, ads] pp., steel engraved
portrait of William Walton at front. 8vo (25.2 × 19 cm), original grey printed wrappers. Light wear and
dust soiling to wraps, interior with occasional light foxing, overall a very good copy. Second edition of
preceding (Item 2 herein), with author’s corrections and additions, including more detail on the Alamo
plan. Raines, p. 167.
[GENTILZ, Jean Louis Théodore]. Photograph of painting by Gentilz depicting the fall of the Alamo.
N.p., n.d. [San Antonio, ca. 1885, based on Gentilz’s copyright at lower center of painting]. Boudoir card
(albumen print mounted on card with printed identification label on verso). Image: 11.8 × 19 cm; card:
12.8 × 20.4 cm. Old ink inscription on verso: “Fall of the Alamo March 6th 1836.” Printed label on verso
commences: The Picture Represents that part of the action: When a Mexican Column, after having been
repulsed twice, enters the San Valero Plaza and storms the Convent.... Image with cracks in lower corners,
small chip from lower left corner, and flaws in emulsion along left and top edges, light scattered foxing
to image and card, a bit of wear to card edges, overall good.
This photograph is as close as one may get to the original painting by Gentilz, which was destroyed
in a fire in 1906. The painting in this photograph represents Gentilz’s conception of one moment during the battle of the Alamo. References: Dorothy S. Kendall, Gentilz Artist of the Old Southwest...
(Austin & London: University of Texas, 1974). Pauline A. Pinckney, Painting in Texas: The Nineteenth
Century (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1967), pp. 99-118: “Gentilz made the painting The Fall of the
Alamo, which exists now only in photographic reproductions.... It is important documentary material,
for the artist had access to eye witnesses of the fatal morning.... The depiction of the old mission is an
example of the artist’s skill in architectural perspective and layout. Gentilz noted the fact that he consulted Francisco Antonio Ruiz as well as others in making this painting” (p. 108). Susan Prendergast
Schoelwer, et al., Alamo Images: Changing Perceptions of a Texas Experience (Dallas: DeGolyer Library &
SMU Press, 1985), p. 89 (including illustration). Sam DeShong Ratcliffe, Painting Texas History to 1900
(Austin: University of Texas, 1991), Figure 22 & pp. 25-32: “Gentilz’s version contrasts strikingly with
other paintings of the battle. He views it with a technical, passionate eye and does not concern himself
with presenting heroes or villains. Instead, Gentilz was intent on producing an accurate reconstruction
of the scene.” Cecilia Steinfeldt, Art for History’s Sake (Austin, TSHA & SAMA, 1993), pp. xxi (see also
pp. 80-103 for catalogue of Gentilz paintings). Gentilz (1819-1906) was born in Paris, received training as
a draftsman, painter, and engineer, and came to Texas in 1844 to serve as surveyor for Henri Castro’s
colony in Texas. For many years Gentilz taught painting at St. Mary’s College in San Antonio. A number of Gentilz’s paintings depict events contemporary to him that he felt would be of historical importance. For more information see Handbook of Texas Online: Jean Louis Théodore Gentilz.
[GENTILZ, Jean Louis Théodore]. Photograph of painting by Gentilz: Death of Lieut. Dickinson. N.p.,
n.d. [San Antonio? 1880s?]. Boudoir card (albumen print mounted on orange card with printed identification label on verso). Image: 11.4 × 18.8 cm; card: 12.8 × 20.4 cm. Approximately 1 × 2 cm void in top
left corner of image (possible manufacturing defect), otherwise fine.
This photograph shows Lieutenant Dickinson kneeling and holding a small child with a white flag.
Behind him is a group of soldiers, some with bayonets pointed at his back. Facing him is a mounted
Santa-Anna and his officers, all with drawn blades. Printed label on verso commences: Death of Lieut.
Dickinson (Episod [sic] of the Fall of the Alamo) After the firing ceased, General Santa Anna made his
entrance.... Although Lieutenant Almaron Dickinson did, in fact, fall while defending the Alamo, the
story depicted in this image is most likely spurious. Gentilz’s painting of the incident is owned by the
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library in San Antonio. See Schoelwer, et al., Alamo Images: Changing Perceptions of a Texas Experience, pp. 117-188 & Plate 7.
[POST CARD-BLOTTER]. “The Alamo, Built 1718, San Antonio, Texas—5.” N.p., n.d. Half-tone
colored Real Photo front view of the Alamo, trimmed down and pasted to card stock to form an ink
blotter, 7.5 × 14 cm. Fine.
WADE (artist). Ruins of the Church of El Alamo [lower left and right of image] Wade [artist] | Brown
[engraver]. Boston: Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, February 18, 1854. Wood engraving with
touch of original hand coloring, image and title: 15.5 × 24.5 cm. Poor condition, browned and chipped
(affecting only a small segment of sky at top). Kelsey, Engraved Prints of Texas, 1554-1900, p. 35 & Figure
4.64. Schoelwer, “The Artist’s Alamo: A Reappraisal of Pictorial Evidence, 1836-1850” in SWHQ, Vol. 91
(illustrated at p. 444). Schoelwer, et al., Alamo Images: Changing Perceptions of a Texas Experience, p. 47
(illustrated): “Clearly based on Everett’s earlier facade view [see Item 5 herein]. In adapting the latter,
Gleason’s artist has cleaned up the site, removing rubble from the foreground and tufts of grass from atop
the walls, embellishing the facade with a more decorative arched window above the door, and adding several groups of well-dressed Anglo-American tourists and a fancy carriage. Where Everett had seen a battle-scarred ruin, the American public saw a serene, stylish promenade ground.”
($1,000-2,000)
Cabinet Card of the Alamo in 1886
4. [ALAMO]. STURDEVANT, E[ugenio] K. (photographer). Untitled photograph of the Alamo
(three-quarter view), San Antonio, ca. 1886, cabinet card (albumen print mounted on card stock). Below
image in contemporary ink: “‘The Alamo’—San Antonio. Texas. Feb. 5, 1886” [repeated on verso]. Small
printed broadside text on verso: The Missions in 1886... The first of the missions in importance to visitors is
the Old Alamo.... E.K. Sturdevant, Photographer, 231 E. Houston St., San Antonio, Texas. Image: 10.9 × 18
cm; card: 12.6 × 20.3 cm. Image slightly faded, one tiny chip at lower blank margin of print, light foxing, minor wear to mount edges and corners. Overall very good.
The view shows the front and right side of the Alamo church with Hugo Grenet’s Alamo store
extending on the left out of the view. The details of the columns and windows on the front of the structure are plainly visible. This is the so-called Grenet Repair, done in 1882 and which later became highly
controversial. On verso is text describing the battle of the Alamo, the missions, and San Antonio. Photographer Eugenio K. Sturdevant (active in Texas 1886-1891) worked mostly in San Antonio, and later
in Seguin and Galveston.
($200-400)
First Lithographs of the Alamo Made from Eyewitness Drawings
5. [ALAMO]. UNITED STATES. WAR DEPARTMENT. SECRETARY OF WAR (W.L. Marcy).
[Government document cover leaf ] Report of the Secretary of War, Communicating, in Compliance with a
Resolution of the Senate, a Map Showing the Operations of the Army of the United Sates in Texas and the
Adjacent Mexican State on the Rio Grande; Accompanied by Astronomical Observations, and Descriptive and
Military Memoirs of the Country. March 1, 1849. Read. February 18, 1850. Ordered to be Printed, and that 250
Additional Copies be Printed for the Use of the Topographical Bureau. [half-title following title] Memoir
Descriptive of the March of a Division of the United States Army, under the Command of Brigadier General
John E. Wool, from San Antonio de Bexar, in Texas, to Saltillo, in Mexico. By George W[urtz] Hughes, Captain Corps Topographical Engineers, Chief of the Topographical Staff. 1846. [Washington: Government
Printing Office, 1850]. 31st Congress, 1st Session, Senate Executive Document 32. [1-4] 5-67 [1, blank]
pp., 8 lithograph plates (after watercolors by Edward Everett), 2 folding lithograph maps. 8vo (22.6 ×
14.7 cm), disbound. Occasional light foxing, otherwise fine.
plates
San Antonio de Bexar 1846 [lower right, below neat line] C.B. Graham, Lithog. Neat line to neat line:
10.4 × 17 cm; image & title: 11.5 × 17 cm. Light foxing, mainly confined to blank margins.
Ruins of the Church of the Alamo, San Antonio de Bexar. Scale 10 feet to an inch. [below neat line] Drawn
by Edw d. Everett | C.B. Graham, Lithog. Neat line to neat line: 10.3 × 17 cm; image & title: 11.5 × 17 cm.
Light foxing (some of which affects image), overall very good.
Interior View of the Church of the Alamo. [below neat line] Drawn by Edwd. Everett | C.B. Graham, Lithog.
Wash n. Neat line to neat line: 10.3 × 17 cm; image & title: 11.5 × 17 cm. Very light foxing, mostly confined
to blank margins, very fine.
Plan of the Ruins of the Alamo near San Antonio de Bexar 1846. Drawn by Edw d. Everett. Overall sheet
size: 22.5 × 14 cm. Other than a few light fox marks, very fine.
Mission Concepción, near San Antonio de Bexar [below neat line] C.B. Graham, Lithog. | Drawn by Edw d.
Everett. Neat line to neat line: 10.3 × 17 cm; image & title: 11.5 × 17 cm. Minor foxing, else very fine.
Mission of San José near San Antonio de Bexar [below neat line] Drawn by Edw d. Everett | C.B. Graham,
Lithog. Neat line to neat line: 10.3 × 17 cm; image & title: 11.5 × 17 cm. Foxing mainly confined to blank
margins, otherwise fine.
Church near Monclova. [lower right, below border] C.B. Graham, Lithog. Neat line to neat line: 10.3 × 17
cm; image & title: 11.5 × 17 cm. Foxing mainly confined to blank margins, very good.
Watch Tower near Monclova. [lower right, below border]: C.B. Graham, Lithog. Neat line to neat line: 10.3
× 17 cm; image & title: 11.5 × 17 cm. Foxing mainly confined to blank margins, very good.
First edition (often this report is described as a limited edition of 250 copies, but the statement on the
document is that 250 additional copies were printed for the use of the Topographical Bureau). Richard
E. Ahlborn, San Antonio Missions: Edward Everett and the American Occupation, 1847 (Fort Worth:
Amon Carter Museum, 1985). Garrett & Goodwin, The Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, p. 296.
Howes H767. Raines, p. 121. Sandweiss, et al., Eyewitness to War: Prints and Daguerreotypes of the Mexican War, 1846-1848, pp. 132-134, Illustrations 18, 19 & 20 (first, second, and next-to-last plates listed
above). Schoelwer, et al., Alamo Images: Changing Perceptions of a Texas Experience, pp. 22, 29, 32, 34, 36,
46 (reproduction of second plate listed above, Ruins of the Church of the Alamo, San Antonio de Bexar), 47
& Plate 3 (illustrating Everett’s original watercolor used to make the third plate listed above, Interior
View of the Church of the Alamo). Tutorow 1634.
Some of the lithographs in this work, including the Alamo images, are after the work of Londonborn artist Edward Everett (1818–1903), who came to the United States in 1840 and served in the Mormon War and the Mexican-American War. “His landscape sketches resemble those produced by the
Hudson River School artists. Despite definite artistic ability, Everett identified himself as a ‘mechanical engineer’” (Handbook of Texas Online: Edward Everett).
With thanks to Dr. Ron Tyler for the following superb notes from his preliminary study of nineteenth-century Texas lithographs:
The other Mexican war lithographs that relate to Texas are the work of Sergeant Edward
Everett, a member of the Quincy Riflemen, First Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, who arrived
at Port Lavaca in August, 1846, with General John E. Wool’s Centre Division of Taylor’s
Army of Occupation. With Wool’s army, Everett marched to San Antonio over roads made
boggy by twenty days of ran that fell in late July and early August. After recovering from the
arduous march, he began to describe his surroundings in the “military frontier post” in which
he found himself. “The place was highly picturesque, being irregularly built, and having an
Oriental style... from the Moors of Old Spain,” he noted. Because of his interest in architecture, he was quickly assigned the task of “making drawings of buildings and objects of interest, particularly... of San Antonio,” and was given leaves of absence when necessary to accomplish his work.
In September Everett made his first drawing of the now-famous Alamo, which had been the
subject for several other artists, and was then in ruins. Then he turned to the more architecturally
interesting Mission San José, “remarkable,” he noted, “for its façade, which was elaborately carved
in stone, scroll work, supporting statues of the Virgin and Saints, surrounding the entrance and
the central window.”
The lithograph of the Alamo façade made after Everett’s watercolor, now in the Amon Carter
Museum collection, was not the first published picture of the famous structure, but it was the first
to be lithographed from an eye-witness drawing. Drawn on the stone by Graham, the lithograph
is a faithful copy of the watercolor, but does have some differences, notably that the bright façade
has been darkened and the rocks and foliage rearranged by the lithographer.
The interior of the Alamo, drawn from the north looking westward through the nave and over
the interior wall of the façade, is a more interesting composition. Perhaps with an eye toward the
restoration that would soon be undertaken, Everett recorded some of the details of the interior
still intact, despite the poundings of several battles. Most obvious is the extent of damage and
deterioration, but also apparent, as Richard E. Ahlborn points out, are significant architectural
details such as the place of each voussoir in the recessed arch of the north transept, recesses for
supporting stones for the choir loft, and the doorway to the baptistery. Beyond the wall, Everett
showed the dome of San Fernando church as well as the roofs of a few houses around the Main
Plaza of old San Antonio across the San Antonio River.
The San Antonio de Bexar lithograph—probably also from a view by Everett although he
specifically receives credit on the other four, but not on this one—shows the city from the northern bank of the river as it curves around the eastern side of the city. The artist’s perspective is the
northwest side of the city looking in a southwesterly direction. San Fernando church can be seen
dominating the horizon line in the distance.
($750-1,500)
Alamo & San Jacinto Documents from the Mexican Side
6. [ALAMO & SAN JACINTO]. MEXICO (Republic). ARMY. FILISOLA, Vicente, José Francisco
Urrea, et al. Contemporary Mexican archive of nine retained manuscript copies written in ink of documents and letters concerning the Battle of the Alamo and the immediate aftermath of the Battle of
San Jacinto, dating from February 28, 1836, to April 28, 1836, as described below. All have been folded
once and exhibit some water damage, sometimes with loss of some words or letters; otherwise, the documents are highly legible. Unless otherwise noted the documents are secretarial.
The collection contains the following items (arranged chronologically):
BATTALION OF ZAPADORES. “Exército de Operacs | Batn de Zapadores.” 21 × 30.5 cm. Chart
indicating troop strength and ranks of the 169 members of this force. Campo de la Cañada del Negro,
February 28, 1836, signed by Romulo J. de la Vega and witnessed by [Agustín] Amat. Water damage
does not affect text. This engineering battalion, commanded by Amat, is one of the units that assaulted
the Alamo. This report reflects their number at the Alamo itself, where Santa-Anna had arrived on February 23. At this point, the unit was at Cañada del Negro and arrived a few days later at the Alamo,
probably on March 3.
PERMANANET BATTALION OF ALDAMA. “Batn Permte de Aldama.” 15 × 21.5 cm. Chart indicating troop strength and ranks of the 373 members of this infantry force. [Cañada del Negro?], February 28, 1836, signed by Felipe Romero, with apparently unrelated signature of José María Soler Marín
on verso. Slight water damage at upper right corner affecting border only. This is one of the units that
assaulted the Alamo. It was part of the first infantry brigade, immediately commanded by Colonel Gregorio Urunulea. This report reflects their number at the Alamo itself, where Santa-Anna had arrived on
February 23. Enrique de la Peña reports that the sapper battalions from this unit arrived at the Alamo
on March 3 (p. 39). These troops were further decimated at San Jacinto (de la Peña, p. 123).
BATTALION OF TOLUCA. “Batallon Activa de Toluca.” 21.5 × 31 cm. Chart indicating troop
strength and ranks of the 304 members of this infantry force. Campo de la Cañada del Negro, February 29, 1836, signed by Miguel Velásquez. Water damage barely affects writing and just touches chart.
This unit was part of the first infantry brigade and was immediately commanded by General Francisco
Duque. This report reflects their number at the Alamo itself, where Santa-Anna had arrived on February 23. At this point, the unit was at Cañada del Negro; according to de la Peña, the sapper battalions
from this unit arrived at the Alamo on March 3 (p. 39). This unit was decimated both at the Alamo and
San Jacinto (de la Peña, pp. 47-48 & 123). On verso: “Pertenece al diario.” Brief report of the dead and
wounded after the battle, listing 318 casualties. Verso text lightly water damaged. The casualty figures
give an excellent indication of how lethal the defenders were and basically confirm de la Peña’s account,
which reports 300 dead (p. 45). On the other hand, Filisola prints a chart similar to that found in number [4] below, but has totals indicating 311 dead and wounded (Filisola, Memorias para la guerra de Tejas,
Cumplido edition, Vol. I, p. 12).
GRENADIERS. “Ejército de Operacs | Columna de Granaderos. | Noticia de los muertos y heridos
que tuvo la espa en el asalto del 6 del corre.” 21.5 × 30.1 cm. Unsigned chart giving report of dead and
wounded for the Zapadores, Aldama, Matamoros, Jiménez, Toluca, and San Luis Potosí units giving a
total of 131 casualties at the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. [San Antonio de Bejar?, March 6,
1836?] Although legible, this document has water damage in the center section affecting numerous letters and figures. These infantry units assaulted the Alamo. How this casualty list relates to that given in
the preceding list is not clear.
MEXICAN ARMS & ARMAMENT. “Parque y campaña.” 31 × 21.6 cm. Rio Colorado, April 17, 1836,
signed by Antonio Oláez and witnessed by Quijano. Water damage costs some figures on the righthand side. Report on all the munitions, arms, and other equipment that came with two of the 8-pounder
field pieces, including 192 rounds of grape shot, 50 grenades, 30 fuses, 300 muskets with bayonets (i.e.,
Brown Besses), about 33,000 rounds of musket ammunition, and 271 solid shot balls. This inventory was
apparently prepared under Filisola’s supervision, since he was in charge of the Colorado River crossing.
This is an unusual and rare document showing precisely how much such material the Mexicans had at
the time. De la Peña reports that the assault required about 50,000 cartridges (p. 51).
LETTER FROM FILISOLA TO URREA NEAR SAN JACINTO. Vicente Filisola to José Urrea,
Hold Fort, April 23, 1836. 1 page; 31.5 × 22.5 cm. Water damage costs a few words at right-hand side. Filisola orders Urrea to join him immediately with no halt in his march. In a confidential PS, Filisola
informs Urrea that Santa-Anna has suffered a calamity. This important note reflects the despair and
urgency instilled in Filisola when he learned of Santa-Anna’s defeat at San Jacinto. Santa-Anna had
been captured on the 22nd. At this point, Filisola had no orders to retreat and apparently had not heard
from Santa-Anna himself. News of the disaster reached Filisola on the 22nd in the form of a pencil note
from Mariano Garcia, who was with the Guerrero Battalion; it was delivered by a common soldier who
had managed to escape. The first part of the present order was published by Filisola (Memorias para la
guerra de Tejas, Cumplido edition, Vol. I, pp. 118-119); however, the confidential postscript was not.
Santa-Anna ordered the Mexican Army to retreat on the 22nd, but apparently these orders did not reach
Filisola’s hands until the 25th (Memorias para la guerra de Tejas, Cumplido edition, Vol. I, pp. 217-218).
MARCHING ORDERS FROM SALAS TO URREA AT COLUMBIA. José Maria de Salas to José
Urrea, Columbia, April 24, 1836. 1 page; 30.1 × 22 cm. Water damage at left-hand side costing a few letters. Salas transmits a Filisola letter of this same date, addressed to him, ordering him to march immediately with all his forces to Filisola’s position without Urrea’s permission, another attempt by Filisola
to gather the remaining army. Salas informs Urrea that he is obeying the order and leaving behind only
a small escort for Urrea himself. The part of this letter containing Filisola’s order was published by Filisola (Memorias para la guerra de Tejas, Cumplido edition, Vol. I, p. 119); however, the remainder of the
letter was not published.
THREE FIELD LETTERS FROM SAN JACINTO. Copies of three letters. 3 pages on a bifolium;
31.5 × 22.5 cm. Moderate water damage costing several words of each letter.
Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma to José Urrea, from the field, April 24, 1836, transmitting a letter from
Vicente Filisola with a postscript from Ramírez. Filisola assumes that Urrea is on the march to join
forces with him and states he is sending an escort to guide him. In his postscript, Ramírez regrets the
present situation. This letter was published by Filisola (Memorias para la guerra de Tejas, Cumplido edition, Vol. I, p. 164).
Jose Urrea to Vicente Filisola, 4 leagues from Columbia, April 25, 1836, announcing that he has abandoned his positions at Brazoria and Columbia, as ordered, and is on the march to join Filisola. He bitterly denounces the Mexican defeat, rails against the Texans as cowards, and expresses a desire that
Mexican forces avenge themselves. At this point, Santa-Anna’s order for Urrea to retreat to Victoria had
not reached him.
José Urrea to Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma. N.p., April 25, 1836, stating that he knows little about the
present situation and expressing extreme worry about Santa-Anna’s fate, about which he knows nothing. He fears the worst, however, and is hastening to join forces.
Vicente Filisola to José Urrea, Arroyo de San Bernardo, April 28, 1837. Half page; 31 × 22.5 cm. Water
damage on right-hand side barely affects text. Filisola orders Urrea to instruct his forces at Matagorda
to retreat to Guadalupe Victoria and hand over all supplies at Matagorda to an unnamed agent who will
be munified with a passport from Santa-Anna. Noted, “Es copia, Mexico, April de 1837.” At this point,
Urrea is in command of Matagorda.
This important series of retained documents gives added insight into Santa-Anna’s preparations for
the assault on the Alamo, the aftermath of that battle, and the desperation that surrounded Filisola and
his fellow commanders after the President’s defeat and capture at the Battle of San Jacinto. The first
five documents offer significant documentation of the real battle-ready strength of several units vital in
the storming of the fortress. Parts of the Aldama, Toluca, Matamoros, Jimenez, and San Luis Potosi
units were involved in the first assault, when they were repelled with heavy losses. After the assault
looked to be successful, Santa-Anna committed the reserves from those units, along with the
Zapadores, to finish the job. The two casualty lists make evident the sacrifice they endured during the
assault. The fifth document offers insight into Mexican armaments during the Texas campaign.
The later documents reveal in startling detail the confusion, uncertainty, and anger that enveloped
the remaining Mexican army commanders immediately after San Jacinto. Having no real news or
orders, Filisola desperately tries to pull his remaining troops together but seems uncertain if they will
be engaging in another battle or a rescue mission. Urrea, the hothead, is bent on revenge; Filisola seems
more concerned with consolidating his position as quickly as possible, even if he must abandon areas
that are already occupied. After the war, Urrea and Filisola became bitter enemies.
Exactly who accumulated these documents is unknown, but whoever did so seems to have been a
member of Filisola’s column. This is strongly suggested by the munitions inventory taken at the Colorado River Crossing, of which Filisola was in charge at the time. The correspondence also reflects a
person with attachments to Filisola’s army who had access to the various orders and correspondence
being exchanged among Mexican officers.
($10,000-20,000)
First Major Campaign of the Texas Revolution—Santa-Anna Orders
The Morelos Battalion to Texas—Unknown Mexico Soldier in the Texas Revolution
7. [ALAMO & THE TEXAS REVOLUTION]. Collection of six manuscripts and two newspapers
relating to the Alamo, the Texas Revolution, López de Santa-Anna, and Mexican generals Vicente Filisola and Adrián Woll. Various places, 1835-1849. Most creased where formerly folded, but overall very
good to fine.
The collection consists of:
LÓPEZ DE SANTA-ANNA, Antonio. Document in secretarial hand signed by Santa-Anna. 1¼ pp.
on an imprinted Ejército de operaciones bifolium letterhead. Folio (30 × 21 cm). Mexico City, June 1,
1835, to the Ministerio de Guerra y Marina ordering the Morelos Battalion to march to Leona Vicario,
there to join with the presidial companies, and march thence to “Coahuila y Tejas.” Very light stain at
upper right, otherwise fine.
This rare order pertains to the Siege of Bexar, which was the first battle of the Texas Revolution and
led directly to Santa-Anna’s later invasion to recover the territory. The siege lasted from OctoberDecember, 1835, and was intended to dislodge Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos, who had fortified the town and the Alamo with about 650 troops, among whom was the Morelos Battalion. After
numerous see-saw, indecisive encounters, marked in several ways by timidity on the Texan side, the revolutionaries finally proceeded to take the town, house-by-house, sometimes in hand-to-hand combat.
After Cos was bottled up in the Alamo and crippled by the desertion of a large number of his cavalry,
he surrendered on December 9 and was allowed to retreat towards Mexico. In the fighting, the Morelos Battalion, commanded by Nicolas Condelle, lost over a hundred men because it was the unit tasked
with defending San Antonio itself and was therefore the one that bore the brunt of the Texan assault.
Condelle vainly protested Cos’ order to treat for terms with the Texans, arguing that his battalion had
never surrendered. The Texas success left the insurgents in complete control of Texas. One significant
Texas casualty was Ben Milam, killed by Felix de la Garza, a Morelos Battalion sharpshooter. See
Handbook of Texas Online: Siege of Bexar: “The siege of Bexar (San Antonio) became the first major
campaign of the Texas Revolution.” Original documentation signed by Santa-Anna concerning any
troop movements during any part of the Texas Revolution is extremely rare. The Morelos Battalion
returned to Texas the next year as part of Santa-Anna’s invading army.
ANONYMOUS. Unsigned statement in ink about an unidentified soldier who participated in the siege
of the Alamo, the second Texas Campaign, and the Mexican-American War. 1 p. Oblong 4to (17.7 ×
22.5). [N.p., ca. 1848]. Contains contemporary manuscript corrections in ink and unrelated mathematical calculations on verso. Except for some minor losses at folds, very good. The statement, although
basically complete, seems to end in mid-sentence. Given the overall nature of the document, with its
casual handwriting, numerous spontaneous corrections, and poor quality paper, this may have been an
underlying draft for a more formal statement of services Apparently unpublished.
A highly unusual brief military biography of a soldier who fought in the Mexican Army for over a
decade, participating in numerous important battles. The writer states that in 1836, “se halló en el asalto
y toma del Alamo en 1836 contra los Americanos.” After the Alamo, “se unia con su ejército y marcha
a los puntos de Goliad, Columbia, Brasoria en persecución por el enemigo, estranjeros, hasta la desgracia jornada a San Jacinto en que hecho prisonerio nuestro muy digno presidente su alteza el Señor don
Antonio López de Santa Ana.” He afterwards joined the retreat to Matamoros, which implies that he
must have been with Filisola’s column, although he again returned to action in 1841 during Woll’s occupation of San Antonio. Finally, he served during the Mexican-American War and fought at Mexico
City. This document offers an unusual glimpse into the life and services of what must have been a career
soldier who was basically in action during almost all the important campaigns and actions of the Mexican Army during that time. Although numerous accounts of Texan experiences during the Texas Revolution survive, first-person accounts by any Mexican soldiers are rare, eclipsed by the better known
published accounts, such as those by Filisola, Martínez Caro, de la Peña, and Santa-Anna’s supporters
and detractors. (For other accounts, see Todd Hansen, editor, The Alamo Reader.) This statement comes
from the descendants of soldier Ignacio Rubín and may describe his military services.
WOLL, Adrián. Document in secretarial hand and signed by Woll. 1 p. on a bifolium with two printed
fourth seals for 1840-1841 and two embossed blind stamps. Folio (31.2 × 21.5 cm). [Mexico City?], August
30, 1840. Light creases where formerly folded, but otherwise fine, with a dark, bold signature. Woll certifies that Lt. Col. Ignacio Rubín of the Querétaro Battalion served with distinction in the 1839 Texas Expedition and later at San Luis Potosí. Woll’s recommendation is warm and flattering in all respects. French
soldier of fortune Woll (1795-1875) was in the Mexican Army most of his career after having become
involved the struggle for Independence. He served as Santa-Anna’s quartermaster during the Texas campaign and retreated with Filisola after the Battle of San Jacinto. Ordered to reinvade Texas, he did so in
1842, but with only limited success. He sided with Maximilian and was dispatched to France by him on a
mission to Napoleon. He never returned to Mexico. See Handbook of Texas Online: Adrián Woll.
FILISOLA, Vicente. Letter in secretarial hand signed by Filisola. 2 pp. on an imprinted Comandancia
General bifolium letterhead to Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Calvo concerning the mechanism for paying for
his pension according to the President’s orders. 4to (22 × 15.5 cm). Mexico City, October 10, 1839. Fine signature. Filisola (1789-1850) was born in Italy and rose rapidly in the Mexican military ranks after becoming favored by Iturbide. Named second in command of the army invading Texas in 1836, Filisola found
himself in the uncomfortable position of overseeing the army’s retreat after the Battle of San Jacinto, an
event that caused much controversy, including a court martial at which Filisola was vindicated. He was a
major figure in Texas and Mexican military history. See Handbook of Texas Online: Vicente Filisola.
FILISOLA, Vicente. Letter in secretarial hand signed by Filisola. 2 pp. on an imprinted Comandancia
General bifolium letterhead to Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Calvo expressing his frustrations that he cannot perform an administrative matter as ordered. 4to (20.8 × 14.8 cm). Mexico City, September 3, 1839.
Slightly wrinkled. Fine signature.
FILISOLA, Vicente, et al. Letter in secretarial hand signed by Filisola, Manuel de la Peña y Peña,
Francisco Modesto de Olaguíbel, and José Ramón Pacheco. 2 pp. to Archbishop Manuel Moreno y
Poven thanking him warmly for the eloquence of a speech he recently gave. Folio (32 × 21 cm). Mexico
City, February 28, 1849. A very fine assemblage of signatures of important Mexican figures. Peña y Peña
(1789-1850), a prominent Mexican political figure, is best remembered in Texas history as one of the
Mexican signatories to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Olaguíbel (1806-1865) served as Mexican foreign minister to France, was Governor of the State of Mexico, and formed an important book collection that he left to the Puebla public library. Pacheco (1805-1865) held various offices under Santa-Anna
and filled Mexican diplomatic posts abroad.
La Opinión. Periódico del gobierno de San Luis Potosí. San Luis Potosí: José María Infante, 1836. Two issues:
September 16, 1836 & December 15, 1836. 4 pp. each in two columns. Folio (31.5 × 21 cm). Both fine. Each
issue contains extensive Texas material, mostly of the bitter-grapes variety attacking the Texas Revolution, from which the country was still reeling. Some of these articles are drawn from U.S. newspapers.
One from the New Orleans Bee, for example, is printed in the September issue to prove “que la guerra
de Tejas de ningun modo se ha concluido.” (See Item 535 herein for the December 15, 1836, issue.)
($7,000-12,000)
Autographed by the Spy Who Came in from the South
8. ALMONTE, Juan Nepomuceno. VERACRUZ AND MEXICO RAIL ROAD. Lithograph bond,
printed in double column (Spanish and English): Nuevo Fondo Mexicano de 5 p% Consolidado para la
Construcción del Camino de Fierro de Veracruz á México. Gana interes desde 1 o de setiembre de 1857. Los dividendos se pagarán por semestres vencidos los días 1 o de marzo y 1 o de setiembre de cada año. Letra A N. 5459
1857 Bono por $100.... Mexican Five Per Cent New Consolidated Vera Cruz and Mexico Rail Road Stock
Bearing Interest from the 1st September 1857. Dividends payable every 1st March and 1st September. Letter A
No. 5459 1857 Bond for £20 sterling.... [at end] Firmado de mi mano, en la ciudad de México, el dia 1o de
setiembre de 1857.... Given under my hand, in Mexico, this first day of September 1857.. [imprint on verso]
Mexico: Imprenta de Andrade y Escalante [1857]. Signed in ink by J.N. Almonte as Minister Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Mexico, and two Mexican officials. Two blind-embossed stamps (Mexican
Treasury and Mexican Legation to Britain). Large folio (52 × 83 cm). Recto with bond descriptions in
two columns at left, text within ornamental border and Mexican eagle with military implements at top,
100 individual bond coupons at right; verso with large panel at left within ornamental borders reading
Mexican Five Per Cent New Consolidated Vera Cruz and Mexico Rail Road Stock, at right two bond samples printed in pale lilac with numbering in blue, and an August 31, 1857, decree by Ignacio Comonfort
in both Spanish and English, authorizing the bond. Creased where formerly folded, left side irregularly
trimmed with loss of some letters, a few marginal tears and minor chips (some into printed area, but no
losses), tiny series of pinholes on either side of centerfold. On verso, thin piece of plain white paper (50.5
× 15.7 cm) applied to left side, obscuring portion of title. Overall a very good, unused copy of a rare Mexican railroad bond, signed by a person of interest for Republic of Texas history.
This tour de force of Mexican commercial lithography is an outstanding example of the work produced by two of Mexico’s most important nineteenth-century lithographers, Felipe Escalante and José
María Andrade (Mathes, Mexico on Stone, pp. 30 & 63). The railroad, which ran from Veracruz to Mexico City and thence to the Pacific Ocean (Acapulco) was first undertaken in 1837; at that time no track
was laid. Antonio Escandón received a new concession in 1857, which is represented by the bond documented here. However, the project was stalled by political problems until 1864; construction finally
began while Maximilian was Emperor of Mexico. The line was finally finished in 1873 and is considered
a marvel of engineering.
Juan Nepomuceno Almonte (1803-1869), noted Mexican statesman-scholar, worked as a congenial
spy in Texas, was the natural son of Mexican revolutionary José María Morelos y Pavón, and served as
one of Santa-Anna’s generals at the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, where he acted nobly to prevent further loss of life. He was educated in New Orleans and was an important protégé of Santa-Anna.
While on various assignments in Europe, he intrigued for French intervention and became one of the
top government officials under Maximilian. He died in France. For more on Almonte, see Dicc. Porrúa,
Handbook of Texas Online, and Jack Jackson & John Wheat, Almonte’s Texas: Juan N. Almonte’s 1834
Inspection, Secret Report & Role in the 1836 Campaign (Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2003).
Almonte’s Noticia estadística sobre Tejas (Mexico, 1835) is “one of the most valuable descriptions of Texas
on the eve of the revolution...written by an agent for the Mexican government” (Basic Texas Books 2).
See also Streeter 816.
($500-1,000)
Includes Directions to the California Gold Fields from Mexico
9. ÁLVAREZ, José J[usto] & Rafael Durán. Itinerarios y derroteros de la República Mexicana, publicados
por los ayudantes del Estado Mayor del Ejército.... Mexico: Imprenta de José A. Godoy, calle del Seminario
núm. 6, 1856. [1-7] 8-352, 345-360, 369-480, [3, errata; 1, colophon] pp. (text complete). 8vo (22.7 × 17 cm),
contemporary nineteenth-century tan Mexican sheep over terracotta paper-covered boards, spine gilt
lettered and decorated, raised bands. Boards and corners lightly rubbed, light shelf wear, and a few spots
and stains. Pp. 197-198 torn with old repair (no loss) and pp. 213-214 with small piece missing from blank
margin (not affecting text). Text block slightly cracked at pp. 478-479. Overall very good. With printed
book label of Teodoro Zúñiga on front pastedown.
First edition. Barrett, Baja California 34: “Territorio de la California pp. 432-437.” Eberstadt 138:033:
“An important guide book, giving the routes and mileages, with sketches of the country throughout
Mexico, including Coahuila, Sonora and New Mexico.” Palau 9290. Sabin 976.
According to Álvarez’s statement on p. [5], Durán is chiefly responsible for this work. Álvarez (18211897) is also the creator of the map Carta de la ciudad y sitio de Puebla..., made for the same Mexican
Army agency as this book, and which appeared in Anselmo de la Portilla’s Historia de la Revolución de
México contra la dictadura del general Santa-Anna 1853-1855 (Mexico: Imprenta de Vicente García Torres,
1856; Palau 129763, Sabin 38612 & 76734). The author was active in many campaigns, having battled the
French among others.
This book is an extremely valuable compilation which gives detailed data on many various parts of
Mexico. By piecing together the different itineraries it offers, a traveler could basically go anywhere in
Mexico and into the U.S. and have extremely detailed instructions about the best route and what facilities, such as water, grass, and shelter, were available every step of the way. A detailed name index listing routes and where they are to be found in the book further enhances the volume’s usefulness for travelers on the road to places great and small. A large number of the routes described begin at Mexico City.
Some routes are quite short, as from Presidio del Norte to nearby Paso del Norte (p. 399). Others are
far more extensive, such as that from Saltillo to Zacatecas. Some routes include both land and water
travel. Scores of ranchos, both active and abandoned, are described or noted. The work is a vital one in
Mexican historical geography because it describes many places that have long since ceased to exist or
have been drastically altered by development.
Despite the Mexican-American War, there was clearly still a need to travel into the U.S., and the
work offers several routes not only to Borderland areas but also to locales within the U.S. itself. Itinerary #83 for Tamaulipas, for example, gives detailed directions for a journey “De Victoria á Béjar,
población de los Estados-Unidos, 223 leguas al N” via Nuevo Laredo and includes much information
on what the countryside looked like at the time (pp. 320-322). Another itinerary gives the route from
Saltillo to Béjar, but in somewhat less detail (pp. 359-360); yet another bare-bones itinerary is provided
for the journey from Béjar to La Bahía del Espíritu Santo (p. 369). Another itinerary into the U.S. covers the route from Paso del Norte to Santa Fe, New Mexico (p. 399). Oddly, it contains no detailed
information whatsoever, suggesting that perhaps the authors knew little of it themselves.
Two of the itineraries concern Lower and Upper California. One describes the journey from La Paz,
at the far southern end of Baja California, to the U.S. border (pp. 424-435). This is one of the most detailed
and expansively described routes in the whole work, preserving a wealth of geographic and natural details.
Many of the places detailed in this section have either disappeared or been extensively altered. The other
journey is from Ures, Sonora, to the California gold fields; many Mexicans traveled there after the discovery of gold on the Sonora Route (pp. 411-412). The recommended route goes from Ures to Mesilla and
thence to the far northwest corner of the state; then, upon reaching California, it passes through Los
Angeles and follows the mission route to the gold fields just north of Stockton. In this section, the authors
comment on the missions, one of the few instances in which they include anything which might pass for
architectural observations. San Gabriel is described as “opulenta antes de su destrucción” and Santa Bárbara is described as being “una hermosa parroquia.” Stockton is noted as a thriving place that “tiene mucho
comercio por los buques procedentes de San Francisco del Alta California.”
On the other hand, as something of a counterweight to California gold fever, the authors include
two appendices listing all known mineral deposits in Mexico, some which were then being actively
worked, some not. These appendices were intended to spur on further exploitation of these resources.
As they remark, “Esto, ademas de la ventaja indicada, pone de manifiesto que los mexicanos viven sobre
montañas de plata, y que las riquezas esplotadas son ensayos de los grandes depósitos intactos que
todavia existen en su seno” (p. [4]).
This work is also significant as a source for postal history. One of the appendices is entitled “Postas
de la linea de diligencias generales” and includes routes for both official conveyances and private coach
lines. These were also the routes used for postal services, and because 1856 was the year Mexico began
to use postage stamps, the appendix is particularly valuable as a record of the state of the Mexican postal
service as it entered the modern era. Mexico’s budding telegraph system is outlined on p. 459. According to the authors, the text is built upon extensive work in various archives, including those of the postal
service. As the authors correctly observe about the facts they have collected in this work: “con el tiempo
serán muy importantes” (p. [4]).
($500-1,000)
With Siguënza y Góngora’s Seminal Map of the Valley of Mexico
10. ALZATE Y RAMÍREZ, José Antonio. Gacetas de literatura de México por D. José Antonio Alzate
Ramírez, socio correspondiente de la Real Academia de las cienias de Paris, del Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid,
y de la Sociedad Bascongada...Tomo Segundo [Vol. II (of 4)]. Puebla: Reimpresas en la Oficina del Hospital de S. Pedro, à cargo del ciudadano Manuel Buen Abad, 1831. [1-2] 3-459 [1, blank] + [4], 1-17 [1,
blank], [6] pp., 9 copper-engraved plates (all but one folded) by Montes de Oca or unattributed, includ-
ing: Mapa de las Aguas que pr. el Circulo de 90. leguas vienen a la Laguna de Tescuco y la Ytención q e esto y la
de Chalco tienen deliniado pr. D. Carlos Zaguen a. [i.e., Carlos de Siguënza y Góngora]; [below neat line]
Montes de Oca G o en- Puebla C d Yglcia s; neat line to neat line: 16 × 20.5 cm; overall sheet size: 20 × 24
cm. 8vo (20.4 × 14.7 cm), contemporary three-quarter sheep over blue and brown marbled boards, spine
with gilt-lettered orange leather label, edges tinted yellow. Headcap wanting, five small wormholes in
lower spine, upper joint opened at top, moderate to heavy shelf wear, lower corners moderately damaged, hinges beginning to separate but strong. Interior fine and crisp, except for occasional minor
worming in lower blank margin. The map and plates are very fine with the exception of a tear to plate
4, barely touching image. Nineteenth-century ink stamp of Francisco de P. Velasco on front free endpaper, another small circular ink stamp with Cortes within wreath on title page.
This volume is a reissue of various articles written and edited by Alzate y Ramírez that appeared primarily in the original Gacetas de literatura de México, but here augmented with material from some other
sources. The exceedingly rare original issues of the Gaceta were published serially in Mexico from January 15, 1788 until June, 1795 (Medina, México 7750 & Sabin 989). This edition was published in Puebla
in 1831 in four volumes, with 24 plates and an added supplement on Xochicalco (Alzate was the first to
describe these antiquities). Palau 10139. Sabin 990.
“The latter part of the eighteenth century in New Spain was a period of lively cultural and scientific
activity which brought to prominence a number of outstanding figures. None of them is more representative than José Antonio Alzate y Ramírez (1729-1799), who was its most zealous publicist in the field
of science. Through the publication of a series of weekly newspapers, occasional scientific studies and
reports, as well as by his unceasing investigations in a wide scientific field, Alzate attempted to spread
a knowledge of science, especially applied science, throughout the viceroyalty.... It is as a pioneer in the
field of scientific journalism in Mexico, however, not in that of pure science, that he made his greatest
contribution. In Alzate an enthusiasm for scientific knowledge and its actual application to the specific
problems of his own day were always associated. This being so, it was natural that he should have set
his mind on the production of a weekly paper devoted to science” (W.F. Cody, “An Index to the Periodicals Published by Jose Antonio Alzate y Ramirez,” in Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol.
XXXIII, No. 3 [August, 1953], pp. 442-475). Dicc. Porrúa: “‘Las gazetas,’ dice García Icazbalceta, ‘bastarían para crear la reputación de un sabio; su lectura es muy interesante pesar de su desaliñada estilo;
defecto que se olvida para admirar el ardiente seseo de ser útil a la patria y a la humanidad que todas
aquellas páginas respiran.’”
Among the contents found in the present volume are Alzate’s paper on the Transit of Venus (picked
up and published by the French Royal Academy of Sciences), a eulogy of Benjamin Franklin (Alzate
ignored Franklin’s politics but admired him as a practical scientist like himself ), medicine, astronomy,
engineering, and the aforementioned antiquities of Xochicalco, the pre-Columbian archaeological site
between Cuernavaca and Mexico City that may have played a part in the fall of the Teotihuacan empire.
A high spot of this volume is the map of the Valley of Mexico, one of the more important maps of
Mexico produced in colonial times. It is the work of Sigüenza y Góngora (1645-1700), historian, mathematician, astronomer, poet, philosopher, antiquarian, and professor at the University of Mexico for
over two decades. Sigüenza’s map was the mother map for modern mapping of the Valley of Mexico,
and was first published in 1748 (see Apenes, Mapas antiguos del Valle de México, plate XVI, p. 23).
Some of the plates and the map were engraved by Montes de Oca. See Carrillo y Gariel (Grabados
de la Colección de la Academia de San Carlos, p. 78), Mathes (Illustration in Colonial Mexico, Woodcuts and
Copper Engravings in New Spain 1539-1821), and Romero de Terreros (Grabados y grabadores en la Nueva
España, pp. 500-501). Among the subjects depicted in the plates are hoisting machinery, a large, unusual
plate about astronomy and stars (not without a certain droll humor), and views of various features at
Xochicalco.
($500-1,000)
“The Anti-Texass Legion”
11. ANTI-TEXAS LEGION. [Cover title] The Anti-Texass Legion. Protest of Some Free Men, States and
Presses against the Texass Rebellion, against the Laws of Nature and of Nations. [woodcut, allegorical illustration of the Goddess of Texas struggling with a female figure labelled “Hope,” below which is the legend] Ruthless Rapine, Righteous Hope defies. “ Ye serpents! ye generation of vipers!! How can ye escape the
damnation of hell!!!” 1844. Sold at the Patriot Office, No. 9 Exchange St. Albany. Six cts. single; 50 per dozen;
$3 per hundred; $25 per thousand. Albany, 1844. [72] pp., a few woodcuts in text, including Mexican eagle
with snake at end, with caption: The Free Eagle of Mexico Grappling the Cold Blooded Viper, Tyranny or
Texas. 12mo (18.6 × 11.3 cm), original stitching. Title darkened, lower blank corner chipped and very
lightly waterstained, overall very good.
An edition of which the first sixty pages are reprinted from the second edition of Legion of Liberty
and Force of Truth (Streeter 1419A). American Imprints (1844) 231. Eberstadt, Texas 162:22: “A violent
attack on slavery and the annexation of Texas.” Sabin 95069 (citing two editions and referring to other
variants): “A collection of extracts from speeches, articles, documents, etc., the first of which, ‘Texas and
Mexico,’ is by Benjamin Lundy.” Streeter 1473: “The Library of Congress says that the preface to the
10th edition is signed J.R.A. [i.e., Julius Rubens Ames?].” This pamphlet is one of several similar published by the American Anti-Slavery Society, which Streeter (1419) generally characterizes as a “hodge
podge of comments attacking slavery made by individual societies, and others.” The last page is a form
for petitioning Congress to reject the annexation of Texas to the United States.
($100-200)
Military Minutiae—Texas & the West 1854-1858
Robert E. Lee, Seth Eastman, John Bell Hood, et al.
12. [ARMY ORDERS]. UNITED STATES. ARMY. Collection of ten printed U.S. Army orders.
[Washington, D.C., 1854-1858]. 12mo (approximately 18.5 × 12.5 cm each). All are docketed in contemporary ink on their last page as “Received” with the date of reception. Some lightly soiled or somewhat
darkened, but overall very good. The collection consists of:
promotions
GENERAL ORDER NO. 11, August 7, 1854. 8 pp. Signed in ink by Samuel Cooper (1798-1876), who at
the time was serving in the Adjutant General’s Office in Washington, D.C. One of the appointments
noted is that of Robert E. Lee’s eldest son, George Washington Custis Lee, a recent Academy graduate, to a post as 2nd brevet lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, the first in a long, distinguished military career. The “Memoranda” (pp. 7-8) allow officers assigned to Texas troops to delay joining them
until October 15 and note, “The troops serving in Texas are companies A, B, C, F, G, and I, 2d Dragoons; the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen; companies C and F, 1st Artillery; companies B, D, K, and
M, 4th Artillery; the 1st and 5th Regiments of Infantry; companies A and I, 7th Infantry; and companies A, C, D, F, G, and H, 8th Infantry.”
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 18, November 10, 1855. 6, [2, blank] pp. Stitched. It is reported in Texas that
2nd Lieutenant William M. Davant drowned in the Rio Grande near Fort Duncan and that 2nd Lieutenant John Williams was murdered by a soldier in camp on Limpia Creek.
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 7, June 1, 1857. 12 pp. Stitched. The promotion of artist Seth Eastman
(among the earliest trained artists in Texas, see Handbook of Texas Online: Seth Eastman) to major is
noted under the 5th Regiment of Infantry, October 31, 1856; at the time he was in Texas commanding a
fort (p. 4). Also in Texas, Paymaster John R. Hagner died December 6, 1856, at Fort Brown.
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 15, December 10, 1858. 4 pp. Among the appointments noted is the August
15, 1858, promotion of John Bell Hood to first lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, which was
serving in Texas at the time, and Little Big Horn commander Marcus Albert Reno’s promotion to second lieutenant of the 1st Regiment of Dragoons, serving in Oregon.
courts martial
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 6, May 9, 1856. 5 [3, blank] pp. Stitched. One of the trials is for Charles E.
Travis, 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, conducted “Camp en Route to Texas, November 18, 1855,” who is
found guilty of “Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.”
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 7, June 18, 1856. 4 pp. Both Captain Eliakan P. Scammon and Edwin A.
Morrison are found guilty of being drunk on duty and dismissed. Scammon was serving in New Mexico as an engineer at the time.
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 5, May 23, 1857. 9 [3, blank] pp. Stitched. This order includes three cases
from Texas. In the first, Major Giles Porter is found guilty of prejudicing good military order by being
drunk at Fort Brown. In the second, Captain William K. Van Bokkelen at Indianola is accused of certain irregularities involving military property but merely reprimanded. In the third, Private Archibald
McDonald is found guilty of cowardice for refusing to battle Native Americans on the Concho River
on February 18, 1857, and doing so only after his sergeant threatened to shoot him. Sentenced to death
but commuted to dismissal from the service.
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 11, July 10, 1857. [2], [2, blank] pp. At this court martial, presided over by
Robert E. Lee at Camp Cooper, Texas, Private John McCann is found guilty and sentenced to death
for shooting Sergeant Dominick Lively at Fort Chadbourne. President Buchanan commuted the sentence to dismissal and hard labor under ball and chain.
other orders
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 3, March 24, 1858. 4 pp. This circular makes changes to military uniforms,
particularly to hats and various uniform trimmings.
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 13, May 18, 1858. [1] [3, blank] pp. These order various troop movements,
including one stating that the 2nd Cavalry is to gather at the nearest post on its route in Texas and await
further orders.
($400-800)
Civil War Atlas with Detailed Maps of the Virginia Campaigns
13. [ATLAS]. BECHLER, Gustavus R. Atlas Showing Battles, Engagements, and Important Localities
Connected with the Campaigns in Virginia, Completing the Campaign Map Designed, Engraved and Published by Gustavus R. Bechler. Philadelphia: 600 Chestnut Street, Third Floor, [ca. 1864]. [2, printed title
and preface], [1, lithographed “Contents” leaf, laid down on larger sheet] leaves, 16 leaves of lithograph
maps on thin paper, most with positions colored by hand in red and/or blue, laid down on larger sheets.
4to (20.2 × 22.5 cm), modern three-quarter dark brown calf over brown and blue marbled boards, title
gilt-lettered on spine. Contemporary ink signature “Schapp” on title page. Wants prefatory lithograph
leaf of “Remarks.” “Contents” leaf has been trimmed and laid down with loss of copyright statement at
bottom, light uniform age toning. Maps in strong, firm impressions. Map XVI trimmed close at top margin (plate number slightly shaved). Otherwise, an excellent copy of a Civil War atlas scarce in commerce.
maps
(all page sizes are 19.5 × 21.9 cm; sizes below are map sheet sizes)
Plate I. [Washington, D.C. and its Forts]. 16.2 × 17.6 cm. Phillips, America, p. 1024.
Plate II. Harpers Ferry and the Main Features of Bolivar. Loudon & Maryland=Heights. 13.7 × 16 cm.
Phillips, America, p. 316.
Plate III. Battlefield of Manassas Plains or Bull Run July 21 1861. 17.3 × 14.3 cm. Phillips, America, p. 178.
Plate IV. F t. Monroe Norfolk and Vicinity. 17.2 × 14.8 cm. Phillips, America, p. 447 & p. 557.
Plate V. Defensive Positions of the Confederates near Yorktown Peninsula Campaign. 17.7 × 15 cm. Phillips,
America, p. 1135.
Plate VI. Main Features of the Country between Williamsburg, West Point, Charles City & White House relative to the Peninsula Campaign. 17.2 × 14.7 cm. Phillips, America, p. 1066.
Plate VII. Richmond and Eastern Environs relative to the Peninsula Campaign. 16.1 × 17.4 cm. Phillips,
America, p. 748.
Plate VIII. Entrenchments of the Union Army after the Battle of Malvern Hill’s Peninsula Campaign. 12.9 ×
15.1 cm. Phillips, America, p. 387.
Plate IX. Plan of Cedar Mountain and North East Vicinity with References to Genl. Popes Campaign. 16.4 ×
12.7 cm. Phillips, America, p. 256.
Plate X. Map of Rappahannock and Brandy Station in Connection with Beverly’s, Freeman’s, Lee’s & Fox’s
Ford in Reference to Genl. Popes Campaign in Va. 14.5 × 16.5 cm. Phillips, America, p. 739.
Plate XI. Vicinity of Sulphur Springs and Waterloo Bridge with Reference to Genl. Pope’s Campaign. 15.5 ×
13.7 cm. Phillips, America, p. 997 & p. 1050.
Plate XII. Plan of the Battle of Groveton near Bull Run Fought on the 30th of August 1862. Genl. Pope’s Campaign. 17.2 × 14 cm. Phillips, America, p. 179.
Plate XIII. Plan of the Battlefield of Antietam. Fought on the 16th & 17 th September 1862. 16.2 × 13.4 cm.
Phillips, America, p. 115.
Plate XIV. Principal Features of the Battle of Fredericksburg December 13 1862. Burnsides Campaign. 17.3 ×
14.6 cm. Phillips, America, p. 219 & p. 289.
Plate XV. Topographical Features near Ely’s, Bank’s & U.S. Ford on the Rappahannock River, including the
Main Positions of the U.S. Army at the Battle of Chancellorsville Va. Genl. Hooker’s Campaign. 13.6 × 17.7 cm.
Phillips, America, p. 219.
Plate XVI. The Battle of Gettysburg before the Final Assault. 16.3 × 14.2 cm. Phillips, America, p. 299.
First edition. Phillips, America, p. 912 & p. 990 (plus individual maps on various pages; see above).
Phillips, Atlases 1348. Sabin 4222. Stephenson, Civil War Maps: An Annotated List of Maps and Atlases in
the Library of Congress (2nd ed.) 486. In his preface, Bechler states that he probably could have produced
many more maps of this theater, but that he wished to produce only accurate views and did not have
access to helpful materials being held by the military. These maps are supplements to his larger Military Map refering [sic] to the Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac in Virginia, including the Adjoining
Parts of Maryland & Pennsylvania Expressly Compiled from the Latest & Most Reliable Sources on Record
for Military & Private Use (Philadelphia, ca. 1864).
Although the present maps are relatively small, they offer extraordinary details of topography, settlements, rivers, roads, railroads, and other physical features, much more so than was possible on the larger
map. All military lines, forts, etc., are indicated in hand coloring, blue for Federal forces and red for
Southern ones. If known, the names of the units involved are also given, although Bechler is obviously
more familiar with Federal forces than those of the opposing side. Many of the maps have explanatory
notes included, as well.
Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, (Vol. I, p. 105) documents Bechler’s maps between
1856 and 1864, listing first an 1856 map of Allegany County, New York (Phillips, America, p. 98), and last
the present atlas. Phillips (America, p. 955) finds work as late as 1891 (U.S. Navy, Hydrographic Office,
Bureau of Navigation Chart No. 691 of Southern Vancouver Island and adjacent coast). After his Civil
War atlas, Bechler went West, serving as topographer on Ferdinand V. Hayden’s second expedition, and
elsewhere. Several geographical features in the West are named for him. He created the most important early maps of the Jackson Hole region and the upper Snake River as an expedition member. He
named Yellowstone Park’s Minute Man Geyser, and the remote beautiful area of the park called Bechler’s District is named for him.
($1,000-2,000)
“With Illustrations Existing Nowhere Else”—Reese Six Score
Behemoth of the Midwest, with Hundreds of Maps & Views of Kansas
14. [ATLAS]. EVERTS, L[ouis] H. & CO. (publishers). Official State Atlas of Kansas [lithograph view:
State Capitol, Topeka, Kan. Haskell & Wood, Arch’s. F.F. Goist Sc.] Compiled from Government Surveys, County
Records and Personal Investigations [on verso of title page] Copyright, 1887, L.H. Everts & Co. Philadelphia:
L.H. Everts & Co., 1887. 300 leaves including 71 unnumbered pages of text, 190 unnumbered pages of
plates on heavy paper (uncolored lithograph views, scenes, interiors, ranches, livestock, architecture, etc.,
some from photographs) and pagination sequence reading: [2, title page], 1-158, 160-161, 164-165, 167-339 [1,
blank] pp. (mostly pages of hand-colored maps, about 300), 25 inserted colored lithograph folding maps
on thin paper. Folio (45.5 × 39 cm), modern burgundy library buckram gilt-lettered on spine The Official
State Atlas of Kansas. Light shelf wear and rubbing. Some leaves with small marginal tears and old cellotape repairs. Plates and maps generally very good, folded maps of Arkansas City and Newton and one
plate professionally repaired; a few other maps have short repaired tears and wrinkling (no losses); title
page strengthened; several leaves at front professionally repaired and reattached; last leaf reattached; first
leaf of “Illustrations” in facsimile. A few leaves trimmed close or with light marginal waterstains. With
library stamp of Newtown High School Library, New Method Book Bindery printed ticket, and old ink
number on front pastedown; three later photogravure portraits tipped in at front. Very rare. The only other
copy at auction for the last thirty years sold in these rooms in 2007.
First edition of the first atlas of Kansas, and one of the largest nineteenth-century atlases for any state
in the U.S. LeGear, United States Atlases L1368. Phillips, Atlases 1710. Reps, The Making of Urban America: A History of City Planning in the United States (Princeton University Press, 1992), Figures 168, 169,
170. Rumsey 2818: “This must be the largest State Atlas published (Andreas’ Iowa has 250 pages of maps
and views). The views show the remarkable development of the state over two decades after the Civil
War.” The bird’s-eye view of Herrington is not recorded in Reps.
Reese, Six Score 83:
These atlases were designed so that pages could be tipped in. I doubt that any two copies are
exactly alike. Pagination through page 340, although there are many unnumbered pages of views.
There are over 300 colored maps, views depicting over 350 scenes, and as many as 25 folding tissue maps interleaved, as well as unpaginated text.... This massive compilation contains a vast
wealth of information on Kansas at the time of publication. Many of the views depict stock
ranges, which are also located on the extremely detailed maps. There are many bird’s-eye views of
towns and sights. Much of the accompanying text is devoted to listing the leading citizens of the
state, their property, what kind of livestock they raise, and even what kind of fencing they use. The
Everts’ atlas is an important source for much information, with illustrations existing nowhere else.
“L.H. Everts & Co. produced combination atlases for the northern, western and central counties of
Ohio, 1874-1875 [and] The Official State Atlas of Kansas, 1887” (Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised
edition, Vol. III, p. 38). After army service, Everts went into partnership with Thomas H. Thompson at
Geneva, Illinois, around 1866, and they published combination atlases of counties in Iowa and Illinois.
“When the partnership dissolved ca. 1872-1873, [Everts] worked alone and with others in a confusing
range of concurrent companies associated with the name of Everts” (ibid). In addition to the plethora
of detailed local maps in this behemoth of the Midwest, the lithograph views are an outstanding source
of Kansas iconography during a period of explosive growth, when wave after wave of immigrants transformed the virgin prairie and spacious plains by their establishment of ranches, farms, homes, cities,
towns, villages, roads, institutions, industry, and railroads in the first decades after a challenging evolution from territory and “Bleeding Kansas” to statehood in 1861.
Robert Taft comments on the images found in this atlas in “The Pictorial Records of the Old West,”
Kansas Historical Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 3, August, 1846, pp. 242-263:
In the three or four decades following the establishment of Kansas territory in 1854, few Kansas
artists attempted to depict life in Kansas; a situation not particularly surprising since Kansas, in
this period, had few artists of any kind. In these decades the prairie wilderness was transformed
into an agricultural state of growing importance in the economy of our United States and the
transformation—physically, economically and politically—required the almost undivided attention of our predecessors.... It is not surprising, therefore, that Kansas, in its early history, could
enumerate but few artists among its citizens.... At times the quality of illustrative work in such
material may reach a high level. The really elegant—yes, elegant is the proper word—lithographic
illustrations in the Official State Atlas of Kansas (L.H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia, 1887) are especially notable. Although these illustrations (some measure 12 by 15 inches in size) depict conditions in a prim, orderly and very precise manner they nevertheless give a comprehensive view of
Kansas homes, farms and towns in 1887.... In the ‘Preface’ of the above volume the only comment
made on the source of the illustrations is the statement ‘agents and artists were sent into every
portion of the State’ in securing material for the book.
See next entry for another of Everts’ atlases.
($4,000-8,000)
“The Only Nebraska State Atlas Made in the 19th Century”—Rumsey
15. [ATLAS]. EVERTS, L[ouis] H. & CO. (publishers). The Official State Atlas of Nebraska. Compiled
from Government Surveys, County Records and Personal Investigations [lithograph title with ornate lettering and view of the State Capitol]. Philadelphia: Everts & Kirk, 1885. [2, lithograph title], [4], 6-207
(numbered maps), 77 unnumbered pages of text (irregularly inserted throughout), 4 unnumbered text
leaves (inserted at pp. 31, 61, 96, and 149) pp. (text complete), 15 leaves of black and white lithograph plates
(some with more than one view per page, all but one printed on both sides). Total: 199 leaves of lithograph maps with original hand coloring (some leaves with more than one map; number 150 is skipped in
numbering; inserted folding map on bank note paper numbered 6-7): Official Topographical Map of
Nebraska. Compiled from Government Surveys, Official Records, and Personal Investigations. Everts & Kirk,
Publishers, Philadelphia. J.H. Kaefring Lith., 831 Arch St., Phila., 39.3 × 81.5 cm, showing settlements, railroads, land district boundaries, railroad land grant limits, military and Indian reservations, etc. Folio (46
× 39 cm), original maroon cloth with title lettered in gilt on upper cover, neatly re-backed with new backstrip and corners in smooth brown calf, hinges strengthened with sympathetic maroon cloth. Covers
heavily spotted and stained. Light to moderate waterstaining to blank outer margins of most leaves (not
affecting text, plates or maps). A few leaves with marginal reinforcements (no losses), text leaf between
202 and 203 heavily chipped at outer margin (barely intruding into text). Large folding map at front with
some marginal browning and marginal reinforcements not affecting text or image. A few leaves browned
from acidic item formerly laid in. Occasional contemporary pencil notes. Very scarce.
First edition of a foundation work for the study of nineteenth-century urbanization in the Midwest.
Checklist of Printed Maps of the Middle West to 1900, 12-0566. LeGear, United States Atlases 2184. Phillips,
America, p. 461. Phillips, Atlases 2107. Rumsey 2719: “The only Nebraska state atlas made in the 19th century. It is similar to the Kansas atlas by Everts [see Item 14 herein].” Not in Adams, Herd.
See also Reese, Six Score 83, where Everts & Kirk’s similar atlas on Kansas is listed and the present
work mentioned. Like the Kansas atlas, the present work is rich in stock raising iconography and statistics. Many of the maps, which are certified as correct by various officials, locate ranches. Because of
their large scale, the maps are quite detailed and show railroads, waterways, churches, cemeteries, and
various features in the towns depicted. Numerous manufacturing establishments are also shown. The
lithographed scenes, which were probably paid for by the owners of the properties depicted, show
numerous prosperous farms, ranches, and town residences in their rural Victorian splendor. The detailed
town maps are important documentation of a time when many of them were in their infancy. The
importance of railroads in town development is obvious. The large folding map at the front was the best
available map of Nebraska at that time.
Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, (Vol. II, pp. 39-40) lists the various combinations in
which Louis H. Everts (b. 1836) worked during his long career, which was primarily devoted to county
and state atlases. See also Ristow, American Maps and Mapmakers, pp. 413-416.
($1,500-3,000)
Rare Edition of García Cubas’ Influential Atlas
16. [ATLAS]. [GARCÍA CUBAS, Antonio (after)]. [Atlas geográfico de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos: Obra compuesta de 30 cartas de los estados, Distrito Federal y territorios de la Baja California y Tepic].
[Spine title] Atlas Geográfico de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. [Mexico]: Cadena y C a., 1897. 30 folded
chromolithograph maps of Mexico, each within broad silver border and fully colored, sizes vary, each
leaf is notched and has the map subject in contemporary ink on a tab, maps bound in alphabetical order
by state name. Folio (53.5 × 36 cm), contemporary three-quarter sheep over cloth-covered boards, raised
bands, spine gilt-lettered. Wants title page. Spine rubbed and chipped at extremities, upper board water
damaged at bottom, lower board wants cloth at top, heavily rubbed and shelf worn. Tab for Aguascalientes missing. Except for mild to moderate marginal staining, all maps are very good to fine. Contemporary ink stamp of G. Águila on verso of each map. Very rare; two copies recorded on OCLC: UT
Austin (Benson) and Getty.
Later edition of García Cubas’ 1886 atlas of the same title, but here with the addition of the silver
borders that hide “Atlas Mexicano por Antonio Garcia Cubas” (at upper left above neat line) and
Debray’s imprint (below neat line). For the 1886 Debray edition, see: Palau 98722. Phillips, Atlases 2687.
Rumsey 5758. Each map has a key to towns, haciendas, ranchos, mines, anchorages, roads, railroads, etc.,
and includes the surrounding states for contrast. Physical features include waterways, lakes, soundings,
and mountain ranges. The map of the Federal District is decorated with eight vignettes showing floor
plans of several buildings, Mexico City in pre-Hispanic times, a modern street plan, and Mexican antiquities. Several of the maps also have insets, such as the one of Guerrero, which has an inset of the
“Puerto de Acapulco,” and Sinaloa, with an inset of “Mazatlán.” Recent realignments of state borders
are labelled and shown in red (e.g. Nuevo León).
This atlas is emblematic of the progress and development in Mexico during Porfirio Díaz’s tenure as
President. One such feature, for example, is the depiction of railroads, either existing or under consideration. As the map of Oaxaca shows, the elusive cross-Tehuantepec road is still “en estudio”; by contrast, Puebla is well served at this time by railways both public and private. The fine details of each map
and the excellent workmanship reflect not only progress in defining and developing Mexico’s geography but also embody the height of late nineteenth-century Mexican lithographic art.
Antonio García Cubas is known as “el fundador de nuestra geografía como ciencia” (Dicc. Porrúa).
His atlases were reprinted many times in many forms.
($750-1,500)
French Intervention in Mexico
17. [ATLAS]. NIOX, Gustave Leon. [Untitled atlas to Niox’s Expédition du Mexique 1861-1867. Récit
Politique & Militaire. Paris: Librairie Militaire de J. Dumaine, 1874]. 5 lithograph maps (3 folded). 4to
(27.2 × 22.5 cm), contemporary brown sheep over black and green mottled boards, spine with raised
bands and gilt lettered (G. Niox Expédition du Mexique 1861-1867 Atlas), marbled endpapers. Bound in
before maps: “Notice sur la carte du Mexique” from Bulletin de la Société du Géographie. [colophon: Paris:
Imprimerie de E. Martinet, rue Mignon, 2]. [1] 2-22 [3, blank] pp. 8vo (25 × 15 cm). Light shelf wear and
corners slightly bumped, otherwise fine. Contents very fine.
maps
Combat des Cumbres (28 Avril 1862) Combat de la Barranca-Seca (18 Mai 1862). Uncolored lithograph.
Overall sheet size: 20.5 × 24.6 cm.
Environs d’Orizaba. Uncolored lithograph. Overall sheet size: 24.3 × 18.6 cm.
Plan de Puebla et des environs pour servir a l’intelligence du combat du 5 Mai 1862 livrée par le Général de
Lorencez sur les hauteurs de Guadalupe, et des opérations du siège dirigé par le G al. Forey (du 16 Mars au 18 Mai
1863). [2 insets] [1] Combat de S n. Lorenzo (8 Mai 1863); [2] Détails du Cadre de Santa-Ines (Attaque du 25
Avril 1863). Uncolored lithograph. Overall sheet size: 35.5 × 60 cm. One small split at fold (no losses).
Plan d’Oajaca. Uncolored lithograph. Overall sheet size: 39 × 24.5 cm.
Carte du Mexique dressée au dépôt de la guerre Par M. Niox, Capitaine d’État Majeur. D’après les levés des
officiers du corps expéditionaire et les renseignements recueillis par le Bureau Topographique. Paris, 1873 [inset]
Carte des divisions politiques. Chromolithograph, with brown land forms and blue water. 8 sections
mounted on contemporary cartographic linen. Neat line to neat line: 70.1 × 104.5 cm.
First edition. Palau 191775 & 191776. Phillips, America, p. 414 (offprint and map). Phillips, Atlases 18068.
Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, Vol. III, p. 327.
In the offprint Niox discusses the making of the map, its improvements over previous maps, and the
general geography of Mexico. The offprint is divided into four sections: [1] A general discussion of the
map; [2] “Positions astronomiques” (latitude and longitude for numerous towns); [3] “Altitudes”; and [4]
“Principaux documents antérieurement publiés et consultés pour l’établissement de la carte du Mexique.”
Niox states in the pamphlet that the general map was drawn up for use of the French troops protecting Maximilian in their actions against the Mexicans, 1861-1867. This map embodies the best French
reconnaissance of the Intervention in Mexico, upon which the campaign depended. Niox remarks that
at the onset of the invasion, French cartographic materials on Mexico were negligible and of little military use, consisting of only a few general sources, primarily the work of García Cubas. As the French
army advanced through Mexico, however, officers scoured such places as municipal offices and area
haciendas for maps, which they then copied and collated with other sources. The collection at the
Sociedad de Geografía at Mexico City was a gold mine, of course, although it hardly had a collection
that covered the whole country in detail, Niox remarks. Other maps and measurements were made in
the field on the fly by soldiers using what crude instruments they had. Thus is explained how this
important map was built up bit by bit, area by area, until it reached its present status. Of particular interest in the last section of the pamphlet are Niox’s comments, both negative and positive, on the maps he
consulted. He praises García Cubas’ atlas of Mexico as the best hitherto available, but claims his own
map shows considerable improvement (“progrès sérieux”). Judging from the list presented of the map
collection at the Dépôt de la Guerre after the war (pp. 7-8), France was hardly deficient in Mexican
maps at the end and probably had the best such collection in Europe.
Niox (1841-1921), head of the topographic corps of the French Expeditionary Army, later commanded
the French army’s Topographical Corps, supervising map construction during World War I. He was a
prolific writer on geographical and military subjects.
This is a fine, complete copy of the rare atlas, including the even rarer offprint explaining the genesis and importance of the large Mexico map.
($600-1,200)
Eighteenth-Century French Atlas for Students
18. [ATLAS]. ROBERT DE VAUGONDY, [Giles and Didier], [Charles-François] Delamarche, and
abbé [Louis Antoine Nicolle] Delacroix. Nouvel atlas portatif destiné principalement pour l’instruction de
la jeunesse, d’après la géographie moderne de feu l’abbé Delacroix par le S. Robert de Vaugondy Géographe ord
du Roi, de S.M. Polonoise Duc de Lorraine et de Bar, et de la Société Royale des Sciences et Belles Lettres de
Nancy, et Censeur Royal. Paris: Chez de S. Delamarche, Géographe, Rue de Join St. Jacques, au Collége
de Mtre. Gervais, 1790. [1-2, engraved title] 3-6 [engraved introduction], [4, engraved tables and lists],
52 folded copper-engraved maps with ornate cartouches, original outline color, engraved by J. Arrivet,
E. Dussy, and Charles Dien; sheet size of maps: 27.8 × 30.7 cm; map sizes neat line to neat line vary:
Approximately 24.2 × 21.7 cm to 24.5 × 40 cm. Folio (28 × 23.5 cm), contemporary tan sheep over tan
mottled boards, spine with red leather label gilt lettered Atlas de Vaugondy, raised bands. Binding worn
and rubbed (head and tail of spine chipped, corner bumped and most of leather corners missing, upper
joint split (but holding), book block split between pages 4 and 5, interior generally fine, with occasional
staining and foxing. Scattered contemporary ink notes.
selected map list
Mappe-Monde par le S. Robert de Vaugondy...1786.... World in two hemispheres. Showing Cook’s route.
Map 1 in atlas.
Mappe-Monde ou Carte Générale de toutes les Parties connues de la Surface du Globe.... Early appearance of
the United States of America and revised to show Cook’s discoveries. Color coding to indicate divisions
by religion: Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, and paganism (the latter including Texas, New Mexico, and
California). Map 2 in atlas.
L’Amérique par le S. Robert de Vaugondy.... Ornate cartouche including Native American headdress,
arrows, and corn. Pedley 21. Map 42 in atlas.
Canada, Louisiane, États-Unis. Par Le S. Robert De Vaugondy.... Cartouche. Large inset of California,
Nouveau Mexico, and Canada. The plate first came out in 1762 and went through several alterations.
McCorkle lists three states, not including the present undated version which is between states 2 and 3
(cf. New England in Early Printed Maps, 762.3, 778.15, & 794.13). See also Pedley (449n) and Sellers &
Van Ee (96). Map 43 in atlas.
Nouvelle Espagne Nouveau Méxique, Isles Antilles Par le S. Robert de Vaugondy.... Inset of Azores, ornate
cartouche. See Pedley 481. Spanish possessions are the focus of this map, which includes Texas rivers
and place names for Galveston Bay (B. de S. Bernard ), R. Colorado de los Martyres, Casa Grande, Nouvelle Navarre (applied to the Mexico-Arizona Borderlands), Santa Fe, Albuquerque, etc. The Ceni,
Apache, and other tribes are located, along with some missions and presidios. This map gives a different perspective of the relationship that exists between countries and islands surrounding the Gulf of
Mexico. By delineating only the Gulf Coast regions of the North, Central, and South America the map
highlights the trade routes and cultural ties linking the circum-Caribbean area. Louisiana, for example,
appears as an integral part of this region rather than North America. Map 44 in atlas.
The present atlas is a later edition of a popular work for teaching students geography. The first edition was published at Paris in 1762, with subsequent editions as late as 1811. Phillips (Atlases) does not
list the present edition, although several others are noted (see 649, 3528, 4298, 5484). The majority of the
maps relate to Europe, although there are interesting depictions of Asia and the Americas.
Gilles Robert de Vaugondy (1688–1766), also known as Le Sieur or Monsieur Robert, and his son,
Didier Robert de Vaugondy (ca. 1723–1786), published one of the most important atlases of the eighteenth
century (Atlas Universel, Paris, 1752), which combined older sources with contemporary surveys and corrected and verified latitude, longitude, etc. They credited their sources, which has greatly benefited the
study of the history of cartography during that period. Their globes were state of the art. It is often uncertain whether father or son made a given map, but Gilles usually signed his maps “M. Robert,” and Didier
signed his maps as “Robert de Vaugondy”, or added “fils” or “filio” after his name. In 1760, Didier Robert
de Vaugondy was appointed geographer to Louis XV. Publisher Delamarche, also a father and son team,
acquired the stock of the Gilles and Didier Robert de Vaugondy, and updated the present work.
The engraving work is skillful and beautiful, and the atlas is entirely engraved, including the wonderful title page, so appropriate for an atlas meant to be used as a teaching tool for the young. Within
an elaborate wide border embellished with flowers, drapery, swags, and cartographic devices (globe, surveying equipment, compass) are three delightful cloud- or sea-borne putti holding a large map of the
world on which one of them is drawing.
($750-1,500)
19. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Arvicola hispidus, Say & Ord. Cotton Rat. Natural Size. [at top] N o. 6.
| Plate, XXX. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Lith. Printed & Col d. by J.T.
Bowen, Philad a. 1843. Philadelphia, 1843. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 37.1 × 59.5 cm; image and text:
43 × 59.5 cm; overall sheet size: 50.2 × 64.8 cm. Very fine. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. This print will be included in Dr. Tyler’s forthcoming work on nineteenth-century lithographs of Texas. Only Audubon and his sons could have made such a common creature seem to possess a
certain elegance by the inclusion of a flowering vine in the foreground, and in the background a clapboard
farmhouse with smoking chimney and a rolling agricultural landscape with split-rail rick rack fence.
($400-800)
Audubon American Buffalo—Icon of the West
20. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Bos Americanus, Gmel. American Bison or Buffalo. ⅛ Natural Size 1.
Female. 2. Young. [at top] N o. 12. | Plate LVII. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S.
| Lithd. Printed & Col d. by J.T. Bowen, Philad a. 1845. Philadelphia, 1845 (probably 1855-1865). Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 47 × 60.5 cm; image and text: 51 × 61.9 cm; overall sheet size: 55 × 69.7 cm. Other
than slight tanning and a few minor chips along the outer blank margins, fine, stab holes at upper margin. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
The exact details on the second appearance of the Imperial Folio Quadrupeds have not been
definitely established, but is thought to have come out some time between 1855 and 1865. The present
example has some breaks in the lettering of the title and imprint, and the print is not as sharp. This
print is likely from that second appearance. A peaceful view of a buffalo family grazing in a mountaincanyon environment with a herd in the background.
($750-1,500)
21. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Canis Latrans, Say, Prairie Wolf. Males. ⅓ Natural Size [at top] N o. 15.
| Plate LXXI. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Lith d. Printed & Col d. by J.T.
Bowen, Philad a. 1845. Philadelphia, 1845. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 47 × 64.4 cm; image and text:
51 × 64.4 cm; overall sheet size: 52 × 69.7 cm. Light browning at blank margins, otherwise very fine. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. The coyote—alternatively trickster, buffoon, antagonist, hero, and the haunting voice in
the night—often figured in Native American, Mexican, and cowboy lore. Although in Audubon’s time
coyotes were primarily confined to western America, they have readily adapted to living around humans
and have greatly extended their range as competing predators have been hunted out and easy food
sources offered by humans have increased. The coyote’s territory now encompasses most of North
America, stretching from New England and eastern Canada to Alaska, and they are equally at home in
urban, rural, and wilderness settings.
($750-1,500)
Audubon’s Red Texan Wolf
22. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Canis Lupus, Linn, Var Rufus. Red Texan Wolf. Male [at top] No. 17 |
Plate LXXII. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Lithd. Printed & Col d. by J.T.
Bowen, Philad a. 1845. [Philadelphia, 1846]. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 34.5 × 64.3 cm; image and
text: 44.5 × 64.3 cm; overall sheet size: 55.2 × 68.6 cm. Light browning at blank margins, top edge slightly
wrinkled where removed, stab holes from binding present, overall fine, excellent color. Matted, framed,
and under Plexiglas.
First edition. According to the Handbook of Texas Online (Mammals): “The red wolf (Canis rufus), evidently now is extinct.” However, the red wolf was actually the subject of a recent, pioneering, but failed
recovery and reintroduction program. The red wolf was one of seventy-two species included on the
original official Federal Endangered Species List that was adopted in 1967 under the Endangered
Species Preservation Act of 1966, the first Federal legislation addressing endangered species. Traditionally, the Cherokee used the red wolf mandible in their rituals and masks. From Bartram to the present,
the one thing universally agreed about the red wolf is that it is largely an unknown. “Whatever happens
to [the red wolf ] now, Canis rufus symbolizes something important about native wild nature in North
America. When the Endangered Species Act became law, the red wolf was the most endangered mammal. Like much else, it had barely made it through the seine of history” (Christopher Camuto, Another
Country: Journeying through the Cherokee Mountains, University of Georgia Press, 2000, p. 57).
The caption on the print states that the artist was J.J. Audubon, but the print was probably done by
J.W. Audubon. See Alice Ford (comp. and ed.), Audubon’s Animals: The Quadrupeds of North America (New
York: The Studio Publications, Inc. in Association with Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1951), pp. 68, 87.
The print is included in Dr. Ron Tyler’s preliminary study of nineteenth-century Texas lithographs.
($1,000-2,000)
Imperial Folio Javelina—A Texas Quadruped
23. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Dycoteles Torquatus, F. Cuv. Collared Peccary. 4/7 Natural Size. Male. [at
top] N o. 7 | Plate XXXI. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Lith., Printed & Col d.
by J.T. Bowen, Philad a. 1844. [Philadelphia, 1844]. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 41.9 × 58.3 cm; image
and lettering: 48.6 × 58.3 cm; overall sheet size: 53.5 × 68.9 cm. Light yellowing at blank margins, otherwise fine. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. The caption on the print states that the artist was J.J. Audubon, but the print was probably done by J.W. Audubon. The print is included in Dr. Ron Tyler’s preliminary study of nineteenth-century Texas lithographs. Dr. Tyler states that Audubon was among the early trained artists to visit Texas.
The javelina, or collared peccary, currently known as either Tayassu tajacu or Dicotyles tajacu, is about
three feet long and dark grey in color with a white band around its throat. It weighs about fifty-five
pounds and was once thought to be a pig. See Handbook of Texas Online: Javelina.
Audubon drew the collared peccary from a specimen he collected in Texas.
($1,000-2,000)
Audubon’s Female Jaguar—Found in the San Antonio Area
24. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Felis Onca, Linn. The Jaguar. Female [at top] N o. 21. | Plate CI. [below]
Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Lith d. Printed & Col d. by J.T. Bowen, Philad a. 1846.
Philadelphia, 1846. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 43.8 × 61.7 cm; image and text: 47.7 × 61.7 cm; overall sheet size: 52.3 × 69.6 cm. Minor browning at blank margins, otherwise a very fine copy with rich
color, of one of the most dramatic and beautiful quadrupeds. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. This print will be included in Dr. Ron Tyler’s forthcoming work on nineteenth-century
lithographs of Texas. Tyler comments: “The San Antonio area was particularly fruitful, for there John
found the Large-Tailed Skunk, the jaguar, and the ocelot. A group of Texas Rangers put him onto the
jaguar, suggesting that he look near the watering places of smaller animals.” See also: Mrs. Horace St.
John, Audubon, the Naturalist of the New World: His Adventures and Discoveries (New York: C.S. Francis
and Co., 1859), pp. 270-278:
Alike beautiful and ferocious, the jaguar is of all American animals unquestionably the most to be
dreaded, on account of its combined strength, activity, and courage, which not only give it a vast
physical power over other wild creatures, but enable it frequently to destroy man....
Col. [ John Coffee ( Jack)] Hays and several other officers of the [Texas] Rangers, at the time
J.W. Audubon was at San Antonio de Bexar, in 1845, informed him that the jaguar was most frequently found about the watering-places of the mustangs, or wild horses, and deer. It has been
seen to spring upon the former, and from time to time kills one; but it is much more in the habit
of attacking colts about six months old, which it masters with great ease...
In a conversation with General Houston at Washington city, he informed us that he had found
the jaguar east of the San Jacinto River, and abundantly on the head waters of some of the eastern tributaries of the Rio Grande, the Guadaloupe, etc.... The celebrated Bowie caught a splendid mustang horse, on the rump of which were two extensive scars made by the claws of a jaguar
or cougar. Such instances, indeed, are not very rare.
Capt. J.P. McCown, U.S.A., related the following anecdote to us:—Rio Grande, one night, in
the thick, low, level musquit [mesquite] country, when on an expedition after Indians, the captain
had killed a beef which was brought into camp from some distance. A fire was made, part of the
beef hanging on a tree near it. The horses were picketed around, the men outside forming a circular guard. After some hours of the night had passed, the captain was aroused by the soldier next
him saying, “Captain, may I shoot?” and raising himself on his arm, saw a jaguar close to the fire,
between him and the beef, and near it, with one fore foot raised, as if disturbed; it turned its head
towards the captain as he ordered the soldier not to fire, lest he should hurt some one on the other
side of the camp, and then, seeming to know it was discovered, but without exhibiting any sign of
fear, slowly, and with the stealthy, noiseless pace and attitude of a common cat, sneaked off.
Audubon claimed to have studied under the renowned French painter Jacques-Louis David (17481825), who exercised the strongest influence in French art of the early nineteenth century. Audubon’s
assertion has been questioned. But one element of a possible David-Audubon connection can never be
questioned. David most certainly influenced Audubon’s art, as patently evidenced in dramatic images
with heightened feeling. like this bold rendering of the female jaguar.
($2,000-4,000)
Audubon’s Black-Tailed Hare from a Specimen Collected in Texas
25. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Lepos Nigricaudatus, Bennet, Black-Tailed Hare. Male. Natural Size [at
top] N o. 13 | Plate LXIII. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Lith d. Printed & Col d.
by J.T. Bowen, Philad a. 1845. Philadelphia, 1845. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 40 × 60 cm; image and
text: 46.5 × 60 cm; overall sheet size: 54 × 69.7 cm. Light browning at blank margins and a few light finger
marks, overall fine.
First edition. Handbook of Texas Online: John James Audubon:
In April 1837 Audubon and his son John left New Orleans aboard the United States revenue cutter Campbell on an expedition along the Gulf Coast to the new Republic of Texas. They arrived
at Galveston Bay toward the end of the month and were officially greeted there by the secretary
of the Texas Navy, Samuel Rhoads Fisher. They next visited the capitol at Houston, where they
met with President Sam Houston in his dog-trot cabin. While in Texas they observed a large
number of previously known birds....
During the 1840s Audubon worked on a second great project, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North
America.... [Audubon’s] Quadrupeds contains more plates drawn from Texas specimens than does the
Birds of America.... Among the Texas Quadrupeds drawn by John James Audubon are the Orange-bellied Squirrel, the Cotton Rat, the Collared Peccary, and the Black-Tailed Hare. Many of the Quadruped
specimens were obtained by John W. Audubon on his second trip to Texas in 1845-46.
($750-1,500)
Captured at San Jacinto
26. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Mephitis Mesoleuca, Licht. Texan Skunk. Natural Size [at top] N o. 11. |
Plate LIII. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Lithd. Printed & Col d. by J.T.
Bowen, Philad a 1845. Philadelphia, 1845. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 53.3 × 47 cm; image and text:
59.1 × 47 cm; overall sheet size: 69.3 × 54.5 cm. Light browning and a few minor chips at blank margins,
otherwise fine, old stab holes at left blank margin where previously bound in a book. Matted, maple
frame, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. This print will be included in Ron Tyler’s forthcoming work on nineteenth-century
lithographs of Texas, in which he comments:
Audubon captured the Texan Skunk alive near the battlefield at San Jacinto. He placed it in a pack
on one of his mules and, because the scent was so strong, assumed that the skunk remained with
him throughout the day. It was only when he arrived at the evening’s campsite that he realized
that the little skunk, like the Large-Tailed Skunk before, had escaped during the day.”
This particular type of skunk is the only one with distribution throughout Texas.
($500-1,000)
Audubon-Havell California Mountain Quail
27. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. 2. Plumed Partridge, Perdix Plumifera Gould. 2. Male. 3. Female. Thicklegged Partridge, Perdix Neoxenus, Aud. 1. Supposed Young Male. [below image] Drawn from Nature. by J.J.
Audubon. F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed and Coloured by Robt. Havell, 1838. [above image] No. 85 | Plate
CCCCXXII. [London, 1838]. Original copper-engraving with etching, aquatint, and hand-coloring on
paper with watermark (J. WHATMAN 1838). Image: 26.5 × 49 cm; image and text: 31.2 × 53 cm; plate
mark: 32.5 × 54.5 cm; overall sheet size: 61.5 × 97 cm. Professionally washed and deacidified, but some
very faint browning remains. Soft folds to blank margins where formerly folded to fit frame, overall fine
with excellent color retention.
The Plumed Partridge now goes by the common name of California Mountain Quail and the scientific name Oreortyx pictus. The California Mountain Quail is considered the most beautiful of the
quail species, and its vivid coloring, markings, and plumes are exceptionally fine and dramatic. This
quail ranges in the Western United States from Washington State to Baja California, normally in elevations of up the 10,000 feet. The flight is typically short and explosive with many rapid wing beats followed by a slow, graceful glide to the ground. This quail is fast on its feet, and the speed with which
they move through the underbrush has helped them survive. Grazing of sheep and destruction of
underbrush have had a negative effect on the California Mountain Quail. In some areas the bird is now
classified as critically imperiled (populations in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, southwestern
Idaho and central Nevada are in jeopardy).
Audubon noted in the Ornithological Biography that the specimen of The Thick-Legged Partridge was
obtained by Capt. Beechey, the drawing from the specimen owned by the Council of the Zoological Society. Audubon can be only sure enough to label the image “Supposed Young Male.” It seems now that the
specimen is commonly known as the Crested Bobwhite (Colinus cristataus) and inhabits South America.
Spencer F. Baird, in the Pacific Railroad Survey ornithological report also mentions this bird, but observes
it is “stated to occur in California, but none have been seen there by reliable observers” (Vol. IX, 1858, p. 649).
($1,000-2,000)
Audubon Folio Birds, Amsterdam Edition, Handsomely Framed
28. AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. Ten high-quality modern full-size color reproductions of Audubon’s
ornithological masterpieces, including nine prints from the much-coveted Amsterdam facsimile edition
and one print from the Ariel edition. The Amsterdam edition used eight-color offset printing on
museum quality, 100% cotton-rag paper bearing along the outside edge the watermark: G. Schut &
Zonen—R—Audubon” (the initial “R” is within a circle). The Amsterdam edition was made from the
Double Elephant Folio set in the Teyler Museum of Haarlem, Holland. The Ariel edition used a collotype process printed on very heavy and stiff paper with no watermark. An excellent selection of which
many are native to Texas.
American Green Winged Teal. Anas Carolinensis. Lath 1. Male. 2. Female. [at top] N o. 46 | Plate CCXXVIII
[below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed, & Coloured, by R. Havell
1834. [New York & Amsterdam, 1971-1973]. Modern offset reproduction in color on 100% cotton rag
paper. Image: 26.8 × 44.5 cm; image and lettering: 28.9 × 46.1 cm; overall sheet size: 67.2 × 100.3 cm.
Light yellowing around blank margins (not visible from framing). Faux plate mark. Matted, maple
frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
American Woodcock, Scolopax Minor, Gmel. Male 1. Female 2. Young Autumn, 3. [at top] N o. 54 | Plate,
CCLXVIII [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed & Coloured, by
R. Havell. London, 1835. [New York & Amsterdam, 1971-1973]. Modern offset reproduction in color on
100% cotton rag paper. Image: 31.2 × 46.5 cm; image and lettering: 34.5 × 46.5 cm; overall sheet size: 66
× 102 cm. Light yellowing around blank margins (not visible from framing). Faux plate mark. Matted,
maple frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
Brown Pelican Pelicanus Fuscus, Young first Winger. [at top] N o. 85 | Plate CCCCXXI [below] Drawn from
Nature by J.J. Audubon F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed and Coloured, by Robt. Havell 1838. [New York &
Amsterdam, 1971-1973]. Modern offset reproduction in color on 100% cotton rag paper. Image: 58 × 90
cm; image and lettering: 62.6 × 93.7 cm; overall sheet size: 66.8 × 100.2 cm. Light yellowing around
blank margins (not visible from framing). Matted, maple frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
Canvas backed Duck. Fuligula Vallisneria. Steph. 1.2. Male. 3. Female. View of Baltimore [at top] N o. 61 |
Plate CCCI [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed & Coloured
by R. Havell 1836 [lower right] Printed in German Democratic Republic. [Germany, 1972]. Modern collotype reproduction in color on heavy, stiff paper with no watermark. Image: 52.3 × 88.8 cm; image and
lettering: 61.4 × 89.4 cm; overall sheet size: 63.9 × 97.9 cm. Very fine. Matted, maple frame, under Plexiglas. Ariel edition. In the background is a view of the Baltimore waterfront as it appeared in the 1830s.
Great Blue Heron, Ardea Herodias. Male. [at top] N o. 43 | Plate CCXI [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J.
Audubon F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed & Coloured by R Havell, 1834. [New York & Amsterdam, 19711973]. Modern offset reproduction in color on 100% cotton rag paper. Image: 83.1 × 61.4 cm; image and
lettering: 93.3 × 61.6 cm; overall sheet size: 100.3 × 67.6 cm. Light yellowing around blank margins (not
visible from framing). Matted, maple frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
House Wren. Troglodytes Ædon. Vieill, Male, 1. Female, 2. Young, 3,4,5. [at top] N o. 17 | Plate LXXIII.
[below] Drawn from Nature and Published by John J. Audubon F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed &
Coloured, by R. Havell. [New York & Amsterdam, 1971-1973]. Modern offset reproduction in color on
100% cotton rag paper. Image: 42.3 × 28.5 cm; image and lettering: 46.3 × 29.2 cm; overall sheet size:
100.2 × 65.3 cm. Light yellowing around blank margins (not visible from framing). Faux plate mark.
Matted, maple frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
Pileated Woodpecker Picus Pileatus. Linn. Adult Male, 1. Adult Female, 2. Young Males, 3, 4. Racoon Grape.
Vitis astivalis. [at top] N o. 23 | Plate, CXI [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. |
Engraved, Printed & Coloured by R. Havell [New York & Amsterdam, 1971-1973]. Modern offset reproduction in color on 100% cotton rag paper. Image: 92 × 61 cm; image and lettering: 94.5 × 62.3 cm; overall sheet size: 100.3 × 65.8 cm. Slight marginal yellowing, not visible from mat, otherwise fine. Matted,
maple frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Fringilla Ludoviciana Bonap. Male, 1. Female, 2. Young in autum [sic], 3. Young, 4.
Ground Hemlock, Tascus canadensis. [at top] N o. 26 | Plate CXXVII [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J.
Audubon F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed & Coloured, by R Havell. [New York & Amsterdam, 19711973]. Modern offset reproduction in color on 100% cotton rag paper. Image: 60.6 × 44 cm; image and
lettering: 62.3 × 48.8 cm; overall sheet size: 100 × 67 cm. Light yellowing around blank margins (not visible from framing). Faux plate mark. Matted, maple frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
Rough-legged Falcon. Buteo Lagopus. 1. Old Male. 2. Young first Winter [at top] N o. 85 | Plate CCCCXXII.
[below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed and Coloured by Robt.
Havell 18 . [New York & Amsterdam, 1971-1973]. Modern offset reproduction on 100% cotton rag paper.
Image: 63 × 59.7 cm; image and lettering: 70.3 × 62.3 cm; overall sheet size: 100.4 × 67. 2 cm. Very mild
browning along blank margin edges, otherwise very fine. Matted, maple frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
Summer or Wood Duck, Anas Sponsa. L. 1, 2, Males. 3, 4 Females. Platanus occidentalis—.Bullon Wood Tree
[at top] N o. 42 | Plate CCVI [below] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon F.R.S. F.L.S. | Engraved, Printed
& Coloured, by R. Havell. 1834 [New York & Amsterdam, 1971-1973]. Modern offset reproduction in
color on 100% cotton rag paper. Image: 90.1 × 60.3 cm; image and lettering: 93 × 61 cm; overall sheet
size: 100.3 × 67.2 cm. Light yellowing around blank margins and some dark staining along lower blank
margin (not visible from framing). Matted, maple frame, under Plexiglas. Amsterdam edition.
($1,000-2,000)
29. AUDUBON, J[ohn] W[oodhouse]. Bassaris Astuta. Licht. Ring-Tailed Bassaris. Natural Size Male. [at
top] N o. 20. | Plate XCVIII. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.W. Audubon | Lith d. Printed & Col d. by J.T.
Bowen, Philad a. 1846. Philadelphia, 1846. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 55 × 47.7 cm; image and text:
61.8 × 47.7 cm; overall sheet size: 69.2 × 54 cm. Very fine. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. This print will be included in Dr. Tyler’s forthcoming work on nineteenth-century lithographs of Texas. This ring-tailed carnivore is smaller and less well-known than the more common raccoon in Texas (Procyon lotor), and is found primarily in the western and central parts of the state.
($600-1,200)
One of the Most Sought-After Texas Quadrupeds
30. AUDUBON, J[ohn] W[oodhouse]. Dasypus Peba, Desm. Nine-Banded Armadillo. Male. Natural
Size. [at top] N o. 30. | Plate CXLVI. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.W. Audubon. | Lith d. Printed & Col d.
by J.T. Bowen. Philad a. 1848. Philadelphia, 1848. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 44.2 × 64.2 cm; image
and text: 48.1 × 64.2 cm; overall sheet size: 54.8 × 69.4 cm. Light browning to blank margins, stab holes
from binding present, one repair to verso in upper margin (affecting a few letters of the plate number
but no losses); other than these few minor flaws, a fine copy with excellent color. Matted, maple frame,
and under Plexiglas.
First edition. The print is included in Dr. Ron Tyler’s preliminary study of nineteenth-century Texas lithographs, in which he comments: “Two of the most famous Quadruped prints are the jack rabbit and the
armadillo.... The armadillo, which the Rev. Bachman described as resembling a ‘small pig saddled with the
shell of a turtle,’ may well be the most sought-after Texas quadruped print, so it is something of a disappointment to learn that, although Audubon did see armadillos in Texas, the painting was made from a domesticated one belonging to a friend in Philadelphia, rather than one taken in the wilds of south or west Texas.”
We dislike showing disrespect to the venerable armadillo, yet the Handbook of Texas Online article
does point out some aspects of the armadillo and popular culture:
Before the mid-1850s the armadillo was known only along the lower Rio Grande valley. By 1880
it had extended its range across South Texas, and it reached the Hill Country and Austin before
the turn of the century. Continuing its movement northward and eastward, the armadillo spread
throughout most of Texas and into Louisiana and Oklahoma during the 1920s and 1930s.
Armadillos are adaptable animals. They have few natural enemies; hunters, dogs, coyotes, and
automobiles are among the chief agents of mortality. Armadillos are able to survive and reproduce
in a variety of habitats....
Human beings have contributed significantly to the spread of armadillos. Some have been captured or purchased as curious pets and later escaped or been intentionally released. In these ways
breeding populations were initially established in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Some people may have carried armadillos into new territory for human consumption. The animals have
long been considered a legitimate game animal in Mexico, and the practice of eating armadillos
was adopted by residents of South Texas when the animal migrated there. During the Great
Depression, East Texans stocked their larders with armadillos, which they called “Hoover hogs”
because of the animal’s supposed pork-like flavor (some say chicken-like) and because they considered President Herbert Hoover responsible for the depression. Currently, barbecued armadillo
and armadillo chili are popular foods at various festivals in parts of Texas, Arkansas, and the
southeastern United States....
Armadillos have been promoted as a Texas souvenir since the 1890s. Charles Apelt, inventor of
the armadillo-shell basket, first displayed his wares at the New York World’s Fair in 1902. His family operated the Apelt Armadillo Company near Comfort until 1971. In addition to baskets, Apelt’s
catalog listed lamps, wall hangings, and other curios fashioned from the armadillo’s shell. His farm
was also a principal supplier of live armadillos to zoos, research institutions, and individuals.
Armadillo racing became a popular amusement in Texas during the 1970s. Several organizations, notably from San Angelo, began promoting races throughout the United States, in Canada,
and even in Europe. As a result, the animal is strongly associated with Texas. The Armadillo
World Headquarters in Austin, a rock and country music establishment decorated by the
“Michelangelo of armadillo art,” Jim Franklin, was from 1970 to 1980 a monument to the association between Texans and the armadillo. In the late 1970s the Texas legislature voted down
attempts to make the armadillo the official state mammal, but in 1981 it was declared the official
state mascot by executive decree.
This is one of the quadrupeds painted by John Woodhouse, Audubon (1812-1862), son of John James
Audubon. See Handbook of Texas Online: John Woodhouse Audubon.
($2,000-4,000)
Imperial Folio Mountain Lion
31. AUDUBON, J[ohn] W[oodhouse]. Felis Concolor, Linn. The Cougar. Male [at top] N o. 20. | Plate
XCVI. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.W. Audubon. | Lithd., Printed & Col d. by J.T. Bowen, Philad a. 1846.
Philadelphia, 1846. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 45.8 × 64.1 cm; image and text: 49.3 × 64.1 cm; overall sheet size: 54.4 × 69.3 cm. Slightly yellowed at blank margins, otherwise very fine, old stab holes at
top blank margin where formerly bound in book. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. This print will be included in Dr. Tyler’s forthcoming work on nineteenth-century lithographs of Texas. The mountain lion (Felis concolor) formerly was found throughout Texas but now occurs
only in the Trans-Pecos mountains and as an occasional wanderer in forested East Texas. This dramatic
image shows a sleek, powerfully built, yellow-eyed cougar in a mountain landscape subduing prey.
($1,000-2,000)
Audubon Ocelot Found in San Antonio Area in 1845
32. AUDUBON, J[ohn] W[oodhouse]. Felis Pardalis, Linn. Ocelot, or Leopard-Cat. Male [at top] N o. 18
| Plate LXXXVI. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.W. Audubon. | Lith d. Printed & Col d. by J.T. Bowen, Philad a., 1846. [Southart-Parkway, 1980s]. High-quality photo-offset lithograph, printed on 100% cotton
rag hand-made and watermarked paper (embossed Southart-Parkway and with pencil note: “280/750”).
Image: 45.6 × 62.5 cm; image and text: 49.5 × 62.5 cm; overall sheet size: 53.6 × 71.1 cm. Very fine and
fresh. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
This facsimile reproduction by Southart-Parkway is among the finer reproductions of twelve of
Audubon’s quadrupeds. Steiner in his Audubon Art Prints: A Collector’s Guide to Every Edition (University
of South Carolina Press, 2003, p. 160) comments: “They are extremely good reproductions. The halftone
screen printing is extremely fine [and] most excellent in quality.” The original print will be included in
Dr. Tyler’s forthcoming work on nineteenth-century lithographs of Texas. The ocelot was found by John
Woodhouse Audubon in the San Antonio area. After Col. William S. Harney of the U.S. Army learned
that Audubon wanted to paint an ocelot, he brought one to him in December of 1845. This magnificent
feline was on the endangered list but was revised in 2008 as “least concern.”
($200-400)
Audubon’s Life-Size Texian Hare
33. AUDUBON, J[ohn] W[oodhouse]. Lepus Texianus, Aud. & Bach. Texian Hare Male. Natural Size.
[at top] N o. 27. | Plate CXXXIII. [below] Drawn from Nature by J.W. Audubon | Lith d. Printed & Col d. by
J.T. Bowen, Philad a. 1848. Philadelphia, 1848. Hand-colored lithograph. Image: 43 × 63.4 cm; image and
text: 46.5 × 63.4 cm; overall sheet size: 54.5 × 69.2 cm. Light marginal browning, original stab holes at
top, otherwise very fine. Matted, maple frame, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. This print will be included in Dr. Tyler’s forthcoming work on nineteenth-century
lithographs of Texas. According to Theodore Sherman Palmer in his study, The Jack Rabbits of the
United States (Washington: GPO, 1896, p. 11), Audubon and Bachman were the first to use the name
jack rabbit: “The resemblance of their large ears to those of the well-known pack animal of the West
has suggested the common names of ‘jackass hares,’ ‘jack rabbits,’ or ‘jacks.’ In some parts of California jack rabbits are called ‘narrow-gauge mules’ and ‘small mules’.... In the Southwest and beyond the
Rio Grande, the large hares are called ‘liebres’ by the Mexicans, to distinguish them from the cottontail rabbits, or ‘conejos.’” In the text to The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, Audubon and
Bachman comment:
This species is called the jackass rabbit in Texas, owing to the length of its ears.... This hare received
from the Texans and from our troops in the Mexican war the name of jackass rabbit, in common
with Lepus callotis. It is the largest of three nearly allied species of hare which inhabit respectively
New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, and California, viz. the present species, the Black-tailed, and the Californian Hare. It is quite as swift of foot as either of the others, and its habits resemble those of the
Black-tailed Hare in almost every particular. The young have generally a white spot on the middle
of the top of the head, and are remarkable for the rigidity of the fringe of hairs which margin the
ears. The feet of this species do not exhibit the red and dense fur which prevails on the feet of the
Black-tailed Hare (and from which it has sometimes been called the Red-footed Hare).
While traveling to Mexico, John W. Audubon was regaled with fantastic stories about the Texian
Hare, such as comparing it to the size of a fox. Audubon commented that the Texian Hare was
definitely the largest hare he had seen. He was impressed that the greyhounds of Col. Harney’s Rangers
in San Antonio in 1845 “had many a chase but never caught one!”
Howard R. Lamar includes an article on jackrabbits in his Reader’s Encyclopedia of the American West
(New York, Crowell, 1977, pp. 582-583). On the more whimsical aspects of the Texian jackrabbit, The
Handbook of Texas Online (Odessa) comments: “Odessa boasts the world’s largest jackrabbit, whose temporary home is in front of the Ector County Independent School District administration building.”
Odessa also presented the world’s first championship jackrabbit roping contest in 1932, a “HareBrained” publicity stunt during which cowgirl Grace Hendricks roped a jackrabbit from horseback in
five seconds flat, winning over numerous male competitors.
($1,000-2,000)
34. AUSTIN, Stephen F. The Austin Papers. Edited by Eugene C. Barker. [Vols. I-III]: Washington: Government Printing Office (Annual Report of the American Historical Association..., 2:1-2 & 2:2), 1924, 1924,
1928; [Vol. IV]: Austin: University of Texas, [1927]. Vol. I: [i-ii] iii-vii [1, blank], 1-1008 pp. Vol. II: [2],
1009-1824 pp. Vol. III: [i-ii] iii-vii [1, blank], 1-1184 pp. Vol. IV: [i-ii] iii-xxv [1, blank], [1] 2-494 pp. 4
vols., complete, 8vo (23.5 × 15.4 cm), original blue cloth, spines gilt lettered. Spines light and gilt lettering dull, one hinge weak, another hinge split but strong, interiors fine, overall, a very good set.
First edition. Basic Texas Books 4: “An essential source on the beginning of Anglo-American Texas.”
Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 1971: “Contains many scattered references
to Texas Indians, especially concerning depredations and new groups emigrating to Texas from the
southern U.S.” This is a difficult set to obtain complete because of the long period of publication. The
final volume, published by the University of Texas, is particularly scarce. Besides their research value and
inherent interest, these volumes are essential for those collecting or dealing in manuscript Texana.
From editor Eugene C. Barker’s introductions to Vol. I and Vol. IV:
The Austin Papers are the collection of materials accumulated by Moses and Stephen F. Austin
in the progress of their busy enterprises from Virginia through Missouri and Arkansas to Texas.
They consist of business memoranda, physiographical observations, petitions and memorials to
local and superior governments, political addresses and proclamations, and much personal and
official correspondence. Moses Austin illustrated in his own career the typical aspects of the business man in the Westward Movement; and Stephen F. Austin was, to a degree not approached by
any other colonial proprietor in our history, the founder and the indispensable guardian and director during its early vicissitudes of a great American Commonwealth.... In their entirety, the Austin
Papers are an absorbing human document...illuminating the social and economic history—and to
some extent the political history—of the American frontier from 1789 to 1836.
($150-300)
With Portrait of the Daughter of the First Colonizer of Texas
35. [AZLOR Y ECHEVERZ, MARÍA IGNACIA]. Relación histórica de la fundación de este convento
de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Compañia de María, llamada vulgarmente La Enseñanza, en esta ciudad de
México, y compendio de la vida y virtudes de N.M.R.M. María Ignacia Azlor y Echeverz su fundadora y
patrona. Dedicada á La Serenísima Reyna de los Ángeles María Santísima del Pilar. Á Expensas de su sobrino
el Señor Don Pedro Ignacio de Escheverz Azlor Espinal y Valdivielso, Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo y
Santa Olaya, Caballero del Órden de Santiago, y Alguacil Mayor del Real Consejo y Corte de Navarra. Mexico: Felipe de Zúñiga y Ontiveros, calle del Espíritu Santo, año de 1793. [10], ii, 165 [1, blank] [2, table
of contents] pp., copper-engraved plate: R. de la M. R.M. María Ignacia de Azlor, y Echeverz, Fundadora
Patrona, y Prelada del Convento de la Sagrada Compañia de María Sma. de la Enseñanza de México. Rea.
Sc. (portrait of Azlor standing at her work table resting one hand on a stack of books and the other
holding a manuscript); 2 wood-engraved ornaments on p. 1 (headpiece and initial). 4to (21 × 16.8 cm),
contemporary full green and tan Mexican tree sheep, spine extra gilt with gilt-lettered red morocco
label, sprinkled edges (neatly re-cased and new marbled endpapers). Spine ends and joints lightly
rubbed, light shelf wear to bottom of boards, thin 5 cm strip of leather wanting on lower board (original minor defect). Upper and lower edges irregularly trimmed. Except for small tear in upper left gutter margin of title page (not affecting text), fine. Other than light marginal foxing, the engraved portrait of Azlor is excellent, in a very strong, crisp impression. Overall, a fine copy in a handsome contemporary Mexican binding.
First edition of one of the few biographies of a woman of the eighteenth-century Spanish-Texas Borderlands. Beristáin 4(1)4. Bulletin of the New York Public Library (Vol. IX, 1905), “List of Books Relating
to Woman,” pp. 535 & 581. Medina, México 8255 (commenting that he knew of only one copy, his own).
Palau 259736. Sabin 21777 & 69226.
Sor Azlor y Echeverz (1715-1755) was the daughter of the Marqués de Aguayo, governor of Coahuila
y Tejas and first colonizer of Texas. Handbook of Texas Online: Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo: “The
Aguayo expedition so solidified the Spanish claim to Texas that it was never again challenged by the
French. When Aguayo entered Texas the province had only one presidio and two missions, one of
which, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, had been established only a few months earlier under the
patronage of the Marqués. When he left, Texas had four presidios and ten missions. Aguayo was also
responsible for the beginnings of colonization in Texas.”
After rejecting the marriage proposal of Conde de San Pedro de Alamo, María became a nun, using
her considerable inheritance from the Mazapil mines to further the work of the Catholic Church in
Mexico. The convent she founded was an early one in Mexico committed to the education of women
(see Wagner, Spanish Southwest 83). The group of nuns who wrote the book declare: “The pious reader
will be astonished to see that a group of unlettered women have had the spirit to undertake a work
above their sex.” See Dicc. Porrúa: María Ignacia Azlor y Echeverz.
The attractive, well-executed copper-engraved plate is the work of José Simón de Larrea (or La Rea),
a significant practitioner of the art of engraving in colonial Mexico. See: Mathes, Illustration in Colonial
Mexico, Woodcuts and Copper Engravings in New Spain 1539-1821 (Register 1793:8255): “[Larrea’s] principal work included, in 1793, a portrait of Madre María Ignacia Azlor y Echeverz, founder of the convent
of Nuestra Señora del Pilar.” Romero de Terreros, Grabados y grabadores in la Nueva España, pp. 493496. The engraving is mentioned by Kelly Donahue-Wallace in “Picturing Prints in Early Modern New
Spain” (The Americas, Vol. 64, No. 3, January 2008, pp. 325-349). Donahue comments extensively and
interestingly on the engraved portrait in comparing male and female monasticism in New Spain,
(“Saintly Beauty and the Printed Portrait” in Aurora: The Journal of the History of Art, January 1, 2007):
The 1792 biography of another nun, Sor María Ignacia Azlor y Echeverz, founder of the Convent
of the Holy Company of Mary and of Our Lady of the Pillar in Mexico City, better known as La
Ensenanza, likewise explains that her painted portrait was easily executed but, like the others, was
found wanting. The nuns of Azlor’s convent rejected the painting because “the painter did not
capture her likeness....” Azlor’s printed biography did not employ the ugly or unsatisfactory
painted portrait as the model for the engraved likeness and instead employed a different image.
Azlor’s biographer apparently ordered engraver José Simón de la Rea to graft her likeness onto
the figure and setting from the 1785 painted portrait of Sor María Ana Teresa Bonstet, La
Enseñanza’s third prioress. Bonstet’s portrait, painted by Andrés López, located the nun in her
office accompanied by the books and documents appropriate to her position as well as an engraving of the convent’s patroness, Zaragoza’s Virgin of the Pillar. This pastiche presumably sufficed
to capture her entire likeness—or, better said, her virtue—as it was allowed to accompany her
biography. In the same way, María Ynes’ beautiful image accompanied the printed text instead of
a reproductive engraving of the aged and ugly painting.... Why did the hagiographic biographies
represent female portraits as easy to paint yet wanting as likenesses whereas male portraits were
difficult to paint but invariably successful as portraits? And why were the altered likenesses the
ones used for the printed biographies? I argue that the difference between these stories of male
and female portraits lies in the notion of ideal female monasticism.
($750-1,500)
A Detailed Report on Baja California in 1855
36. [BAJA CALIFORNIA]. SMITH, José Wallace. Autograph manuscript report in Spanish in his
hand regarding the status and importance of Baja California. México City, 12 January 1855, signed José
W. Smith. 13½ pp. on seven leaves of wove, unwatermarked paper. Folio (33 × 22 cm). Creased where
formerly folded, staple holes and old stitch holes in blank left margin (not affecting text), third leaf
chipped at lower right corner costing a few letters, last leaf cut short with no loss of text. Overall very
fine. Highly legible. Endorsed in contemporary pencil at top of first page, “Baja California—Informe
dado por José W. Smith 1855.”
Apparently unpublished. Smith, clearly knowledgeable regarding Baja California and its leading residents, here provides a succinct review of the present condition of the peninsula and its future promise.
He notes that because Baja California is so distant from the capital, it is almost abandoned and basically an unprotected border territory. He observes that the peninsula has riches in pearls, mother of
pearl, seals, whales, fisheries, and rich mines, with the potential to become the wealthiest area in the
Americas. In the north, he says, the Ku Koo Poo (Cucupa), a semi-barbaric tribe of Indians nearly
4,000 strong, occupy an area of rich gold and silver mines, and there is an urgent need to garrison the
border. The Indians are poor, trade in deer skins, and are hunter-gatherers. The south, he continues, is
abundant in gold and silver and other mineral resources, as well as in fish. He lists peninsular exports:
cheeses, dates, wheat, raisins, mother of pearl, silver, and gold. He further observes that there is good
land for viticulture and a need to develop that industry, as well as potential for the production of sugar
cane in the extreme south and cattle raising throughout. He states that the gulf islands contain sources
of minerals, salt, and guano. He writes that rich mines are found on Isla San José which are owned by
Gibert, Ramírez, Toba, and Amao, although the important silver mines at San Antonio owned by
Amao are not producing and must be stimulated. There is also a need, he asserts, to develop a commercial fleet for trade, to distribute vacant lands, to improve education, and to immediately garrison the
peninsula. Smith also lists the leading citizens of each settlement, and notes a U.S. plan for a railroad
from San Diego to the Colorado River mouth, which will result in a need to defend the border. Stronger
political administration with higher-ranking officers is also recommended.
Following the war with the United States and the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Baja California remained effectively separated from mainland Mexico but adjacent to the rapidly growing gold-rush
state of California. Attempts to settle military colonists in the northern peninsula between 1849 and 1853
generally failed due to poverty and isolation. At the same time, the virtually vacant peninsula became
the object of attempts to establish an independent state by such filibusterers as William Walker in 1853
and 1854 and Juan Napoleón Zerman in 1855. During the same period, the successful revolt of Ayutla
led by Juan Álvarez overthrew the legendary Antonio López de Santa-Anna and established a new government in La Paz. The new national president, Ignacio Comonfort, seeking to avoid continued threats
against Baja California, sought advice to strengthen Mexican control over the region, as had his predecessors. A continuous problem, the development of Baja California was the subject of a book-length
study by Ulises Urbano Lassépas, De la colonización de la Baja California y decreto de 10 de marzo de 1857
(Mexico: Vicente García Torres, 1859).
Although little is known about Smith, he seems to have been a businessman with a great deal of
experience and many connections in Mexico. A New York Times report of February 21, 1859, states that
he was in Washington, D.C., having brought important dispatches with him from Mexico including a
report from U.S. Special Agent to Mexico William M. Churchwell. Smith supposedly also ran afoul of
the French and was taken prisoner at Minatitlán by French authorities. He may have been a descendent of James Wilcox Smith, an Englishman who settled in Loreto in 1817.
($400-800)
The First Real History of the Natives of Michigan Published in Europe
By the Pioneer Linguist of Chippewa & Ottawa
37. BARAGA, F[rédéric]. Abrégé de l’histoire des Indiens de l’Amérique septentrionale, par F. Baraga. Missionaire au lac Supérieur. Traduit de l’allemand [half title verso] Paris.—Imprimerie de E.J. Bailly, Place
Sorbonne, 2. Paris: À La Société des bons livres, Rue des Saintes-Pères, 1837. [4], [1] 2-296 pp. 8vo (19 ×
10.7 cm), original yellow printed wrappers, title and text on lower wrapper within ornamental borders;
lower wrap with “Extrait des statuts de la Société des bons livres.” Other than one tiny snag on upper
wrapper (no loss) and minor scattered foxing, an exceptionally fine, unsophisticated copy, unopened.
Bound with waste sheets from a publication written in a Native American language.
First French edition. The work was first published in German at Laibach in 1837 and also in Slovenian (neither of those editions cited by standard sources). A second edition in French came out in 1845,
by the same publisher. Field 74* (citing the second edition in French). Howes B111. Sabin 3246. Siebert
Sale 393 (lesser copy fetched $6,900).
Roman Catholic priest, bishop, missionary, and linguist Frederic Baraga (aka Irenaeus Fridericus,
Irenej Friderik, Friedrich) was born in Yugoslavia at the castle of Malavas in 1797. Because of the
Napoleonic Wars and the resulting cultural waves that swept over his childhood home, he grew up
knowing several languages. Originally intending to become a lawyer, he switched instead to the
Catholic priesthood, eventually coming to Michigan as a missionary. Once there, he was an indefatigable shepherd to his wide-flung flocks, which included not only the native Chippewas and Ottawas, but
also various European emigrants who came to the area in search of work. He was eventually elevated to
be Bishop of Cincinnati, the first person to hold that position. He died in 1868. Because of his work in
Chippewa and Ottawa linguistics, he is still a major figure in that area. The present work was recently
translated into English by Graham A. MacDonald for the first time and published in 2004.
This work, published to raise funds for his Michigan missions, is the first real history of the area’s
Native American population published in Europe and is considered authoritative. He treats such matters as dress, food ways, hunting, fishing, religion, warfare, diseases, and funerary practices. Baraga is
quite sympathetic to his subjects because of his philosophical and intellectual appreciation of society in
general, although he does to a certain extent reflect the prejudices of his time. The work is significant
as an anti-Jacksonian essay, written against the background of the president’s forced removals of Native
Americans from their ancestral lands.
For more on Baraga, see Dictionary of Canadian Biography 1861-1870, Vol. IX, and Catholic Encyclopedia, where Baraga’s biographer concludes: “That life might be summed up in one phrase: ‘saintliness in
action.’”
($2,000-4,000)
Outstanding Sepia-Tone Photogravures of the Southwest
38. BENAVIDES, Alonso de. The Memorial of Fray Alonso de Benavides 1630. Translated by Mrs. Edward
E. Ayer, Annotated by Frederick Webb Hodge, and Charles Fletcher Lummis. Chicago: Privately printed
[R.R. Donnelley and Sons Company at the Lakeside Press, (title verso)], 1916. [i-iv] v-xiii [1, blank], [14] 5-309 [1, blank], [1, colophon] [1, blank] pp. (printed on fine Old Stratford paper), 44 leaves of plates:
40 leaves of sepia-tone photogravures, some with 2 images per page (45 photogravure images total) after
original photographs by Charles F. Lummis (24 images), Adam Clark Vroman (17 images), and John K.
Hillers (1 image) and printed by John Andrew & Son of Chicago (23 plates) and A.W. Elson of Boston
(15 plates), plus 4 black and white facsimiles of title pages; 2 full-page text illustrations consisting of facsimile title pages of earlier editions of the text. 8vo (23.5 × 16.5 cm), original three-quarter brown cloth,
tan linen sides, spine gilt-lettered, t.e.g. Linen slightly dusty, occasional very mild offsetting from
gravures to adjacent text page, lacking rear free endpaper, otherwise very good condition, the gravures
very fine. Ex-library, with old pictorial bookplate of City Library, Manchester, N.H., their light blind
stamp on title and two interior leaves, accession number in ink on inner blank margin of contents leaf.
Limited edition (#110 of 300 copies). The book includes a full facsimile of the first edition of the
Memorial, published in Madrid in 1630 (cf. Sabin 4636 & 76810; Streeter Sale 134; Wagner, Spanish Southwest 33). Graff 250. Holliday Sale 67. Howell, Americana 49: “The first scholarly edition in English of an
indispensable source for the history of the Spanish Southwest, and the New Mexico missions in particular.” Laird, Hopi Bibliography 173. Palau 24146. Rader 332. Bancroft (Arizona and New Mexico, p. 162) refers
to Benavides’ work as “the most important authority extant” on early seventeenth-century New Mexico.
Franciscan priest Benavides, one of the early missionaries in the Southwest, published this Memorial
in an unsuccessful attempt to have the province of New Mexico made a bishopric. During the first five
years of his assignment in New Mexico, he is said to have baptized some 500,000 Native Americans.
“Benavides was a tireless missionary who traveled extensively in the remote regions of New Mexico
(which, of course, included Arizona at that time) and became an expert on the Indians and geography of
the area. His Memorial is really a general report on the Southwest, especially the inhabitants.... His eyewitness descriptions of Hopi life and the Hopi country provide the earliest detailed account” (Laird). The
present work is also valuable for its bibliographical notes on the various editions of the Memorial, which
within a few years of its 1630 publication in Spain appeared in French, Dutch, Latin, and German.
Texas interest is found in Benavides’ account of the miraculous visits of María de Jesús de Ágreda to
the Jumano tribe in Texas (see Abernethy, Legendary Ladies of Texas, pp. 7-14) and Benavides’ suggestion of a route from New Mexico across Texas to the Gulf. The Memorial was also hauled out years after
its publication and consulted concerning a proposal to fortify La Bahía del Espíritu Santo in response
to La Salle’s incursion into Texas in 1685.
These marvelous photogravures documenting New Mexico and Arizona in the early twentieth century have both aesthetic and historical value. Images include active and abandoned missions and
churches (such as Santa Fe), landscapes (landmarks such as Isleta, Taos, Acoma, Zuni, Hopi pueblos,
etc.), and Native Americans (architecture, dancing, group shots, etc.). Two of the gravures show inscriptions left by New Mexico Governor Silva Nieto in 1629 on Inscription Rock. The photographs are the
work of Charles Fletcher Lummis (1859-1928), Adams Clark Vroman (1856-1916), and John K. Hillers
(1843-1925); a few are unattributed as to photographer or printer. Lummis, a Harvard-educated newspaper editor with a flamboyant flair, wrote several works on the Spanish Southwest and awakened interest in that area of history. As Laird remarks (172): “As founder, publisher, and editor of Land of Sunshine,
Lummis did many laudable things, but for the scholar, perhaps none was so important as the publication of this and other source documents in American history.” Vroman, a Dutch Pennsylvanian, moved
to Pasadena in 1894, where he opened a bookstore (still in operation) and made eight photographic trips
through the Southwest. He was widely recognized for his sensitive documentary images of the vestiges
of Spanish culture in California, New Mexico, and Mexico. German-American John K. Hillers spent
his professional career as a government photographer, leaving behind 20,000 glass-plate negatives at the
end of his life. He served on the Powell Expedition, among others, and is known for his beautiful composition and use of light.
($300-600)
Classic Borderlands Report—Basic Texas Book & Wagner-Camp
39. BERLANDIER, [ Jean] Louis & Rafael Chovel. Diario de viage de la Comisión de Límites que pusó
el gobierno de la República, bajo la dirección del Exmo. Sr. General de División D. Manuel de Mier y Terán.
Lo escribieron por su órden los individuos de la misma Comisión D. Luis Berlandier y D. Rafael Chovel. Mexico: Tipografía de Juan R. Navarro, Calle de Chiquis Número 6, 1850. [1-7] 8-298 [1, index], [1, blank]
pp. 8vo (22 × 15.7 cm), contemporary tan Mexican sheep over boards covered with brown pebble paper,
spine stamped in gilt and blind, black leather spine label with title in gilt, raised bands, brown and blue
mottled endpapers. Boards rubbed, shelf worn, corners bumped; lower hinge slightly cracked (but holding strong); mild to moderate foxing to text, light marginal waterstaining; p. 235 has small piece missing from lower blank margin. Wanting the portrait of Mier y Terán found in some copies. Several
effaced Biblioteca del Cabildo Metropolitano de México library stamps and an old printed paper shelf
list label on front pastedown.
First edition. Basic Texas Books 14: “A few copies are known with a frontispiece...the best scientific
study of Texas during the colonial period.... He was observant, careful, and intelligent, and he left us a
record that is unmatched for his era in Texas.” Bibliotheca Mejicana 505. Eberstadt, Texas 162:66. Graff
278: “Both Howes and Raines call for two maps which are not in the present copy. Copies with two
maps have not been found and it is doubtful that they were issued.” Howell 50, California 19 (lacking
portrait). Howes B379. Palau 27991. Plains & Rockies IV:178a. Raines, p. 24. Sabin 12892 & 48885. Streeter
781n: “Under the leadership of Terán the expedition left Mexico City on November 10, 1827, and with
various interruptions journeyed quite extensively in Texas.”
Berlandier was part of the commission sent out by the Mexican government in 1827 to explore the
boundaries of Texas. The exploration was to establish the boundary between the United States and
Mexico in accordance with the Adams-Onís treaty. He spent nearly three years in the southwestern
wilderness, much of that time in Texas. This book collects his day-by-day journal and reports, which
provided the most detailed description of Texas available at the time.
Berlandier (ca. 1805-1851) was born in Switzerland and came to Mexico in 1826 to conduct botanical
explorations. He joined the Boundary Commission in 1827 and collected specimens in and around
Laredo, San Antonio, Gonzales, and San Felipe. After recuperating from an illness in Matamoros, he
returned to San Antonio and explored the area around the San Saba River. He continued to make further collecting trips to Texas. During the Mexican-American War he was in charge of the hospitals in
Matamoros and served as an interpreter. He drowned in the San Fernando River near Matamoros
(Handbook of Texas Online: Jean Louis Berlandier).
($1,000-2,000)
40. BERLANDIER, Jean Louis & [Rafael Chovel]. The Indians of Texas in 1830 by Jean Louis Berlandier
Edited and Introduced by John C. Ewers Translated by Patricia Reading Leclercq. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1969. [i-v] vi-xii, [1] 2-209 [1, blank] pp., maps and illustrations, many in color
(Texas tribes, artifacts, portraits, scenes). 4to (28 × 21 cm), original brown cloth. Very fine in illustrated
d.j. (price clipped, else fine).
First edition in English, first illustrated edition. Basic Texas Books 14B: “This edition contains an excellent introduction and notes by Ewers.” Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography
1976: “This is a book that all researchers should consult.” The watercolors by the expedition’s artist, Lino
Sánchez y Tapia, are of Texas tribes at that time. The present edition is from the manuscript at the
Gilcrease Institute.
($30-60)
41. BERLANDIER, Jean Louis & [Rafael Chovel]. Journey to Mexico during the Years 1826 to
1834...Translated by Sheila M. Ohlendorf, Josette M. Bigelow, Mary M. Standifer. Introduction by C.H.
Muller. Botanical Notes by C.H. Muller and Katherine K. Muller. Austin: The Texas State Historical Association in cooperation with the Center for Studies in Texas History, University of Texas at Austin, 1980.
Vol. I: [i-v] vi-xxxvi, [2], [1] 2-287 [1, blank] pp., 1 folded map, 14 leaves of plates (including frontispiece,
some in color); Vol. II: [i-v] vi-vii [1, blank], [2], [288-289] 290-672, [2] pp., 14 leaves of plates (including frontispiece, some in color). 2 vols., 8vo (27.5 × 19.5 cm), original brown linen over white decorated
linen, title in gilt on spines. New, as issued in publisher’s white board slipcase with color illustration
tipped onto front of case.
Limited edition (#37 of 150 copies signed by contributors and specially bound), expanded edition of Item
39 herein, with illustrated text of a previously unpublished manuscript and a facsimile of Memorias de la
Comisión de Límites (known only by the Yale copy—see Streeter 781). Basic Texas Books 14D: “Berlandier’s
description of the Anglo-American colonies, especially in the 1980 edition, is one of the most reliable
extant.... The edition of 1980 is from the manuscript at the Library of Congress, with illustrations from
specimens at the Gray Herbarium. It is the most complete version published to date.” Tate, The Indians of
Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 1977: “Provides considerable eyewitness description of virtually
all Texas tribes, their habitats, and their customs—especially the Comanches, Karankawas, Tonkawas, and
Wacos. This is an essential primary source for historical and anthropological study.”
($50-100)
A Grand Canyon & Colorado River Rarity with a Superb Map
Privately Printed in an Edition of Fifty Copies
42. BERTON, Francis. Un Voyage sur le Colorado par Francis Berton Membre Correspondant de la Société de
Géographie de Genève. San Francisco, 1878. [1-5] 6-64 pp., 3 lithograph maps, 16 lithograph plates (see
below), text illustrations. 8vo (21.5 × 13.3 cm), original blue ribbed cloth, title in gilt on upper cover. Spinal
extremities very lightly worn, corners lightly bumped, very light shelf wear, and minor stains on upper
cover (barely noticeable). Endpapers lightly browned, interior and plates very fine and fresh. The large
folding map (often lacking) is especially fine. Title with author’s signed presentation to Monsieur Le Contre-Amiral Terre; red ink stamp in script lettering: “Avec les Compliments de l’Auteur”; small oval stamp
effaced, but with remaining ink shelf mark: “K.408” (stamp repeated on p. 20 and at the bottom of p. 64).
plates & maps
Map of Arizona Prepared Specially for R.J. Hinton’s hand book of Arizona Compiled from Official Maps of
Military Division of the Pacific. Surveyor General’s Office A.T. & from the Notes of Col. W.G. Boyle Col. J.D.
Graham, H. Ehrenberg, Prof. Pumpelly and Lieut. Philip Reade U.S.A. 1878. [left of title] Payot, Upham &
Company Publishers & Wholesale Stationers 204 Sansome Street near Pine San Francisco. [right of title]
Lith. Britton, Rey & Co. S.F. Copyright secured by Richard J. Hinton. [inset map at lower left] Map of the
Southern Pacific Rail Road Connecting with the Central Pacific R.R. at Goshen 1877. Neat line to neat line:
88 × 61.2 cm; overall sheet size: 91 × 63.6 cm. Affixed to lower pastedown (as issued).
Jesuit Map of Arizona 1698.
Casa Grande | Gila Valley
Plan of Loop | Tehachapi Pass | On the Line of | Southern Pacific R.R.
View of Loop | Tehachapi Pass. | S.P.R.R.
San Fernando Tunnel | South Portal.
Santa Monica Harbor | And Surroundings
Fort Yuma
Two images on one plate: [Upper image] Cactus Yucca [lower image] Steamer Cocopah
Ancient Cliff House.
The Grand Cañon of the Colorado
Prescott | Capital of Arizona
Ruins of the Mission of Tumacacori | Destroyed by Apache Indians.
Grand Cañon of the Colorado-Mouth of Kanabwash, Looking East
Indien Yuma. Indienne Yuma. Indienne Mohave. Indien Mohave.
Two images on one plate: [Upper] Entrée du Cañon du Colorado | Roche Fendue Surplombant le Fleuve
[lower] Orangerie à Los Angeles.
The Saguara
Two images on one plate: [Upper] Chimney Pick [lower] Pont du Chemin de fer à Yuma sur le Colorado.
Loop Line |Tehachapi Pass | S.P.R.R.
First edition, 50 copies privately printed. Cowan II, p. 51. Edwards, Desert Voices, p. 27. Edwards, Lost
Oases along the Carrizo, p. 75: “The author leaves San Francisco in April, 1878, and crosses the San
Joaquin and Merced Rivers, the Tehachapi Pass, the Mohave Desert, the San Fernando Valley, Los
Angeles, San Gorgonio Pass, the Colorado Desert (with special mention of Seven Palms, Indio, and
Dos Palmas). Pp. 14-15 (Mojave) and pp. 22-26 and 93-95 (Colorado) afford us our direct desert references.” Holliday Sale 85. Howell 50, California 1475: “The charming lithographs and maps were prepared
by Britton and Rey of San Francisco, and include a map and view of the Tehachapi Pass, the San Fernando Tunnel, and Santa Monica Harbor.” Howes B394. Nasatir, French Activities in California, p. 416.
Spamer, Grand Canyon, p. 16. Streeter Sale 523.
Farquhar, The Books of the Colorado River & The Grand Canyon 29: “Berton, Swiss consul at San Francisco, journeyed overland to Yuma and the Gila River country. He published his account in an edition
of fifty copies for the benefit of his friends. He acknowledges the courtesy of R.J. Hinton for the use of
some of the lithograph stones of the plates in the latter’s ‘The Hand-Book of Arizona,’ New York, 1878.
Several of the plates in Berton’s book are from his own sketches or photographs, notably a photograph
of the steamer ‘Cocopah.’”
The rare map also appeared in Hinton’s 1878 Hand-Book to Arizona: Its Resources, History, Towns,
Mines, Ruins, and Scenery, “the earliest book on mining in Arizona” (Bancroft, Arizona & New Mexico,
pp. 592-593), but the map is seldom found in the book. Streeter had the map in pocket map format. The
Anderson Sale (1686:552) and the Eberstadts (110:8 & 167:46) list an 1877 version in pocket map format.
Streeter Sale 525 (1878 edition, but colored): “The northern boundary of Arizona is still the 37th parallel, but only to the 114th meridian. That meridian, south to the Colorado River at a little north of 36°
and continuing along the Colorado, is now the western boundary. The line of the proposed Atlantic and
Pacific R.R. is shown more or less along the line of the 35th parallel, with the Southern Pacific partially
lined up along the Gila in Western Arizona. TWS.”
The expansive map emphasizes the growing prospects of the area, especially mining, transportation, and
communication opportunities. Numerous grants and other areas are shown already platted. Although they
have yet to arrive, the proposed routes of the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Texas and Pacific Railroad
are shown, the former dipping below the 32nd parallel into the area that comprised the Gadsden Purchase.
The Texas and Pacific, however, follows the route along the Gila River. The inset map shows the proposed
route of the Southern Pacific and Central Pacific railroads from Yuma to Sacramento. For further information, consult the web site.
($4,000-8,000)
1696 Children’s Pictorial New Testament with Petite Copper-Plate Engravings
43. [BIBLE IN GERMAN]. NEW TESTAMENT. GOSPELS. Biblische Augen-und Seelen-Lust. Das ist
die heilige Geschichte neuen Testaments in Kupffer abgebildet und gestochen auch mit heiligen Andachte gezieret.
Der Christlichen Jugend zu erbaulicher Ergezung. Augsburg: Christoph Weigel, 1696. 102 leaves (F 8, G-L18,
M4), 102 copper-plate engravings by Christoph Weigel (including frontispiece, title, and 100 miniature
engravings on rectos of scenes from the New Testament with engraved German text consisting of five-line
Bible verse beneath each image, most illustrations measure approximately 5 × 4.2 cm). 18mo (10.3 × 6.5 cm),
near contemporary full brown calf, spine gilt, raised bands, a.e.g., purple and gold wallpaper endpapers.
Gilt on spine mostly rubbed away, slight defect to head of spine, joints rubbed, upper joint starting, corners bumped, moderate shelf wear, front free endpaper missing, front hinge starting, interior very fine and
engravings strong. Recto of frontispiece with later pencil note “Brueggeman.” Very rare.
First edition. Bauer, Weigel 8. Not in Wegehaupt, Alte Deutsche Kinderbüchen 1507-1850. The publisher
put out a similar work on the Old Testament the same year, of which this is apparently the second volume, though seldom found and with sparse institutional holdings. The Weigel firm also produced a
Bible in larger format with over eight hundred engravings, the Biblia Ectypa, around this time, another
work with different illustrations, but which apparently inspired this one for children.
The extremely detailed and meticulously executed diminutive engravings are the work of Christoph
Weigel (1654-1725), map and print engraver, illustrator, goldsmith, and publisher, who worked in Augsburg and Nuremberg. He published about seventy books in his lifetime and engraved hundreds of maps
for cartographic publishers including imperial geographer and cartographer Johann Baptist Homann.
Bénézit, Vol. VIII, p. 696. Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, Vol. IV, p. 367.
The present engravings, meant to teach the Bible to children, are quite complex in their minute renderings, capturing great detail such as architecture, material culture, and costume, while deftly revealing
expression and emotion. They are also filled with traditional Christian iconography, and the engraved calligraphy below each image is graceful and handsome. Many of the images are very creative, such as one
with the Devil tempting Jesus, and another in Revelations with a tiny bird’s-eye view of the New
Jerusalem. The text opposite each illustration contains a synopsis of what is being illustrated.
($1,000-3,000)
“First Emigrant Train to California”—With Author’s Tipped-in Autograph
44. BIDWELL, John. Echoes of the Past about California: An Account of the First Emigrant Train to California, Frémont and the Conquest of California, the Discovery of Gold, and Early Reminiscences by the Late General John Bidwell Price 25c. [wrapper title]. Chico: Chico Advertiser, [1914]. [4], [1] 2-91 [1, blank] pp., title
with photographic portrait of author, 3 half-tone photographic illustrations (scenes). 16mo (17.3 × 13 cm),
original green printed wrappers, modern staples. Small portion of spinal extremities wanting, spine split
at center, uniform age toning from the poor paper on which the pamphlet was printed. With tipped-in
leaf from another source, signed “John Bidwell, Feb. 28, 1891.” Overall a very good copy in solander box.
First separate edition (consists of three articles first published in Century Magazine for NovemberDecember, 1890, and February, 1891, with an additional chapter of reminiscences). Braislin 173. Cowan
II, p. 52. Dobie, p. 84: “Bidwell got to California several years before gold was discovered. He became
foremost citizen and entertained scientists, writers, scholars, and artists at his ranch home.... Graphic,
charming, telling.” Eberstadt, Modern Narratives of the Plains & Rockies 35. Graff 292. Holliday Sale 88.
Howell 50, California 299. Howes B432. Kurutz, The California Gold Rush 55: “The photographs depict
the Bidwell mansion and ranch.” Mattes, Platte River Road Narratives 52n. Mintz, The Trail 36. Norris
280. Paher, Nevada 127: “Narrates his journey from Ohio in 1839 to California, which he completed in
1841. Obviously impressed with the Humboldt River and its sink, the author devotes more detail than
usual on his exploration of the river four years prior to Frémont’s arrival there. Well written.” Plath 55.
Rocq 1371. Wheat, Books of the California Gold Rush #16.
($100-200)
“I Was Like an Unbroken Horse. I Went on the Warpath.
I Took Many Scalps. I Went with Other Warriors on Raids in Texas and Mexico”
45. BIG TREE (Ado-Eete). Letter signed “Big Tree (Ad-do-ya-tee) Chief of Kiowas” to Miss Frances
M. Schuyler, 617 Grace St., Williamsport, PA, whom he addresses as “My Dear Lady Chief,” dated
“Chief Big Tree’s Camp, Rainy Mt., Jan. 7 1895,” apparently in the hand of his amanuensis, Julia Given.
5 pp. on rectos of five sheets of ruled paper (20.3 × 12.7 cm). On the verso of the last leaf is a contemporary pencil instruction about a children’s activity. First and last leaves lightly browned, creased where
formerly folded. Fine overall, in a highly legible hand. With a small research archive of photocopied
documents and letters.
A rare letter by an important Kiowa chief who could neither read nor write, apparently dictated to
Given, who was Chief Satank’s daughter and Big Tree’s interpreter and was educated at Carlisle. Big
Tree first thanks Schuyler for the gift of a bell that will be used in the Chapel (probably Immanuel
Chapel), then describes a council in Kansas that he attended during which he told the “white people”
that he was like “a locomotive” that works hard “to pull a long train and I will work hard to pull my
people on the right road”, then describes his Christmas tree, which was covered with prairie flowers.
The rest of the letter is an exciting recounting of his fiery youth, his capture and extradition to Texas,
and his conversion to Christianity. He recalls that when he was young, “I was like an unbroken horse.
I went on the warpath. I took many scalps. I went with other warriors on raids in Texas and Mexico.”
Although he “fled like a deer” when threatened with capture, he could not escape from Fort Sill. Hiding in a store, he escaped by jumping through a closed window. Upon being threatened with shooting,
he surrendered and was put into irons and detained at Fort Sill until orders came from Washington to
transport him, along with other prisoners, to Texas for trial. On the way, his fellow captive Satank swore
that he would never cross the next stream, drew a knife, stabbed a soldier in the back, and was promptly
shot to death. After two years of confinement, Big Tree was released when his tribe promised to be
peaceful, although he admits he never knew “peace in my heart until I learned about Jesus and belief on
him. Now my heart is happy.” He closes by wishing she could visit him in Oklahoma and discussing all
the good that Aun-de-co and Mah-ta-mah are doing for the women and children, including their religious instruction, of which he says, “The words are like arrows—they go to the heart.” (He is referring
to Marietta J. Reeside and Lauretta Ballew, the first Baptist missionaries to the area, who arrived at Mt.
Rainy in 1893 and for whom Given served as interpreter. A regular pastor did not arrive until 1896.)
The story of Big Tree (ca. 1850-1929) is one of eventual assimilation after heroic resistance. The incident Big Tree describes is a crucial one in his life. After his tribe was forced to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma in 1867, Big Tree, at the time a very young man, allied himself with the rebellious
chiefs Satank, Lone Wolf, and Satanta, making raids into Texas and within Oklahoma itself. The group
was responsible for the notorious 1871 Salt Creek Massacre in Texas, at which Henry Warren’s wagon
train was attacked; the incident resulted in loss of life on both sides. Shortly after that raid, Big Tree
and his confederates were at Fort Sill, where Satanta had the ill grace to brag about the group’s raids.
This led to their arrest and transfer to Texas, where Big Tree and Santanta were sentenced to hang by
a civilian court, the first time Native Americans were so tried. (Satank had been killed en route, as is
described in the letter.) Reprieved and paroled in 1873, Big Tree nevertheless returned to his raiding
ways. He was then captured and imprisoned at Fort Sill until 1874, when his tribe was completely
defeated. After his release, he converted to Christianity and spent the rest of his life urging his tribe to
adapt to their present circumstances and building up religious life among them, including helping to
found the first Baptist mission on the Kiowa reservation in 1893. He was elected a deacon of the Rainy
Mountain Mission in March, 1895, a position he held until his death.
With the letter are four photographs, two of Big Tree and two of other individuals mentioned in the
letter:
WINKLER, Christian (photographer). Posed studio portrait of Big Tree, seated on buffalo skin in front
of painted backdrop including tipi and river scene. Fort Sill, Indian Territory: Christian Winkler, n.d.
[thought to date from 1874]. Cabinet card (albumen print mounted on card with photographer’s imprint
on verso). Image: 15.6 × 10.1 cm; card: 16.5 × 10.8 cm. Very fine. Inscriptions on card verso: [in pencil]
“Big Tree K. Chief ”; [in ink] “John H. [illegible].”
LENNY, [William J.] & [William L.] Sawyers (photographers). Portrait of Big Tree, seated with blanket on lap. [in white, near bottom of image] “Big Tree, Kiowa Chief.” Purcell, Indian Territory: Lenny
& Sawyers, n.d. [thought to date from 1891]. Boudoir card (albumen print mounted on card with photographer’s imprint below image). Image: 18.4 × 10.9 cm; card: 12.6 × 13.4 cm. A few light marks and
smudges to image, card with a few tiny stains, lightly soiled on verso, overall fine condition.
TROTT, A.P. (photographer). Three-quarter portrait of Satank. [below image, in print] “Sa-tank.”
Junction City, Kansas: A.P. Trott, n.d. [ca. 1870]. Carte de visite (albumen print mounted on card with
red-ruled edges, photographer’s imprint on verso). Image: 9.8 × 5.4 cm; card: 10 × 6.2 cm. Image somewhat faded, card browned, overall good condition.
SOULE, W[illiam] S. (photographer). Seated portrait of Satanta holding bow and arrow in lap. Fort
Sill, Indian Territory: W.S. Soule, n.d. [ca. 1870]. Cabinet card (albumen print mounted on card with
photographer’s imprint on verso). Image: 13.8 × 10.6 cm; card: 14.8 × 10.7 cm. Image faded and a bit dark,
card with chip to lower left blank corner and a bit of spotting on verso, overall good condition. Illegible inscription in pencil on card verso.
Both images of Big Tree capture the sense of strength and resolution that he apparently displayed his
entire life, giving striking visual evidence of the “locomotive.”
Such spontaneous, personal recollections of an important chief ’s life are highly unusual. Although other
statements by other chiefs exist as part of biographies, histories, or government reports, few actual letters
from such people survive because many could not read or write. Big Tree’s lengthy recounting of such a
dramatic moment in his life and the life of his tribe makes this letter a rare instance of contemporary
Native-American documentation of events as they unfolded. It offers insights into the thinking and personal life of an important Kiowa leader who long outlived most of his contemporary Kiowa chiefs.
($7,500-15,000)
The Female Volunteer in Wrappers
Mexican-American War & the California Gold Rush
46. [BILLINGS, Eliza Allen (attributed)]. The Female Volunteer; or the Life, and Wonderful Adventures of
Miss Eliza Allen, a Young Lady of Eastport, Maine. [portrait of Eliza Allen] Being a Truthful and WellAuthenticated Narrative of Her Parentage, Birth and Early Life—Her Love for One Whom Her Parents Disapproved—His Departure for Mexico—Her Determination to Follow Him at all Hazards—Her Flight in
Man’s Attire—Enlistment—Terrific Battles of Mexico—Her Wounds—Voyage to California—The Shipwreck and Loss of Her Companions—Her Miraculous Escape—Return to her Native Land—Meeting of the
Lovers—Reconciliation of Her Parents—Marriage, and Happy Termination of All Her Trials and Sorrows.
[Cincinnati: H.M. Rulison, 1851]. [5-7] 8-68 pp. (text complete), 4 full-page wood-engraved text illustrations: [1] portrait of Eliza Allen in fancy female dress and holding a bouquet (on title); [2] Allen in
soldier’s uniform wearing a cartridge pouch and holding a bayonet (p. 19); [3] Cerro Gordo battlefield
scene showing Eliza and William wounded, signed in block “Telfer” (p. 27); [4] shipwreck scene at the
Straits of Magellan on William’s voyage to the California Gold Fields (p. 45). 8vo (22 × 14 cm), original
green pictorial wrappers with the engraved portraits of Eliza repeated on upper and lower wrappers
(expertly re-stitched). Upper portion of spine supplied in sympathetic facsimile (barely detectable),
wrappers washed and stabilized (small tears and voids repaired, no losses). Text block washed and stabilized. Occasional very light fox marks to text, overall a fine copy of an ephemeral, popular publication, seldom found on the market and likely read to death.
First edition, first issue, apparently published before publisher Rulison applied for copyright and
inserted a copyright notice on title verso (p. [6]), as is found in the Library of Congress copy, which, as
the battered type in that copy suggests, was set from standing type. See for example, on p. 7, line 12 the
“w” in the word “war” is battered, as is the “s” in the word “sympathy” in line 18. Also, the illustrations
on p. 27 and p. 45 have had their page numbers removed in the LC copy.
Baird & Greenwood 259. Bancroft Exhibit, “I am bound to stick awhile longer”: The California Gold
Rush Experience (in the section “Gold Rush Women”): “Much of the time Eliza dressed as a man to
avoid the many problems that faced women in the 1840s and 1850s.” Cowan II, p. 7 (under Allen). Garrett & Goodwin, The Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, p. 194 (under Billings). Holliday 12 (under
Allen). Howes A132 (under Allen). Kurutz, The California Gold Rush 58 (under Billings). Sabin 5411
(under Billings). Smith, The War with Mexico, p. 534 (under Billings). Williamson, A Bibliography of
Maine 1030 (under Billings). Wright II, 895 (under title). See also: Jessica Amanda Salmonson, The
Encyclopedia of Amazons (Paragon House, 1991), p. 7; and Andrea Tinnemeyer, Identity Politics of the
Captivity Narrative after 1848 (University of Nebraska, 2006), pp. 92-101.
In this story, Eliza Allen, scion of a wealthy Maine family, falls in love with William Billings, a man
far below her station and whom her parents forbid her to see. William leaves in despair to join a military unit bound for the Mexican-American War, whereupon Eliza decides to change her appearance to
a man and pursue the same course in hopes of discovering her love again. Eliza serves with General
Scott during his march to Mexico City. She and her fiancé finally meet again after both are wounded
at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, although Eliza, now known as George Mead, does not reveal her identity, which is apparently so changed that William does not recognize her. After the war, William and
his companions gamble away all their wages in New York City to card sharks who get them drunk,
whereupon they decide to go search for gold in California.
After several days alone, Eliza decides to follow and books passage around the Horn. In the Straits
of Magellan, the wreck of William’s ship, the Omo, is discovered, and he is among the handful of survivors. Eliza helps nurse him back to health and sticks with him and a small group when they reach the
gold fields, where they eventually strike it rich. Returning to Boston, the group puts up in a sleazy
boardinghouse, where they are again subject to a card shark and other bad companions, who Eliza is
sure will try to rob them. She changes back into female clothing, departs for the respectable Revere
House, and eventually makes personal contact with William, who cannot believe his good fortune,
especially since she had managed to save their gold by a stratagem. She is reconciled with her parents,
and the couple live happily ever after, one supposes.
This is a strongly feminist work unusual in its purpose, which is to caution parents against intervening into or objecting too strongly to a woman’s choice of husband, no matter what his class, a lesson
that sinks in on Eliza’s chastened and grieving parents. On the other hand, one must believe that in
Eliza’s case, love is blind. Basically, William is feckless. Although deeply in love with Eliza and obviously a good soldier during the war, he lacks strength to a certain extent, has character flaws, and must
repeatedly be saved from himself by his female love. He is cheated out of his earnings twice, gets drunk,
is constantly physically ill and in need of Eliza’s nursing, and generally makes poor decisions. Eliza actually seems a more successful male than William, being more attractive to women (leading to some
risqué-lite situations), better able to earn and retain money, stronger in every way. She tellingly comments that after she and William were finally together after their tribulations: “I was constantly returning to my former appearance, which as much interested the one I was now so happy with, as myself.”
Had Eliza stayed home with her parents, William’s story would have no doubt ended quite differently
and more tragically.
The question of whether this work is historical or fiction has never been satisfactorily determined,
though fiction seems stronger than truth in this case. The enthusiastic cross-dresser was a staple of
America history and fiction going back to the American Revolution, and in fact, Eliza refers to historical predecessors Deborah Sampson and Lucy Brewer. Female warrior narratives, even if fiction, are a subject of interest to scholars due to gender politics embedded in the genre, which destabilize culturally constructed gender lines by liberating women from the bonds of nineteenth-century “true womanhood.”
The four plates include one by “Telfer,” probably John R. Telfer, wood engraver and designer active
in Cincinnati between 1850 and 1858. See Hamilton, Early American Book Illustrators and Wood Engravers
1670-1870, Vol. II, p. 139; and Groce & Wallace, p. 621. See Item 47 following for related handbill.
($1,000-2,000)
Pictorial Handbill for The Female Volunteer, in German & English
47. [BILLINGS, Eliza Allen (attributed)]. Just Published. The Female Volunteer; Or, The Most Strange,
Wonderful, and Thrilling Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Eliza Allen, A Young Lady of Eastport
Maine. [Verso] So eben erschienen! Der weibliche Freivillige; oder fremdartigste, wunderbare und schauerliche
Erzählung des Lebens und der Abenteuer der Elisa Allen, eines jungen Frauenzimmers aus Eastport, Maine.
[Cincinnati: H.M. Rulinson, 1851]. Illustrated handbill on wove, white paper: 29.7 × 23.5 cm. English on
one side and German on the other, both illustrated with the large woodcut of Allen that appeared in
the book, leaving little doubt that this was distributed by the same publisher. No German-language edition of this book has been located, however. Very fine.
This is an advertising handbill distributed on the fly to promote sales of The Female Volunteer (see Item
46 preceding). As the text makes clear, these promotionals were distributed house to house and then followed up by agents with the books: “Please preserve this circular until called for. The Agents never call
but once; and persons wishing to purchase will please have change ready when the Agent calls, which
will be in about an hour” (original emphasis). Price in the English version is 20¢ and 18¾¢ in the German. A very rare survival that offers documentation on nineteenth-century book-selling practices.
($1,000-2,000)
Valentines, Drawings & Photographs of Illustrator Reginald B. Birch
48. BIRCH, Reginald Bathurst. Small archive of art work and personal material by and about artist
Birch. The archive was in the possession of Birch’s son, Rodney B. Birch, an early film actor in Hollywood. Rodney’s friend to whom he gave the archive has more information on Birch and his family,
which she is willing to share with the buyer of the archive. Condition varies.
Reginald Bathurst Birch (1856-1943) was born in England but moved to San Francisco, California,
in 1870, where he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. After being introduced to art in San Francisco, he
eventually studied in Europe, returning to New York where he worked as a magazine illustrator. His
most famous illustrations appeared in Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886). Although demand for his
work faded, his career was revived in the 1930s because of his illustrations in various books. He is sometimes referred to as “The Children’s Gibson” because of the large number of children’s stories he illustrated for St. Nicholas magazine. He illustrated over two hundred books.
valentines
Five original whimsical Valentines from Birch to his wife, with ink calligraphy and pen and watercolor
illustrations, on card stock, undated, except one in 1916. The Valentines are in very good condition,
except the last one, which has a small stain affecting image and edge damage. These Valentines are not
your ordinary Hallmark sentiments, possessing as they do a certain deep, if not dark, timbre. The illustrations are truly charming, and this is one instance in which the adjective is used sincerely.
THE RICH! I DO NOT ENVY THEM.... A happy bunny boy walks with a pretty little girl, as two
birds in a tree sing joyously:
The rich! I do not envy them.
Indeed why should I care?
While I possess a treasure,
In which they cannot share.
For Babbie has a heart of gold,
And gives it all to me
Diamonds bright in troubled times
Are her tears of sympathy.
So, though I wear a tattered coat
Dear wife, and sweetheart mineI’m richer than a millionaire
When you’re my Valentine.
WHEN LIGHT ABOUNDS.... An innocent baby boy in the personification of Care approaches with
a lantern and reaping hook, preceded by an owl, against a dark, cloudy background with bats flying.
When light abounds
And Joy’s abroad,
If Babbie cares to roam,
Why should I voice the selfish wish
That bids her stay at home!!
But when it’s dark
And Care appears,
Then let the right be mine
To light her path with constant flame,
A faithful Valentine.
’TIS SAD TO GROW OLD... In a snowscape a pretty little girl cherub and a bunny boy hover to keep
warm by a flaming heart.
’Tis sad to grow old.
To find Babbie cold,
And not have the money to warm her.
She could crouch by the fire
Of my great heart’s desire.
Good St. Valentine, pray so inform her!!
OH! BABBIE WHEN YOU’RE PLEASED TO BE.... A little cherub perches on the bodice of a
beautiful angel in a low-cut gown, below is a heart pierced with an arrow.
Oh! Babbie when you’re pleased to be
So very very nice to me,
You’re like an angel come to earth!
And then I bless my happy birth.
But Babbie when you are unkind,
I promptly get a change of mindAnd fancy you must come from-wellA place I’d hardly like to tell
But fay or fiend, I love you dear
By day, by night, both far and nearSo Babbie! may your heart incline
To be my lasting Valentine!
THE DAY DRAWS TO ITS CLOSE.... A sign post has one side pointing toward Youth and the
other side pointing toward Age. An old man with a heavy burden on his back and a staff in his hand
walks with a stoop in a barren landscape toward a sunset in the direction of Age. A nude cherub runs
in the direction of Youth. Dated 1916 on verso.
The day draws to its close
The journey nears its end
I struggle on alone
For I have lost my friend.
I missed you at the turning,
Did you desert me then,
And leave me helpless, hopeless
The unhappiest of men?
Or will you meet me later
When Heaven’s glories shine,
And find me waiting patiently
A faithful Valentine.
original sketches
DUCKLINGS. Pen and ink sketch of a barnyard scene with Mother Duck and ducklings in water in
foreground, while chickens look on in the background. Noted at lower left in ink: “Original by my father.”
CHERUB WITH BLACK BIRD. Small pen, ink, and watercolor drawing of cherub playing saxophone and dancing with black bird. Excellent image.
Plus five additional, pencil and pen and ink, sketches identified as being by Birch in his son’s handwriting. Includes some sketches done at an art academy in Munich.
photographs
BIRCH, FAMILY & FRIENDS. Thirty photographs of Reginald B. Birch and his family and friends,
and interior shots, dating from the early twentieth century to the 1940s, both candid and professional
shots. Subjects comprise several professional shots of Birch at work, including one photograph of his
drawing of the first Little Lord Fauntleroy and another of his illustration for Orson Welles “The Wonder Show” with ink note on verso that Welles still owes him $200 and a later note by his son concerning collecting his father’s debts after his death. One image still in an old scrap book is of Birch’s son
Rodney sitting in a chair in a richly adorned room dressed as in a style not unlike that of Little Lord
Fauntleroy (taken in the castle in Germany where Birch lived in the early years of the twentieth century),
eight interior shots (presumably of Birch’s home); and several amateur shots of him and his family.
printed material
Six books, most illustrated by Birch and with his son’s notes at front (mostly presentations). Rough condition. Six dust jackets with Birch’s illustrations (chipped), including one for Little Lord Fauntleroy.
Numerous newspaper clippings and ephemera. Invitation from the Brick Row Book Shop in New York
to an exhibition of drawings for Little Lord Fauntleroy.
Photocopies and reproductions of various Birch illustrations, including a sketchily done self portrait.
($2,500-5,000)
Bird’s-Eye View of New York in 1848—Among the Finest American Views
49. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. BACHMANN, John. New-York Published by John Bachmann, 5 Rector St.
N. York. [below border] Drawn from Nature and on Stone by C. Bachman. | Entered according acct [sic] of
Congress in the year 1849. By J. Bachman in the Clerks office of the District Court of the Southern District of
New York. | Lith. of Sarony & Major 117 Fulton St. N.Y. New York, 1849. Lithograph on heavy paper, original tinting and hand coloring, view of New York City from high above Union Square looking south to
the Battery and harbor; image within borders: 47.5 × 70.5 cm; border to border: 48.7 × 72.6 cm; image,
border, and text: 54.8 × 72.6 cm. Professionally washed and stabilized. Lightly browned along bottom,
several closed tears consolidated by archival backing sheet, lower blank left corner skillfully reattached,
a few minor voids (no substantial losses), lower blank margin lightly chipped, overall fine with excellent
color and a good impression. Matted and framed, under Plexiglas.
First edition, first state (with Bachmann identified as publisher). Deák, Picturing America 573 (second
state): “Probably every important building standing between Union Square and Wall Street can be distinguished in this large Bachmann lithograph, which gives us a very comprehensive view of New York
City below the oval, tree-lined 14th Street park.” Peters, American on Stone, pp. 82-84: “Very scarce view.”
Reps, Views and Viewmakers of Urban America 2645, Plate 16, pp. 160-161. Stokes, American Historical
Prints: Early Views of American Cities 134 (second state). Stokes, The Iconography of Manhattan Island 135,
Vol. III, pp. 702-705 (second state): “The first state...reads: ‘Published by John Bachmann, 5 Rector St.
N. York.’ The print is otherwise identical except for a fine line framing the rectangle. Impressions of the
Williams & Stevens issue exist with the date in the copyright line changed to 1850.”
This famous view is astonishing for its completeness, minute detail, and sweep, which extends to the
far horizon and is based on a typical Bachmann perspective, which in many ways is impossible to
achieve except in the imagination. That Bachmann has grasped and illustrated so well this part of the
city is one of the characteristics of his lithographs for which he is justifiably celebrated. Stokes (The
Iconography of Manhattan Island 135, Vol. III, pp. 702-705), discusses this view in great detail.
Reps, discussing Bachmann’s technique and reputation, states (Views & Viewmakers pp. 160-161):
No finer artist of city views worked in America than John Bachmann.... His name and its first
appearance on a city view in 1849 strongly suggests that he was a German and one of the many
artists who came to America from that country in the mid and late 1840s as a result of political
disturbances in their homeland. Bachmann brought with him fully developed artistic, lithographic
and printing skills, for his earliest prints reveal a high level of competence and complete command
of the lithographic medium. He began his American career, however, as a publisher of a splendid
view of New York City as seen from a point high above Union Square looking south to the Battery and the harbor....
Taken together, Bachmann’s views offer a rich sampling of lithographic achievement in this country.
Those he executed during the 1850s are particularly outstanding and justifiably regarded by collectors
and museum curators as among the finest American views to be found.
Swiss-born lithographer and artist, John Bachmann, Sr. (1814-1896) worked as a journeyman in
Switzerland and Paris before emigrating to the United States in 1847. He created the first major bird’s-eye
views of U.S. cities (the focus of most of his work was New York City). Bachmann’s visionary eye and his
ability to translate his inner vision to the lithographic stone were remarkable. The present print and his
Civil War panoramic views are his most famous works. See Items 50-52 following. For more information,
consult the web site.
($10,000-20,000)
Extraordinary Aerial View of the Coast of Texas in 1861
From Bachmann’s Civil War Panoramas
50. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. BACHMANN, John. Panorama of the Seat of War. Birds Eye View of Texas
and Part of Mexico John Bachmann, Publisher, 115 & 117 Nassau St., New York. [below image at left] Drawn
from Nature and Lith by John Bachmann [below image at center] Entered according to act of Congress in the
year 1861 by John Bachmann in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the U.S. for the Southern District of
New York. New York, 1861. Three-color chromolithograph in shades of blue, green, yellow, and black,
showing the coast of Texas from Littel [sic] Constance Bay, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Rio Grande;
major towns such as Galveston, Houston, and San Antonio indicated by nebulous, indistinct, miniature
bird’s-eye views; rivers, estuaries, and other topographical features; roads, railroads, ships at sea. Image:
47 × 71.5 cm; image with titles and imprint: 57 × 71.5 cm. A few areas faded in lower half and upper right,
light waterstain at lower right (primarily affecting blank margins), a few closed marginal tears (no losses)
and light vertical creases, overall a very good copy of a rare and extraordinary Texas view. Matted and
framed under Plexiglas.
First edition. This is the Texas section of a six-sheet aerial view of the Confederate States in 1861; this
Texas view is the most difficult of the six views to locate. Rumsey 3718. Stephenson, Civil War Maps
446.8. Among the details shown are the Union blockading ships, identified by their flags. On the other
hand, Confederate blockade runners are also shown and may be identified by the lack of flags and the
fact they are all side wheelers. It appears, however, that Bachmann never really saw a blockade runner,
because they all have large masts.
David Rumsey, Cartographica Extraordinaire, pp. 62-63, 141 (discussing the general technique of the series
of views and illustrating a digitally merged composite of the three views showing the eastern seaboard):
The most natural way to portray the shape of a surface is an oblique perspective, or bird’s eye view.
Despite its name, the bird’s eye view is drawn from an artificial, even impossible vantage point.
From no one place on earth, or off of it, could one see the land stretching away—to the horizon....
Unlike a standard, orthographically-oriented map, which is equally artificial but makes no pretense to be anything else, an oblique view such as this emphasizes the shape of the land surface
over portraying what is on that surface. In the early days of the American Civil War, Bachmann
chose a unique vantage point...to create his panoramic view of the likely theaters of war.... Produced in three-color lithography, Bachmann’s views were issued as separate maps.
Dr. Ron Tyler discusses this Texas view in his preliminary study of nineteenth-century Texas lithographs:
Once the war began, part of the immediate Federal strategy was to apply a strangling blockade to
Southern ports. The first blockading vessels arrived off the coast of Galveston, the principal Texas
seaport in June, 1861, and are, perhaps, part of what John Bachmann intended to show in a series
of prints entitled Panorama of the Seat of War, in which he depicted the coastline from New England to Mexico as “drawn from nature.” The Birds Eye View of Texas and Part of Mexico is a fascinating view of the state at mid-century, clearly identifying all of the major Texas cities, rivers,
roads, and ports. There are a few mistakes—he seems to locate “Austin City” on the Guadalupe
rather than the Colorado—but the view provides the kind of glimpse of the coastline that might
have been useful in military planning.
The present view and the following two views from the same series on the Civil War are considered
the most important of Bachmann’s prints, along with his 1849 view of New York City (see Items 49, 51,
and 52 herein).
($7,500-15,000)
Rare Civil War Bird’s-Eye View of Mississippi River Delta
51. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. BACHMANN, John. Panorama of the Seat of War. Birds Eye View of
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Part of Florida John Bachmann, Publisher, 115 & 117 Nassau St., New
York. [below image at center] Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1861 by John Bachmann in the
Clerks Office of the District Court of the U.S. for the Southern District of New York. New York, 1861. [below
image at right] Drawn from Nature and Lith by John Bachmann [distance tables at left and right]. Threecolor chromolithograph in shades of blue, green, yellow, and black, showing entire mouth of the Mississippi and coastline from South West Pass to Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola; forts and towns indicated by indistinct, miniature bird’s-eye views; rivers, estuaries, and other topographical features; roads,
railroads, many ships at sea. Image: 46.5 × 71.5 cm; image with titles and imprint: 56 × 71.5 cm. Light
stain at centerfold, a few scattered fox marks, three small tears at lower blank margin (no losses), otherwise fine. Matted and framed under Plexiglas. Not examined outside frame.
First edition. This is the mid- and east Gulf coast section of a six-sheet aerial view of the Confederate States in 1861. Rumsey 2780. Stephenson, Civil War Maps 1.7. See preceding item for notes on Bachmann and this remarkable series of Civil War views. Because of its scale, the present map reveals considerable detail about the area shown, which continues north all the way to Vicksburg.
This view concentrates on the mouth of the Mississippi River and the defenses around New Orleans,
both those at the river mouth and those to the east at Lake Borgne at the eastern approach. Included
are Forts Jackson, St. Philip, Wood, and Pike. The east end shows Fort Pickens guarding the entrance
to Pensacola Bay, and Fort Morgan at the entrance to Mobile Bay. Many of these places would become
famous for battles during the war, including the fortifications at Mobile, which occasioned the famous
phrase: “Damn the torpedoes!”
See Item 50 herein for notes on Bachmann and his series of Civil War views.
($3,000-6,000)
Rare Civil War Bird’s-Eye View of Florida Peninsula & the Keys
52. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. BACHMANN, John. Panorama of the Seat of War. Birds Eye View of Florida
and Part of Georgia and Alabama. John Bachmann, Publisher, 115 & 117 Nassau St., New York. [below image
at center] Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1861 by John Bachmann in the Clerks Office of the
District Court of the U.S. for the Southern District of New York. [below image at right] [distance tables at
left and right]. New York, 1861. Three-color chromolithograph in shades of blue, green, yellow, and
black, showing entire Florida peninsula from New Orleans in the far distance to Tybee Island, Georgia; forts and towns indicated by indistinct, miniature bird’s-eye views; rivers, estuaries, and other top-
ographical features; roads, railroads, ships at sea. Image: 40.5 × 71.5 cm; image with titles and imprint:
56 × 71.5 cm. Centerfold crease affecting a few letters, lightly waterstained, closed tear at left side
(slightly into image), slight stain at lower left in image, overall very good. Matted and framed under
Plexiglas. Not examined outside frame.
First edition. This is the Florida section of a six-sheet aerial view of the Confederate States in 1861.
Rumsey 2665. Stephenson, Civil War Maps 11.72. See Item 50 herein for notes on Bachmann and his
series of Civil War views. Because of its larger scale, the present map reveals considerable detail about
the area shown.
This view concentrates on Florida almost exclusively and its coastal and inland defenses. Many forts
are shown, including Fort Jupiter, New Smyrna, and Key West.
($3,000-6,000)
Bird’s-Eye View of Reno
By “The Only Known Black to Have Been an American Viewmaker”—Reps
53. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. BROWN, G[rafton] T[yler] (lithographer). Reno, The Commercial Center
of Nevada; [in view at lower left and right] Sierra Eng. Co. Reno, Nev. | G.T. Brown; [below view and
printed in red] The Overland Trust and Realty Co.=Phone 7 Published by the La Place Adv. & Pub. Co.,
Reno, Nevada, 1907; [centered at lower margin, printed in red] Successors to the Overland Banking Realty
Co., 106 E. Commercial Row, Reno, Nevada; [view surrounded by 30 sepia half-tone photographs of Reno
buildings and properties, each image within green borders with identifying text printed below]. Lithograph bird’s-eye view of Reno, image: 38.7 × 76.5 cm; image, photographs and text: 65 × 100 cm; overall
sheet size: 71 × 106 cm. Professionally washed and backed with archival tissue. Lightly creased where
formerly folded. A few minor losses at folds, a few light spots, but overall a fresh, fine copy of an apparently unrecorded bird’s-eye view. With this view is a fine copy of the pamphlet Reno: The Commercial
Center of Nevada and Its Surroundings (Reno: Nevada Commercial League, 1907), a promotional issued
contemporaneously.
Reps lists only two bird’s-eye views of Reno, neither of which is this one. The earliest such view of
Reno recorded by Reps is the Crocker-Powning view (ca. 1890; Reps 2156). Reps’ second Reno view
(2157) is undated, but is by the same lithographer (G.T. Brown), has the same dimensions, and includes
thirty vignettes as here, but it was printed by Journal Print in Reno and published by B.M. Barndollar.
The present view thus appears to be a reworked version of Reps 2157, with altered title and other elements. The print is an interesting example of a mixture of the various media available to printers in the
early part of the twentieth century, combining as it does lithography, photography, and colored typography. Palmquist notes that Brown “frequently published lithographs based on ambrotypes and photographs”(Pioneer Photographers of the Far West, p. 126). The view was probably paid for by revenue from
the businesses whose premises are depicted in the photographic vignettes.
Reno, officially founded in 1868, rapidly became an important crossing point on the route between
Salt Lake City and Sacramento. The main impetus for the community’s growth was the Central
Pacific Railroad, which came through Reno and whose construction superintendent, Charles
Crocker, named the town. Reno became the county seat of Washoe County in 1870. A year later, the
Virginia and Truckee Railroad arrived from the south. At that point, most of Reno’s growth had been
fueled by mining activities, which were waning by the time this view was made. The view seems to
emphasize the community’s transition from a mining town to a solid commercial center, complete
with a growing university shown in the far northern part of the city. Expanding street systems and
other features emphasize the changing nature of the city. On the whole, this broadside is a fine example of Reno boosterism.
Grafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918), first African-American lithographer on the West Coast, cartographer, draftsman, and an important Western artist, was born a free Black in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
He drifted west in 1861, taking up residence in San Francisco, where he was associated with Kuchel,
from whom he learned lithography. After Kuchel’s death, he formed his own firm (Peters, California on
Stone, pp. 89-90). In 1882 he migrated to Canada, joining the Amos Boman geological survey party in
the Cariboo area. He opened a painting studio in Victoria while continuing to secure lithographic contracts from California. He later served as a draftsman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1893-1897)
before moving to the Civil Engineering Department of St. Paul, where he worked until 1910.
Reps (Views and Viewmakers of Urban America, pp. 166-167) has a fine article on Brown, “the only
known Black to have been an American viewmaker.” In all likelihood, Brown was the first professional
African-American artist to work in Nevada. As early as the 1860s, Brown made lithographs of communities and architecture in northern Nevada, especially in the Comstock mining district. In the 1864-1865
Virginia Business Directory his ad states, “Grafton T. Brown. Traveling Artist in Nevada Territory,” touting mining certificates “executed with Neatness and Dispatch.” In 2004, the California Historical Society, in conjunction with the California African American Museum and the Museum of the African
Diaspora, presented a traveling exhibit entitled Grafton Tyler Brown: Visualizing California and the
Pacific and commented on his work: “Brown was one of many Black Americans of the gold rush generation who migrated west in search of individual freedom, greater economic opportunity and reduced
prejudice. He was specifically lured West to continue his trade of lithography in the booming economy
based on the profits from the gold and silver mines.” For more on Brown, see: Thomas Riggs, The St.
James Guide to Black Artists (Detroit: St. James Press, 1997) and Samuels’ Encyclopedia of Artists of the
American West (Castle Press, 1976).
($1,500-3,000)
The Opening of the Brooklyn Bridge
54. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. FRANKLIN SQUARE LITHOGRAPHIC COMPANY. Bird’s-Eye
View of the Great Suspension Bridge, Connecting the Cities of New York and Brooklyn—From New York
Looking South-East. The Bridge crosses the river by a single span of 1595 ft., suspended by four cables 15½ ins.
in diameter; each cable consists of 5,434 parallel steel wires, ultimate strength of each cable 11,200 tons. The
approach of the New York side is 2,492½ ft., approach on the Brooklyn side 1,901 ft., total length 5,989 ft. Size
of towers at high water line 140 x 59 ft., total height of Towers 277 ft. From high water to roadway 120 ft.,—
from high water to centre of span 135 ft.,—from roadway to top 158 ft.,—width of Bridge 85 ft., with tracks for
steam cars, roadway for carriages, and walks for foot passengers, and an elevated promenade commanding a
view of extraordinary beauty and extent. Cost, $15,000,000. [below image] Franklin Square Lithographic
Co., 324-28 Pearl St. | Commenced January 3, 1870. | Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1883, by
the Franklin Square Lithographic Company, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Brooklyn Tower. Finished May 24, 1883. [left and right of title, roster of names of those connected with building the bridge] John A. Roebling, C.E. Designer of Bridge.... New York, 1883. Tinted lithograph with blue
shading; printed on heavy paper, a very detailed depiction of the entire bridge on the day of its inauguration with a military parade crossing its length and a flotilla of steamers, sailing ships and other watercraft in the river below; image: 45 × 92 cm; image and title: 52.6 × 92 cm. Left and top margins trimmed
to image, right margin trimmed close to neat line, light chipping at lower blank margin which is slightly
browned (not affecting text or image), some light staining to image (but better than usually found). Professionally restored (washed and neat repairs to verso). Matted, framed, and under Plexiglas.
First edition. Reps, Views and Viewmakers of Urban America 2744. Deák, Picturing America 868:
Not since the tower of Babel and the great pyramid of Egypt had construction been conceived in
such massive proportions—so went excited talk about the projected Brooklyn Bridge. As an engineering feat, the bridge was the achievement of John and Washington Roebling, father and son.
Designs for the bridge were conceived nearly two decades before actual construction began.
Once construction got under way, the ingenious devices by which the Roeblings were making the
high suspension bridge possible were examined by the public with interest and awe at the
Philadelphia Centennial fair in 1876. But the operation was plagued with mishaps: the money ran
out; the older Roebling died; and hesitations, jealousies, and accidents shattered the nerves of the
son. Yet, by 24 May 1883, as the lettering to the lithograph tells us, all that wire, stone, steel, and
wood so long shuffled in random piles on the shores of the East River had at last been cunningly
woven into a soaring arch. Multitudes attended the opening ceremonies, which lasted the full day.
President Chester A. Arthur and Governor of New York Grover Cleveland took an active part in
the ceremonies, while the chief engineer, Washington Roebling, suffering from a debilitating ailment, watched from his bedroom window. In the evening, the series of electric lights that illuminated the bridge were turned off and a solitary rocket burst in the air over Columbia Heights. So
began an hour-long display of fireworks—provided by the New York firm of Detwiler and Street,
Pyrotechnists—which culminated with one incredible barrage of five hundred rockets.
A triumph of engineering and a great work of architecture, the Brooklyn Bridge has become a
beloved cultural icon in almost the same way as a cathedral. Virtually its every aspect—from the lyrical web of its cables to the soaring Gothic towers—has profoundly affected painters, poets, photographers, writers, and cinematographers. To many residents, its wondrous embrace of space has served
as an aesthetic anchor in the midst of urban tumult. Nor have these feelings diminished over the
course of a century: the 1993 centennial celebration offered joyful testimony to the bridge’s persistent charm.
($1,500-3,000)
Early View of Colorado Springs, Printed in Paris
Utopian Town Planning at the Foot of Pikes Peak
55. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. [GLOVER, Eli S. (after)]. Vue de Colorado Springs [below neat line] Imp. l.
Parent, r. Rodier, 49 Paris. | Dessins et Plans. [3 inset views below image, two untitled views of Public
School Building and Henry McAllister, Jr., between which is a view of the town of Colorado City with
but one structure entitled] Colorado Springs en 1871 [below neat line] Cette Ville n’existait pas il y a deux
ans. Sur l’emplacement qu’elle occupe aujourd’hui, il n’y avait d’autre habitation que la demeure des Ingénieurs
du Denver et Rio Grande Railway. L’Existence et le développement de Colorado Springs sont l’œuvre du
Chemin de fer. Lithograph view. Neat line to neat line: 26 × 33 cm; Image and title above and below
image: 28 × 33; overall sheet size: 31 × 38.5 cm. Folded as issued. In: PALMER, W[illia]m. J[ackson]. De
la Colonisation du Colorado et du Nouveau-Mexique. Paris: Typographie Lahure 9, Rue de Fleurus, 9,
1874. [6], [1] 2-82, [2, colophon] pp. 8vo (17.8 × 10.8 cm), original pale green printed wrappers. Head of
spine slightly split, upper wrap with light edge wear (missing small piece at lower corner), one small tear
at foot of lower wrapper, wrappers lightly soiled and with a few light creases, interior very fine. The view
is in pristine condition. Very rare.
The view shows Colorado City and “Manatou” in the distance, with Pikes Peak in the background.
This French view, although smaller, is basically identical to that of Eli S. Glover-Strobridge & Co. Lith.
(42.9 × 57.2 cm), published the same year in Cincinnati. The Glover-Strobridge view is the first published
bird’s-eye view of Colorado Springs. In the present French version a few details have been omitted, such
as street and road names, church denominations, and the titles of the vignettes. Reps lists the Glover-Strobridge version (Cities of the American West, p. 588; Cities on Stone, p. 92 & Plate 22; Views and Viewmakers
of Urban America 474 & Figure 17.22). Wynar (2051) lists the book. Not in Henkle, Wilcox, et al. We locate
copies of the book with the view at Colorado Historical Society, Arizona State, Library of Congress,
Smithsonian, and Bancroft. Denver Public Library catalogues what appears to be the view only.
The book in which the view resides is an enthusiastic promotional for Colorado Springs, the surrounding region, and the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, written by distinguished Union cavalry soldier and railroad builder General William Jackson Palmer (1836-1910; Lamar, Reader’s Encyclopedia of the
American West, p. 892). Palmer sets forth the advantages and potential in the region, including mining,
stock raising, agriculture, natural resources, and towns waiting to spring forth, which Colorado Springs
was doing at the time of publication of this pamphlet. In 1870 Palmer commenced his visionary plan of
a narrow gauge railway system connecting Denver with Mexico City. The line was notable for its many
engineering achievements, including the highest railroad beds in the United States and the first largescale application of narrow gauge road. At one time the railroad had more narrow gauge track than any
other line in North America.
Reps, Cities of the American West, pp. 583-591:
Colorado Springs [was] Palmer’s first venture in town founding along the Denver and Rio
Grande. Its history demonstrated that skillful planning, substantial investments in community
facilities, and honesty in promotion of settlement and land sales were not incompatible with realization of both immediate and long-term profits of substantial magnitude. Unfortunately, Palmer
did not follow this precedent, nor did the other developers of railroad towns elsewhere in the
country seem to realize that good planning did not necessarily result in reduced revenues. The history of the founding and development of Colorado Springs, then, is an investigation of what a
good part of the American urban West might have been. The opportunities lost in the planning
of towns along the western railroads loom large when compared with such occasional modest
urban triumphs as Colorado Springs.
Palmer’s deep and personal attachment to Colorado Springs and his successful efforts to establish there a city of beauty and grace contrast strangely with his lack of care of planning of his later
towns. In those activities he differed little if at all from the other railroad town builders whose
work in the West was characterized by a lack of attention to any but the most routine and unimaginative aspects of urban design. Palmer’s Colorado Springs stands as a reminder of the quality that
might have been handed down to our generation and those to come by the builders of the western railroads.
Reps in Views and Viewmakers of Urban America (pp. 178-180) presents an excellent biographical essay
on the artist who made this view, Eli Sheldon Glover (1844-1920). Glover had educational training and
experience in the art and marketing of bird’s-eye views, having apprenticed with Albert Ruger, and
launching out on his own in 1868-1870. Upon creation of his 1874 view of Colorado Springs, and doubtless with the encouragement of Palmer and Cameron, Glover and his partner operated a hotel in Colorado Springs in the spring and summer of that year. In his career, Reps traces sixty-two views of U.S.
towns and cities by him, the greatest concentration being Michigan and California. Glover’s last view
was Port Arthur, Texas, in 1912. Reps notes that “Glover sent virtually all of his drawings to Cincinnati
for printing by the Strobridge firm, a company well known for quality work” (p. 179). For further information, consult web site.
($2,000-4,000)
1890 Bird’s-Eye View of Austin, Texas & Hyde Park
56. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. [KOCH, Augustus (attributed)]. Partial View of Austin, Texas. The most
beautiful and wealthiest city of its size in the United States. The coming great manufacturing center of the
South! For its Schools, Churches, and other public institutions, it is already famous. The Capitol is pronounced,
by competent judges, one of the finest Government Buildings in the world. For particulars about this Great Cotton Center, Address the Austin Rapid Transit R’y Co., the Board of Trade, of __________ [verso] Map of
Hyde Park and Hyde Park Addition, Austin, Texas. The Austin dam, when completed, will be the greatest artificial water power in the United States. The beautiful lake formed by the dam will be thirty-five miles long,
and of varying width, bounded on either bank by scenery equal to the grandest views along the Hudson. Hyde
Park, lying in the northern part of the city, is one of Austin’s greatest attractions. Nature and the Rapid Transit Railway co. have combined to make it a popular pleasure resort, as well as the bon ton residence portion of
the city. For information regarding water power, address the The [sic] Board of Trade. For particulars about
Austin, address The Austin Rapid Transit R’y Co., or __________ [small view to left of title, Lake Austin
by moonlight]; [view at lower left] The City Dam and Lake, Austin, Tex. [lower right] Inter-State Pub.
Co. K.C. Mo. Kansas City, Missouri: Inter-State Publishing Company, [1890]. Lithograph, overall sheet
size: 73.5 × 107.5 cm; recto: bird’s-eye view of the city, image area 68 × 97.5 cm; verso: illustrated plat of
Hyde Park and view of Austin Dam, image area 96.5 × 61 cm. Light age-toning (more obvious at some
folds), minor marginal chipping (well away from image), creased as folded, a few small holes splits at
folds (one tiny loss), two contemporary pencil notes in blank margin, but overall an extraordinarily fine
copy of a rare survival, printed on news print. Very rare: Austin History Center (Austin Public Library)
and Texas State Library.
Reps (Views and Viewmakers of Urban America 3948) lists a similar print which he dates around 1895.
However, Reps does not mention the Hyde Park plan on verso. This promotional view is a reworking
of Koch’s 1887 view of Austin (Reps 3947), with the addition of Hyde Park in the bird’s-eye view and
the plat and print of the dam on verso. In the Austin view Koch’s original key numbers have been preserved but the key itself, printed at the bottom of the 1887 view, has here been omitted. Ron Tyler in his
unpublished manuscript remarks: “Printed in an edition of 10,000 by the Austin Rapid Transit Company, with a map of Hyde Park on the back. See Austin Daily Statesman, September 25, 1890, p. 4.” See
also See Humphrey, Austin, An Illustrated History, pp. 132-146.
This view reflects Austin at a time when the city fathers and the populace were determined to secure
Austin’s future and promote its growth as a progressive city. Chief among those schemes was the construction of a dam across the Colorado River, which was supposed to provide electrical power needed
for this expansion. Thus, the main view of Austin shows a sprawling metropolis with the newly proposed Hyde Park subdivision visible in the distance. On the other side, however, Hyde Park, the brain-
child of developer Monroe Shipe, is shown in its entirety, including a park, a lake, and a street car line
terminus. More importantly, the dam is shown already completed, although at this point it was merely
a fantasy, not being completed until 1893.
Although Hyde Park was a successful development and is still a prominent, beloved Austin neighborhood, the dam was a bust. In 1900 it was overwashed by high water, collapsed, flooded downtown
Austin, and had to be torn down. In the view, however, all the prosperity and hope the dam was supposed to bring—and which it did for a short while—is on full display. A powerhouse being serviced
by a train is shown, as are piers and pleasure boats cruising the lake, which is touted as holding thirty
billion gallons and producing fifteen thousand horsepower. Carriages and electric trolleys crisscross
the area. The bird’s-eye view of Austin on recto is extremely detailed, showing most of the buildings,
businesses (some of which are named), streets, public buildings, such as the state capitol and the University of Texas (still unfinished at the time of this view), and in the far distance a grandiose State
Insane Asylum, which never looked anything near like its depiction here.
($6,000-12,000)
Rare Bird’s-Eye View of San Antonio in 1891
57. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. KOECKERT, [Gustave] & [Bernard John] Walle (lithographers). San
Antonio Light Birds Eye View Map of San Antonio, Tex. December 1891. [below neat line at lower right]
Koeckert & Walle, 112 Gravier St. N.O. New Orleans: Koeckert & Walle; San Antonio: San Antonio
Light, 1891. Lithograph bird’s-eye view on pale blue toned ground surrounded by letterpress ads (some
pictorial); view including plain thick line border: 48.3 × 101.2 cm; image with ads: 69.1 × 104 cm; overall
sheet size: 77.5 × 102.1 cm. Professionally backed with archival paper, splits at folds restored and expert
facsimile to a few minor losses, very mild foxing. Overall a very good copy of a rare survival.
Not in Reps and other standard sources. This view of San Antonio shows the city looking from
the north, with the courses of the San Antonio River, San Pedro Creek, various irrigation ditches,
and bridges accurately delineated. Unlike earlier somewhat bucolic views of San Antonio, this one
shows instead a bustling, growing city served by three railroads, a large commercial center, sprawling
suburbs under development, and numerous factories spewing black smoke. The railroads shown are
San Antonio & Aransas Pass, International & Great Northern, and Galveston, Harrisburg & San
Antonio. (The earliest train arrived in San Antonio February 20, 1877, to great fanfare.) Shown
almost dead center on the map is the iconic Alamo, with Alamo Plaza converted into a park with
landscaping and paths.
Among the ads that surround the view are those for lots from the Estate of Samuel Maverick and
others for the West End suburb, said to have a fine artificial lake lit at night by electric lights. (The
area is hazily shown in the far upper left of the map.) Also advertised are the services of well-known
architect Alfred Giles, the Alamo and Lone Star breweries, and Misses Kirchner’s Fancy Goods and
Millinery store. An ad for the Alamo Insurance company urges readers: “Keep your money in
Texas.” Kypfer & Seng offer Remington typewriters, an example of which is illustrated with a
woodcut. Finally, there is an ad for The San Antonio Light, the newspaper that published this view
as an extra.
The view was originally printed as an extra to a December, 1891, issue of the newspaper San Antonio
Light, which enjoyed a varied career before it went out of business in 1992. Beginning with the first issue
in January, 1881, it was regularly published as a daily and was probably the only Republican daily in
Texas. After mergers and various combinations, the newspaper gradually drifted into liberal political
views. At its height it had a circulation of over a hundred thousand copies a day. Handbook of Texas
Online: San Antonio Light.
The lithographic firm of Koeckert & Walle was established in New Orleans 1872 and is still in business under the name Walle & Company. They specialized in the creation of ephemera, such as parade
papers, Mardi Gras paraphernalia, trade labels, and other unusual novelty printing. Koeckert previously
was associated with the New Orleans Lithographic Company, which later merged with the Southern
Lithographic Company. According to the current web site for the Walle Corporation, their artist in residence in the early years was Sousa Frederick von Ehren.
($8,000-12,000)
St. Louis & Environs in 1876
58. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. ST. LOUIS, KANSAS CITY & NORTHERN RAILWAY. GENERAL
PASSENGER AGENT (C[harles] K. Lord)]. Sixteen-panel time table with map and bird’s-eye view:
[Recto, tabulated route information, ads, promotionals, and map information] [Title] Bird’s Eye View
of St. Louis. Map and Time Tables of the St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern Railway. The Great Through
Passenger Route to All Points in Kansas, Nebraska New Mexico, Colorado and California. Thos. McKissock,
Gen’l Sup’t, St. Louis. C.K. Lord, Gen’s Pass. Ag’t, St. Louis. [top of recto, untitled map showing the route,
outline color and shading; neat line to neat line: 14.6 × 44.5 cm, below neat line] Rand, McNally & Co.
Map Engravers, Chicago. [Verso, bird’s eye view of St. Louis and environs, in full color] Birds Eye View
of St. Louis Showing the New Line of the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Ry. Running into the Union
Depot... [circular vignette, top left] View of Bridge From St. Louis [circular vignette, top right] Entrance
to Tunnel from Union Depot [key with 15 landmarks designated, left and right of title] 1. U. Depot 2. Four
Courts 3. Ent. Tunnel 4. Post Office.... [below lower neat line] Entered according to an Act of Congress in the
Year 1876, by C. K. Lord, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. St. Louis: Levison &
Blythe Pr[inter]s; Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1876. Full color lithograph, border to border: 30.5 ×
60.5 cm; overall sheet size: 32.3 × 64.3 cm; folds to size: 16.3 × 8.3 cm. 3 minor voids at folds, otherwise
exceptionally fine. Rare and ephemeral item promoting the railroad and emigration.
A colored copy like the present one is held by the St. Louis Public Library. OCLC also locates a
copy at the Library of Congress. The LC copy is uncolored, designated as second edition, dated 1876,
and published by Woodward, Tiernan, and Hale. Reps (Views and Viewmakers of Urban America 2059)
lists the view, but there is no information in Reps to determine if the entry is the present view or the
LC uncolored version of the same year. Reps notes locations at LC and the Missouri Historical Society at St. Louis. Both versions are the same dimensions.
The view includes not only St. Louis proper and its closely built structures, but also the surrounding
area. To the left is a pastoral region with sparse development, primarily railroads and roads weaving
through the landscape. At lower left is “Shaws Gard” (i.e., Shaw’s Garden, now Missouri Botanical
Gardens) and at mid-left is Forest Park. The St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Passenger Line winds
up as high as Ferguson Station. At lower right is historic Eads Bridge, which when completed in 1874
was the longest arch bridge in the world. The bridge over the Mississippi crosses to East St. Louis, Illinois, where there is a tangled convergence of rail lines. Boats of all types dot the shores of both sides of
the river, as other vessels wend their way up and down the river. At mid-background toward the middle are Fair Grounds, North Park, Water Works, etc. An important but unattractive feature of the view
is the plethora of smoke and soot, a nineteenth-century sign of progress representing a busy, coal-burning city of industry.
The perspective of the view is different than usually found for St. Louis at that time. One would
assume the view would be derivative of Camille N. Dry’s incredible 1875 view of St. Louis in 110 sheets
(Reps 2057), but it is not—in either perspective or detail (which is not to be expected, given the complexity and scale of Dry’s view). The maker of the route map on recto, Rand McNally, needs no introduction, but L.U. Reavis (Saint Louis: The Commercial Metropolis of the Mississippi Valley. St. Louis: Tribune, 1874, pp. 211-213) comments on the printer:
No one house has done more to extend the business than that of Levison & Blythe, Manufacturing Stationers, Printers, Lithographers, and Binders, who occupy the extensive premises 217 and
219 Olive Street, having a frontage of fifty feet by a depth of ninety feet, built expressly to accommodate their large and constantly growing business. The basement contains a first-class twentyfive-horse-power steam engine which furnishes the motive power for the numerous presses, cutting and ruling machines.... The fourth floor is entirely given up to the book and job printing
department, being admirably adapted to the business, lighted from three sides with a very high
ceiling and clear unbroken space from front to rear or side to side; it contains all the latest and
most improved presses from the largest Hoe cylinder to the small fast card press of Mr. J.E. Priest
who, by the way, is a St. Louis inventor....
The publisher declares: “The tide of emigration has turned toward the great state of Kansas. Now is
the time to go, while land is cheap and railroad fares reduced.”
($500-1,000)
1890 Bird’s-Eye View of Hot Springs, Arkansas
59. [BIRD’S-EYE VIEW]. WOODWARD & TIERNAN PRINTING COMPANY (publisher) &
H.C. Townsend (copyright holder). Hot Springs, Arkansas [left of title] Hotel Accommodations 12,000 |
Daily Bathing Facilities 6,260 | Daily Flow of Hot Water 5,000 Gals. [right of title] 10 Churches, Free
Library, Opera House | Gymnasium, Parks, Fine Livery Drives, Etc. | Three Other Mineral Springs Resorts
Within 6 Miles. [lower left] Copyrighted 1890 by H.C. Townsend General Passenger & Ticket Agent Iron
Mountain Route. [lower right] Lithographed by Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co. St. Louis. St. Louis,
1890. Chromolithograph bird’s-eye view, image area: 58.5 × 96.5 cm; image & text below: 63 × 99.7 cm.
In original ornate gilt gesso frame (badly chipped), glazed. Light overall browning, several voids supplied in sympathetic facsimile along crease that runs vertically from top to bottom of image (most
replacement, however, is confined to background and sky), two other small areas of infilling at lower left
and right, overall a very presentable copy of a spectacular, very rare view, excellent color retention. Not
examined outside of frame.
Not in Reps, Views and Viewmakers of Urban America, who lists only one bird’s-eye view of Hot
Springs (1888, Wellge, smaller format, 33.5 × 66 cm; the Wellge view is from an entirely different perspective that takes in much more area and consequently shows more structures, but with considerably
less detail). Library of Congress, American Memory, holds a copy of the present print.
Shown is the main street of Hot Springs, Arkansas, with store fronts, large resort areas and facilities,
and fine houses, all set in a pastoral mountain landscape. On the wide, busy Grand Avenue various types
of carriages and wagons, equestrian figures, horse-drawn trolleys, and pedestrians move about busily in
a vivid scene that reflects the vibrant community that the maker no doubt intended to depict. Also
shown are bicyclists, including several on boneshakers. Significant structures are the Army & Navy
Hospital on the hill above Bathhouse Row, Eastman Hotel south of the Hospital with its exotic minaret
observatory, and the Arlington Hotel situated at the north end of Grand Avenue. Visible in the far distance is the observation tower atop the mountain.
At the time of this view, Hot Springs was in the midst of a building boom following the destruction
of the Civil War, after which guerrilla bands had almost completely destroyed the town. The Iron
Mountain Railroad, whose depot is depicted, arrived in 1875, a development that promoted growth,
including the first luxury hotel, the Arlington, which also opened that year. The federal government in
1876 had resolved conflicting land claims and had taken the hot springs and Hot Springs Mountain as
government property but set aside 1,200 acres for the town itself.
Cecelia Tichi, Embodiment of a Nation: Human Form in American Places (Harvard University Press,
2004, p. 176): “Hygeia became a naturalized citizen of sorts in 1832, when Congress took cognizance of
the salubrious power of the Arkansas hot springs, which Timothy Flint termed ‘a great and increasing
resort for invalids from the lower country.’ Congress accordingly set aside the Arkansas lands encompassing the warm springs and mineral springs as a federal reserve, making it the foundational United
States national park.” This was the first time the federal government set aside land for recreational purposes, predating Yellowstone by almost four decades.
($4,000-8,000)
Unusual 1869 English Promotional of Colorado with Important Map & Photo
60. BLACKMORE, William [Henry]. Colorado: Its Resources, Parks, and Prospects as a New Field for
Emigration; With an Account of the Trenchara and Costilla Estates, in the San Luis Park. London: Sampson, Low, Son, and Marston, 188, Fleet Street, English and Foreign, American and Colonial Booksellers; [printer’s slug on title verso] London: Printed by Ranken and Co., Drury House, St. Mary-LeStrand, 1869. [1-5] 6-217 [16] pp., frontispiece (mounted oval albumen bust portrait of Governor William
Gilpin), 3 lithograph maps with original hand coloring: [1] Map of the United States Showing the Proposed Railroad Routes to the Pacific Ocean 1869; neat line to neat line: 40.1 × 67 cm (section of northern
portion of map extends beyond neat line), coloring emphasizes Colorado in maize and yellow, San Luis
Park in pink and green, rail lines outlined in black, red, and blue; [2] Map of Colorado Embracing the Central Gold Region. Drawn by Frederick J. Ebert under direction of the Governor W m. Gilpin [below neat line
at lower right] Drawn by C.W. Bacon & Co. 127 Strand; neat line to neat line: 49.2 × 65 cm, San Luis Park
in bright pink and green, Union Pacific routes in rose and blue; [3] Map of the Trenchara and Costilla
Estates forming the Sangre de Christo Grant Situate in San Luis Valley Colorado Territory [above neat line
at lower right] Witherby & Co. Litho. Birchin Lane; neat line to neat line: 58.3 × 40.7 cm, Trenchard
Estate tinted and outlined in green, Costilla Estate tinted and colored in rose. 4to (28 × 22.5 cm), original blind-embossed dark green pebble cloth, title in gilt on upper cover. Corners of binding slightly
bumped and upper hinge neatly strengthened, else fine, bright, and tight. Interior and maps fine save
for mild foxing to endpapers and maps. Photograph of Governor Gilpin slightly faded (as usual) and
mounting lightly foxed.
First trade edition. Two editions of this book were published in the same year, a private edition in two
volumes with a different collation (from Denver Public Library copy: 3 p. l., [5]-55 p., 3 l., 16, 1*-16*, 17133 p.), and a trade edition by Sampson, Low, as here. The number of maps and photographs varies, not
only between the two editions, but also from copy to copy, as evidenced by Denver Public Library holdings. DPL has two copies of the private edition (one with only the three maps, and another with three
maps and twelve photos). Of the Sampson, Low edition, DPL owns three copies, with varying numbers of photos and maps in each copy. In general, as many as three maps can be found in either edition;
the number of photos varies from zero to twelve. William Reese (Catalogue 256:14) offered a copy of
the private edition with three maps and twelve photos at $12,500 commenting: “The present copy contains more photographs than any other copy we have handled or can trace, making it a great rarity.”
Adams, Herd 272 (Sampson, Low edition, calling for one photo and two maps). Allibone, Critical Dictionary of English Literature & British And American Authors, p. 154. Bradford 399 (Sampson, Low edition, two photos, three maps). Graff 318 (Sampson, Low edition, five photos, three maps): “Elaborate
land-selling advertisement.” Howes C607 (Sampson, Low edition with five photos and three maps; private edition with three maps). Margolis & Sandweiss, To Delight The Eye 2 (noting that the number of
photos varies). Sabin 14735 (private edition, three maps). Wilcox, pp. 15-16 (entry 27 is for the private
edition with three maps, and entry 28 is for the Sampson, Low edition with one photo and three maps;
reproduced are the title pages to both editions). Wilcox comments on the trade edition: “The two sections of the trade edition are reversed in sequence; and a portrait of Gov. William Gilpin, a dedication
to Gov. Gilpin, and a preface are added; but the text is printed from the same type with pages renumbered.” Wynar 2025 (Sampson, Low edition, with a vague aside to a private edition and no specifics on
number of photos and maps).
This elaborate promotional work was published to coincide with the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which opened the central United States to prospective immigrants. English entrepreneur William Blackmore (1827-1878) is an overlooked figure in Western history. He was a friend of
George Catlin, Richard Dodge, Ferdinand Hayden, Thomas Moran, William H. Jackson, Henry Carrington, and other leading men of the West. In addition to being a land speculator and promoter, he
also collected over two thousand photographs of the West for his museum in Salisbury, England. His
extensive travels led him to the American West to investigate railroads, mining ventures, and prospective settlement and development, as are indicated in the present work. He was also a significant backer
of the Hayden expedition to Yellowstone, with which he traveled. Eventually, he focused his development efforts on southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Unfortunately, the 1870 world recession
took a heavy financial and emotional toll on Blackmore. When Blackmore’s business venture finally collapsed, he committed suicide.
The maps in this work are not listed by Phillips (America) or Wheat. The first map (Map of Colorado
Embracing the Central Gold Region) is a slapdash English photolithographic rehash of a Colton map and
is not worthy of further comment, except to note that Colton sold the rights to many of his maps to
English publishers during the Civil War to assuage the British appetite for details of the Great Conflict. The second map, however, is important and rare, being a reduced version of the exceedingly rare
Ebert-Gilpin-Monk 1862 Map of Colorado Territory, Shewing the System of Parks, which Wheat (Mapping
the Transmississippi West Vol. V, p. 56 & #1040) describes as “the first ‘indigenous’ (Colorado) map of
importance...a truly imposing map, a credit to all who had a hand in it.” Streeter states that the 1862
edition was the first separate map of Colorado. Wheat (#1118) records an 1865 edition, which Rumsey
(3509) and Streeter (2164) document in pocket map format. See also Ellis, Colorado Mapology 40 &
Phillips, America, p. 240. The only copy of the 1862 map we find at auction since 1976 is the Streeter
copy, which resold in 1999 at $28,000. The 1865 edition of the map is represented in the auction records
only by Streeter’s copy in 1968.
The third map (Map of the Trenchara and Costilla Estates forming the Sangre de Christo) is not in
Phillips, but is discussed in Nothing is Long Ago: A Documentary History of Colorado 1776-1975 (p. 38):
“This map shows the largest of those grants in Colorado that were later confirmed by the United States,
the Sangre de Christo grant, comprising 1,000,000 acres in the San Luis Valley. The grant was made
to Stephen Luis Lee and his 12-year-old nephew Narciso Beaubien in 1843. Narciso’s father, Carlos
Beaubien, was already half owner of an adjoining 1,700,000 acres, later called the Maxwell Grant. Carlos came into possession of the Sangre de Christo grant after his son and brother-in-law were killed in
the Taos revolt of 1847.”
($3,000-6,000)
Bodmer’s Proof Aquatint of New Harmony, Indiana, in 1832
61. BODMER, Karl (after). [New Harmony on the Wabash]. Unlettered, unsigned, aquatint view,
probably a proof, on heavy paper. [Coblentz, ca. 1839]. Image size: 29.9 × 43.6 cm; overall sheet size: 33.5
× 46.5 cm. Except for a small area of slight marginal wrinkling at lower left, a minor split in lower margin, and light marginal darkening, very fine.
First edition, apparently unpublished. This view is taken from a prominence and looking to the
northwest, showing New Harmony and the Wabash River in the middle ground, the countryside fading into the forested distance, and foreground occupied by a lightly wooded area through which are visible the river and the town in the middle distance. Although the present view is based on Bodmer’s New
Harmony visit, it is not the same as the one published in Maximilian’s voyages. In the present instance,
the working of the foreground is considerably different, especially in the absence here of the thick copse
of trees at the left blocking any further perspective; in the published view, the trees dominate the left
side. Here are visible three pigs in the lower left foreground, as opposed to two in the published version. Finally, to the right in the foreground a male figure occupies himself examining something on the
ground, a figure absent from the published version. In both views several prominent buildings, some no
longer extant, are plainly visible, although more are shown here than in the published view. Rapp’s original granary, for example, is plainly visible, identifiable by its prominent roofline, as is one of the churches.
The pigs were possibly drawn by Charles Émile Jacque (Brandon K. Ruud, et al., Karl Bodmer’s North
American Prints, Omaha, 2004, pp. 91-92). Overall, this image is more sophisticated and considerably
lighter than the published version, and one questions why the other was given preference. Ruud suggests that the New Harmony view was “one of the last plates engraved” (p. 92). This view duplicates
neither the published scene nor Bodmer’s original painting of the town.
Bodmer accompanied Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied as an artist on his
trip to the American West, 1832-1834. On October 19, 1832, the party arrived at New Harmony, intending to spend only a few days. Maximilian, however, was ill, resulting in an over-winter stay of about four
months, although Bodmer himself did not remain in the area the entire period. It was during this time
that Bodmer recorded the famous New Harmony and Indiana views first published in Maximilian’s 1839
Reise in das Innere Nord-America and reprinted several times after that in various translations and other
reproductions. At the time of this view, New Harmony was a flourishing cultural and intellectual community, where Maximilian and Bodmer could consult the likes of Charles-Alexandre Lesueur and
Thomas Say, the latter of whom had arrived in early 1826 on the so-called Boatload of Knowledge.
Unfortunately, also by that time Robert Dale Owen had admitted his utopian colony was a failure and
departed, although his son still lived there.
This iconic view visually incorporates all that is new and wonderful about the western landscapes
that Maximilian and Bodmer explored and documented. Admitted to the U.S. in 1816, Indiana was still
basically a frontier area, although not so remote as some of the places the party would visit farther west.
In this case, the setting is unusual and almost unique, since the community depicted is utopian in character and represents the pure human spirit in a landscape unspoiled by development or social vice. Ironically, Bodmer clearly realized the tension between such new settlements and the land upon which they
resided. Although an important intellectual and social community far removed from larger centers of
such activity, the town is depicted by Bodmer as almost an afterthought, banished to a relatively insignificant depiction in the middle right of the total scene, which is dominated by lush vegetation, even pigs,
and apparently endless forests stretching into the distance beyond it, a land full of promise but as yet
unconquered by the tiny settlement shown. Despite the relative insignificance New Harmony itself is
given in the overall view, Bodmer seems as well to be stating that he doubts the place is on the verge of
crumbling. The town is compact, in a beautiful setting, and has obviously substantial structures in place.
Such ultimately successful scenes would be repeated all over America as the nation expanded.
Swiss-born artist Bodmer (1809-1893), after studying art as a youth, agreed to accompany Maximilian on his American tour as an artist. He is best known for the views that resulted from this trip. Maximilian (1782-1867), a prominent German naturalist and explorer, at one time studied under Alexander
von Humboldt.
($1,000-2,000)
“Most Authoritative Narrative of Fur-Trading
Among the Plains Indians of the Upper Missouri, for the Period”
62. BOLLER, Henry A. Among the Indians. Eight Years in the Far West: 1858-1866. Embracing Sketches of
Montana and Salt Lake. By Henry A. Boller. Philadelphia: T. Ellwood Zell, 1868 [actually 1867]. [i-iv] viixvi, [17] 18-428 pp., folding lithograph map: Map of Localities to accompany “Among the Indians.” T. Ellwood Zell, Publisher. Philadelphia. 1868; neat line to neat line: 30.5 × 47.2 cm. 8vo (19.4 × 13.1 cm), original brown cloth. Binding faded and worn, extremities frayed, shelf-slanted, text block cracked at p. 169,
fairly uniform light to moderate foxing (heavier on some leaves), a shabby but acceptable copy, complete with the map, said not to have been inserted in all copies and usually lacking (perusal of sales
records does not support that assertion). The map is slightly wrinkled and has a bit of darkening along
the horizontal centerfold.
First edition. Adams, Six-Guns 235: “Has a short chapter on the vigilantes and outlaws of Montana
and the hanging of Henry Plummer, but most of the book is devoted to the author’s life with the Indians. Most of the existing copies of this rare book lack the map.” Bauer Sale 30. Bradford 439. Braislin
189: “Of great rarity, with the map which is almost invariably missing and with half-title. This map was
inserted in but few copies.” Field 147. Flake 582. Graff 341 (with inscription by author indicating the
book was in print before the year on the title page). Holliday Sale 101. Howes B579. Rader 390. Sabin
6221. Siebert Sale 7325:734 (this copy also has an inscription indicating publication in 1867). Smith 928.
Streeter Sale 3079. Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, I, p. 133: “Henry A. Boller, fur trader, pioneer (Aug. 17, 1836-Nov. 1, 1902), born in Philadelphia of well-to-do parents, he spent about four years
from 1858 on the Upper Missouri trading with Indians. Boller was at the Alder Creek gold camps of
Montana in 1863 and 1864 and in 1866 may have driven California horses to Montana. He became a cattleman for ten years at Junction City, Kansas, then lived at Denver until his death.” Wheat, Mapping
the Transmississippi West #1180: “Displays Montana, the absurdly extended Dakotah, Nebraska, and parts
of Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. The map is notable mostly for the localities mentioned
along the course of the Missouri.... No trails or wagon roads are represented, but the two Union Pacific
roads out the Platte [sic] and Smoky Hill are shown—the main Union Pacific indicated as going to
Great Salt Lake City, then north around Great Salt Lake.”
($2,000-4,000)
Santa-Anna’s Waterloo: The Gadsden Purchase
There’s No Telling Where the Money Went
63. [BORDERLANDS]. [GADSDEN PURCHASE]. MEXICO. SECRETARÍA DE HACIENDA
Y CRÉDITO PÚBLICO (Manuel Olasagarre). Cuenta de la percepción, distribución e inversión de los
diez millones de pesos, que produjo el tratado de la Mesilla, celebrado por el gobierno supremo de la república,
con el de los Estados-Unidos de América, en 13 de diciembre de 1853. La ha formado y pública el ministro de
hacienda, M. Olasagarre. Mexico: Imprenta de Ignacio Cumplido, Calle de los Rebeldes núm. 2, 1855. [15] 6-41, [2], folded facsimile, tables (one folded). 8vo (26.2 × 17.5 cm), contemporary red sheep over rose
and brown mottled boards, spine decorated in gilt. Upper board detached, binding worn and faded,
interior very fine. Secretary Manuel Olasagarre’s presentation copy, signed with his initials. Rare (six
copies located by OCLC).
First edition. Not in Palau, Sabin, and other standard sources. This account relates to the disposal of
the $10,000,000 paid to Mexico by the U.S. for the Gadsden Purchase, known in Mexico as “Venta de
La Mesilla,” by which the U.S. purchased a 29,670-square-mile region of southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico to construct the transcontinental railroad along the preferred southern route.
The Gadsden Purchase was made during Santa-Anna’s final dictatorship, a particularly trying phase
of Mexican history when the country was besieged by unpredictable calamities that undermined SantaAnna’s dictatorship and the Mexican economy, including foreign wars, domestic insurrections, the
threat of war breaking out in the Mesilla Valley, filibusters such as William Walker, lack of anticipated
support from Europe and England, the caste war in Yucatan, a raging cholera epidemic, swarms of
locusts, etc., etc. In dire economic straits that threatened his dictatorship, Santa-Anna had no choice
but to take the U.S. offer of $10,000,000 (reduced from the $20,000,000 the U.S. had first offered when
the Mexican economy was more stable).
Santa-Anna’s critical financial situation forced him to ratify the revised Gadsden Treaty, taxes were
raised, more paper money was printed, and payola flowed freely from the treasury in order to lessen the
deep discontent of the populace. The present work attempts to make an accounting of where the money
from the Gadsden Purchase went. This revelation infuriated the populace over the edge, prompting the
oft-recycled dictator to choose exile rather than some less palatable alternative. See: Richard A. Johnson,
“Santa-Anna’s Last Dictatorship, 1853-1855,” Vol. 41, No. 4 (April 1938), Southwestern Historical Quarterly.
($300-600)
Sam Houston’s “Good Neighbor” Policy
64. [BORDERLANDS]. HOUSTON, Samuel. Speech of Mr. Houston, of Texas, Favoring a Mexican
Protectorate. Delivered in the Senate of the United States, April 20, 1858 [caption title]. [Washington: Printed
by Lemuel Towers, 1858]. 8 pp. 8vo (24 × 15.4 cm), partially unopened (first bolt carelessly opened). A bit
dusty, otherwise good. First page with light purple ink stamp and ink number of Historical & Philosophical Society of Ohio. Pencil note of Eberstadt. Uncommon.
First edition. Raines, p. 119. Not in Sabin and other bibliographies. This speech was prompted by
unsettled political conditions in Mexico, Cortina’s raids into Texas, and other Borderland problems.
Citing the Monroe Doctrine and fears of European intervention in Mexico, Houston attempted to persuade the U.S. to establish a protectorate over Mexico, in which the protected were to pay for their own
protection. He declares: “What a salutary change would this be, not only for both countries, but for the
world at large! Faithless to her engagements, Mexico has been for a long time but a little better than a
national outlaw.” This was Houston’s second resolution on this proposal (his first included Central
America). In spite of Houston’s persistence, his resolution was defeated 32 to 16.
($150-300)
Apache Rebellion in Chihuahua
65. [BORDERLANDS]. [INDIAN DEPREDATIONS] Documentos para la historia de México [section title: Cuaderno histórico de las agresiones y hazañas de tres celebres Apaches sublevados en el estado de Chihuahua a principios del presente siglo]. Mexico: Imprenta de Vicentf [sic] García Torres, Calle de San Juan
de Letrán núm. 3, 1857. [1-5] 6-88 pp. 8vo (19.7 × 13 cm), disbound, left edge with remnants of old binding adhered, title page lightly browned, some light browning and foxing throughout. With blind stamp
of Ygnacio González Reyes on title page and p. [5]. Good overall.
This is one part of the massive, very scarce series by the same name compiled by Joaquín García
Icazbalceta and published 1853-1857; this is the very last item (see Sabin 34155; Palau 74802). Sabin 48440
remarks of the grand compiler’s series: “It is a most important series for the student of Mexican history.
The publication of these documents reflects the highest credit upon the Mexican administration, as it
places within the grasp of the scholar a body of information which no amount of individual enterprise
and industry could possibly obtain. They were first published in the ‘Diario official.’”
This part is signed and dated in type: Chihuahua, January 21, 1811, Juan José Ruiz de Buztamante [sic],
and compiled on the order of General Nemecio Salcedo. The section title summarizes what is contained
herein. What follows are brief, separate descriptions (numbered 1-137) of Apache raids and battles with
Apache chiefs Rafael (or Rafaelillo) and José Antonio, complete with running tabular totals of Mexican
“muertos,” “heridos,” “cautivos o prisionerios,” and “fugados” for the years 1804-1810. By the time this
period of conflict ended with the chiefs’ deaths, 298 had died, 53 had been wounded, and 45 had been
taken prisoner. The chiefs’ bodies were found “sin las cabezas y algunos otros miembros de sus destrozados cuerpos.” Their deaths hardly ended difficulties with the Apaches, however, which continued in both
Mexico and the U.S. until 1886, when Geronimo was captured in Mexico. (At the time of these wars,
Nueva Vizcaya was the actual state; Chihuahua and Durango were not created from it until 1823.)
All the information herein was drawn from dispatches and other official records and is complete, with
notes about the location of each report in the archives. The summations give tremendous details about
exactly which locales were raided or attacked, what military actions took place, who participated in them,
and their outcomes. A final note, dated Chihuahua, November 29, 1856, signed in type by José Merino,
states that Rafael’s father, now over 100 years old, is still living in Santa Cruz de Rosales and that his son,
now 57 years old, is a presidial soldier who inherited some of his father’s prowess.
($200-400)
Highly Detailed Maps of the Rio Grande & Its Elusive Meanderings
66. [BORDERLANDS]. INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION. UNITED STATES
& MEXICO. MEXICAN SECTION. Vol. I: Monumentación de cincuenta y siete bancos antiguos del Río
Bravo mencionados explícitamente en el tratado de 20 de marzo de 1905 ejecutada en los meses de enero á mayo
de 1909. Washington: Press of Byron S. Adams, 1910. 26 pp., 58 folded, color lithograph maps. Vol. II:
Monumentación de bancos en el Río Bravo del Norte (o Río Grande) ejecutada conforme a la convención de
bancos del 20 de marzo de 1905. Segunda serie. Bancos números 59 a 89. Años de 1910-12.... Mexico: Antigua
Imprenta de Murguía, Av. de 16 de Septiembre, 54, 1912. iv, [2], [1]-103 [5] pp., 36 folded, color lithograph maps, one photographic plate of the engineers on site examining a monument. 2 vols., 4to, (35 ×
23.5 cm), original black cloth, titles lettered in gilt on upper covers. Vol. I: A few mild spots to binding,
front hinge split, two fingerprints to front free endpaper, otherwise fine, the maps perfect. Vol. II: Binding and blank margins with mild waterstaining, not affecting map images or text proper, maps excellent. Very scare. Locations: Harvard Law School, Sul Ross, University of Texas—Pan American,
Tulane, University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee).
First edition. Not in standard sources. No matter how diligently we humans try to put our hand on
the land, in some cases, the task proves difficult, such as corralling the Rio Grande, which is wont to
ignore surveyors, engineers, and treaties. This work is yet another chapter in the attempt to establish
the final border between the United States and Mexico. Handbook of Texas Online: Rio Grande Boundary: “However, bancos formed by tracts of land segregated from either country by a cutoff became such
a problem that a special treaty had to be negotiated to exclude them from the effects of the Treaty of
1884. A treaty on March 20, 1905, provided that bancos formed on the right bank of the river go under
the dominion and jurisdiction of Mexico and those on the left bank under that of the United States.
Excepted from this rule were bancos with an area of more than 250 hectares or with a population of
more than 200 persons. The treaty affected 215 bancos.”
Detailed maps at the end of each volume show the location of the eighty-nine survey monuments
and environs on the Rio Grande, from the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville to slightly north of
Camargo. The scale is exceptionally large (1:10,000) and features delineated include survey stations,
towns and villas, hundreds of ranches, buildings, physical features, roads, international border (red
dashes), changes in the border due to flooding (solid red), river shaded in blue, etc. Two tables on each
map set out longitude and latitude, vertical inclination, datum points, etc. Taken together these eightynine detail maps form one of the largest and most detailed maps of the lower Rio Grande ever printed,
being almost a hundred feet long. The additional maps include four key maps of the river and environs
from Camargo to the Gulf of Mexico (locating by number all survey markers), and a fifth illustrating
eight conformations of how the river changed over time (1859-1912) in the region of Soliseño.
($500-1,000)
Major Borderlands Report with Superb Maps
67. [BORDERLANDS]. MEXICO. COMISIÓN DE LA PESQUISIDORA DE LA FRONTERA
DEL NORDESTE. Reports of the Committee of Investigation Sent in 1873 by the Mexican Government to
the Frontier of Texas. Translated from the Official Edition Made in Mexico. New York: Baker & Goodwin,
Printers, No. 25 Park Row, 1875. [i-iii] iv-viii, [3]–443, [1, blank] pp. (p. 296 numbered 96), 3 folding lithograph maps with original color outlining or shading (see below). 8vo (22.6 × 14.5 cm), original brown
cloth spine over beige printed wrappers. Wraps slightly chipped and browned, tear to Map 3 (no losses),
overall very good, interior fine, difficult to find in good condition in this fragile format. Preserved in
brown cloth clamshell case with printed label on upper cover.
maps
A Map of the Indian Territory Northern Texas and New Mexico Showing the [G]reat Western Prairies by
Josiah Gregg [below neat line] Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1844 by Sidney E. Morse and
Samuel Breese in the Clerks Office of the Southern District of New York. Neat line to neat line: 31.2 × 38 cm,
original maize shading. Based on an earlier map.
Copiado del Mapa de S Mc.L. Staples, en 1828; del Mapa de Nigra de San Martín en quanto á las distancias
respectivas, y de la carta general de la República Mexicana de García Cubas; y segun los informes fidedignos de
personas que conocen el terreno, especialmente la parte mas al norte á la derecha del Rio Bravo.... Dibujado y
extractado de los documentos y datos dichos, por F.L. Mier.—Monterey, Diciembre de 1873. Neat line to neat
line: 39.3 × 25.8 cm, original outline coloring and shading.
Mapa del Rio Grande desde su desembocadura en el golfo hasta San Vicente, Presidio Antíguo. Mandado formar por el primer miembro de la Comisión Pesquisidora de la Frontera del Norte, conforme á las noticias recojidas en el Expediente 4o., Señalándose los ranchos que hay por ambas orillas del Rio Grande, y los pueblos que
la Comisión ha visitado anotándose éstos con la línea roja...Monterey Diciembre 1[8]73 M.J. Martínez. Neat
line to neat line: 80.4 × 72 cm, original outline shading with routes shown in red.
First U.S. edition and first edition in English of one of the primary Borderlands reports (published the
same year in Mexico, in Spanish). This report has been compared to the Pichardo Treatise for its importance to Texas and Borderlands history. Adams, Guns 1108. Adams, Herd 558 & 2264. Day, Maps of Texas,
p. 87. Decker 37:340. Graff 2765. Eberstadt 122:97 (no mention of maps). Howes I32 (see also T143). Palau
119576–119578. Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 2469.
The chronic social and political unrest that existed along the northern Mexican Borderlands had
long been a source of controversy between Mexico and the United States. Charges were traded back
and forth that Texans dressed as Native Americans were plundering Mexican settlements and that
raiders from Mexico were stealing large numbers of cattle from Texas ranches. These problems grew so
severe that they resulted in official accusations exchanged between the two governments. In one case,
for example, the United States government made claims against Mexico for nearly 150,000 head of rustled cattle. On the other hand, Mexico accused the United States of failing to control its Native American population and perhaps of even encouraging them to raid into Mexico. The sad fate of the village
of Mier, for example, which was raided by Native Americans twenty times in just a short while, is laid
firmly at the feet of the United States because they will not control their own Native American populations. Such cases are multiplied here. On a darker, more conspiratorial note, the Mexican commission
implies that these situations are encouraged by United States citizens who still harbored hopes of conquering Mexico itself.
After the United States sent a commission to Texas to investigate its side of the case, the Mexican
government formed a similar commission, that gathered evidence from their own countrymen. If nothing else demonstrates the extent of their work, the large map of the Rio Grande Valley here is a testament to their wide-ranging investigation. That commission’s reports were published between 1874 and
1877 in Mexico City and Monterrey (see Howes I32–33). This publication is a translation of some of
those reports, which vindicated the Mexican side, of course. Interestingly, this report was also sponsored
by friends of Mexico, as the “Preface” makes clear, declaring in part: “It proves that the complaints of
the Texans are groundless...” (p. [iii]). The two reports of which this work is a translation are those dated
Monterrey, May 15, 1873, and Monterrey, December 7, 1873. Ironically, the problems covered here were
eventually resolved by the gradual spread of law and order in Texas itself, which reduced cattle rustling,
and by the eventual conquering by the United States of its own Native American population.
This report can be found from time to time, but seldom with the important maps, particularly the
superb large-scale folding map, which delineates the Rio Grande from its mouth to the Big Bend
region, with portions of Texas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas. This exceedingly rare map is
among the most important maps for Texas and Borderlands history in the nineteenth century. The
incredible detail includes Mexican and U.S. ranches along the Rio Grande, states, towns, villages, rivers,
mountains, roads, forts, lakes, and landmarks.
The first map is a most unusual printing of the landmark cerographic map found in Gregg’s classic
Commerce of the Prairies, with an added legend in Spanish (see Item 302 herein). M.J. Martínez created
the second map, which delineates the routes of raiding parties in the Coahuila and Nuevo Leon region.
Martínez chose his cartographical sources well, relying on the landmark Mexico map by Antonio García Cubas (the father of scientific geography in Mexico) and a little known manuscript map by Stephen
McLellan Staples (see Streeter 726, 735 & 1120A). Staples (1800–1832) graduated from Bowdoin College
in Maine, and was active in the Texas-Mexico Borderlands in the 1820s. Streeter owned Staples’ manuscript map (“A Map of Northern Part of Mexico including Exter and Wilson’s Grant...by S. McL. Staples, A.M. Surveyor General of Chihuahua”). Staples received a concession from the state of Chihuahua in 1828 to navigate the Rio Grande by steam or horse powered vessels. Staples also wrote
Gramática completa de la lengua inglesa, para uso de los españoles (Philadelphia: Carey & Lea, 1825) and
dedicated the work to Simón Bolívar.
($1,500-3,000)
Mexico Protests U.S. Military Incursions into Texas 1873-1877
68. [BORDERLANDS]. MEXICO. SECRETARÍA DE ESTADO Y DEL DESPACHO DE
RELACIONES EXTERIORES. Correspondencia diplomática relativa a las invasiones del territorio Mexicano por fuerzas de los Estados-Unidos de 1873 á 1877. Mexico: Imprenta de Cumplido, Calle de los
Rebeldes número 2, 1878. [1-3] 4-94 pp. 8vo (23.5 × 18 cm), original stitching. Lower blank corners of
two leaves wanting, title page slightly browned, old staple holes along left gutter margin. With small
LC perforation stamp on title page and small LC release ink stamp on last page, neither affecting text.
Very good overall.
First edition. Palau 62769. Not in Kerr and other standard sources. This pamphlet, compiled by I.L.
Villarta, a private citizen acting as interim Mexican commissioner in Washington, D.C., is one in a continuing series of diplomatic exchanges between Mexico and the United States concerning cross-border
excursions by both sides into the other’s territory. The most famous manifestations of the controversy
were the important reports by the Mexican Comisión de la Pesquisidora and its U.S. counterpart, which
lengthily investigated and reported on, in addition to actual Native American raids, such matters as
incursions allegedly made by gringos from Texas dressed as Native Americans and reprisal raids by
Mexican banditos, primarily into Texas to rustle livestock. Their major report was published in both
English and Spanish in 1874-1875 (see Item 67 preceding herein).
This report deals primarily with incursions by U.S. military forces into Mexico under various pretexts and documents the diplomatic exchanges brought about by each incident. The main U.S. incursions mentioned were those by MacKenzie (1873), Benavides (1874), McNelly (1875), and Shafter (1877).
One cross-border raid by a Mexican force is also mentioned, that of Valdés (1877). See Handbook of Texas
Online for biographies of Ranald Slidell Mackenzie, William Rufas Shafter, et al.
Ranald S. MacKenzie’s raid occurred on May 18, when his troops surprised and defeated three Native
American villages at Remolino, Coahuila. The details of the Refugio Benavides raid are somewhat less
clear. Although Benavides did receive permission to cross into Mexico if necessary, it is not clear that
he ever did so, although the permission granted him caused the diplomatic flap discussed here. William
Rufus Shafter led three raids into Mexico against Native Americans between 1876 and 1878. Pedro
Advíncula Valdés, (a.k.a. Colonel Winker), was a Mexican force all to himself along the border with
Texas, and several times crossed the Rio Grande for various reasons. Little is known about McNelly’s
raid, except that the text here states that it took place in November, 1875, he was assisted by Captain
Randlet, invaded Mexico near Camargo, fought with the locals, and that the whole affair was authorized by Texas Governor Richard Coke. Much detailed information about each action is given.
Most of the U.S. military men Villarta complains of were famous figures in the taming of the West
and the subduing of hostile Native Americans. What makes the report so fascinating, however, is Villarta’s introduction (pp. 3-13), in which he reviews and castigates an entire catalogue of U.S. tricks, lies,
deceptions, denials, and other subterfuges intended to avoid responsibility for the attacks, while somehow ensuring that they can continue if the U.S. feels them necessary. While sometimes admitting that
the raids were illegal and that orders had been issued to stop them, the U.S. continued them anyway, at
times with the apparent connivance of Texas officials. One source of frustration for the Mexican government was the fact that it was willing to round up rustlers and return stolen livestock but that the
U.S. would still invade before Mexican justice could act. The tenor and documentation is very much in
keeping with the types of information found in the larger Comisión de la Pesquisidora reports (see Item
67 preceding herein), and this pamphlet is an important adjunct to them, and one seldom seen in the
market.
($500-1,000)
Borderland Raids
69. [BORDERLANDS]. UNITED STATES. CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo—Indian Incursions. April 24, 1850. Laid upon the table. Mr. Howard, from the
Committee on Indian Affairs, made the following Report: The Committee on Indian Affairs, to whom was
referred the resolution of the House of the 6th of February, instructing them to inquire into the propriety of providing by law to carry out the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, for restraining the Indian tribes within the
United States from committing depredations in Mexico, and, further, to prevent Indian hostilities on the frontiers of Texas, have considered that subject, and submit the following report. [Washington, 1850]. 31st Congress, 1st Session, House of Representatives, Report 280. [1] 2-3 [1, blank] pp. 8vo (24.7 × 15.5 cm). Slight
darkening to edges and along fold line, otherwise very fine.
First edition. After reviewing the stipulations of article 11 of the treaty, the committee considers certain measures to meet the country’s obligations. The committee notes that the treaty requires the U.S. to
pass laws and to take measures to prevent Native American incursions into Mexico, to punish the perpetrators, assist in the return of Mexican captives, and use caution in resettling tribes so that they are not
forced into Mexico as a result. The committee concludes, however, that despite the treaty obligations, the
U.S. has thus far failed in its obligations, thereby exposing the government to Mexican claims.
The portrait painted of the Borderlands is a chaotic one. The committee posits that so long as the
Native Americans can live by raiding they will never adopt a settled way of life. It is also admitted that
they are fierce, cunning opponents, who are excellent horsemen, strike hard and fast, and are elusive.
The report states, “The State of Texas has suffered enormously from these depredations” to the tune of
204 persons killed, wounded, or carried into captivity, in addition to others unaccounted for. Monetary
damages total over $100,000 in Texas alone.
In addition to problems in Texas, the committee also refers to the “present wretched condition of
our military defenses in New Mexico,” where raiders routinely attack and murder traders on the Missouri-Santa Fe and San Antonio-El Paso trails. In a prescient prediction, the committee observes, “It
is also well understood that as soon as the spring opens, these two great thoroughfares will be
thronged with emigrants to California,” an accurate assessment of the Gold Rush migration. Finally,
they conclude that suppressing the raiders will encourage Anglo settlement that will ultimately stabilize the frontier.
The committee sees only a military solution to the problem. Reasoning that infantry is basically useless, except for guard duty, against a fleet, mounted enemy, the committee proposes that western
defenses be increased by “another regiment of cavalry,” who should be well armed with rifles and sixshooters. About this time and in the following decades, the U.S. greatly increased troop strength in the
area and began building a series of forts to protect the West. In Texas, for example, Congress authorized in 1848 a series of forts between the Rio Grande and the Red River. More and more similar measures were adopted and put into place as the U.S. sought to pacify the Native Americans in response to
the growing numbers of emigrants headed west. Such measures hardly mollified relations with Mexico,
however, and even as late as 1874, both sides were still investigating and debating Native American
depredations along the Texas border with Mexico. The committee was correct in its prediction that only
settlement would quell the problem.
($150-300)
Texas Borderland Troubles, as Usual
70. [BORDERLANDS]. UNITED STATES. CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS. Testimony Taken...in Relation to the Texas Border Troubles.
Washington: HMD 64, 1878. [2], [1] 2-312, [2] pp., 2 folding lithograph maps: [1] untitled large-scale
map of the Texas-Mexico border, with tracks of wagon road, route of Shafter, Keys, Young, et al. shown
in red, neat line to neat line: 42 × 60 cm; overall sheet size: 46.5 × 64.5 cm; [2] Extract from Carte du Mexique Dresseé au Depôt de la Guerre, par M r. Niox...Paris 1873, topographical shading in terracotta, neat line
to neat line: 37.5 × 60.2 cm; overall sheet size: 41.7 × 62.5 cm. 8vo (22.7 × 14.7 cm), unbound, as issued
(new protective plain wrappers). A few tears and chips to first leaf neatly mended and the two excellent, little-known maps of the Texas-Mexico Borderlands neatly repaired at folds. Very fine copy. Eberstadt pencil code on title page.
First edition. Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 2491: “An essential source
of detailed reports and sworn testimony for Indian and bandit attacks in South Texas since the 1850s
and the Mexican government’s failure to take action against these raiders. The report is also useful in
providing information on attempts to find historical precedents for pursuing ‘renegade Indians’ across
international boundaries.” Not in Adams or Howes.
This scarce and important Borderlands report documents the ongoing troubles that plagued the Rio
Grande region for decades, as numerous fingers were pointed back and forth in a futile attempt to assign
blame. One map shows U.S. efforts to suppress border raids, even including raids into Mexico itself. In
response to objections raised by Mexico, the committee convened to investigate border problems. The
report is replete with detailed testimony on the border: Native American tribes; problems of ranchers
and settlers in the region; cattle rustlers and bandits; statistics and history of military presence; salt war;
Texas Rangers; Black troops; copious history and statistics on the cattle trade, etc. Those testifying
include military officials (Sherman, Sheridan, Ord, Shafter, et al.), ranchers, customs officials, merchants, the U.S. Consul at Matamoros, and others. Diplomatic correspondence, translations of reports
from Mexican newspapers, and related material document the Mexican perspective. Testimony by Lt.
Col. William Shafter and Lieut. Bullis includes accounts of their expeditions into northern Mexico in
pursuit of Native Americans who had been marauding the Texas frontier.
A 21-page Appendix includes articles in English from Mexican newspapers as well as reports by
Mexican officials showing their concerns over U.S. military intrusions into their territory. Texas Ranger
Captain Lee McNelly’s fight at Las Cuevas is also included in the committee’s report. The report documents both the U.S. and Mexican perspectives.
($400-800)
Reese Six Score—With a Rare Map of the Texas-Mexico Borderlands
71. [BORDERLANDS]. UNITED STATES. CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON TEXAS FRONTIER TROUBLES. Texas Frontier Troubles....
Report: The Special Committee Who Were Appointed under a Resolution of the House of Representatives,
Passed January 6, 1876.... Washington: HRR343, 1876. [i] ii-xxi [1, blank], [1] 2-180 pp., lithograph
folded map: Map of the Lower Rio Grande, Accompanying Report of the Special Committee on Texas Frontier Troubles.... (neat line to neat line: 25.7 × 34.4 cm). 8vo (22.6 × 14.7 cm), later brown buckram, title
stamped on spine. Fine, map with a few clean splits (no losses). When found, this report is usually
chipped and in bad condition due to the cheap paper the government used to print it. Rare report with
a wonderful map. Attorney and historian C.R. Wharton’s copy, signed by him and with his bookplate
(see Handbook of Texas Online).
First edition. Adams, Guns 2262. Adams, Herd 2273: “Rare.” Eberstadt, Texas 162:124: “Neither
Adams nor Howes calls for the important map which is here present.” Howes T143 (aa). Reese, Six
Score 108: “An important government document dealing with cattle theft along the Mexican border.
The testimony contains much on rustling problems and on cattle in South Texas generally. The Mexican government had issued a similar report a year earlier, the Informe de la Comisión Pesquisidora,
1875” (see Item 67 herein).
The map is wonderful and detailed, locating remote Texas outposts, such as Lagartoville and Charco
Fandango, and with hand-written lithographed notes such as “Paso Selos Arrieros—good food.” The
map shows South Texas and Northern Mexico along the Rio Grande from its mouth to above Fort
Duncan in Maverick County, indicating trails, frontier forts, Mexican outposts and towns, geographical notations, ranches, etc. The text presents an excellent chronicle of border depredations, including
that of Juan N. Cortina, along with a first-hand report by Texas Ranger Captain L.H. McNelly. The
committee’s report blamed much of the problem on Mexico and urged that U.S. forces be allowed to
pursue bandits across the border.
($300-600)
Continuing Border Controversy at El Paso-Ciudad Juárez
Superb Plates & Maps
72. [BORDERLANDS]. UNITED STATES. PRESIDENT. CLEVELAND, Grover. Message from
the President of the United States, Transmitting a report relative to the construction of certain dams in the Rio
Grande. March 2, 1889.—Read and Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed.
To the Senate: I herewith transmit for the information of Congress a report from the Secretary of State [T.F.
Bayard], with its accompanying correspondence, in regard to the construction of certain dams or wing-facings in
the Rio Grande at Paso del Norte (Ciudad Juárez) opposite the city of El Paso, Texas. Grover Cleveland....
Washington: U.S. Senate, 50th Congress, 2d Session. Senate Executive Document No. 144, 1889. [1] 2-62
pp., 6 photolithograph plates on white clay-coated paper (views along the Rio Grande at El Paso-Ciudad Juárez), 3 lithograph maps (folding, with color). 8vo (23.8 × 15.7 cm), contemporary three-quarter rich
red Mexican sheep over purple and black mottled boards, spine ruled and lettered in gilt, raised bands.
Binding with light shelf wear and some voids to marbled paper on lower cover, first leaf lightly browned
and with one short, clean tear at right blank margin, otherwise fine, the maps and plates excellent. Contemporary purple ink stamp on first page: Ignacio Garfias, Ingeniero, Ce. de Chavarroa No. 8. (Engineer
Garfias was the Mexican directing engineer for the project.) Very scarce.
plates
(all with sheet size: 14.3 × 23 cm; image sizes vary; each with Moss. Eng. Co. N.Y. in print at lower left
or right):
View No. 1.—Mexican Bank Protection at El Paso, Texas.... Excellent view looking downstream, from a
point on the U.S. side, near the city limits of El Paso, a clutter of simple adobe dwellings, wooden
bridge, railroad track.
View No. 2.—Mexican Bank Protection at El Paso, Texas. Two men stand by the river on the U.S. side,
looking upstream at Dike 2, caving bank shown in foreground.
View No. 3—Mexican Bank Protection at El Paso, Texas. View looking across the river from a point on
the U.S. side, opposite Dike 3 which has deposits in front of it.
View No. 4—Mexican Bank Protection at El Paso, Texas. View looking upstream from a point on the
Mexican side near the base of Dike 5.
View No. 5—Mexican Bank Protection at El Paso, Texas. View looking across the river opposite and above
Dike 5, showing the general appearance of Dike 5, truss railroad bridge in distance and houses on opposite shore.
View No. 6—Mexican Bank Protection at El Paso, Texas. View looking downstream from the Mexican
side near the root of Dike 5 with top dressing of gravel, truss railroad bridge at center.
maps
Plate 1 Rio Grande River at El Paso Texas Map showing the location of the river in 1855 and in 1885.... Neat
line to neat line: 34.2 × 36.3 cm. Red outlining indicating river course in 1855.
Plate 2 Mexican Bank Protection at El Paso Texas Map which Accompanied the Original Project of the Mexican Engineer in 1886 Showing the Proposed Location of the works.... Neat line to neat line: 66.3 × 82 cm.
Wonderful large-scale map by Engineer Garfias (the present copy of the book belonged to him), shading in pale green and tan, fascine works indicated in red, sketches of fascine work, compass rose.
Plate 3 Mexican Bank Protection at El Paso Texas Sketch Showing the Location of the Works as Actually Constructed.... Neat line to neat line: 44.1 × 91 cm. Another excellent large-scale map, now showing the completion of the project, with shading in pale green and fascine works indicated in red.
First edition. Ellen C. Hedrick, List of References to Publications relating to Irrigation and Land
Drainage (Washington: GPO, 1902) #1487: “Contains correspondence and documents in relation to
action of Mexican authorities in constructing at Paso del Norte certain wing dams, and complaints
caused thereby.” John H. Hickcox, United States Government Publications (Washington: W.H. Lowder-
milk & Co., 1892), Vol. V, p. 171. This controversy arose because Mexico was strengthening its river
banks opposite El Paso with a system of fascines. Concerns were aroused on the U.S. side that such
activity would cause erosion of the banks on the opposite side. In one document reproduced here, the
mayor of El Paso calls for the use of force if necessary to halt the activity. The report of the U.S. engineer sent to examine the works is somewhat noncommittal, although he says some unflattering things
about his Mexican counterpart, Ignacio Garfias. This report is reflective of the numerous controversies
that arose over the shifting channel of the Rio Grande and entailed difficulties interpreting the Treaty
of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which is reprinted in this report. See Handbook of Texas Online: Treaty of 1884.
The maps and plates in this important report are superb, the former on large scale and superbly executed, and the latter equally interesting for being made from actual photographs taken during the survey. The plates are the work of Moss Engraving Company of New York, whose founder John Calvin
Moss (1836-1892) invented the first commercially feasible photo-engraving process in 1863, which revolutionized printing. After a slow start, he ultimately became successful and was supplying work for
numerous printers, and by 1875, according to one source, his sixty employees were doing the work of
over one thousand wood engravers. His invention was the death of wood engraving for publication on
a large scale, and marked the rise of photographic illustration, with its immediacy, as the primary illustration medium.
($500-1,000)
Robert E. Lee’s Correspondence from the Rio Grande Border
73. [BORDERLANDS]. UNITED STATES. WAR DEPARTMENT. SECRETARY OF WAR
( John B. Floyd). Troubles on Texas Frontier. Letter from the Secretary of War, Communicating, in Compliance
with a Resolution of the House, Information in Relation to the Trouble on the Texas Frontier.... Washington:
House Executive Document No. 81, 1860. [1] 2-105 [1, blank] pp. 8vo (25 × 15.5 cm), disbound, unstitched.
First page slightly dust soiled, intermittent light waterstaining, otherwise very good. Uncommon.
First edition. Eberstadt, Texas 162:95. Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography
2494: “Almost all of the correspondence concerns military action against Juan Cortina, but included are
letters requesting additional troops in West Texas to suppress Indian attacks.” Not in other standard
bibliographies. This excellent report dated May 3[0?], 1860, documents events between 1859 and April
1860 in the Cortina Wars, with dispatches by Robert E. Lee, S.P. Heintzelman, John S. “Rip” Ford, Sam
Houston, Earl Van Dorn, and others, including a few from Mexican authorities. The first half details
claims in the amount of $336,826.21, the majority by ranchers, but also by merchants, mail carriers, a
blacksmith, a physician, an army wife, etc. Most losses are livestock, but a wide variety of other items
are claimed—from cognac and calico to Colt revolvers and King and Kenedy’s steamboat Ranchero (a
mine of information on the material culture of the Borderlands and what was worth stealing). The second section covers military operations, proposed strategies, and possible international repercussions.
Sam Houston complains that the regular army is useless for protecting “our bleeding frontier” and proposes that Texas volunteers and the Texas Rangers be enlisted.
This is a good source for Robert E. Lee’s activities in Texas and the Borderlands before he became
Southern commander of the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. Here we find Lee serving as Acting Commander of the Department of Texas, temporarily replacing General David E.
Twiggs. Lee’s task was to pursue Juan N. Cortina (Handbook of Texas Online) and bring to a halt his border raids. Here is a typical communication from Lee from this document:
Headquarters, Department of Texas
San Antonio, March 15, 1860
Colonel: I have had the honor to receive your letters of the 2d and 3d instant, containing the
further instructions of the Secretary of War in relation to the outlaw Cortinas.
I take my departure this morning for the Rio Grande.
For the reasons stated in my letter of March 12, the bold and constant depredations on the
northern frontier, I have been unwilling to diminish the small force on that line, and consequently
the moral effect of the troops on the Rio Grande upon the banditti in Mexico, to oblige them to
disperse, will not be as great as I could wish. I enclose an extract from a letter from Major Van
Dorn, received yesterday, in further corroboration of the disabled condition of the horses of the
second cavalry.
I have given orders that they be spared and nourished as much as possible; and with a view, if
possible, of withdrawing the small bands of Indians from the settlements, have directed Major
Thomas to organize all the available cavalry force for a general scout, and break up any camps they
may have at the head of the Brazos or elsewhere.
For this purpose I have directed him to draw detachments of the first cavalry from the posts of
Washita and Arbuckle.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
R.E. Lee
Brevet Colonel, Commanding Department of Texas
Colonel S. Cooper
Adjutant General U.S.A., Washington City, D.C.
P.S. – The speediest way of rendering the second cavalry more effective would be to increase the
number of horses to each company, which, by paragraph 4 of General Orders No. 13, Adjutant General’s office, October, 8, 1856, were reduced to sixty. In view of the very hard service they are called
upon to make, this would be very desirable, and some of the horses would be recuperating while the
others would be in the field. Nor would this add much to the expense of the present arrangement,
as it would diminish the number of deaths of horses in the field, their being entirely disabled, and
consequent sale. In this event I would recommend that the requisite number of horses be purchased
in this department if practicable, as they would be acclimated, accustomed to grass, &c., and I
believe could be procured cheaper than if brought from the Mississippi valley. R.E.L.
($200-400)
Braman’s 1857 Emigrant Guide to Texas
74. BRAMAN, D[on] E[gbert] E[rastus]. Braman’s Information about Texas. Carefully Prepared by D.E.E.
Braman of Matagorda, Texas. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1857. [i-ii] iii-viii, 9-192 pp. 12mo (18.5 ×
12.5 cm), original dark brown cloth embossed on both covers, title lettered in gilt on spine. Slight wear to
spinal extremities, scattered light foxing (primarily to edges and endpapers), overall a very good, bright copy.
First edition (another edition came out the following year, apparently with no changes). Adams, Herd
305: “Rare.” Bradford 526. Eberstadt, Texas 162:79: Howes B719. Rader 463. Raines, p. 30: “A good immigrants guide.” Sabin 7364. Braman gives the prospective settler a well-balanced view of Texas, with
detailed coverage of land and legal matters (including status of women), how to establish a cattle ranch,
sheep, vineyards, honey bees, deceased land claimants, an overview of each county, etc. Braman wrote
his guide to stimulate immigration among more established families from the older states and suggests
that they organize emigrant companies. Overland and river routes from Galveston are provided.
Braman’s chapter on Galveston is prescient: “Galveston Island, with all its boasted accumulation of
people, habitations, wealth, trade, and commerce, is but a waif of the ocean...liable, at any moment, and
certain, at no distant day, of being engulfed and submerged by the self-same power that gave it form.
Neither is it possible for all the skillful devices of mortal man to protect this DOOMED place against
the impending danger; the terrible power of a hurricane cannot be calculated, much less resisted; its
strength is the awful power of combined elements, and the waters of the mighty deep are made a fearful and sudden engine of destruction...” (p. 46).
The chapter on stock raising is a practical, how-to guide filled with great enthusiasm and optimism
(even in the face of the winter of 1855-1856, which devastated so many Texas cattle). Braman gives
specific instructions on choosing the right land and cattle, costs of setting up an operation, branding,
strays, hide trade, cattle depots and trails, breeding programs, and encouraging young boys to get
involved (“at the age if eight or ten, they soon become as efficient as grown hands, and are far more apt
in learning [and] become much attached to it, and their interests are generally stimulated by making
them the owners of a few head”).
Like Sam Houston (see Item 64 herein), Braman advocated a “protectorate” over Mexico in his chapter “Remarks on Present and Future Prospects”:
When we look on Texas, and then turn our eyes to the adjacent country, Mexico, we are astonished at the contrast, so unfavorable to the latter. While she is old in theories, crimes, and civilization, with but the moral stamina and vigor of an ancient debauchee, Texas, her dismembered
province, becomes, under another influence, vigorous and thrifty, with well-founded hopes of
future greatness. We say to ourselves, notwithstanding it is unchristian to covet our neighbor’s
goods still, where that neighbor is so improvident with the bounties which God hath bestowed,
and so little thoughtful of the Giver, that the world would be much benefited with a more thrifty
tenant, and no one could be injured by the change (p. 191).
Braman (1814-1897) came to Texas in 1837 to enlist in the Texas Army. He originally became established near Matagorda on his head right, but moved to Victoria after the 1886 hurricane. See Handbook
of Texas Online: Braman.
($250-500)
Cattle Rustling in South Texas, 1882
Exceedingly Rare Oversize Illustrated Broadside on Linen
75. [BRANDS & BRAND BOOKS]. GUADALUPE AND SAN ANTONIO RIVERS STOCK
ASSOCIATION. $150.00 Reward! The Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers Stock Association, by resolution
adopted at their regular meeting, held at Yorktown, August 5, 1882, will pay a Reward of One Hundred and
Fifty Dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person guilty of the theft of any live
stock belonging to the members of the Association. The names of person giving such information will not be
exposed without their consent. J.R. Hamilton, President G. & S.A.R.S.A. [Cuero]: Printed at the Cuero
Star Office, [1882]. Large broadside in five columns illustrated with 101 woodcuts of horses and cattle
with brands; 51.5 × 31 cm (sheet size), printed on linen. Two old stains at upper left corners and one at
lower center where item was mounted (all scarcely affecting image), remains of modern paper mounts
at top verso, very light waterstain down both vertical sides; otherwise a fine copy of a rare survival. We
trace no sales records or locations.
Not in Adams Herd or Guns. This amazingly detailed broadside gives the names of sixty-two ranchers in roughly alphabetical order and shows 101 brands (some ranchers have multiple brands) for cattle
and horses, including brands for two women, Mrs. L.B. Wright (Yorktown) and Mrs. L. Nichols. The
effort required to produce this advertisement must have been substantial. Not only is it printed on cloth
(so that it could be folded up and easily transported and would last longer than paper), but it also required
101 individual woodcuts to complete, although only three different styles are used (a single one for horses
and two different ones for cattle, depending on whether the brand was applied to the left or right side of
the animal). Clearly, these are stock cuts that would have been readily available, but the labor of carving
individual brands into each one represents a real investment in a carver’s skills. The result is a handsome,
eye-catching item that would have been of real use to those interested in assisting the ranchers in recovering their stolen or strayed livestock. The Cuero Star began publication in June, 1873.
Cattlemen’s associations such as this one were instrumental in reducing losses to rustlers in nineteenth-century Texas, where it was fairly easy to round up cows and dispose of them illegally, branded
or not. The Cuero region had a particular problem with this type of crime, and most of the names listed
are either from Cuero or Yorktown. To prevent others from being gulled by glib rustlers, some of the
ranchers note, “I have no agents.” V. Weldon (Cuero) adds a small plea to his entry: “I have lost both
horses and cattle, and will pay liberally for information leading to their recovery. I have no agents.” M.L.
Mathis (Charco, Goliad County) is even more blunt: “I will pay $150.00 reward, in addition to the
reward offered by the association, for the arrest and conviction of any parties stealing stock in above
brands.” At the time, De Witt County was enjoying a revival of its livestock industry. Following the
ranching declines of the Civil War, the area benefited from the subsequent boom known as the Beef
Bonanza, which was drawing to a close when this advertisement was printed. There were growing
opportunities at the time for those who wished to make money by theft. The town of Cuero was the
location of a Chisholm Trail southern terminus.
($7,500-15,000)
With Original Manuscript Leaf from the Loving Brand Book—Reese Six Score
76. [BRANDS & BRAND BOOKS]. The Loving Brand Book, with an Introduction by Charles Goodnight III.... Austin: The Pemberton Press, 1965. x, 118 pp., text illustrations by Wittliff (portrait of Loving on title page and longhorn steer on facing page), reproductions of pages from one of the original
brand books on pastel orange panels. Oblong folio (24.7 × 35 cm), original full terracotta leather, title
gilt-lettered on spine, facsimile signature of Loving in gilt on upper cover. A few light spots on
colophon, otherwise very fine in publisher’s tan buckram slipcase. Initials and brief statement on limitation written in red ink on front free endpaper. In pocket on front pastedown is an original leaf from
Loving’s brand book, with brands and earmarks in ink for the entry for Jno. M. Hamilton on a small
ledger leaf ruled in red and blue, 18.2 × 11.6 cm.
First edition, limited edition (#112 of 119 copies, with an original leaf from the brand book compiled
in 1884). Reese, Six Score 74: “Reproduces James C. Loving’s original manuscript brand book of Texas
cattle brands, compiled in 1884. Loving was the son of Charles Goodnight’s partner Oliver Loving and
one of the founders of the first Texas stock association. This reproduction makes available to all a picture of how brands were recorded by a working cattleman on the range, besides preserving an important brand book for posterity. There is a Manuscript edition, limited to 119 copies, and containing an
original leaf of the brand book.” Whaley, William D. Wittliff and the Encino Press 10: “Loving, who was
brought to Texas by his family in 1845, began the task of compiling a list of brands and brand owners
as a young man. Branding stock was vital in proving ownership but only if one knew whose brand
belonged to whom. The task was essentially completed in 1884, when presumably several copies were
made for the stockmen’s protective organization. The copy used to produce this volume is the only one
known to exist.”
($750-1,000)
Manuscript Brand & Tally Registers—Matagorda County 1870s & 1880s
77. [BRANDS & BRAND BOOKS]. MATAGORDA COUNTY, TEXAS. HAYNES, Amos. Two
manuscript tally and brand books with ledger entries by Amos Haynes and others from 1870 to 1888. 30
pp. + 33 pp., written in pencil and ink, with many brands and earmarks illustrated. The page counts
given represent only pages relating to cattle branding, tallies, and the cattle business. Omitted from the
count are blank pages and those with writing by children and others, some perhaps Haynes’ wife, such
as a note in a small, delicate hand along the side of one page: “Do you think of me when you are on the
prairie?” 2 vols., both original bindings, one in old worn leather with covers detached (16.5 × 10 cm), the
other a wallet-style leather binding (17 × 10.5 cm), in slightly more respectable condition than the first
book. Both books were used on the range and exhibit wear in a rough country. The ink entries are quite
legible, but the pencil notes can be read only with some effort in some places where the writing is light.
At the front of the second volume is a contemporary clipping from a newspaper article Notes on Fencing commencing: “It takes 400 pounds of wire to run one stran[d] of fence a while, or about 1600
pounds for a four wire fence.”
These brand and tally books are a rare and colorful type of documentation on the cattle trade dating
from an era when cattle, ranching, and trail drives flourished, and in a region of the country where the
industry boomed followed by the inevitable bust, yet leaving an indelible mark on the enduring romantic imagination of the West. Among the cattlemen and cattlewomen documented are Julia M. Haynes
(Amos Haynes’ wife), the Nail family, Mrs. Norton (widow of Milford Phillips Norton?), F.S. Stockdale (signed Secession Ordinance and promoted development of a refrigerator car for shipping beef ),
“Mexican Louis,” Thomas Sterne, Mrs. J.B. Foster, Benjamin Ward, Mrs. Ward, et al.
($750-1,500)
Very Early New Mexico Brand Book
78. [BRANDS & BRAND BOOKS]. NORTHERN NEW MEXICO STOCK GROWERS’
ASSOCIATION. Brand Book of the Northern New Mexico Stock Growers’ Association, By-Laws and List
of Members. July 1, 1884. Raton, New Mexico: The Raton Comet Print, 1884. [1] 2-95 [1, blank] pp. (pp.
81-95 are illustrated ads), hundreds of brands illustrated. 12mo (17 × 10.7 cm), wallet binding of original
cream textured cloth with flap, edges tinted red. Rubbed and moderately stained from use. Text block
separated from binding, flyleaves separating from text block, endpapers moderately soiled. Interior very
fine. Extensive late nineteenth-century pencil annotations (including a few manuscript brands) due to
the volume’s use as a memorandum book. Pencil signature of New Mexico pioneer trader and stock
grower William B. Stapp on front pastedown (Stapp’s brand and name are on p. 64, and at the front of
this book, Stapp is shown as a member of the Executive Committee). The only other copies we locate
are the Graff copy at the Newberry and the Bancroft Library.
First edition. Graff 3036. Not in Adams, et al. This is a very early New Mexico brand book (the earliest brand book listed for New Mexico by Adams is 1902, a supplement to another work). The series
of brand books put out by the Northern New Mexico Stock Growers’ Association commenced in 1882
(according to Bancroft holdings), and they appear to be the first New Mexico brand books.
Due to their heavy use and the circumstances in which they were employed, brand books such as this
one rarely survive in good condition. Although the exterior of this one reflects hard use, the interior is
surprisingly clean. Each brand is illustrated with a woodcut showing the brand or mark; in addition,
horse brands are also usually given. An ad on the last page is for J.M. Bagley, an engraver in Denver,
Colorado, who states that he has “furnished engravings for this book.”
($2,500-5,000)
True Crime in the Black Hills
79. BRIDWELL, J.W. The Life and Adventures of Robert McKimie, Alias “Little Reddy,” from Texas. The
Dare-Devil Desperado of the Black Hills Region, Chief of the Murderous Gang of Treasure Coach Robbers.
Also, a Full Account of the Robberies Committed by Him and His Gang in Highland, Pike and Ross Counties;
With Particulars of Detective Norris’ Adventures while Effecting the Capture of Members of the Gang. Compiled from Authentic Sources by J.W. Bridwell. Hillsboro, Ohio: Printed and published at the Hillsboro
Gazette Office, December, 1878. [1-3] 4-56 pp., 5 wood-engraved text illustrations (4 portraits: Robert
M’Kimie, Seth Bullock, Sheriff Newell, John T. Norris; 1 scene), all signed in print: Folger Sc. Cin. 8vo
(22.6 × 14.7 cm), original tan pictorial wrappers with engraved portrait of McKimie on upper wrapper,
original stitching. Wrappers with moderate soiling and staining, but no loss of printing or illustration
on wraps. Wrappers expertly restored with missing portions supplied in sympathetic facsimile. Last
page slightly damaged from adhesions along wrapper. Overall a good copy.
First edition. Adams, One-Fifty 18: “Exceedingly rare.... I know of but three copies of this book, one
of which I once owned.” Howes B765. Jennewein, Black Hills Booktrails 101: “McKimie was a member
of the Bevans-Blackburn gang which made a living by robbing the Cheyenne-Deadwood stage coach,
and he probably participated along with Sam Bass and Joel Collins in the 1877 holdup in which Johnny
Slaughter was killed.... The tale is harum-scarum, with jail-breaks, fake telegrams and women accomplices.” This book is among the crème de la crème of portrayals of the wicked Western underworld,
although Adams’ claim for excessive rarity might be a tad overstated.
“Little Reddy” McKimie (ca. 1855 to post-1879) was a bandit who was arrested and jailed but escaped
capture numerous times. His end is mysterious. He was arrested and brought to Hillsboro, Ohio, for
trial, but what became of him after that is unknown (Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, II, p.
914). The engraving of McKimie on the wraps (which is repeated in the text) captures with chilling
detail the outlaw’s cold-eyed, heavy-lidded stare, and devil-may-care smirk. The engravings are the
work of designer and wood engraver Lewis B. Folger (b. 1853), who was active in Cincinnati from 1878
to 1900. A staff artist for the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1883, Folger also engraved maps (Tooley’s Dictionary
of Mapmakers, revised edition, Vol. I, p. 83). In 1898, the Cincinnati Enquirer (October 10 issue) enthused:
“Mr. Folger was one of the first artists in his profession in the days when wood engraving was in its
glory, but being a true artist...he has accepted the decline of the old and taken the lead in perfecting the
new.” See: Haverstock, et al, Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900: A Biographical Dictionary, Kent State University
Press, 2000, p. 297.
($1,500-3,000)
Missionary Work in Oklahoma Immediately Before & After the Boom
80. BROOKE, Francis Key. The Missionary District of Oklahoma and Indian Territory [caption title].
N.p., n.d. [lower wrapper: Press of the Avil Printing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., 1896?]. [1-2] 3-15 [1,
colophon] pp., printed in double column, photographic text illustrations tinted lilac (scenes, architecture, people, views). 4to (26.1 × 19.4 cm), self wrappers with title on upper wrapper, colophon on lower
wrapper, original staples. Spine lightly cracked, upper wrapper with light marginal soiling, otherwise a
very fine copy of a fragile item. OCLC locations: Oklahoma State and Yale.
First edition. Not in standard sources. The documentary photographs include scenes from the land
rush, such as “Looking for a Town Lot the Day after The Opening, April 1889” (a forlorn man holding
a large pack while walking) and “Law Offices, Guthrie, April 12, 1889” (busy scene with wagons and peo-
ple; in the foreground, two lawyers sit behind trunks with their signs propped in front), “Trinity Church
and Rectory, Guthrie, Oklahoma, Our First Church in Oklahoma” (apparently after it was moved from
its original location in 1893), “Bark House, Iowa County, Oklahoma” (well-dressed group of Natives),
“Cheyenne Camp on the North Canadian River” (a mini-city of Cheyenne tents with wagons), “Group
of Fort Sill Apaches-Geronimo on the Left” (group of five Natives), “On the Line, Registering to Go
into the Strip, Orlando, O.T., 7 o’clock A.M., September 11, 1893” (large group of waiting men, horses,
and wagons), “Holding down a Lot in an Oklahoma Town, April 23, 1889” (three men and two women
in Victorian dress wait under a makeshift tent with barrel and implements scattered on the ground).
The Episcopal General Convention created the Missionary District of Oklahoma and Indian Territory, and author Right Reverend Francis Key Brooke was sent to Guthrie in January of 1893 as its first
bishop. He established Trinity Church as his cathedral church until 1908, when he moved the diocesan
headquarters to Oklahoma City. Brooke gives a brief overview of the history of Indian Territory and
Oklahoma, naming the various tribes, and rues the lack of any sustained mission work among them. In
1889 there was not even one church for the 60,000 “civilized Indians,” 17,000 “semi-wild, or blanket
Indians,” and 15,000 to 20,000 Anglos. By the time of publication the Boomer population far surpassed
that of the Natives, swelling to about 180,000, thus creating an entirely different flock. He sympathetically and carefully explains the “perplexing and trying” strains on the original inhabitants due to the
“will of the more enterprising, and energetic few.” A brief overview of resources and enterprises is
offered, but the primary focus of Brooke’s focus is the need for funding and support.
($300-600)
First History of Dallas & Dallas County
81. BROWN, John Henry. History of Dallas County, Texas: From 1837 to 1887. Copyright Secured. Dallas:
Milligan, Cornett & Farnham, Printers, 1887. [1-3] 4-114 [2] pp. 12mo (17 × 12.4 cm), original cream laid
paper wrappers, title printed on upper wrapper, stitched. Fragile paper spine perished, one minor spot
on upper wrapper, otherwise very fine. Price on upper wrapper altered in ink (as in most copies).
First edition of the first book published on the history of Dallas and Dallas County, written by the
noted Texas journalist and historian. Bradford 596. CBC 1218. Eberstadt, Texas 162:92. Filby, p. 372.
Howes B855. Rader 512. Raines, p. 31: “With special reference to the pioneer settlers.” Vandale 20. Brown
moved to Dallas in 1871 and served in the Constitutional Convention of 1875. His book is the starting
point for anyone interested in learning how and why Dallas was established. Brown explores the importance of the Peters Colony Company in bringing immigrants to the region and the role that transportation improvements played in opening the region’s agricultural riches to distant markets. This work
includes the memoir of John Neely Bryan, fights with Native Americans, Trinity River Navigation,
Reconstruction, list of early pioneers, etc.
($100-200)
“Earliest Comprehensive History of Texas Written by an Active Participant”
82. BROWN, John Henry. History of Texas, from 1685 to 1892. St. Louis: L.E. Daniell, Publisher, Printed
by Becktold & Co., [1892-1893]. [1-2] 3-631 [1, blank] pp., 10 plates (including frontispiece portrait of
author from photograph), text illustrations + [1-3] 4-591 [1, blank], 16 plates. 2 vols., thick 8vo (23.5 × 15.5
cm), original grey cloth, upper covers and spines with embossing in black and lettering in gilt, pale green
floral endpapers. Mild to moderate shelf wear, Vol. I hinge cracked and loose, lower hinge of Vol. I starting, interior fine except for occasional mild foxing. This set is difficult to find in good condition and in
original bindings.
First edition. Basic Texas Books 22: “The earliest comprehensive history of Texas written by an active
participant.... Replete with historical facts presented for the first time, and with incidents that would
not have been remembered without Brown’s work. His descriptions of events in which he participated
are vivid and memorable. The set is still useful today and forms one of the basic research sources for
nineteenth-century Texas.” Greene, Sketches from the Five States of Texas: “One of the early, but generally reliable Texas historians” (p. 64). Howes B856. Rader 513. Raines, p. 32. Tate, The Indians of Texas:
An Annotated Research Bibliography 151: “An account filled with standard stories of Indian atrocities and
pioneer heroism.” The text mainly deals with politics and military matters, but there are short accounts
of wild cattle corralled in Goliad and free grass and fence cutting troubles remedied during Governor
Ireland’s administration. Brown (1820-1895) was an early Texas historian, politician, and newspaperman.
After the Civil War he moved briefly to Mexico before returning to Texas. See Handbook of Texas
Online: John Henry Brown.
($100-300)
“A Book with Few Peers in the Historiography of Texas Indian Fighting”
The Issue with the Added Engravings
83. BROWN, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas. Austin: L.E. Daniell, Publisher, [1896]. [12] 3-762 pp., 176 plates (mostly portraits): 125 photographic (some from engravings); 51 steel engravings
on heavy paper, 37 text illustrations. Large 4to (30 × 24 cm), original full brown blind-embossed roan
with gilt lettering on spine and upper cover, marbled endpapers, inner gilt dentelles, a.e.g. Professionally re-backed (original spine preserved and chipping at head of spine neatly infilled); interior excellent
except that some plates have offsetting from tissue guards. A fine copy of the most desirable issue. This
a book notoriously difficult to find in decent condition and in original binding.
First edition, with added plates and sharper images. (The steel engravings were not included in the
trade issue published at the same time.) Collations usually call for 124 plates. Howes B857. Basic Texas
Books 23: “This is Brown’s most important book and one of the best works on Texas Indian fighters
and...pioneers.... The large volume contains hundreds of biographical sketches of early Texans of the
nineteenth century, with an immense amount of material that appears nowhere else. Most valuable of
all are the accounts of the numerous fights and skirmishes between early Texans and Indians. Only in
the works of J.W. Wilbarger and A.J. Sowell does one find a comparable amount of historical data on
this facet of Texas history. Brown was himself a participant in some of the bloodiest battles [e.g., Plum
Creek].” Rader 514. Tate, Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 151: “Represents one of the
earliest attempts to fully chronicle the history of Texas, an account filled with standard stories of Indian
atrocities and pioneer heroism”; 2356: “An important source of information on nineteenth-century
Indian atrocities in Texas. The book reflects an obvious frontiersman’s bias, and many of the accounts
have been embellished, but researchers should utilize this compendium of information and look for supporting evidence elsewhere.”
There is much of interest in this volume for ranching history (including a superb engraving of
Richard King of King Ranch fame), women’s history, German Texans, and Tejanos (including Santos
Benavides, the highest ranking Mexican American to serve the Confederacy).
An ad and order form illustrated in Basic Texas Books breathlessly states the following of the book:
THE INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS! This book is well bound, good paper,
has 762 pages, size 9½ × 12 inches, 2 inches thick and weighing seven pounds. It is rich with local
lore from the very beginning of things up to the present. Contains numberless pictures of men
and women who lived and helped make the State what it is. It contains data and references that
must be held sacred by every person who lives in the State and will be held and handed down from
generation to generation as a priceless heirloom. The minute details concerning people and their
doings make it unique among books of the kind. It is the kind of book that will soon pass “out of
print” and in a few years, or generations, will be sold for large sums to descendants of those who
lived in Texas. We have only a very few copies left which will be sold at $5.00 each, prepaid.
Kelsey, Engraved Prints of Texas, 1554-1900, pp. 367-374 (entries for prints 8.299-8.356), pp. 9-10, 37,
334 (text):
John Henry Brown’s Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, 1896, pictures more pioneers who financed
the book, than Indian fighters who could not afford to buy a picture.... The Dudensing engravers
and the H. & C. Koevoets provided dozens of engraved portraits for the “mug books” [such as]
Brown’s Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas.... A view of the Alamo [between pp. 668 and 669]
depicts George Webb Slaughter delivering a message from Sam Houston to William Barrett
Travis, Jim Bowie, and David Crockett. Slaughter, a mounted courier, is seen talking to Travis as
he stands outside the Alamo during a lull in the Battle of the Alamo. The Alamo is shown with
the curvilinear fascade that was not added until twelve years after the battle.... Among the last
great books about the Indian Wars is a “mug book” by John Henry Brown.... This book was
financed in great part by Mr. George Sealy of Galveston.
John Henry Brown (1820-1895) pioneer historian, newspaper editor, soldier, and legislator, came to
Texas in the days of the Republic and was an eye-witness to many of the events that he describes. He
alternated his time between newspaper work and Indian fighting for a great part of his life. After settling in Dallas, he found time to engage in local politics and write several historical works, of which this
is his best known. Handbook of Texas Online: John Henry Brown.
($600-1,200)
Bruff ’s Illustrated Manuscript Newspapers Lampooning
The Mexican-American War, Santa-Anna & Other Appropriate Targets
84. [BRUFF, Joseph Goldsborough (attributed)]. Two issues of illustrated manuscript newspapers
reporting on local New York news, politics, and the Mexican-American War, both entitled: “Jamaica
Journal & Reporter.” November 25, 1846 & November, 1847. Each 4 pp., folio, 32 × 20.2 cm, manuscript
text in a beautiful, legible hand, elaborate mastheads, and terrific illustrations in ink. Creased where formerly folded, first issue with small triangular void at one fold (loss of a few letters), otherwise very fine.
Extremely unusual—marvelous iconography that merits publication and exhibit.
These two manuscripts are sharply entertaining, humorous, intelligent, highly clever, remarkably illustrated, and in speaking of the propensity of humans to engage in war, quite poignant. It is always dangerous to speculate attribution. Thus, we are restrained merely to state that in tone, text, humor, handwriting, and fluidity of line drawing, there is a marked resemblance to the lively art work and brilliant
drollness found in the work of accomplished artist, cartographer, and U.S. Topographical Engineer
Joseph Goldsborough Bruff, best known for his ’49er account Gold Rush: The Journals, Drawings (1944).
Kurutz in his bibliography of the California Gold Rush (#93A) comments on Bruff’s journals: “While
recording what he saw in his journal in eloquent detail, Bruff also produced a series of sketches, diagrams,
and maps unequaled in overland travel.” Bruff also assisted in the creation of the second most important
map relating to the Mexican-American War [see Item 265 herein]. Bruff’s noted lithographed Rebus
Letter might prove edifying in regard to the present manuscripts (see our Auction 16, Lot 16).
Among the writer’s comments is the following passage:
War has been justly called the greatest blessing this poor world has ever been blessed with. Its
advantages are so numerous that one cannot begin to enumerate them. Its universality proves its
usefulness. No one portion of the globe has ever been for any considerable time deprived of its
happy influences. The earth is made fertile by the blood which war pours out. Man knows not
how much he is indebted to war for all the blessings with which he is surrounded. It ennobles
human nature and gives to man an opportunity to ascertain and develop the finer feeling which
would otherwise lie forever dormant in his bosom. We have no room to speak of the advantages
of the Mexican War. The column is full.
In a tongue-in-cheek comparison of various ministers’ sermons in New York, the writer comments on
Reverend Colonel Perry, who undoubtedly is James Hazzard Perry, 1811-1862 (Handbook of Texas Online),
a native of New York who resigned West Point in 1836 to join the Texas Revolution, in which he served
as an officer and volunteer aide. After the war, Burnet commissioned Perry as a colonel, but he subsequently returned to New York and entered the Methodist ministry, receiving his first preaching assignment in Connecticut in 1838. In 1843 and 1844, Perry made a very popular lecture tour discussing the Battle of San Jacinto (he detested Sam Houston). During the Civil War Perry served as colonel in the Union
Army and commanded the 48th Regiment of New York State Volunteers, “Perry’s Saints.”
Jamaica Division is growing gradually. It held a public meeting on Monday evening Nov 8th in
the M.E. Church. The meeting was well attended, the church being crowded. The Revd Coll Perry
from Connecticut was the principal speaker on the occasion. The people were all well pleased with
him. He is indeed a fine speaker. This the same Perry who treed Santa Anna in the Texian War.
The people of course were anxious to see him on that account.
One of the fantastic cartoons portrays the United States as a wide-eyed and eager giant crocodile.
Each state or territory is written on the length of the beast’s body, except Texas, which seems to be represented by a tambourine adorned with a Lone Star hanging from the crocodile’s raised tail. The crocodile opens his huge, scary jaws attempting to devour a soldier (“Ampudia”) who aims a long lance at the
crocodile. Ampudia, dressed more like a Spanish conquistador, is mounted on a balking mule labelled
“Mexico.” Behind the mule creeps a scruffy mutt identified as “California.” Accompanying text is:
“Our county, tis of thee
Land of the noble free.”
Without a King:
Thou art our boast and pride
With jaws spread open wide.
Thy praise we’ll sing.
Not the editors jaws, but those of the country as in the following illustration which we will try
and make, so that it will explain itself.
The above Rough & Ready is not a Taylor though he carries something resembling a pair of
shears and should he shear the critter with his tail between his legs, there would be a great cry and
little Wool the fleece being generally Worthless; and should he so constrain his constitution as to
swallow all he is trying to, he will have “no great catch after all, Mister Devil”; as the boy told the
man who had wrapped himself up in a Bull’s hide to frighten him.
Moral. Some folks (Americans) will swallow any thing ears and all. “Make way for Liberty he
cried And then his jaws threw open wide.” {O! Tempora o Mores!}
Santa-Anna comes in for his share of the writer-artist’s rapier wit. He is depicted as a large, craven
bird of prey in a Napoleonic hat clutching with huge claws a huge bag on which is written “$2,000,000.”
Beneath is a pedestal with writing: “Bound for Europe,” and in large fancy letters: “Santa Anna’s Claws.”
This is followed by a three-part rebus with the letter “J” and drawings of a cob horse and a barking dog,
identified as “Jacob Barker.” Barker was the notorious Quaker-turned-Wall Street financier-speculator,
an original member of Tammany Hall, who (like Bernard Madoff) left a stream of failed banks and
institutions in his wake, was convicted of fraud, and provoked intense ill will among rival speculators
and the populace at large. Accompanying text:
The seizure of the two millions of dollars by the Mexican generalissimo, for the express purpose
of safe keeping is one of the greatest and most practical jokes of the present age. It is indeed a
Capital one. He doubtless inserted the specie claws, after giving his receipt for the amount taken. Jacob-Barker, the great financier, in his most palmy days of many transactions, could not hold a
candle to this once banished Mexican. There are very few individuals indeed who can with such
perfect ease replenish the public treasury, or fill their own private coffers. The latter by far the most
likely to be the fact in this case.
($3,000-6,000)
Buffalo Prints: 1697 to 1890
85. [BUFFALO]. Collection of ten prints of buffalo, icon of the West. V.p., 1697 to ca. 1890, in chronological order:
VANNI, Violante. Bove della nuova Francia; [below image at right] Violante Vanni fecit. Copperengraved plate of buffalo in landscape next to a tree from which an opossum hangs, more buffalo in
background. border to border: 21.1 × 17 cm; overall sheet size: 31 × 23.7 cm. Some soiling to blank margins, else fine. The plate appeared at Figure 19 in in Il Gazzettiere Americano contenente un distinto ragguaglio di tutte le parti del nuovo mondo (Livorno, 1763). The image is derived from Hennepin, Nouvelle
découverte d’un très grand Pays Situé dans L’Amérique (Utrecht, 1697).
MCKENNEY, Thomas L[oraine] & James Hall. Hunting the Buffaloe. Published by E.C. Biddle,
Philadelphia. Drawn Printed & Coloured at J.T. Bowen’s Lithographic Establishment N o. 94 Walnut St.
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1837, by E.C. Biddle, in the Clerks Office of the District Court
of the Eastern District of Penna.; [in image at lower left] A.H. Philadelphia, ca. 1837. Hand-colored lithograph after a painting by Peter Rindisbacher, depicting a Native American in elaborate buckskin outfit
and feather headdress aiming bow and arrow at wounded buffalo he pursues on horseback; in the background is another group of Native Americans chasing and attacking a herd, all set within a landscape
of lake surrounded by hills. Image without title and imprint information: 22.8 × 39.2 cm; overall sheet
size: 33.5 × 49.1 cm. A few tears neatly mended (no losses) and some mild foxing, the print itself is very
good, clean, and bright. This image was the frontispiece for Volume II of the History of the Indian Tribes
of North America (1836-1844).
LIZARS, W.H. & J. Stewart. The American Bison; [above image] Plate 30; [below image] J. Stewart Del t
| Lizars Sc. Engraving with some color highlights. Image: 7 × 15.7 cm; overall sheet size: 10 × 16.2 cm.
Lone male buffalo set in finely detailed landscape with mountains behind and herd running. This print
is from William Jardine’s Naturalist’s Library (Edinburgh, ca. 1835 to 1837).
AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. American Bison or Buffalo; [at top above image] N o. 12 | Plate LVI; [below
image] On Stone by W m. E. Hitchcock; [below at left] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon F.R.S F.L.S;
[below at right] Lith. Printed & Col d. by J.T. Bowen, Phil. Philadelphia, n.d. (undetermined edition).
Hand-colored lithograph of male buffalo in foreground set against a rolling prairie with hills in the distance, six other buffalo in background. Image (without title, etc.): 12.5 × 20 cm; overall sheet size: 16.3 ×
26.8 cm. A few mild stains to blank margins, otherwise very good, excellent color. The plate appeared
in an edition of Audubon’s The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.
AUDUBON, J[ohn] J[ames]. American Bison or Buffalo; [below image] On Stone by W m. E. Hitchcock
[below at left] Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon F.R.S F.L.S [below at right] Lith. Printed & Col d. by
J.T. Bowen, Phil a. Philadelphia, n.d. (undetermined edition). Hand-colored lithograph of two buffalo
with buffalo calf in foreground set against a rolling prairie and canyon, travelling herd in background.
Image (without title, etc): 13.2 × 19 cm; overall sheet size: 16.4 × 26.8 cm. Trimmed to image at top. Some
stains and images below, most not affecting image, otherwise very good, strong color. The plate
appeared in an edition of Audubon’s The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.
EASTMAN, Seth. Four sharp steel-engravings (three of which are from Eastman’s Chicora, Philadelphia, 1854). Eastman and his wife Mary were stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, from 1841 to 1848.
Condition fine save for foxing.
Buffalo Chase; [below image] S. Eastman. Capt. U.S.A. Pl. 9. R. Hinshelwood. Image: 14 × 22.3 cm; overall sheet size: 24.5 × 31.5 cm. The print shows a mounted Native American about to kill a buffalo with
an arrow; another warrior in the background is using a rifle to shoot another buffalo, rolling plains.
Hunting the Buffalo in Winter. Pl. 10.; [below image] S. Eastman. U.S.A. Pl. 10. R. Hinshelwood. Image:
16 × 23 cm; overall sheet size: 24.7 × 31.7 cm. Two Native Americans on snow-shoes, one holding a spear,
the other ready to shoot an arrow, one buffalo down, another being stalked, herd in background, backdrop of snow-covered mountains and trees, rays of light in sky.
Skinning the Buffalo. [below image] Drawn by Capt n. S. Eastman, U.S.A. Pl. 13. Eng d. by J.C. M cRae.
Image: 13.8 × 20.5 cm; overall sheet size: 24.7 × 31.5 cm. Two Native Americans skinning a felled buffalo,
a quiver, bow, rifle, and powder horn in foreground, in the background are two saddled horses in a backdrop with lake, rolling hills and mountains.
Hunter Dismounted. Pl. 12; [below image] Drawn by Capt. S. Eastman, U.S.A. Image: 16.4 × 22.3 cm;
overall sheet size: 24.7 × 31.5 cm. Mountain-man type holding a rifle, having shot and wounded a buffalo,
herd in background, rolling plains, streams of lights from clouds. This image is not from Chicora.
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD. The Oldest Inhabitant on Line of Union Pacific. Lithograph in brown
tones. Visible from mat: 42.5 × 58 cm. Matted, maple frame, under glass. N.p., n.d. (1890s). One minor
bump at lower right and a few minor tears (no losses), overall very good. This print was created as a
promotional to hang in Union Pacific stations along the route.
($1,000-3,000)
86. BULLOCK, William. Six Months’ Residence and Travels in Mexico; Containing Remarks of the Present State of New Spain, Its Natural Productions, State of Society, Manufactures, Trade, Agriculture, and
Antiquities, &c. With Plates and Maps. London: John Murray, 1824. [i-v] vi-xii, [1] 2-532 pp., 16 aquatint
plates (folding frontispiece, and 4 costume plates with original hand coloring), 2 copper-engraved folding maps (lacks folding chart not enumerated in the list of plates and maps: Geographical Tables of the
common Leagues of distance of Cities and Towns of the Empire of Mexico....). 8vo (22 × 14 cm), contemporary three-quarter straight-grain maroon sheep over marbled boards, spine gilt-lettered and with raised
bands, marbled endpapers, marbled edges. Binding shelf worn (especially at corners and edges), scattered foxing (some heavy) to text and plates, offsetting to text from plates, a few short splits to folds of
map of Ancient Mexico (no losses). This copy lacks the ads, not always present. Front flyleaf with ink
ownership inscription and note of Bingham Richards dated June 25, 1824, indicating this is subscription
copy 187. Bookplate of Texas oilman Frank Hadley, illustrated with oil wells.
First edition of “perhaps the most interesting of the...books dealing with America” (Prideaux, Aquatint
Engraving, p. 256). Abbey 666. Church 1326. Glass, p. 568. Griffin 3557. Gunn, Mexico in American and
British Letters 632. Hill I, p. 39; II #214. Larned 3933. Mayer, Poblaciones mexicanas, planos y panoramas, siglos XVI al XIX, p. 120. McNeil, Europeans in Latin America 60. Palau 37059. Sabin 9140. Streeter Sale 210.
Despite the importance and seriousness of his informative book, Bullock (fl. 1808-1828) was something of a showman, an aspect of his personality also present in this work. Before he arrived in Mexico
in 1823, he already had a reputation in England as an exhibitor of curiosities, the viewing of which was
popular at the time. Although part of the motivation for his trip to the country seems to have been genuine curiosity, he was moved just as surely by the desire to collect antiquities and other such materials
for a planned exhibition of them in Egyptian Hall (pp. 435-436). Apparently to promote the sales of his
work, he declared that aside from his book, he was “acquainted with no book of travels by an Englishman to [Mexico] since the period of Charles I.” Sabin, apparently believing this claim, states that Bullock was the first such traveler since Thomas Gage, apparently choosing to ignore the visits of such travelers as John Phillips, Pascoe Thomas, and George Vancouver, all of whom visited Mexico and left
printed accounts of their travels.
Whatever Bullock’s motivations, he managed to work his way into the good graces of numerous
Mexican officials. He was quickly given possession of an actual silver mine and managed to separate the
country from any number of artifacts, which he exhibited in London after his return. (Some of this
material was eventually returned to Mexico.) He was particularly taken with Mexico City itself and
described the city in the most glowing terms, stating that when he arrived near the center of the city,
“I felt repaid for all the dangers and troubles I had undergone” (p. 124). His observations about the
country were, indeed, the most contemporary to be had at the time, and the book was quickly translated into Dutch, German, and French. The considerable care he lavished on the illustrative materials
in the book, mostly based on his own drawings, also have been repaid by posterity, which highly values
them as beautiful and accurate depictions of Mexican life at the time.
The handsome aquatint plates in this book make it not only important for nineteenth-century Mexican iconography, but also for plate books in general. The Plan of the City of Mexico was based on the
celebrated map of Mexico City by Diego García Conde (1760-1822), a native of Barcelona, who came
to Mexico and served as captain of the Spanish Dragoons in Mexico and supervised construction of the
road from Veracruz to Jalapa. Dicc. Porrúa (p. 1156) specifically mentions García Conde’s map as a great
achievement (“Su nombre está ligado a la historia de la cd. de México, por el magnífico plano que levantó de la metrópoli en 1793”). The original map engraved in Mexico in 1807 is almost impossible to
obtain because of its rarity and format (147.6 × 197.6 cm), with the only located copies at Bancroft
Library, Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, and the British Library. García Conde’s map, as found in Bullock’s book, is an alternative for acquiring an early version of the greatest nineteenth-century map of
Mexico City. See Item 298 herein for a copy of the 1811 first English edition of the map. ($500-1,000)
Give Me Land, Lots of Land—Burlage in Boards
87. BURLAGE, John & J.B. Hollingsworth. Abstract of Valid Land Claims, Compiled from the Records of
the General Land Office and Court of Claims, of the State of Texas, by John Burlage and J.B. Hollingsworth.
Austin: Printed by John Marshall & Co., at the State Gazette Office, 1859. [i-iv] v-vii [1, blank], [1] 2670 pp. 8vo (26.6 × 16 cm), original three-quarter sheep over original tan boards, remains of dark blue
paper spine label with title in ink. Spine and lower board chipped at junction, spine and upper joint
repaired with cello tape, some paper wanting from upper board, upper hinge open, first signature
browned and water-stained, light waterstain to first quarter of text block and last few leaves, scattered
light browning. Despite these defects, a perfectly acceptable copy of a rare book still basically in original condition. With ink signature and ink stamp of A.Y. Creager of Sherman, Texas (on pastedown,
rear flyleaf, and p. 101). Presentation inscription on front flyleaf: “W. Sandsom’s[?] book presented by J.
Benton Hollingsworth, June 4th day 1861.” Affixed upside down to lower pastedown is a broadside ad
for two firms: Tarleton & Burlage and Hollingsworth & Bros., both of whom specialize in law and land.
Rare in commerce; we trace one copy in auction records, American Book Prices Current 1954-1955 ($50,
Sotheby’s, modern cloth, title and last 2 pages in facsimile).
First edition. Basic Texas Books 204C: “One of the essential research tools on Texas lands and their settlement.... Later editions were published as more and more of the Texas public lands were put up for sale
or granted for service. Most of these editions list grantees by county. The Burlage and Hollingsworth edition of 1859 is especially useful because it is arranged alphabetically by grantee.” Eberstadt, Texas 162:100:
“A laboriously detailed and absolutely indispensable work for the early days of bitterly disputed land cases,
listing tens of thousands of claims.” Howes B990. Raines, p. 245 (calling for 70 pp.). Winkler 1144.
This work is a successor of a publication issued in 1838, which was the first compilation of land titles
for Texas (Streeter 270, “Texas Domesday Book”). Included are titles issued under Spain, Mexico, the
Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas. Various types of grants, such as headright certificates and
bounty and donation warrants, are set out, including “‘Donation Warrants,’ claims that were issued to
all persons who participated in the battle of San Jacinto, the siege of Bexar, in the action of the 19th of
March, 1836, under the command of Cols. Fannin and Ward, and those who fell at the Alamo, under
the command of Bowie and Travis.” Although each succeeding edition would replough some of the
same ground as its predecessors, each new publication stands in its own right. This was the largest such
compilation at the time and superseded previous works. Given the vast amounts of land at stake,
demand for such works was obviously great in Texas, as the authors remark in their preface: “In offering this work to the public, we believe we supply a desideratum long needed by those in the least interested in Texas land matters; owing to the many frauds that have been, and are still practiced on the
uninformed relative to what are good and genuine claims for land against the State of Texas.” A note
in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly for July, 1945, Vol. XLIX, p. 126, states, “Since Texas retained her
public land when she entered the Union, other volumes of abstracts of titles followed until the series
now numbers over sixty volumes.”
($750-1,500)
Burroughs’ Infamous “William Tell” Shooting in Mexico City
88. BURROUGHS, William S. “My Most Unforgettable Character.” Autograph manuscript written
horizontally in ink on both sides of six 3 × 5 inch ruled index cards and one side of a 7th, totaling 13 pp.,
numbered by the author. [N.p., 1995]. About 570 words, with some authorial corrections in text. Except
for light coffee stain on recto of first card, very fine.
Burroughs wrote this autobiographical account for Jorge García-Robles, who translated it into Spanish and published it in his La Bala perdida: William S. Burroughs en México, 1949-1952 (Mexico: Milenio,
1995), which dealt with Burroughs’ life after he fled to Mexico to avoid a pending narcotics arrest in New
Orleans (“enough for two shots and enough for five years on a chain gang”). It was retranslated into English and published in William Burroughs’ Unforgettable Characters: Lola La Chata and Bernabé Jurado (Australia: Xochi Publications, 2001). García-Robles’ translation was reprinted in Burroughs y Kerouac: Dos
forasteros en México (Mexico: Random House, 2007). This original manuscript has never been published.
The “most unforgettable character” is the appropriately named Bernabé Jurado, the lawyer Burroughs
found who represented him on criminal charges stemming from the accidental shooting in 1951 of Burroughs’ common-law wife. Their initial encounter is recounted in this manuscript. Thanks to Jurado he
had only to report to Mexican authorities once a week after his arrest. (“Bernabé gets me out on permanent bail. I have to sign in every week.”)
There are vivid descriptions of the powerful, well-connected lawyer and of their conversations:
“Only later did I realize what I had learned from Bernabé Jurado. Every man can make his own
universe if [he] can smile strong enough and smile long enough. You see he’s already there. You
know me, friend....
“Maybe he could. Can death be a friend? Can a man have a friend? Be a friend? Every man
can make his own universe. Every man is then limited by the laws of the universe he has made.
Fourteen wives? That’s stretching things a bit....
“I eat too much, I drink too much, and I fuck too much.”
Referring to his long-term heroin addiction that would follow him to Europe and North Africa
before he finally kicked it, Burroughs concludes:
“It was in his [ Jurado’s] office I met Old Ike and got back on the junk.”
Although autobiographical, this manuscript is not merely a factual summary of these events, but
reads like a typically superb piece of Burroughs’ fiction. Burroughs, the narrator, and his attorney come
to life like fictional characters. Burroughs’ relationship with Jurado is discussed in both Ted Morgan’s
and Barry Miles’ biographies of Burroughs.
William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) was one of the preeminent members of the Beat Literature
movement, being a writer, social critic, spoken-word performer, and artist. In 1984 he was elected to
The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. However, his distinguished writing career
is sometimes overshadowed by his raucous personal life. His lifelong experimentation with narcotics
is legendary and strongly influenced his early work (including his famous 1959 The Naked Lunch).
After fleeing to Mexico from the U.S. to avoid a potential drug conviction, he was involved in the
most notorious episode of his life in 1951. After a night of drinking at the American-owned Bounty
Bar, he and his common-law wife, Joan Vollmer, supposedly decided to play a game of “William Tell.”
She placed a shot glass on her head, and Burroughs drunkenly took aim with a pistol and fired, mortally wounding her. He spent thirteen days in a Mexico City jail before his brother came to bribe
officials to release him on bail. After trial preparations began to go poorly for Burroughs and Jurado
himself had to flee Mexico to avoid his own legal troubles, he skipped Mexico and was convicted in
absentia. The unintentional killing traumatized him and influenced his writing for the rest of his life.
He states in the preface to Queer that he would not have become a writer except for her death.
($3,000-6,000)
Moody Portrait of William Burroughs
89. [BURROUGHS, WILLIAM S.]. FERRIS, Carolyn (artist). Untitled portrait based on a photograph of Burroughs, printed on photo archival stock, grey and black tones, signed by artist and Timothy Leary (latter in silver ink). 35.5 × 27.9 cm. Very fine.
The print run was 50 copies, 30 of which were signed by Leary. The photograph on which this print
is based was made by Allen Ginsberg (with his permission) and was published with an interview of Burroughs in the Paris Review, next to Burroughs’ contribution to Leary’s book, Chaos and Counter Culture
(1994), and in Architectural Digest. Burroughs was very close to Leary. The image shows Burroughs
around the time he was writing Naked Lunch. Burroughs wears a fedora and grey buttoned shirt with
collar and two single decorative bands running vertically from the shoulder seam. He looks pensive and
makes direct eye contact with the viewer. In the background is an abstract painting, inspired by Burroughs’ himself, who liked to create so-called shotgun paintings, which consisted of holes in wood surrounded by paint.
Artist Carolyn Ferris is known as an abstract painter who now works in computer design as well as
more traditional forms. Her first realistic painting was of her friend Timothy Leary with whom she
worked on several projects, including his book Chaos and Cyberculture. In return, Leary sometimes worked
on the backgrounds of her paintings, which he referred to as “interactive painting.”
($400-800)
Best Spanish Edition of the First Odyssey across Texas by a European
90. CABEZA DE VACA, Álvar Núñez. Relación de los Naufragios y Comentarios de Álvar Núñez Cabeza
de Vaca Adelantado y Gobernador del Río de la Plata, ilustrado con varios documentos inéditos. Madrid: Librería General de Victoriano Suárez, Calle de Preciados, núm. 48, 1906. Vol. I: [i-v] vi-xxx, [1] 2-388, [6]
pp., 1 plate; Vol. II: [i-ix] x-xii, [1-3] 4-428, [4] pp. 2 vols., 12mo (20 × 12.4 cm), original grey printed
wrappers printed in red and black. Exceptionally fine, unopened.
Basic Texas Books 24N: “Best edition in Spanish, with lengthy introduction.” Clark, Old South I:4.
Palau 197105. Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 1699n. Wagner, Spanish
Southwest 1an: “The last authoritative Spanish edition.” Editor M. Serrano y Sanz utilized the 1555 version for this edition and added pertinent and previously unpublished documents. The original edition
(Zamora, 1542) of the odyssey of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (ca. 1490-ca. 1556) was the first recorded
journey by Europeans across Texas. Cabeza de Vaca’s book is the earliest account of Texas and its Native
American population.
($150-300)
“Mexico’s Tocqueville”
91. C[ALDERÓN] DE LA B[ARCA], Madame [Frances Erskine Inglis]. Life in Mexico, During a
Residence of Two Years in that Country by Madame C____ de la B ____...with a Preface by W.H. Prescott,
Author of “The History of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.” London: Chapman and Hall, 186, Strand,
1843. [i-iv] v-xiv, [1] 2-437 [1, blank] pp. (pp. 216-218 contain Mexican music). 8vo (21.5 × 14 cm), contemporary black sheep over dark blue and black mottled boards, spine with raised bands and stamping
in gilt and blind, marbled edges and end papers. Light shelf wear and upper hinge weak but holding
well, very mild age-toning to text, pp. 57/58 torn (no loss), a good copy in attractive contemporary binding. Contemporary signature effaced from upper right corner of title.
First English edition. BAL 16338n. Dobie, p. 38: “Among books on Mexican life to be ranked first both
in readability and revealing qualities.” Griffin 4174. Gunn, Mexico in American and British Letters 639:
“Letters by the Scottish-American wife of the first Spanish ambassador, describing their life in the capital 1839-1842.” Hill I, p. 43: “One of the classic writings of nineteenth-century travel.... On a special mission to Mexico she accompanied her husband and, due to her position, was able to become intimately
acquainted with Mexican society and had access to any information she sought.... Probably the most
important record of the social life of the country at that time”; Hill II, p. 239. Jones, Adventures in Americana 1068. Palau 39761. Robinson, Wayward Women, p. 233: “This is the earliest and most balanced firsthand account of Mexico to be written by a woman.” Sabin 9889: “The Edinburgh Review remarks: ‘A
more genuine book, in air, as well as in reality, it would be difficult to find.’”
Who would have imagined that an aristocratic lady of Scottish descent would leave us one of the best
written, most piercing, and riveting accounts of Mexico in the nineteenth century? The book has remained
a classic and was used by many English-speaking travelers as a guide book, including the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. The author includes much of interest on women in history at the time.
Her descriptions of costume are valuable documentation. On page 297 is an account of the ascent of a balloon from the Plaza de Toros. Madame Calderón de la Barca gives a short but excellent description of
Cuba and Havana, as well. For further information, consult the web site.
($150-300)
Mission Funds Diverted to Secular Colonization in California
92. [CALIFORNIA COLONIZATION]. MEXICO (Republic). LAWS (October 26, 1833). PRESIDENT (Antonio López de Santa-Anna). [Decree of October 26, 1833, stating that income from the secularized California missions may be used to support colonization.] [At top] Primera Secretaria de Estado.
Departamento del Interior [text commences] El Exmo. Sr. Presidente de los Estados-Unidos Mexicanos se ha
servido dirigirme el decreto que sigue.... Se faculta al Gobierno para que tome todas las providencias que aseguren la Colonización, y hagan efectiva la secularización de las misiones de Alta y Baja California.... [at end]
México 26 de Noviembre de 1833. [4] pp. 4to (29.5 × 20.5 cm), on laid paper watermarked: Gior o Magnani
Al Masso. Signed in type García. Except for minor wrinkling, very fine, with integral blank.
First edition of a fundamental document for the history of California. Howell 50, California 122.
Streeter Sale 2469 (WRH-TWS copy). By this decree, income from the secularized California missions
was diverted to the task of settling emigrants from Mexico in the two Californias (the missions had lost
their exempt status earlier this year). Up to that time, the role of Alta California had been perceived as
that of a penal colony or a land of exile, but now the plan was to create colonies consisting of teachers,
farmers, artisans, craftsmen, etc. At the time, Mexico was struggling to populate its Borderland areas,
and colonization incentives, including this one, were in full swing.
In response to these incentives, José María Híjar (Hart, Companion to California) and Jose Maria
Padrés organized a company to send Mexican citizens to the newly available mission lands, the first
major attempt to colonize California since 1781. Mexican President Gómez Farías not only authorized
the expedition, but also appointed Híjar Governor of Upper California, an order that Santa-Anna
quickly countermanded. When the group arrived in California, it was sent to settlements in the north,
although the two principals were eventually sent back to Mexico by the California government.
This attempt to break the Church’s political power left its extensive land holdings in California in
the hands of indigenous converts and lay administrators, but the land eventually passed to the
rancheros. Laws confiscating the Pious Fund and otherwise crippling the California missions brought
forth the famous protest by Carlos Antonio Carrillo published this same year under the title Exposición
dirigida a la cámara de diputados (Zamorano Eighty 15).
($500-1,000)
Miners at Rest & Miners at Work
93. [CALIFORNIA LETTER SHEET]. Dividing the Pile [upper] Hard Road to travel [lower] Lith &
Pub. by Britton & Rey, Cor Mont & Comm l. S ts. [below image]. Lithograph on white, lightly ruled wove
paper. Upper image neat line to neat line: 11.5 × 18.5 cm; lower image neat line to neat line: 12.5 × 18.5
cm); overall sheet size: 27 × 41.6 cm. Stationer’s embossed mark showing a sailing ship on conjugate
blank. Creased where formerly folded, light browning at crease, but otherwise fine.
Baird 54 (No. 7 from the Britton & Rey numbered series). Clifford Sale 48. Peters, p. 69. Borthwickstyle scenes of life at the mines. The upper image shows four miners relaxing around a table smoking and
drinking, while one of them weighs gold in a hand balance. The lower image is of several miners on foot
descending a trail, each loaded with various equipment and sometimes accompanied by a pack animal.
($250-350)
California Gold Rush Humor—The Vicissitudes of the Prospector
94. [CALIFORNIA LETTER SHEET]. A Prospecting Party [title at top] Lith. & Pub d. by Britton &
Rey San Francisco [below images]. Four illustrations. Left to right: Starting. (three miners with a packed
mule happily leave their log cabin and start up the trail); Not Even the Colour (the three at diggings; man
at right, in a hole, holds pan almost upside down futilely looking for the “color”; seated man, at left in
patched pants, looks sadly on; between them a standing man leans on a shovel–mule grazing at back);
The End of the Mule (the three standing on a steep ledge, trying to hold their mule with a lead cord as
he falls down the mountain side); Returning. (the three, limping and footsore, with great holes in their
clothing, return to a cabin); [number at upper right] 5. N.p., n.d. [Issued before January 13, 1854]. Lithograph on white wove paper. Each image: 9 × 12.1 cm; sheet size: 21 × 27 cm. Very good.
Baird 209 (another issue, No. 5 from the Britton & Rey numbered series). Clifford 215. Peters, California on Stone, p. 76. The artist takes a humorous look at the vicissitudes of prospecting in the California Gold Rush. The trio of miners start their search for gold as well-equipped and well-dressed miners,
one of whom merrily waves his hat. Next in the cartoon sequence is a miner in a deep hole with an empty
gold pa, and next the miners’ mule tumbles down a sheer precipice. The final panel has the tattered trio
heading toward a cabin looking very much the worse for wear, minus mule and equipment. The final
indignity: one of the miners has pants so filled with holes that his round rump is exposed. This is
another example of frustrated gold hunters, in cartoon style with a combination of humor and pathos.
($150-250)
Sydney Ducks “Rescued“ from the Authorities & Hanged
95. [CALIFORNIA LETTER SHEET]. Tremendous Excitement! Samuel Whittaker and Robert McKenzie rescued from the authorities, and hung [sic] by the Vigilance Committee, on Sunday August 24 th. at 3 o’clock
P.M. in the presence of Fifteen thousand People. | Lith. & Publ. by Justh, Quirot & C o. Calif. corner Montg.
S ts. S.F. Crowd in foreground; bodies hanging from building hoists in background. Signs for Bullitt,
Patrick & Dow, Torrey & Blanchard, H.A. Cheever & Co., Vigilance Committee Chambers, G.O.
Whitney [below] Furniture., Storage [above]. N.p., n.d. (issued before September 1, 1851). Lithograph
on gray wove paper. Neat line to neat line: 16 × 25.1 cm; overall sheet size: 21.1 × 26.7 cm. Creased where
formerly folded, professionally silked on verso, a few tiny voids at folds costing one letter of title. Overall very good.
Baird 274. Clifford 283. Peters, California on Stone, pp. 134-136. Another issue has the sign misspelled
“Fourniture.” Here the stone has been altered to correct the spelling, although the “F” looks more like
“C.” This letter sheet depicts the last official act of the first San Francisco Vigilance Committee—the
execution of two Sydney Ducks, the name commonly given at the time to Australian emigrants, some
of whom formed gangs that attracted the Committee’s attention. This hanging caused nearly every
Australian emigrant to flee the city. The Vigilance Committee was formed in 1851, specifically to counter
the Sydney Ducks. After the arrest of these two men by the Committee, the Sheriff accompanied by a
strong contingent of deputies, took custody of the two prisoners. Two days later, the Committee showed
up in force at the jail, took the prisoners away, quickly “tried” them, and subjected them to the punishment shown here.
($200-400)
The California Gold Rush Experience in Eight Comical Vignettes
96. [CALIFORNIA LETTER SHEET]. Two Roads in California | Lith. & Pub d. by Britton & Rey Cor.
Montgomery & Commercial S ts. S.F co. [eight vignettes left, down] Jones and Brown Landing (two men walk
on wharf, ships anchored in background) Brown stick [sic] to it (Brown drives a six-ox wagon through a
cleared forest toward Half Way House) Getting a head [ahead?] (Brown plowing, pigs with cattle in corral, right, log cabin, left) Industry’s Reward (Brown, with wife and children, seated on second-story verandah of their home—which is rather curious architecturally; it looks more like a store in back, many men
plowing in pasture) [right, down] Jones don’t like hard Work ( Jones lying on grass by roadside while Brown
works with pick and shovel) Trys [sic] a fast way to make money (men crowded around long gambling
table and bar in background) Wommen [sic] and Wine (couples dancing and drinking in a large draped
room) Ruin and the Gutter ( Jones sprawled in gutter beside a lamppost, being kicked by a passerby, horse
and cart going by, left, the driver ignores him). Lithograph on white wove paper, neat line to neat line:
24.5 × 18 cm; image and text: 25.1 × 18 cm; overall sheet size (on a single sheet) 25.4 × 19 cm, white wove.
Upper right corner wanting just into image area, light staining at lower left.
Baird 275. Clifford 285. Peters, California on Stone, p. 79. A moralistic view of the California Gold Rush
experience, almost Biblical in its depiction of the Prodigal Son story. The vignettes are finely detailed
miniatures, somewhat comical in nature. The Wommen and Wine vignette looks like a fandango.
($100-300)
Secularization of the California Missions 1833
97. [CALIFORNIA MISSIONS]. MEXICO (Republic). LAWS. PIOUS FUND. Ley y reglamento
aprobado de la junta directiva y económica del fondo piadoso de Californias. Mexico: Imprenta de Galván à
cargo de Mariano Arevalo, 1833. [1-2] 3-20 pp. 8vo (20.5 × 13.1 cm), original plain white paper wrappers,
original stitching. One small repair to title (touching one letter, but no loss), otherwise very fine.
First edition. Barrett, Baja California 1474: “One of the earlier official documents relating to the Pious
Fund of the Californias.” Cowan I, p. 179. Cowan II, p. 491. Howell 50, California 192. W. Michael Mathes
(The Daniel G. Volkmann Jr. Collection of Rare Californiana 140): “The transfer of the fund to the Mexican
government upon secularization of the California missions not only initiated their rapid decline and
abandonment of the Indian population, but subjected the fund to manipulation and corruption.” Palau
137279: “Se considera muy interesante. Datos sobre la explotación de las fincas rústicas de California y de
los intereses de los productores.” Sabin 40897. Streeter Sale 2466. Weber, California Missions, p. 63.
By these regulations secularizing the great wealth of the California missions, Mexican authorities
sought to replace the old monastico-missionary regime in California with civil colonies like those proposed by Híjar and Padrés. From 1848 to 1967 the Pious Fund was the subject of lengthy negotiations
between the United States and Mexico because of the latter’s failure to make payments as agreed. In
1967 a settlement of over $700,000 was paid by Mexico to the U.S. government, to be turned over to the
Archdiocese of San Francisco.
($500-1,000)
Paintings of California Missions
98. [CALIFORNIA MISSIONS]. Six oil paintings depicting California missions, canvas stretched
over board, each painting signed: “F. Mela Medina, fecit”; all with coat of arms at lower center and
explanatory text painted in red beneath; heavy gilt frames. Some yellowing and craquelure, generally
very good condition. Santa Barbara canvas slightly out of frame.
MISSION SAN DIEGO. Misión Franciscana | S. Diego de Alcalá. 79.3 × 98.2 cm.
MISSION SANTA BARBARA. Misión Franciscana | Santa Barbaras. 79.7 × 99 cm.
MISSION SAN CARLOS BORROMEO. Misión Franciscana | S. Carlos Borromeo de Rio Carmelo.
79 × 98.2 cm.
MISION SANTA CLARA. Misión Franciscana | de Santa Clara de Asís. 80 × 98.2 cm.
MISSION SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS. Misión Franciscana | San Francisco de Asís. 79.7 × 98.5 cm.
MISSION SAN BUENAVENTURA. Misión Franciscana | San Buenaventura. 79.7 × 98.2 cm.
These paintings were found in Spain, in a fifteenth-century monastery at Palma del Rio, Cordoba,
where they hung in one of its corridors. At one time the monastery was Franciscan, and Father Junípero
Serra sojourned there before going to the New World, where he established the chain of missions that
led to the civil settlement of California. The paintings were created for the monastery after 1935 to commemorate the monastery’s connection to Father Serra and California history. It is not known when they
were painted but they were in the monastery in 1964. The paintings, which are somewhat primitive in
execution, are based on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century prints and original works of art.
(Details upon request)
California Ports Given Increased Status
99. [CALIFORNIA PORTS]. SPAIN. LAWS (October 22, 1803). SECRETARIO DE ESTADO Y
DEL DESPACHO (Miguel Cayetano Soler). [Decree of October 22, 1803, upgrading the status of California ports.] [At top] D. Joseph de Yturrigaray, Caballero profeso de la Orden de Santiago, teniente general
de los Reales Exércitos.... [text commences] Con fecha de 22 de Octubre del año próximo anterior me ha comunicado el Exmô Señor Don Miguel Cayetano Soler...con objecto de fomentar la agricultura y comercio de las
Californias, se ha servido el Rey habilitar sus puertos en calidad de menores.... [at end] Dado en México á 20
de Abril de 1804. Folio (42.7 × 30.5 cm). Broadside on watermarked laid paper with two ink sello quarto
ink stamps on verso. With paraph of Joseph de Yturrigaray and ink signature of José Ignacio Negroponte y Sonia. Creased where formerly folded, minor edge soiling and wrinkling, small wormhole in
upper and lower blank margins. Fine overall.
First Mexican edition. Not in Medina, México. By this law, Spain gives increased, official recognition
to ports in upper and lower California to allow additional imports and exports through them, as provided for in the original February 28, 1789, law. Distance from central New Spain made supply to the
missions of the Californias a continual problem. The provinces were opened to external trade in general in 1789, and this decree assured opening of all California ports as minor ports to facilitate trade in
supplies. Those measures produced no increase in trade, and the established smugglers remained as the
principal “merchants.”
($200-400)
Colton 1854 Map of California—Very Early State Map
100. CAPRON, E[lisha] S[mith]. History of California, from Its Discovery to the Present Time; Comprising also a Full Description of Its Climate, Surface, Soil, Rivers, Towns, Beasts, Birds, Fishes, State of Its Society, Agriculture, Commerce, Mines, Mining, &c. With a Journal of the Voyage from New York, via Nicaragua,
to San Francisco, and Back, via Panama. With a New Map of the Country by E.S. Capron, Counsellor [sic]
at Law. Boston & Cleveland: [Stereotyped by Hobart & Robbins, New England Type and Stereotype
Foundry, Boston, for] John P. Jewett & Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, 1854. xi [1, blank], 356 pp.,
folded map: California 1854. Published by J.H. Colton, N o. 86 Cedar St. New York Entered according to Act
of Congress in the Year 1853 by J.H. Colton in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District
of New York [inset upper right] City of San Francisco, lithograph map with original hand coloring (counties and borders), ornate border; image area including border: 40 × 32 cm; overall sheet size: 43 × 33.5
cm. 12mo (19 × 13 cm), publisher’s original blind-stamped brown cloth, gilt pictorial spine with state seal
of California. Binding lightly shelf worn, extremities and corners slightly nicked, front hinge weak, light
marginal staining to front flyleaf and rear endpapers, otherwise the book is fine and the text fresh. Ink
association inscription on front flyleaf: “C. Adelaide Capron, From Cousin Henry, Feb 4th. 1876.” The
map is cleanly detached and very fine, with excellent color. The book is difficult to find in decent condition, and this is a desirable copy with the map pristine and in situ.
First edition of book; second issue of the Colton map (dated 1854 rather than 1853). The map was also
issued as a pocket map. Streeter Sale 2734: “The only earlier state maps I know of are the Butler 1851
map and the Gibbes New Map of California of 1851 (both in TWS), and the Colton map with the 1853
date.” The map was reprinted with changes and used in Colton’s 1855 American Atlas. Cowan I, p. 41.
Cowan II, p. 104. Graff 580. Hill II:254. Holliday Sale 170. Howell 50, California 349. Howes C127. Jones
1309. Rocq 16759. Sabin 10764. Wheat, Maps of the California Gold Region #254: “This is the same map
as that listed as 1853—Colton, save for the change in date. It seems also to have been included in
‘Colton’s Atlas of the World...by George W. Colton.’” In his note to the 1853 issue of the map, Wheat
comments: “This was probably the best-known map of California in the eastern states during the
’fifties. It was republished annually for a time, with little or no change.” Wheat, “Twenty-Five California Maps” #16 (citing the 1853 issue): “The gold region of the Sierra foothills is quite well shown. The
inset map of the City of San Francisco is an excellent chart of the city.”
The book emphasizes San Francisco and the Gold Rush. But the author also discusses mission cattle and the old ranchos of California (fandango, jueces del campo, branding, rodeo, corrals, lasso, saddles,
expertise in horsemanship, management of cattle, etc.), mentions the hide and tallow trade in association with San Diego, gives statistics on livestock (cattle, horses, sheep, and goats), and discusses grazing potential in general and the inferiority of the nearly wild native cattle. The lure of this once fairly
common book (priced at $50.00 in the Howell catalogue) is in part due to the wonderful Colton map.
Kurutz, The California Gold Rush 116:
According to the preface: “In April, 1853, the author proceeded to California, as the commercial
agent of several extensive mercantile houses in New York City. In the discharge of the duties of
his commission, he visited the principal cities and villages of the state.... He also traversed various
parts of the mining regions, and sojourned with the miners, among their valleys and mountains.”
In Part Second, Capron gives a description of San Francisco with details of its lurid side. Part
Third is devoted to gold mines, mining, and miners. It consists primarily of lucid definitions of
various mining techniques as well as descriptions of the miners’ court, miners’ home, and Chinese
exclusion. The last portion of his book contains his well-written journal from New York to
Nicaragua and California. Capron left on April 23, 1853, and arrived in San Francisco on May 21.
He began the return trip on September 12.
($400-800)
A Large & Fine Map of Mexico by Gentilz & Castro
101. CASTRO, Lorenzo. The Republic of Mexico in 1882. With Revised and Corrected Map. New York:
Thompson & Moreau, Printers, Nos. 51 & 53 Maiden Lane, 1882. [i-iii] iv, [1] 2-271 [1, blank], [4, ads]
pp., large folding lithograph map of Mexico (see below). 8vo (19.5 × 12.8 cm), original embossed and
gilt-lettered dark green cloth-backed boards. Binding with a few stains and worn (cloth separating from
boards along a few edges), hinges split but holding well, interior fine, map very fine.
map
Map of the Republic of Mexico Revised and Corrected by Lorenzo Castro, Drawn by Theodore Gentilz.
Entered according to Act of Congress in the Year 1882 in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington,
D.C. Thompson & Moreau, Printers, 51 & 53 Maiden Lane, N.Y. Photo-Lith. by E.C. Bridgeman 88 Warren
Str., N.Y. [inset text in two boxes at lower left] Explanation [and] Statistics [lower left, 2 comparative
views] Height of the principal mountains in feet [and] Approximate lengths of the principal rivers in miles....
Lithograph map on bank note paper, U.S.-Mexico and Mexico-Guatemala borders outlined in red, neat
line to neat line: 78 × 112 cm. Other than a few clean splits at folds (no losses and mostly marginal), very
fine. The map is often missing from the book.
First edition.Raines,p.225.Ramos 952.Castro’s guide to Mexico with state-by-state descriptions of towns,
cities, demographics, brief historical sketches, products, industry, etc. The work contains detailed itineraries
of the author’s travels from 1866 from San Antonio, Texas, to Mexico City and throughout Mexico.
The large, handsome, detailed map of Mexico and the Borderlands shows the Gulf of Mexico, most
of Texas and the railroad routes throughout Mexico and along the border in California, Arizona, New
Mexico, Texas, and east to Florida, encompassing the western tip of Cuba. The makers of this wonderful map are significant in Texas history. The original map was drawn by Theodore Gentilz (1820-1906),
French artist and engineer employed by Henri Castro to survey and promote his colony southwest of
San Antonio. Gentilz went on to record a large area of the Texas southwest and northern Mexico. His
paintings of nineteenth-century Texas are considered among the finest of the era.
Here we have Lorenzo Castro’s revision and updating of Gentilz’s original map. Lorenzo Castro was
the son French empresario Henri Castro, the consul general for the Republic of Texas at Paris, and colonizer and founder of Castroville, Quihi, Vandenburg, and D’Hanis. After the death of Henri, Lorenzo
carried on his father’s colonization project in Texas, and wrote another work: Immigration from Alsace
and Lorraine. A Brief Sketch of the History of Castro’s Colony in Western Texas (New York: George. W.
Wheat & Co., Printers, 1871).
($750-1,500)
Bright, Excellent Set of the John Grant Edition of Catlin
102. CATLIN, George. North American Indians: Being Letters and Notes on Their Manners, Customs, and
Conditions, Written during Eight Years’ Travel amongst the Wildest Tribes of Indians in North America,
1832–1839.... Edinburgh: John Grant, 1926. [i-v] vi-ix [1, blank], [2], [1] 2-298 + [i-v] vi-xii, [1] 2-303 [1]
pp., 320 chromolithograph images (primarily line-drawings of Native Americans and Western landscapes from original paintings by Catlin), including 2 maps, the first of which is folded: [1] Outline Map
of Indian Localities in 1833 in Vol. 2. See Map of Localities in 1840 since all the Tribes Have Been Removed
from the States West of the Mississippi. [below neat line at left] G. Catlin, neat line to neat line: 21.3 × 36.7
cm; [2] U. States Indians Frontier in 1840 Showing the Positions of the Tribes that Have Been Removed West
of the Mississippi. [below neat line at left] G. Catlin, neat line to neat line: 21.6 × 13 cm. 2 vols., 8vo (25.8
× 17.5 cm), original gilt pictorial maroon cloth stamped and lettered in gilt and black, t.e.g. Binding
slightly rubbed, both text blocks cracked, otherwise very fine and bright, free of foxing, plates pristine.
Handsome reprint of the original edition published in London in 1841, under title Letters and Notes
on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians. See: Howes C241. McCracken 8n.
Pilling 689. Plains & Rockies IV:84:1. Raines, p. 46. Sabin 11536. Streeter Sale 1805. Tate, The Indians of
Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 2142: “Includes information and drawings by Catlin following his 1834 journey with the Dodge-Leavenworth Expedition. His dramatic descriptions and sketches
of mounted Comanche have been continuously cited by later historians, and the entire account of the
Comanche camps is worth a close reading by the researcher.” Tyler, Prints of the American West, pp.
46–55: “The basis for much Plains ethnology.... Today [Catlin’s] work is criticized for its unrelenting
Romanticism, but it is treasured by historians and anthropologists alike, who value his attention to
details and brave dedication to his task.”
($800-1,600)
A Conniving Feminist Activist on the Mexico-Texas Border
103. [CAZNEAU, Jane Maria Eliza McManus Storms]. Eagle Pass; or, Life on the Border by Cora Montgomery. New York: George P. Putnam & Co., 10 Park Place, 1852. [2, ads], [i-v] vi-viii, [9] 10-188, [6,
ads] pp. 8vo (18.7 × 13 cm), original brown cloth, covers with blind-embossed logo of Putnam’s Popular
Library, title stamped in gilt on spine. Spine a bit light and with a few small spots and stains, corners
slightly bumped, text with scattered light to moderate foxing, overall very good with author’s 1852 ink
presentation: “1852 To Capt. P.C. Dumas From his much obliged friend. The Author” and subsequent
1879 presentation in ink: “To his Son F.C. Dumas from Robert H. Swift Esq. Ex U.S. Consul to Maracaibo S.A. June 17, 1877.”
First edition, fourth issue of an important record of life along the recently acquired Rio Grande frontier by one of the first settlers of Eagle Pass, Texas. The book appeared first in wraps, followed by this
cloth edition. In the first issue pp. 73-74 and 79-88 have the text misimposed. In the second issue, the
text on pp. 73-74 has been corrected. In the third issue pp. 79-88 have also been replaced. In the fourth
issue, the corrections have been incorporated into a new sheet. Graff 2873 (wraps). Hanna, Yale Exhibit:
“More than an account of life in Texas in the 1840s and 50s. It is, in general, a plea for just and human-
itarian treatment of all people, and, in particular, a stinging indictment of the abominable treatment of
the Indian and the Black in America.” Howes C251n. Jones, Adventures in Americana (Checklist) 1285.
Raines, p. 252n. Sabin 50132. Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 2466: “Discusses the continuous Indian raids along the southern Texas border during the early 1850s, and describes
the Seminoles who had recently settled along the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.” Wright II:477: “A
verisimilar story of Texas.” Though Cazneau’s life sometimes reads more like fiction than fact, this book
is not fiction.
Born in an age when women were supposed to concern themselves with domestic economy and child
rearing, Cazneau (1807-1878) instead spent her life engaging in schemes to settle Texas, seize large parts
of the New World for the U.S., and influence political and social policy on a national level. Now recognized as the author of the phrase “Manifest Destiny,” she lived a life that demonstrated that to her
the term was more than an idle concept. At various times in her life, she advocated that the U.S. annex
Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, inter alia. Not idle on the home front, either, she was once
publicly accused of being Aaron Burr’s mistress. During the Mexican-American War she was the only
U.S. reporter to send dispatches from behind enemy lines, distinguishing her from her countryman
George Wilkins Kendall, who was with the U.S. Army and apparently is erroneously credited with
being the first U.S. war correspondent. She also advocated better treatment for women and Blacks.
This work reflects the author’s life in Texas around 1849, when she moved with her husband, William
Cazneau, to Eagle Pass, then newly founded. Ranching content includes a description of the wretched
working conditions of vaqueros and peons on the vast Mexican haciendas (as described by Severo Váldez,
a vaquero who had left Mexico to work as a ranch hand for Col. Henry Lawrence Kinney in Corpus
Christi); prospects for stock raising in Texas; and cattle rustling and horse thievery on the border by Mexicans and Native Americans. In the present work, the author urges the states of Northern Mexico to
establish an independent confederation that would buttress the southern portion of the United States.
The book is an important work by a woman who, in the words of Ben E. Pingenot, engaged in
exploits that “would make many twentieth-century feminists blush.” The best and most recent study of
Cazneau is Linda S. Hudson’s Mistress of Manifest Destiny (Austin: TSHA, 2001). Notable American
Women I:315-316: “Her career—in some respects a comedy of grandiose plans and bungled opportunities—nevertheless epitomizes the cycle of nineteenth-century American expansionism.” Wallace (Destiny and Glory, chapter 12) states that the author “was the most adventurous of any American woman
on record and deserves far more than the oblivion which has been her fate.” See also: Handbook of Texas
Online: Jane Maria Eliza McManus Cazneau. See also Item 154 herein.
($100-200)
Review of Champ d’Asile in The Analectic Magazine
In 1819 & the Earliest U.S. Print of the Precursor of the Bicycle
104. [CHAMP D’ASILE]. “Art. VII,—The Champ-d’Asile, or the French establishment on the Trinity River,” pp. 58-63 in The Analectic Magazine. Vol. 13 [engraved pictorial title]. Philadelphia: Published
by M. Thomas. Johnsons Head No 52 Chesnut Street, 1819. [1] 2-526, [2, index] pp., 5 copper-engraved
plates, including engraved title: [1] The Analectic Magazine...; [2] Front Elevation of the Bank of the U.S.
Designed by W. Strickland, Archt.; [3] York Springs, Adams County, in Pennsylvania; [4] Thomas Gamble
Esqr. (stipple engraving); [5] untitled landscape with two men riding velocipedes (based on a sketch by
Charles Willson Peale). 8vo (22 × 13.6 cm), original grey boards, leather on spine and corners perished.
Covers detached and boards stained. First few leaves detached and blank margins a bit rough and foxed,
text and plates with uniform moderate browning, the velocipede plate fine, but trimmed close at top
with no loss of image. Nineteenth-century engraved bookplate of the Library of the Incorporated German Society in Philadelphia (laid over an earlier book plate in German?).
First edition. This volume includes issues for January-May 1819. This early American periodical
evolved from a monthly magazine by the name of Select Reviews, which Philadelphia bookseller and
publisher Moses Thomas purchased in 1812, renamed the publication The Analectic Magazine, and hired
Washington Irving as editor. The illustrations were one of the distinctions of the magazine, and in fact,
the first lithograph created in the United States appeared in its pages. The magazine offered literary
reviews, articles on travel and science, biographies, and reprints of selections from British and European
publications. See Mott, A History of American Magazines.
One of the translations offered in the January issue is from the Paris journal La Minerve Française,
one of the principal agitators and supporters of the Champ d’Asile colony in Texas on the Trinity River.
By the time this translation had appeared, however, the colony had failed, a development noted with
some satisfaction by the writer of the review, who vilifies the French settlers and the bad faith they
showed to the United States after they were given a land grant in Alabama but preferred instead to settle in Texas. The reviewer remarks that the French settlers had even offered their fealty to Spain as a
check on United States pretensions to Texas.
Also of interest is an article illustrated by a plate in the May issue entitled “Art. XV.–The Velocipede
or Draisena [From a London paper]” (pp. 517-519). The article ascribes the invention to Charles de
Drais, and gives an enthusiastic review of the machine’s possibilities, even including instructions on how
to ride it. The plate, however, is based on a drawing by Charles Willson Peale, the foremost artist in the
United States at the time, who had one of the machines built for him by musical instrument maker J.
Stewart. “The first American to test the velocipede was J. Stewart of Baltimore” (David V. Herlihy,
Bicycle: The History, Yale University Press, 2004, p. 39). The plate is believed to be the earliest illustration of a bicycle in American literature. The velocipede quickly caught on and became the rage of
Philadelphia. (On Champ d’Asile, see Item 107 herein.)
($100-200)
Letter from the Leader of the Illegal Champ d’Asile Colony in Texas
105. [CHAMP D’ASILE]. LALLEMAND, Charles François Antoine. Autograph letter signed, in
French, to Daniel Lord, Jr. at 41 Franklin St., cryptic letter in which Lallemand informs Lord that he
received a letter from Survillient which he urgently needs to discuss with Lord and asks to see him that
day. [Philadelphia?], June 6, [1817]. One page on bifolium with address and remains of red wax seal on
final page (wove paper with watermark: G & CO), 12mo (20 × 12.5 cm). Loss to parts of final two letters of signature due to removal of wax seal, reinforced at centerfold, a few light creases.
Lallemand (1774-1839) was one of Napoleon’s officers who, along with several others, came to the
U.S., secured a land grant in Alabama for similar French disaffecteds, but instead tried to establish a
colony in Spanish Texas on the Trinity River, which colony they named Champ d’Asile and of which
Lallemand was one of the chief projectors. See Handbook of Texas Online: Charles Lallemand; Champ
d’Asile. See Item 107 herein.
($200-400)
A Quasi-Fictional Account of the Second French Colony in Texas
106. [CHAMP D’ASILE]. [ROY, Just-Jean-Étienne]. Les aventures d’un Capitaine Français, planteur au
Texas, ancien réfugié du Champ d’Asile par Just Girard [pseudonym]. Tours: Ad Mame et Cie, ImprimeurLibraires, 1860. [4], 185 [1, blank] pp., frontispiece plate of French officer meeting Native Americans in
Texas (Cette cérémonie, passablement grotesque, coûta à la colonie force tafia). 8vo (22 × 14 cm), original navy
blue gilt decorated boards, a.e.g. Fragile French board binding worn (extremities chipped, joints open
but holding, general shelf wear, especially to covers). Interior very good except for mild to moderate foxing to first and last signatures.
Second edition of a very popular French fiction on Texas. The first edition appeared in Paris in 1858,
and after the present 1860 edition, there followed editions in 1862, 1864, 1866, 1868, 1872, and later. An
edition in English appeared at New York ca. 1876-1878, under title: The Adventures of a French Captain,
at present a planter in Texas, formerly a Refugee of Camp Asylum...Translated by the Lady Blanche Murphy
(Raines, p. 94: “Smacks somewhat of the marvelous”). Howes R479: “Fictionalized, but reasonably
authentic, account of the French settlement at Champ d’Asile.” Lagarde, The French in Texas, p. 325
(1862 edition). Monaghan 1273 cites an 1879 edition but states: “This book was first published, according to Lorenz, in 1860.” Rader 2844n (1879 edition). Streeter comments in his note to entry 1077: “The
account has the appearance of being for the most part factual, but the retelling of some of L’Heritier’s
stories as if true, such as the dances to which the inhabitants of the neighboring town of San Antonio
were invited, casts doubts on its being first hand, and part in any event is fiction.”
Monaghan remarks of the author: “Roy (1794-1870) was one of the most prolific popular writers of
his time. Just Girard was one of the several pseudonyms that he often employed. He travelled widely
and his travel accounts were extremely popular; he is said to have travelled in Mexico during the 1850s
when it is possible that he might have visited Texas. J.S. Reeves, an authority upon French exiles in
America, states that his book contains much historical background and that, despite its fictional form,
it has a considerable historical value.” (On Champ d’Asile, see Item 107 herein.)
($150-300)
Rare & Beautiful Lithograph of a Failed French Colony in Texas
107. [CHAMP D’ASILE]. RULLMANN, Ludwig (artist) & Charles Etienne Pierre Motte (lithographer). Les Lauriers seuls y croîtront sans culture [attribution below image at left in contemporary pen
and ink] “Rullmann del.” [lithographed imprint below image at right] à l’Imprie. Lithog que de C. Motte
Rue des Marais. [Paris, ca. 1818]. Lithograph on heavy paper, depicting a scene on the Trinity River set
in a landscape with palm and banana trees, cane, yucca, and lofty mountains(!), Champ d’Asile
colonists variously attired in Regency dress and French military uniforms, a man in full military regalia
at center greeting new arrivals, a hive of activity with dogs and people (felling trees, plowing a field,
laying out plans for structures), a homesick weeping man with a handkerchief and looking at an image
of his loved one, a banner flying from a lone surviving pine tree that reads “Colonie Française du
Champ D’Asile” and an open book at lower left titled “Victoires et Conquêtes.” Image: 23.2 × 33.6 cm;
image, imprint, and title: 24.5 × 33.6 cm; overall sheet: 35.4 × 46.5 cm. A few short tears to blank margins neatly mended, light age toning, professionally washed and deacidified, overall a very good copy.
Rare in commerce. Copies located: Amon Carter Museum (Fort Worth), Center for American History (Austin), Houston Public Library, Texas State Library, Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK),
Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris).
First edition. This beautiful print—the title of which in English is “Only laurels grow here without
cultivation”—is among the earliest lithographs of a scene or subject related to Texas. Pinckney (Painting in Texas: The Nineteenth Century, pp. 11-13) discusses Champ d’Asile prints by Ambrose Louis Garneray, but not the present print. The year 1818 is the first chronological listing in Ron Tyler’s preliminary study of Texas lithographs of the nineteenth century, where he includes the present print and others from the Champ d’Asile series. In his unpublished work Tyler comments:
The lithographs of early Texas range from the mythical views of the French settlement on the
Trinity and the Texas Revolution to realistic portraits of some of the participants. In addition to
sheet music, artists and publishers issued at least seven separate prints and four books about
Champ d’Asile between 1818 and 1820, products of the same Romanticism of the moment. Three
of the prints are lithographs. In Le Lauriers seuls y croitront sans culture, a French military officer,
perhaps Lallemand or Rigaud, who was left in command of the settlement when Lallemand was
absent, dominates the scene. He is shown shaking hands with one of the settlers. The other settlers are clearly soldiers, but their home-building efforts as well as their agricultural pursuits are
strongly emphasized.... Ultimately, Champ d’Asile must be considered a misguided effort, but it
is a splendid representation of the Romanticism of the era and stimulated the earliest and, in many
ways, the best and most fascinating lithographs of early Texas.
See also Handbook of Texas Online: Champ d’Asile; Handbook of Texas (first edition): Garneray Family, where Champ d’Asile is characterized as “a motley mingling of French exiles, Spaniards, Poles, Mexicans, and Americans, with a sprinkling of former pirates...more occupied with military exercises and
hunting than with cultivation of the soil,” a characterization suppressed in later editions.
The motives of Champ d’Asile’s founder, Baron Charles François Antoine Lallemand (1774-1839),
remain ambiguous. The Baron claimed the Texas settlement was agricultural, but it was rumored the
group was a military colony organized to rescue Napoleon and reinstate his empire abroad. After the
Battle of Waterloo, Lallemand accompanied Napoleon to surrender at Rochefort and attempted to follow him into exile. The British refused and imprisoned Lallemand in Malta for two months before he
escaped. Lallemand and his Bonapartist officers were condemned to death in absentia. Upon arrival in
Philadelphia in 1817, Lallemand became president of the French Emigrant Association and obtained
grants in present-day Alabama, but these grants were sold, and the 150 colonists that would populate
Champ d’Asile sailed to Galveston instead. The initial utopian stage of energetic fort-building and
munitions manufacture unraveled as summer on the Trinity arrived. The colonists suffered in fancy,
uncomfortably hot wool uniforms, battled swarms of mosquitoes, and harvested meager crops. French,
German, Italian, Belgian, Spanish, Polish, Mexican, and Swiss colonists engaged in sometimes violent
dissentions. Local Indians, initially friendly, began pilfering, and Karankawas slaughtered and supposedly devoured two colonists on a hunting expedition. In July, upon gathering intelligence that Spanish
troops were being dispatched to their fort, the colonists hastily retreated to Galveston with the assistance of the pirate Jean Laffite. In August, 1818, the final blow came in the form of a ferocious hurricane that inundated their Galveston Island refuge with water four feet deep, whereupon most of the
colonists fled to New Orleans.
The quixotic myth of the colony captured the popular imagination, and two other books on the
colony plagiarized from Hartmann and Millard (Streeter 1069) quickly appeared: Le Champ d’Asile and
Le Héroine du Texas (the latter thought to be the first novel with Texas as a setting). Subsequently, other
authors, including Honoré de Balzac (La Rabouilleuse, 1842) incorporated Champ d’Asile in creative
fiction. Contemporary music, prints, wallpaper, and even labels for wine bottles celebrated the tragic,
short-sighted colonists’ dauntless spirit. See also: All the Banners Wave: Art and War in the Romantic Era,
1792-1851 (exhibition catalog, Brown University Department of Art, 1982); François Lagarde, The French
in Texas: History, Migration, Culture (University of Texas Press, 2003); René Rémond, Les États-Unis
devant l’opinion française, 1815-1852 (2 vols., Paris: Armand Colin, 1962); Jesse S. Reeves, The Napoleonic
Exiles in America (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1905).
German painter, etcher, and lithographer Ludwig Rullmann (1765-1822) studied with David in Paris
(no doubt accounting for the strong Romantic aesthetic of this Champ d’Asile image). He worked in
Paris and exhibited at the Salon 1808-1822. He generally painted portraits and history scenes. For a brief
biography of Rullmann, see Emmanuel Bénézit, Vol. VII, p. 430. See also: Henri Béraldi, Les graveurs
du XIXème siècle, guide de l’amateur d’estampes modernes (Paris: Librairie L. Conquet, 1885-1891), p. 278.
Lithographer Charles Etienne Pierre Motte (1785-1836) operated one of the largest lithography firms
in France during the first half of the nineteenth century. In 1827, he persuaded the young Eugène
Delacroix to illustrate Goethe’s Faust and personally oversaw the work to its completion. Motte’s many
portrait subjects include Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Napoleon; he composed at least two portraits in collaboration with Ludwig Rullmann (Maurice de Nassau and Maurice of Saxony). Bénézit, Vol. VI, p. 244.
($3,000-6,000)
1861 Cherokee Almanac in Cherokee & English
108. [CHEROKEE ALMANAC]. GREENLEAF, Benjamin. [Two lines in Cherokee] 1861 Cherokee
Almanac 1861...Calculated by Benjamin Greenleaf.... Park Hill [Indian Territory]: Mission Press, Edwin
Archer, Printer, [1860]. [1] 2-36 pp., in English and Cherokee. 12mo (17 × 11.5 cm), original self-wrappers, original stitching. Wood-engraved vignette of globe, telescope, and books on recto of first leaf.
Title with small, faint stain and old ink stamp of The City Library Association, Springfield, Massachusetts. Overall, a very good copy of a rare Indian Territory almanac.
First edition. Foreman, Oklahoma Imprints 1835-1897, p. 14. Pilling 773. Bibliography of the Iroquoian
Languages, pp. 170-171. Gilcrease-Hargrett notes other editions (pp. 31, 35, 37-39, 41, 49-51, but not this
one). A standard almanac with the usual astronomical observations, religious exhortations, political
organizational information, and short articles (e.g., “Cold Water Army,” “About Seed Corn,” etc.). This
almanac was first published in 1836 by the American Mission Board, who announces on p. 31 in “The
Cherokee Almanac for 1861” that this edition will be the last. In that section, the Board also reviews
their printing efforts on behalf of the Cherokees and gives a list of titles printed. A short survey on p.
33 elicits information on literacy and the local available supplies of both English and Cherokee Bibles.
The imprint is interesting for being printed in both English and Cherokee, the only Native American
language with a syllabary devised by one of its own people, Sequoyah, the Tennessee Cherokee. He
devised eighty-six symbols for sounds in the Cherokee language. A special type font was cast for the
syllabic characters.
Printer Archer (1817-1893) was an early printer in Oklahoma and the Park Hill Press, established by
Rev. Samuel A. Worcester in 1836, was the first enduring press in Indian Territory, the press itself having been briefly used at Union Mission. Compiler Benjamin Greenleaf (1786-1864) was a Massachusetts
educator and mathematician. Park Hill, where many Cherokees settled after the Trail of Tears, was the
most important Oklahoma Territory Cherokee settlement.
($400-800)
French Gold Rush Novel with Superb Lithographs
109. [CHILDREN’S LITERATURE]. Les Petits Voyageurs en Californie.... Tours: Ad Mame et Cie,
Imprimeurs-Libraries, 1853. [4], [1] 2-188 pp., 8 chromolithographs only one of which is signed: Imp.
Lemercier, Paris. 8vo (20 × 12.3 cm), original brown gilt pictorial cloth, a.e.g. (spine extra gilt with decorative elements in gold and white laid on; upper cover with illustration of nun reading to children,
elaborately stamped with gold, blue, red, and green panels laid on; lower cover with illustration of two
boys reading, stamped in gold with blue, brown, and gold with panels laid on). Contemporary pencil ownership inscription on front free endpaper. Skillfully re-backed, original spine preserved and
laid down; a few scattered fox marks, plates very fine, overall a fine copy, the unusual binding bright
and fresh.
First edition. Cowan II, p. 837. Gumuchian 1159. Howell 50, California 360. Jones, Adventures in Americana, Checklist 1298. Kurutz, The California Gold Rush 125. Sabin 12350. This optimistic juvenile novel,
which went through several editions, recounts the voyage of M. Canton and his two sons from France
to California by way of New York and Panama. Canton, a Paris furniture maker, falls on hard times
when his business fails and his wife dies, leaving him with his sons Vincent, age fourteen, and Arthur,
age twelve. Deciding to seek his fortune in California, Canton takes his sons on what proves to be a
fairly idyllic trip to riches. As Arthur remarks: “Why not emigrate? We would be so strong the three of
us that nothing could beat us down or discourage us.” And so it went.
Among the notable plates is a charming view of San Francisco, signed by Joseph Lemercier, whose
other works include the Kendall-Nebel portfolio (see Items 399 and 435 herein). Adolphe Bayot and
Lemercier were among the best lithographic teams in Paris at the time.
($250-500)
Old Mother Hubbard
110. [CHILDREN’S LITERATURE]. M[ARTIN], S[arah] C[atherine] (attributed). Mother Hubbard
and Her Dog, A Continuation of the Comic Adventures, of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog by S.C.M.
London, Pub. Jan.-1 1807, by J. Harris corner of S. Pauls Church Yard. London, 1807. 16 leaves (text and illustrations entirely engraved, printed on one side only), 15 copper-engraved comic illustrations by author
(each about 8 × 8 cm), original bright hand coloring. 16mo (13 × 9.6 cm), stitched, sympathetic paper
backstrip. Light wear and a few minor stains and dust-soiling to outer leaves, otherwise a fine copy, with
contemporary ink ownership signature of Mr. Pick.
Second edition. Moon 561 & Osborne II, 684. The first edition was published in 1806, quickly following the success of the original story, The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog (London, 1805), one of the earliest children’s books issued for amusement only. The combination of whimsical illustrations, absence of accompanying moral lessons, and the light, nonsensical and easily repeated
verses, made Mother Hubbard a huge success at the time. The present work continues in the same vein.
Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, pp. 317-322 (on the original work):
The character of Mother Hubbard was not new, she was known in the sixteenth century in much
the same light as Tom Thumb and Mother Bunch. A satire titled Mother Hubberd’s Tale was published in 1590, however although a dog is mentioned, there is no apparent connection with the
nursery rhyme. Sarah Catherine Martin (1768-1826) wrote the rhyme while staying with her future
brother-in-law John Pollexfen Bastard, M.P., but it is not known whether she originated the
entire rhyme or embellished verses known at the time. No copy of the rhyme has been found prior
to her 1804 manuscript.
It is thought that publisher Harris’ method of coloring the amusing copper-engraved illustrations
was engaging children sitting around a table, each with his or her own pan of watercolor, a partially
painted copy to use as a guide, and a stack of printed sheets to color. Following the guide, one child
would paint the areas, and pass the sheet on to the next child, who would in turn paint the next color
and pass it on, until the image was completely painted. Percy Muir comments on publisher John Harris in English Children’s Books (New York & Washington: Praeger, 1969), pp. 100-102:
One of the most significant events in the early nineteenth century was the taking-over of the
Newbery business by John Harris, Elizabeth Newbery’s manager for many years. He was burst-
ing with new ideas.... He gave his little books a new, gay, up-to-date appearance, was among the
first to make extensive and effective use of metal engravings as opposed to woodcuts for the illustrations, and to make strikingly good use of colour.
Two of his most outstanding successes display very well the leading features of his methods.
The first of these concerns the most famous and long-lived of all the dames in nursery literature—
Old Mother Hubbard. Whether or not the character was invented by Sarah Catherine Martin,
whose initials appear on the title-page of the first edition, does not really matter very much. The
important thing is that the Adventures, with an admirable series of engravings after Miss Martin’s
drawings, were first published by Harris on June 1, 1805. The book sold in thousands immediately,
was reprinted over and over again from 1806 onwards, and was pirated and copied by many of
Harris’s rivals....
Harris, wittingly or otherwise, had catered for the vast majority of children who just wanted to
be amused, without having to pay the penalty of continual reminders to keep their faces clean,
their hair tidy, and everything else up to scratch, including their morals.
There was nothing particularly new about this “discovery”; it was simply a belated realisation
of the fact that the most persistent favourites with children have always been the old nursery
rhymes and tales, in which there was no bothersome preoccupation with anything but the sheer
delight of the jingles and stories.
The moralists kept their powder dry all right, but it never kindled very well. The return to full
jam was a success no less with the parents than with the children, for the idea that enjoyment is
sinful in itself, although by no means dead even to-day, was already less potent than it had been
under the Puritans.
Little that can be authenticated is known about Sarah Catherine Martin (1768-1826) except that she
popularized these now famous adventures of Old Mother Hubbard (see Piermont Morgan Library,
Early Children’s Books and their Illustration, Boston: Godine, 1975). As for the speculative side, Old
Mother Hubbard allegedly was written under rather silly circumstances. Martin, once the lover of the
man who would become England’s King Henry IV, was visiting the home of her future brother-in-law,
John Bastard, who was highly irritated by her babbling. He shooed her away and told her to go “write
one of your stupid little rhymes.” Supposedly, Mother Hubbard was the result of Bastard’s chastisement.
Also, it has been speculated that the popularity of Mother Hubbard was in part due to its being political satire, or possibly commentary on Thomas Cardinal Wolsey’s refusal to grant Henry VIII’s divorce
from Catherine of Aragon. The character of Mother Hubbard may have its origins in French martyr
Saint Hubert, patron saint of dogs.
($1,000-2,000)
Winnie-The-Pooh Emigrates to the U.S.
Limited to 200 Copies Signed by Author & Illustrator
111. [CHILDREN’S LITERATURE]. MILNE, A[lan] A[lexander]. Winnie-the-Pooh. By A.A. Milne
with Decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. [New York]: E.P. Dutton & Company, 1926. [2, limitation
notice], [i-vi] vii-ix [1, blank], [4], 158 [1, vignette], [3, blank] pp., printed on vellum paper, illustrated
throughout with 125 sketches by Ernest H. Shepard. 8vo (22.9 × 18.2 cm), original lavender cloth over
pink paper-covered boards, pictorial pink paper spine label, both covers with illustrations, pink laid
paper endpapers; top and fore-edge trimmed, bottom edge uncut; in original pink pictorial dust jacket;
laid in publisher’s matching box covered with pink pictorial paper. Book: Very fine, lower spinal extremity slightly bumped and minor browning to endpapers, otherwise excellent and fresh. Dust jacket:
Minor wrinkle at foot of spine (no loss or split), short minor crease at top of front panel, one light spot
on rear panel. Publisher’s box: Moderately rubbed and with some small loss of paper at corners, one corner of box lid with clean split (no loss). Glassine wrapper not present. Overall a fine copy of an archetypal children’s book in very desirable state.
First American edition, large paper copy, limited edition (#140 of 200 copies, signed by author and illustrator in ink). The work came out in England earlier the same year (including two limited editions), has
never been out of print, and has been considered a classic of children’s literature since its publication.
Shepard’s iconic illustrations perfectly complement Milne’s words.
($4,000-8,000)
Privately Printed Rail Tour through the Southwest & Mexico in 1887
112. CHURCH, John H[enry] C[offin]. Diary of a Trip through Mexico and California, with Visits at
Cincinnati, New Orleans, Galveston, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Paso del Norte, Chihuahua, Zacatecas,
Aguas Calientes, Leon, Silao, Guanajuato, Queretaro, City of Mexico, Toluca, Puebla, Pyramid of Cholula,
Tlascala, Orizaba, Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Napa Soda
Springs, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Manitou Springs, Denver, Georgetown, Chicago and Niagara Falls.
Pittsfield, Mass.: Marcus H. Rogers, Printer, 1887. [1-3] 4-72 pp. 12mo (17.3 × 11.5 cm), original light
brown cloth, upper cover gilt lettered. Binding lightly worn and with a few light spots on upper boards,
front hinge starting, text block slightly cracked near rear, one small spot on p. 3, otherwise a fine copy
of a delicate, ephemeral publication. Very scarce, only a few copies privately printed for “his friends as
a token of his esteem.”
First edition. Flake (Supplement) 1283b: “Mormons & Utah, pp. 59-62.” Not in Cowan, Rocq, Palau,
or other standard sources. A successful Berkshire, Massachusetts, merchant gives an account of his seventy-six-day trip by rail from the East Coast through New Orleans, into Texas, thence to Mexico, north
to California and then back to the East Coast through Salt Lake City, Denver, and Canada, as outlined
on the title page. In Texas he visited Galveston, Houston, El Paso, and San Antonio. In describing the
Alamo, he says: “It is a mere mass of ruins now.” Arriving at El Paso at seven in the morning, after looking around, he comments: “It is a very small and puny city.” He spends far more time describing Paso
del Norte (i.e., Ciudad Juárez), for which his contempt surpasses even that for El Paso. In California,
he visited San Francisco, of which he highly approves, calling it “a handsomely laid out city.” He spent
some time in Chinatown, about which he makes several interesting remarks, including a mention of the
Opera House Theatre. Upon visiting the Mormon Cathedral in Salt Lake City, which was still being
built, he cannot help but sniff that its organ “is not as large as the organ in the Congregational Church
at Gt. Barrington.”
Despite the cursory nature of the author’s observations, this is nevertheless a valuable travel book,
encompassing as it does a trip of several thousand miles through the wilds of the American West and
Mexico at a time when tourism by train in those regions was a fairly new option.
($300-600)
José Cisneros’ California Ranchero—Created at Dobie’s Paisano Ranch
113. CISNEROS, José. “Californian—1840.” Original finished pen and ink drawing on smooth glossy
heavy paper mounted to three mat boards, signed in ink at lower right: “J. Cisneros Paisano.” Cisneros’
pencil notes along left margin: “This picture was done on Frank Dobie’s desk, at Paisano, where I began
my series ‘Riders of the Spanish Borderlands.’ José Cisneros.” Very light pencil note in at top right, also
in Cisneros’ hand, but at a later date: “Californian—1840.” 37.1 × 25.8 cm. A California rider faces right,
mounted on his horse, which is equipped with a tooled saddle with round tapaderos, traditional
jáquima, rectangular lidded leather alfora over saddle horn, fringed saddle blanket with geometric
design, and reata attached to cantle; the rider holds braided romal reins, wears a low crowned, widebrimmed sombrero held in place by a barbiquejo, bandana around neck loosely knotted at shoulder,
short, tight-fitting dark bolero jacket with four silver conchas, white shirt with restrained embroidery,
narrow sash at waist, knee-length breeches with side buttons, over-the-knee ornately tooled leather
armitas. Other than a few minor spots, very fine.
J. Frank Dobie’s Paisano Ranch, fourteen miles southwest of Austin in the Hill Country served as a
retreat for Dobie and his friends to discuss life and literature. The ranch was preserved in its natural
state after Dobie’s death as part of the Dobie Paisano Fellowship Project and became a retreat for writers and artists. Cisneros was a recipient of the first Paisano fellowship for an artist. Cisneros was an
admirer of Dobie and enjoyed his time at Paisano Ranch, working hard and creating wonderful images
like this one. See Handbook of Texas Online: Paisano Ranch.
This finished pen and ink drawing represents the very best of Cisneros’ work, combining his deep
knowledge of the historical context of his subject and his superlative drawing skills. He is known for his
meticulously detailed pen and ink drawings of historical figures of the Spanish Borderlands and is especially renowned for his depictions of horses and horsemen. Of all the illustrators of the Borderlands and
the Southwest, Cisneros’ depictions are the most historically accurate. Much of his work has been pub-
lished in the form of book illustrations. Cisneros, a true gentleman of the Old School, was born in 1910
in Villa Ocampo, Mexico, and lived through the Mexican Revolution. Cisneros has been knighted by
Pope Paul II and King Juan Carlos of Spain, and was awarded a National Humanities Medal in 2001.
He currently resides in El Paso, Texas. With the institutionalization of the large body of Cisneros’ work,
it will no longer be so easy to obtain examples of his work. For more information on Cisneros, see John
O. West Cisneros: An Artist’s Journey. El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1993.
($2,000-4,000)
Silkscreen Print—Limited to 45 Signed & Numbered Copies
114. CISNEROS, José. Transition of Govt in Texas from Spanish to Mex. N.p., n.d. [El Paso, ca. 1997].
Silkscreen print in black, green, red, gold, and cream on thick paper. Sheet size: 73.6 × 55.8 cm; image
area: 48.5 × 38.6 cm. Small embossed crown vignette at center below image. A few faint fox marks and
thin line of mat burn to lower right blank margin, very slight wear to edges, otherwise fine. Signed in
print at lower right, “J. Cisneros—97.” A rare example of Cisneros’ work in the medium of silkscreen.
Limited edition (#10 of 45 copies), signed and numbered in pencil below image. This scene, symbolizing the end of Spanish colonial rule in 1821, depicts a group of people in nineteenth-century costume
gathered in front of a mission church with the flag of the Viceroyalty of New Spain flying in front. At
the right is a military officer in his dress uniform reading from a sheet of paper with an emblem incorporating a cross at the upper left. A drum and bugle are on the ground at his feet. Facing him are a
mounted vaquero waving his hat and a woman in a shawl, peasant blouse, and skirt with a comb in her
hair, together holding up a Mexican tricolor flag. A woman in a black dress and white shirt, holding a
basket, stands to the left with a small dog, and several men stand in the background, one waving his
hand. Only the latter flag itself is in color, making for an unusually dramatic composition unique in Cisneros’ work.
José Cisneros is known for his meticulously detailed pen and ink drawings of historical figures of the
Spanish Borderlands. See Item 113 herein.
($2,000-4,000)
Robert G. Carter’s Old Sergeant’s Story
115. CISNEROS, José. Untitled original finished pen and ink drawing on heavyweight Crescent art
board, signed in ink at lower right: “J. Cisneros.” In another hand on verso: “from ‘The Old Sergeant’s
Story.’” 48.3 × 38.2 cm. Dodging two arrows, a mounted, mustachioed U.S. Cavalry officer in full uniform with the shoulder straps of a captain, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and armed with rifle at left
and sword at right, stares straight ahead, steely-eyed as he reigns in his slightly rearing, agitated horse
branded U.S. on front left shoulder. Very fine. With this drawing is a copy of the book in which the
drawing was published:
CARTER, Robert G. The Old Sergeant’s Story: Fighting Indians and Bad Men in Texas from 1870 to 1876.
Bryan: J.M. Carroll, [1982]. [2, full-page illustration by José Cisneros], [18], [5-10] 11-220, [8, index] pp.,
4 leaves of plates (photographic). 4to (29.6 × 22.5 cm), original brown buckram. Very fine in d.j. with
illustration by Cisneros. Jacket moderately rubbed and spine light. Second edition, with new introduction by Byron Price, added index and foreword by John M. Carroll, and a useful bibliographical checklist of Carter’s works. The first edition was published in 1926. Adams, Guns 383. Howes C194. Rader
610. Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 3001. Wallace, Arizona History X:7.
Dykes remarked in the introduction to On the Border with Mackenzie, Carter’s other book on the Indian
War: “Scholars were quick to recognize that On the Border with MacKenzie contains the most complete
account of the Indian wars of the Texas frontier in the Seventies available to date. When paired with
The Old Sergeant’s Story the picture is just about all there—few can add to it.” The subject of Carter’s,
The Old Sergeant’s Story is John B. Charlton (1848-1922; Handbook of Texas Online). The book is an historical account of Sergeant Charlton’s “F” Troop and the 4th Cavalry Indian Wars (including the campaigns in West Texas).
Cisneros’ artwork, used as the d.j. and the front illustration for this edition, recreates history in his
usual meticulous technique, accurately capturing every detail of the soldier and his uniform, equipage,
weaponry, and, of course, the horse, of which Cisneros is the modern master. Cisneros’ passion for his-
torical accuracy of physical details is complemented by his rendering of movement and reaction of both
horse and man.
With the recent sale of Cisneros’ voluminous personal collection (approximately 2,500 art works), the
institutionalization of José’s other work in prior years to the University of El Paso, et al., and the sad
reality that José is no longer able to create choice works such as this one due to failing eyesight, obtaining his original works of art will prove a challenge henceforth.
($900-1,800)
#8 of 50 Special Copies—“Adobe” Boards
116. [CISNEROS, José (illustrator)]. FUGATE, Francis. The Spanish Heritage of the Southwest. Drawings by José Cisneros. Text by Francis Fugate. El Paso: Carl Hertzog [and] Texas Western Press, 1952. [35]
pp., 12 full-page illustrations and map by José Cisneros. 4to (35 × 23.5 cm), original red cloth over “adobe”
boards. Very fine in grey board slipcase with illustration leaf pasted onto upper cover of case. Signed by
Cisneros and Hertzog and with announcement laid in.
First edition, limited deluxe edition (525 copies; #8 of 50 copies printed on tan Ticonderoga paper, and
one of 24 copies with first drawing hand colored by Cisneros). Dykes, Fifty Great Western Illustrators
(Cisneros 76). Lowman, Printing Arts in Texas, pp. 19, 53; Printer at the Pass 78A: “This book was the
first publication of the Texas Western Press at what is now The University of Texas at El Paso. The text
was printed at the college press from Centaur and Arrighi type handset by students under Hertzog’s
direction.... The cover paper of this particular volume was obtained by making prints from an adobe—
the native building material of the Southwest. The mud, straw, and pebbles created a texture reflecting
the Spanish influence.” Includes a chapter and Cisneros illustration on “The Coming of the Cattle.”
($400-800)
“Lone Star Ballads”—A Rare Compilation of Confederate & Texas Songs
With an Important Texas Ranger Protest Ballad
117. [CIVIL WAR]. ALLAN, Francis D. (compiler). Allan’s Lone Star Ballads. A Collection of Southern
Patriotic Songs Made during Confederate Times, “Let me write the Ballads of a Nation and I care not who
makes the Laws.”—Montesquieu. Compiled and Revised by Francis D. Allan. Galveston: J.D. Sawyer, Publisher, 1874. [i-iii] iv, [5]-222 [2, ads] pp. 16mo (15 × 11.5 cm), original gilt-decorated purple cloth with gilt
star and title on upper cover. Professionally re-cased, binding lightly stained and touched up, new sympathetic front free endpaper, endpapers and first and last few leaves stained, small puncture to p. iii
(touching a few letters), overall a good copy of a very rare book. Signed bookplate of James C. McBride,
along with his black ink stamp on title, fore-edges, and lower pastedown.
First collected edition, with many previously unpublished songs added (e.g. “The Rebel Prisoner” and
“The Frontier Ranger”). Allan originally published a much shorter form (62 pp.?, see below) at Galveston-Houston in 1863 under title Allen’s [sic] Lone Star Ballads, No. 1. The 1863 Confederate imprint
appeared in very fragile pamphlet form and is excessively rare. The only copy located in OCLC of the
1863 edition is at the University of Texas at Austin, and their catalogue note states: “TxU copy incomplete? Page 62 ends with incomplete poem.” A few of the songs were published separately, such as
“Songs of the Texas Rangers” and Magruder’s “God Bless Our Southern Land.” References to the 1863
edition: Parrish, Civil War Texana 1. Parrish & Willingham 6615. Winkler 506. References to present
edition: Dykes, Western High Spots (“Ranger Reading”), p. 119: “Includes several [ballads] about the
Ranger leaders and companies from Texas in War Between the States.” Eberstadt 123:3 (quoting Dobie):
“A very good collection of patriotic verse of early-day Texas and the Confederacy.” Eberstadt, Texas
162:12. Leonidas Warren Payne, Jr., A Survey of Texas Literature, New York, etc.: Rand, McNally &
Company [ca. 1928], pp. 42-43. Raines, p. 6. Winkler 3336.
About two hundred songs are documented, including “The Soldiers’ Song of Pass Cavallo” by C.G.
Forshey, C.S. Engineers; “Bombardment and Battles of Galveston (From June 1, 1862, to January 1, 1863)”
by S.R. Ezzell, of Capt. Daly’s Company; “The Texas Ranger” by Englishman William Kennedy, Consul
at Galveston in 1836; “Southrons! Hear Your Country Call You” by General A.G. Pike of Arkansas; “The
Texas Soldier Boy, by a Lad of Fifteen Years Old, of the Arizona Brigade”; “Song of the Texas Ranger” by
Mrs. J.D. Young to be sung to the tune of “The Yellow Rose of Texas”; “The Horse Marines at Galve-
ston”; “Baylor’s Partisan Rangers” by Mary Ann Wilson, San Antonio; “Ben M’Culloch—He Fell at His
Post” by Ned Bracken; “The Texas Ranger” by R.R. Carpenter, of DeBray’s Regiment; “Terry’s Texas
Rangers” by Captain Estelle; “Hood’s Old Brigade” by Miss Mollie E. Moore; etc. The songs are sometimes accompanied by historical notes, such as the note to the first song in the book “Hood’s Texas
Brigade,” which states: “Capt. Riley commanded a Battery of Irishmen, from North Caroline, and was
nearly always attached to Hood’s Brigade. The ‘swarthy old hounds’ refer to his Napoleon guns.”
The songs include not only those relating to Texas, but from all parts of the Confederacy. In addition
to Confederate songs, there are songs on early Texas, and a few on the Texas Rangers. “The Frontier
Ranger” with words by M.B. Smith of the Second Texas Cavalry (pp. 92-93) is the earliest appearance in
a book of a truly Texas Ranger song. Guy Logsdon in The Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing and Other Songs
Cowboys Sing (University of Illinois Press, 1989, pp. 55-56) explores variants of the song known to Lomax
in Cowboy Songs and Haley in his biography of Charles Goodnight. Lodgson objects to Haley characterizing “The Frontier Ranger” as “doggerel.” Logsdon states that the song is, in fact: “A protest ballad
from a people who seldom resorted to protest songs. It is a statement protesting the lack of appreciation
from politicians and citizenry. The Rangers received little financial reward, a limited food supply, and no
moral support at all except when they were needed.... [It] is a genuine frontier protest song. The first
printing appeared under the title ‘The Frontier Ranger’ in Allan’s Lone Star Ballads (1874).... The song
refers to ‘going home to the States,’ which implies the song was composed before statehood in 1845.”
Logsdon goes on to give the musical score for the ballad. It has been suggested that the earliest published
version of this ballad was in the Lone Star and Texas Ranger, a newspaper printed by Joseph Lancaster,
located in Brenham, Texas during the 1850s. We have not attempted to verify that claim.
In his introduction, Allan provides a concise statement of his method and purposes in publishing this
work:
During the War the Compiler of this little volume published a small pamphlet of Southern War
Songs under the title of Allan’s Lone Star Ballads, No. 1, also a number in sheets, with the promise
that some day he would issue them, with many never before in print, in a more durable form, for
preservation. Until now he has been prevented from making good this promise, through heavy
losses, the legitimate result of the war, and which was followed by the wanton burning of all his
property by Major G.W. Smith and the Federal Soldiers under his command, at the city of Brenham, in Texas, on the night of the seventh of September, 1866, long after the war was supposed to
be over, and from the effects of which he has never recovered. Many of the songs in hand at that
time were also destroyed, and for the past eight years he has been engaged in re-gathering them,
with many that he did not have before. For these he has to return his heartfelt thanks to many
kind friends, some of them personally unknown to him....
And now, at last, he has the pleasure of offering his little book to the kind regards of all who
may think worthy of consideration and preservation the songs so often “sung around the campfires” by companions-in-arms who have “fought their last battle” and “passed over the river” from
their sight forever.
The twenty-two pages of ads, some of which are pictorial, are useful for Galveston local history studies and certainly give testament to “Cotton was King” and the booming depot of commerce Galveston
was at that time. Advertisers include W.L. Cushing & Moore Eagle Cotton Gin and Machinery
Depot, Mendez & Morales Havana Cigars, J.D. Sawyer Lightning News and Book Dealer (publisher
of this book), Anderson & Bennett Photographic Artists, Memphis Cotton and Hay Press, Madame
L’Etondal French Dress Maker, J.V. Chaplin Saddle & Harness Maker, Shattuck’s Non-Explosive
Solar Oil and Portable Gas Light Depot, The Railroad Ticket Office, etc. Most interesting is the final
ad (2 pp.) by author Allan as a subscription book agency, who declares: “No man has a right to bring up
his children without surrounding them by Books....”
($250-500)
Walker’s Greyhounds
118. [CIVIL WAR]. [BLESSINGTON, Joseph Palmer]. The Campaigns of Walker’s Texas Division, by a
Private Soldier. Containing a Complete Record of the Campaigns in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas; the Skirmish at Perkins’ Landing and the Battles of Milliken’s Bend, Bayou Bourbeux, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, Jenk-
ins’ Ferry, &c., &c., Including the Federal’s Report of the Battles, Names of the Officers of the Division, Diary
of Marches, Camp Scenery, Anecdotes, Description of the Country Through Which the Division Marched, &c.,
&c.... New York: Published for the Author by Lange, Little & Co., Printers, 108 to 114 Wooster Street,
1875. [1-5] 6-314 pp. 8vo (23 × 15.5 cm), original blind-stamped olive green cloth, spine lettered and decorated in gilt with lone star. Moderate insect damage (especially to spine), some wear at tips, light
waterstaining to front endpapers, interior fine.
First edition. Basic Texas Books 17: “The only complete history of the largest single unit of Texas troops
in the Civil War, the only division in the Confederate army composed of troops from a single state....
The unit...was the backbone of the Confederate forces of the Trans-Mississippi West.” Coulter, Travels in the Confederate States 41: “Written ten years after the war from various notes and documents and
from memory, this work is explicit about the journeying of the military unit to which the author
belonged and is also peppered with brief comments on the country through which he marched. Blessington was more travel-minded than the usual writer of regimental histories.” Eberstadt, Texas 162:73.
Howes B533. Jumonville, Louisiana History: An Annotated Bibliography 793. Nevins, Civil War Books I:61.
Parrish, Civil War Texana 11: “Blessington was a common soldier who possessed an uncommon grasp of
the big picture.” Raines, p. 27: “One of the best war histories written, as to the Texas troops.” Walker’s
command was instrumental in protecting Texas from Federal invasion. See Handbook of Texas Online:
Walker’s Texas Division.
($300-600)
The Last Major Confederate Army East of the Mississippi Surrenders
119. [CIVIL WAR]. CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY. ARMY OF TENNESSEE. “Terms of a
Military Convention entered into this twenty sixth (26th) day of April, 1865, at Bennett House, near
Durham’s Station, North Carolina, between General Joseph E. Johnston, Commanding the Confederate Army, and Major General W.T. Sherman, Commanding the United States Army in North Carolina.” Signed “W.T. Sherman,” “Joseph E. Johnston,” and “Archer Anderson.” Entirely in a secretarial
hand. [1] p., 4to (26.5 × 21 cm) on pale tan wove paper. Docketed on verso, “Terms of Surrender of the
Army of Tennessee.” Creased where formerly folded, a few light wrinkles and stains, upper blank margin repaired (not affecting text). Overall a very good contemporary copy of this important document
which basically ended the Civil War east of the Mississippi River.
The listed surrender terms include five clauses, providing: (1) that all hostilities will cease as of today’s
date; (2) that all arms and public property are to be deposited with an ordinance officer at Greensboro;
(3) that duplicate rolls are to be made, one for the Union and the other for the Confederate side, and
that each man will promise in writing not to take up arms against the U.S.; (4) that officers may keep
side arms, horses, and baggage; and (5) that all Southern officers and men may return peaceably to their
homes once the above conditions are satisfied.
This document is the result of somewhat tortured negotiations between the two parties, which were
complicated by Lincoln’s assassination. After the Battle of Bentonville, Johnston moved his army
towards Greensboro, where he met Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Davis, upon learning that
Lee had already surrendered, allowed Johnston to consult with Sherman. The first meeting was held on
April 17 at Bennett’s farmhouse, approximately halfway between the two lines. Little was resolved;
Johnston wanted a surrender that included political terms, whereas Sherman wanted a simple military
surrender. At their second meeting the next day, the two generals agreed on a liberal surrender document proposed by Sherman, which Davis also approved. However, political tensions sabotaged this
agreement, and Grant ordered Sherman to negotiate a military surrender only, with terms similar to
those he had given Lee at Appomattox Courthouse.
($8,000-12,000)
Surrender of the Western Confederate Army
120. [CIVIL WAR]. CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY. DEPARTMENT OF THE TRANSMISSISSIPPI WEST. “Terms of Military Convention entered into this 26th day of May 1865 at New
Orleans [i.e., Shreveport] La between Gen E. Kirby Smith Confederate States Army commanding the
Dept, Trans Miss & Maj Gen. E.R.S. Canby U S Army Cmg the Army & Div’s of West Miss’s for the
surrender of the Military and Naval authorities of the Texas Miss Dept.” Signed “S.B. Buckner,” “P. Jas
Asterhaus” “J.N. Gallaher” and “Austin N. Standish”; noted as “Official Copy”; “Supplemental Articles”
signed and noted same as above; “General Order, Shreveport, June 2, 1865” signed by Maj Gen Parsons
and J. Waldo (authentic signature), noted as “Official”; undated (but June 2, 1865) “General Order”
signed by “Col. Mitchell” and Waldo (authentic signature). [4] pp. on two sheets of light gray wove
paper with stationer’s mark reading “Correspondentia Particulae.” Almost entirely in secretarial hand.
Creased where formerly folded, some small voids with loss of some letters at folds and other places; second sheet is moderately waterstained at bottom. Professionally stabilized and conserved, including
infilling voids and tissue support for both leaves, and encapsulation.
This “Military Convention” includes eight clauses, providing: (1) the immediate cessation of hostilities; (2) parole to Confederates with provision for duplicate rolls to be made; (3) the surrender of all
armaments with duplicate lists to be made of the equipment; (4) for troops to return peaceably to their
homes with the exception of those who must take the oath of allegiance first; (5) the exemption of personal horses and baggage from being surrendered; (6) a time to issue the paroles; (7) that the document
applies to all Army and Navy officers in Smith’s command; and (8) public subsistence and transportation to the paroled troops. The “Supplemental Orders” provide: (1) that property to be surrendered will
be given to a designated official; (2) that Confederate States naval property will be surrendered to
appointed commissioners; and (3) that parolees will serve as guards of public property until regular U.S.
troops arrive to assume those duties. The June 2, 1865, General Order states that muster rolls will be
immediately made out to expedite the process of granting paroles. The undated General Order requires
commanders and other officers to comply with the June 2, 1865, general order.
These documents represent the last chapter in the Civil War. The final battle of the war took place in
Texas at Palmito Ranch on May 13, 1865, when Rip Ford’s outnumbered troops defeated a superior Union
force. However, none of that changed the fact that Lee, Johnston, and basically all Confederate forces
east of the Mississippi River had already surrendered. The news of Lee’s surrender caused a devastating
loss of morale and occasioned desertions in Texas. The Transmississippi West Confederate Commander,
E. Kirby Smith, hastened toward Houston to rally his troops, only to find that none were left. When he
finally reached Houston on May 27, he discovered that on the previous day, Buckner, acting in his name,
had surrendered his army, which is the act documented here. With this surrender the Civil War actually
came to an end, although Smith himself did not formally surrender to Canby until June 2.
With these documents is a small archive of research materials, which includes, inter alia, photocopies
from secondary sources of biographical information about the participants, a copy of the original documents from the National Archives, and an original issue of the August 9, 1908, (St. Louis) Sunday Post
Dispatch Magazine, which has an article, “Found: Confederate Surrender Papers” that describes the last
desperate hours of the Confederacy and the selling of a copy of the surrender agreement by a Smith
descendent.
Edmund Kirby Smith (1824-1893), after showing great skill in the war in the East, was made commander of the Transmississippi Department in 1862, a command he held for the duration. He moved
back east after the war and died in Tennessee. Simon Bolivar Buckner (1823-1914), the man who initially
surrendered the army, was commander of the District of Arkansas and West Louisiana at the time, a
post to which he was promoted after a rising career in the Confederate Army. Ironically, he was good
friends with Ulysses S. Grant because of their mutual service in the Mexican-American War and later
served as one of Grant’s pallbearers.
Any contemporary copy of such orders is rare. Copies of any such documents marked as “official”
are especially so. This one is particularly significant for both Confederate and Texas history.
($8,000-12,000)
Rare Regimental History—P.O.W. at Camp Ford & Service in Brownsville
121. [CIVIL WAR]. DUNGAN, J[ames] Irvine. History of the Nineteenth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer
Infantry, by J. Irvine Dungan. Davenport, Iowa: Publishing House of Luse & Griggs, 1865. [i-v] vi-viii,
[ix], 10-187 [1, blank] pp., folded lithograph map of region of the Battle of Bayou Fordoche: Plan of Sterling Farm and Vicinity. Lith. by A. Hageboeck, Davenport, Iowa. [above neat line at right] Luse & Griggs,
Binders, Davenport (neat to neat line: 16.5 × 21.9 cm). 8vo (19.5 × 13 cm), original three-quarter black
leather with black leather label on upper cover with title, author, and publisher lettered in blind. Bind-
ing shaken, worn, and rubbed (portions of paper covering boards and leather missing, corners worn and
rounded, lower board bent), interior foxed and several pages stained (especially pages 51, 118-119), old
paper repair on pp. 14-15. Map slightly wrinkled and with a few stains, trimmed short at left margin with
slight loss of border. Contemporary ink and pencil notes at front and scattered throughout book, relating to the Adell family, with some additions and corrections to printed text and with elucidating information on some men in the regiment—at times grim (“shot through lung”) or somewhat poignant
(“married my girlfriend”). This copy belonged to Howell G. Adell, who is listed in the printed roster at
the front. The roster at the front lists another family member, John T. Adell, who died in a hospital at
New Orleans on August 22, 1863 (noted in register at rear of book listing “Death, Discharge or Transfer” of each man). Author Dungan is listed in Company C with occupation of “student.” Tipped in is
an article with photograph about General T.H. Stanton, who served as Captain of Company C. Very
rare copy of a much sought Iowa regimental with excellent content on Texas.
First edition. Alice Marple, Iowa Authors and Their Works (Des Moines: Historical Department of
Iowa, 1918), p. 80. Not in Coulter (Travels in the Confederate States), Howes, Nevins (Civil War Books),
Sabin, and other sources. Rare in commerce (we trace only three copies in commerce, none at auction):
(Copy 1) 1944: Midland 20:84: “For a time this regiment was stationed at Brownsville, Texas. Contains
a fine account of the travels of escaped prisoners, who made their way from a point about 40 miles South
of the Sabine River to the Indian Territory”; (Copy 2) 1945: Goodspeed 381:1112; (Copy 3) 1960: Midland 78:24 (referring to the copy they sold in 1944): “We got eleven orders for the book. This is the second copy we have seen.”
In 1862 the Civil War began to involve the Transmississippi states in a serious way. In July President
Lincoln called for 300,000 new volunteers. The Nineteenth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was the
first unit formed in Iowa after the President’s call. For the most part, the men were from Washington
County and enrolled in Company C, ensuring that some of the recruits were personally acquainted. The
regiment was activated in Keokuk in August, 1862. In the regimental roster printed in this book, the
author’s stated occupation was student, he joined at age eighteen, and he became the historian of the
Nineteenth Regiment in Davenport in 1865. A register at the back of the book tells what happened to
each man in the regiment (many entries with additional ink notes).
Within three months of the end of the war, Dungan wrote this rare regimental history, giving it an
immediacy and freshness not always found in regimental histories written long after the events
described. Dungan’s account is especially valuable for his eye-witness accounts in the South and Texas:
guarding Vicksburg after its fall; the Battle of Sterling’s Plantation in Louisiana, gruesome conditions
at Camp Ford when Dungan was a prisoner of war in Texas (includes valuable accounts by fellow prisoners); Dungan’s escape from prison and traveling from Texas to Indian Territory and transfer to
Arkansas; his involvement in prisoner exchange in New Orleans; his sailing the Gulf with a flotilla of
over twenty ships led by Banks’ naval and land invasion launched from New Orleans to Brazos de Santiago on the Texas coast; his experiences during Union occupation of Brownsville; 1864 operations on
sea and land in the South (Fort Barrancas and Fort Gaines in Florida, Mobile and other areas in Alabama, New Orleans, Mississippi, etc.).
Dungan captures in horrifying detail man’s inhumanity to man in describing the shocking and brutal conditions (“Rebel cruelty”) at Camp Ford near Tyler, Texas, the largest Confederate prison camp
west of the Mississippi River:
Our weary waiting again ended in disappointment, for we were marched back to Tyler, where we
found between four and five thousand prisoners, most of them without even huts. Men of every
tribe and tongue and nation, from every State of the Union, or out, old and young, and Indians
of every tribe were assembled here; ragged many of them, while many were not blessed with a
rag,—a blanket thrown over their shoulders protected them from the heat of mid-day and the chill
dews of the night. There were men literally swarming with body-lice,—“greybacks”—and sick
men lying on their backs in the hot sand under a burning sun, breathing out their life in all this
squalor and misery. Instead of the last kind word or prayers, fell on his ear curses and rough jests.
Idiocy, and as heart-sickening as any thing, was the passive indifference with which these things
came to be regarded. Men standing by laughed at some drivelling wretch praying for something
to eat. When one was sick the stomach refused the coarse corn dodger, and in his way came star-
vation,—not to the strong men who could have endured scanty fare, but to those who were sick
and weak,—to those who would lie near the sinks day and night, their clothes stiffening with their
own filth, maggots and lice crawling over them till they died.
And at the gate of our pen lay a pile of rough pine coffins, constantly diminishing, constantly
replenished while on an opposite slope, each day fresh mounds were made.
The pen for the hounds was in sight of the stockade, and many times we have seen the pack
take the scent of some of our number, and rarely fail to bring them back.
One morning near our breakfast hour, we were aroused by a great outcry from a crowd assembled near the centre of the stockade, and repairing to the spot, beheld a sight that rises before my
mind’s eye every time I hear the word “pardon” or Jeff Davis. A negro woman is being whipped,—
a young, likely woman, standing on the opposite side-hill, in plain sight, with clothes held high
up, exposing her body from her shoulders downward, is writhing and shrieking under the cruel
strokes of the whip in the hands of a young man near her age. As stroke after stroke falls upon
the quivering flesh, we could hear the sharp blow of the whip and see it curl around her back, hips
and legs, and each moment seemed to add to the burning anger of the northern men, compelled
to look on, as much as to the agony of the helpless victim; and the maledictions of our crowd upon
the hill, were hurled at the brute in human form, and were heard too. Besides our five thousand,
there were scores of southern chivalry lounging around enjoying both the suffering of the woman
and the discomfiture of the Yankees....
Dungan’s sojourn in Brownsville is filled with sparkling observations on both sides of the multicultural border, at times reflecting the prejudices of his time:
Brownsville was reached and some large warehouses taken for quarters. Here we were as far away
from home as we could get and stay in the United States. Just across the river was the city of
Matamoras, in Mexico. We were on the very outskirts of Uncle Sam’s wide-spread domain.
Brownsville contains a population of seven or eight thousand, and many fine buildings both
public and private, and five or six churches of different denominations. Many of the people are
Mexicans, who though very wealthy are a miserable looking set.... The Spanish ladies justify fully
the descriptions given in novels,—all that charming grace is theirs. Most of the ladies wear the
Serape—a sort of scarf, over the head and shoulders. Every evening the brass band discoursed
sweet music, and the natives of every age, sex, shade of color, condition and dress, assembled to
hear it....
The objects of interest in Matamoras were many to an American. The Mexican people are
anomalous—they are a human paradox, for they are squalid, untidy, quarrelsome and thievish, yet
they love music and perform well on various instruments, and are fond of paintings, exhibiting a
degree of artistic skill in many of their productions.... Their dress is varied and fantastic,—they
love gaud and glitter.... Gens. Ord and Herron, on visiting Matamoras today...were met with great
eclat, receiving a salute of thirty guns and two hundred bottles of champagne.
Dungan’s account of the Battle of Bayou Fordoche or Sterling’s Plantation, near Morganza,
Louisiana, on September 29, 1863, differs from others of the time and later. The account is accompanied
by a detailed area map of the battle. In this battle, General Thomas Green’s tenacious Texas troops
routed the Federals, and Dungan and many of his companions were taken prisoner. Dungan refutes the
contention that his regiment was surprised by the Texans:
Gen. Green himself, riding up to Leake asked “Why don’t you stop this firing?”—the men, many of
them from fence corners and odd places of concealment, continuing to fire till their guns were
wrenched from their hands. It seems to be the impression that we were surprised is to be taken off
your guard, when unprepared and unexpected. It means a want of vigilance and fore-sight; it means
that duty has been neglected in some particular, and in none of these things were we surprised.
Our pickets first saw the advancing skirmish line of the enemy; our pickets fired the first shots,
and the rebels had only replied by a few shots, when the 19th was in line; and our regiment delivered the first volley of the fight.
Then we were not surprised in the attack, but there was that to surprise in the defense, that four
hundred and fifty men should hold at bay over five thousand for two hours and ten minutes by the
watch, was surprising. To learn afterward that the killed and wounded of the rebels were equal to
our whole number engaged, was surprising....
In the introduction the author apologizes for his “rude and disconnected” style and his “uncouth language,” chalking it up to his being “fresh from rough camp life, and in the first excitement of reaching
home,” yet his descriptions are excellent, capture colorful detail, add to our knowledge of Civil War history, and often are wise beyond his green years. On March in Missouri, he observes Native Americans:
Here a party of Indians passed us on their way to Gen. Blunt’s Army. Some were on foot—some
on horseback and others—wee ones—swinging in baskets from the saddle—both sexes, old and
young, in no kind of order, enjoying life too, apparently,—on the principle, I suppose that “ignorance is bliss.”
Dungan (May 29, 1844-December 28, 1931) is listed in several biographical dictionaries, but none of
those sources mentions the present book, which was probably written and published primarily for the
members of the regiment (the few surviving copies are usually author’s presentation copy or have association interest, such as the present copy). After the adventures and rigors described in this work, Dungan went on to lead an active life of public service. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress:
James Irvine Dungan, a Representative from Ohio; born in Canonsburg, Washington County, Pa.,
May 29, 1844; attended the common schools; received an academic education at the local academy
at Denmark, Iowa, and at the college at Washington, Iowa; studied law; was admitted to the bar in
1868 and commenced practice in Jackson, Jackson County, Ohio; during the Civil War served as
color sergeant in the Nineteenth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry; superintendent of schools of
Jackson, Ohio, and city and county school examiner, 1867 and 1868; mayor of Jackson, 1869; member of the State senate, 1877-1879; delegate to the Democratic National Convention, 1880; elected
as a Democrat to the Fifty-second Congress (March 4, 1891-March 3, 1893); unsuccessful candidate
for reelection to the Fifty-third Congress in 1892; attorney in the Interior Department, 1893-1895;
returned to Jackson, Ohio, and resumed the practice of law; city solicitor, 1913; engaged in the practice of his profession until his death in Jackson, Ohio, on December 28, 1931.
($1,000-2,000)
Grant Orders a Confederate Ship to be Held in Port
122. [CIVIL WAR]. GRANT, Ulysses S[impson]. Retained copy of autograph letter signed to
Brigadier General Shipley, City Point, Virginia, February 8, 1865, with contemporary note at top left
“Sent.” Verso number “268” on verso. One page on laid paper, 8vo (24 × 18.2 cm), engraved stationery
“Head Quarters Armies of the United States.” Creased where formerly folded, a few fox marks, affixed
to mat with brown paper tape. Matted with a nineteenth-century engraved portrait of Grant (browned),
framed, and glazed. Another print of Grant included with lot.
The letter has good content warning of “Mr. Laws” who has been seeking authority to come through
with a steamer he has at Norfolk loaded with goods “for the use of people in rebellion and expected to
bring back cotton.” Grant tells the recipient to see that neither Mr. Laws nor his boat be allowed
through. It is amusing that a Southern sympathizer would ask Grant for permission to sail with a boatload of goods for the Rebels.
($4,000-6,000)
Union P.O.W.
Internment at & Escape from Libby Prison—Unpublished
123. [CIVIL WAR]. HOOD, John. Collection of autograph manuscript speeches about the Civil War
and his experiences, written and delivered by Hood at various venues during the nineteenth century.
Also included are other miscellaneous documents relating to Hood. All Hood’s speeches are in ink in
his hand. All the documents were at some point in a fire and are lightly smoke damaged, especially at
their edges. The collection consists of:
“LECTURE ON PRISON LIFE.” 174 pages (wanting pp. 44-45) on 87 leaves of ruled paper. 4to (24.5
× 19.5 cm). Includes 4 additional pages of “Outline of Lecture on Prison Life” on half sheets, which are
his lecture notes for the main speech. Many leaves have marginal chipping touching a few letters, some
leaves are torn or otherwise damaged. On the whole, however, basically complete and quite legible. The
narrative is well written and insightful, briefly touching on his enlistment in 1862 but rapidly moving to
his capture the next year and his experiences as a Confederate POW. After being captured near Rome,
Georgia, he was taken to Libby Prison, where he spent nearly a year. His detailed descriptions of the
struggle to survive prison life and the numerous escape episodes give what appears to be a fairly accurate picture of prison life there. He was finally transferred to Charleston, where he was used as a human
shield. He managed to escape, only to be recaptured near Federal lines in Tennessee. His comments on
the kindnesses showed him by the slaves, one of whom supplied him with a Confederate uniform, and
sympathetic Southerners he encountered stand in contrast to his depictions of the cruel treatment
afforded him by his Confederate captors. He was often transferred, and the narrative contains descriptions of Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, Athens, and Goldsboro. He finally was exchanged in North
Carolina right at the end of the war. This is a major, unpublished Civil War POW narrative. It was
delivered at Greene’s Opera House, Rapid City, Iowa.
“MEMORIAL ADDRESS AT MOSCOW, ILL, MAY 30, 1892.” 40 pages on 40 leaves of ruled
paper. 4to (24.5 × 19.5 cm). All leaves are somewhat stained. This lecture is a patriotic Memorial Day
address and somewhat a biography of and tribute to John A. Logan.
“MEMORIAL ADDRESS AT LISBON MAY 29, 188[?].” 36 pages on 36 leaves of ruled paper. 4to
(24.5 × 19.5 cm). All leaves are somewhat stained. Several leaves are adhered together. This lecture is a
patriotic Memorial Day address.
“MEMORIAL ADDRESS AT ALEDO MAY 30, 95.” 47 pages on 47 leaves of ruled paper. 4to (24.5
× 19.5 cm). All leaves are lightly stained. Tied with string at left margin. This lecture is another patriotic Memorial Day address.
“LOGAN MEMORIAL ADDRESS.” 16 pages on 16 leaves of ruled paper. 4to (24.5 × 19.5 cm). All
leaves are lightly stained. A memorial tribute to John Alexander “Black Jack” Logan (1826-1886), Illinois native and prominent Union Civil War general. After participating in the Mexican-American War,
he was elected a Congressman from southern Illinois. During the Civil War, he progressed steadily in
rank and was commander of the Army of the Tennessee forces at the Battle of Atlanta, although he was
eventually relieved of command. Returning to Congress after the war, he was the founder of Memorial
Day in 1868. His political career continued, and he was elected U.S. Senator and ran with James G.
Blaine as his vice-presidential candidate. John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois, is named for
him. See DAB.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Typed letter signed to U. Franklin Smiley, Austin, Texas, November 10, 1904,
on Austin Electric Railway Company letterhead. 2½ pages. 4to (27.5 × 21.5 cm). Creased where formerly
folded, chipped, browned, and fire damaged, but with no loss of text. In this letter Hood gives a brief
autobiography.
CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED. Two autograph letters signed, one from the Presbyterian
Church at Galesburg, Illinois, April 30, 1889, calling Hood to be their minister; and another from the
Presbyterian Church at Sparta, June 1, 1870, also calling him to be their minister. Both are signed by all
on the appointment committee. Creased where formerly folded, stained.
CORRESPONDENCE & MILITARY PAPERS. One Hood autograph letter signed and sixteen
accomplished forms and form letters concerning Hood’s pension application, 1864-1865. Included are
returns of stores for Hood’s command and his original commission. All are creased where formerly
folded. The commission is wanting text because of fire damage and is in poor condition.
CIVIL WAR POETRY. DEWOLFE, George G.B. (1835-1873). “R.J. Harmer, Quartermaster of 80th
Illinois.” Autograph poem, 1½ pages. 4to (25.5 × 20 cm). “Written in a few minutes in the National Hotel,
Annapolis, MD, by the Wandering Poet of N.H.” Creased where formerly folded, lightly stained. An
unusual piece of Civil War poetry. Harmer apparently served with and was imprisoned with Hood.
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS. One sheet on both sides of which have been pasted several contemporary newspaper clippings reviewing Hood’s lecture given at Greene’s Opera House. Although in gen-
eral flattering, one commentator notes that Hood’s voice was a high-pitched, irritating disappointment,
lacking resonance.
Illinois native John Hood (1838-1905), according to his biographical information above and other
sources, spent his early life on a farm and graduated from present-day Indiana University in 1862.
Instead of pursuing an intended career in politics and law, he joined the Union army in 1862 as a captain in Company F, 80th Regiment, Illinois infantry. He was captured in 1863 and spent the rest of the
war as a POW. He then became superintendent of schools at Sparta, Illinois, before being licensed to
preach. He spent the remainder of his life as a Presbyterian minister and is buried at Oak Hill cemetery at Grand Rapids.
($2,000-4,000)
The Partisan Rangers of the Confederate States Army
124. [CIVIL WAR]. [ JOHNSON, Adam Rankin (“Stovepipe”)]. The Partisan Rangers of the Confederate States Army. Edited by William J. Davis. Louisville, Kentucky: Geo. G. Fetter Company, 1904. [i-v]
vi-xii, [2], 1-476 pp., 65 photographic plates (including frontispiece, portraits, architecture, scenes). 8vo
(23 × 16 cm), original dark red cloth, title in gilt on front cover and backstrip, floral endpapers. Binding
with a few minor stains and slightly rubbed (a bit of board exposed at joints and lower corners), otherwise fine, interior excellent. Contemporary pencil ownership signature.
First edition. Basic Texas Books 108: “One of the most interesting firsthand narratives of Texas Indian
fighting, stage coaching, and Confederate cavalry operations. Johnson fought Indians in Texas in the
1850s, was a driver for the Butterfield Overland Stage in Texas, and surveyed a vast amount of virgin
territory in West Texas.” Coulter, Travels in the Confederate States 257. Graff 2213. Howes J122. Nevins,
Civil War Books I:113. Parrish, Civil War Texana 51.
Kentucky native Rankin (1834-1922) came to Texas in 1854, where he held various jobs, including
being one of the more important West Texas surveyors. After the Civil War, in which he served with
distinction but from which he emerged blind, he returned to Texas and founded Marble Falls. See
Handbook of Texas Online.
($150-300)
Texans Who Wore the Gray
125. [CIVIL WAR]. JOHNSON, Sid[ne y] S[mith]. Texans Who Wore Gray by Sid S. Johnson Capt. 3rd
Texas Cavalry, Ross Brigade, C.S.A., and Brigadier General Texas Brigade, Forrest’s Cavalry, U.C.V.... Copyright Secured. Volume One [all published]. [Tyler, 1907]. [14], 5-407 [1, blank] pp., photographic text illustrations (portraits), 2 full-page. 8vo (23 × 6 cm), original navy blue cloth, title in gilt on spine and upper
cover. A few minor spots to lightly worn binding, gilt lettering on spine flecked, text with light uniform
browning (due to poor quality of paper), overall a very good copy.
First edition. Basic Texas Books 110: “One of the most useful biographical compilations relating to Texans who served in the Confederacy. It includes biographies of 384 participants in the Civil War, as well
as 66 personal anecdotes of war service.” Howes J152. Nevins, Civil War Books II:225. Parrish, Civil War
Texana 52: “This extremely interesting and useful reference deserves to be reprinted with a carefully
compiled index.”
($300-600)
Archive of Nineteenth-Century Life in Southeast Texas
German—Texana—Civil War—An Embattled Steamboat—Ornate Ship Register
Rare Confederate Imprint
126. [CIVIL WAR]. [KOPKE-GRIPON FAMILY ARCHIVES]. Approximately 140 items chronicling the lives of two Texas families (and a steamboat). The archive contains personal and business correspondence, legal and other documents, photographs, artifacts, and other materials by and about
Charles H. and Catharina Kopke, Theodore and Lucretia Gripon, and their children and grandchildren, as well as Theodore’s steamboats Cora I and Cora II. The earliest letter is dated 1844 and concerns
family property in Maine; the last is dated 1937 and concerns family property in Sabine Pass, Texas.
Most of the material is dated from about 1860 to 1900.
The Kopkes emigrated from Schleswig-Holstein to San Felipe, Texas, a decade before the Civil War.
Charles H. Kopke, the father, arrived in 1848 and, after some trials, was able to bring his wife, Catharina, and two sons over sometime around 1852. A third son, Louis, was born in 1856 in San Felipe, Texas.
The older sons, Heinrich F. Kopke and Charles A. Kopke, served in the Confederate Army during the
Civil War and were stationed in Texas and Louisiana. The archive contains over twenty wartime letters
between the sons and their parents at home. The letters are in German, but translations are present for
almost all of them. It may well be that Heinrich died in the war. His last letter is dated June 23, 1863, from
Berwick City, Louisiana, during what came to be called the Battle of Port Hudson, the longest siege battle in American history (May 21-July 9, 1863). He is not buried in the San Felipe de Austin Cemetery with
his parents and brother Charles. Charles’ last letter is dated July 29, 1864, from Galveston Island.
One particularly interesting letter is Heinrich’s last, written from Berwick City, Louisiana, where his
regiment had just arrived. Heinrich describes a battle on the Tuesday and Wednesday previous in which
300 Confederate soldiers defeated a force of 1100 Yankees and 2000 Blacks under General Banks (the
Yanks were caught sleeping in their tents), capturing all their provisions and supplies, including two
thousand barrels of flour, one hundred fifty thousand pounds of coffee, bacon, potatoes, dried peas,
apples, pickles, shoes, and blue Yankee clothing ten times better than the Confederate gray material.
Heinrich anticipates a counterattack in the next few days because the Yanks will want their supplies
back. He writes that the Yankees bury their dead in mass graves and barely cover them. Major Gen.
Nathaniel Banks had earned the sobriquet “Commissary Banks” among Confederate soldiers because
of his previous tremendous loss of supplies to Stonewall Jackson in 1862.
The youngest Kopke son, Louis J. Kopke, was born in 1856. He was in the first graduating class of
the Texas Agricultural & Mechanical College (1879) and went into the railroad business in Beaumont.
He was chief of the Engineering Department of the Gulf, Beaumont & Kansas City Railway. Louis
married Jessie Gripon, the daughter of Theodore and Lucretia, in 1886.
The Gripon family had their roots in France and the Netherlands. Theodore Gripon’s father was from
France, and Lucretia Van Woert Gripon’s ancestors were among the early Dutch settlers of New York.
Theodore and Lucretia met and married in Mobile, Alabama, and moved soon afterward to New
Orleans, then Houston and Galveston, finally settling in Sabine Pass, Texas, shortly before the Civil War.
Theodore Gripon owned and operated two steamboats, both named Cora and both used in the cotton trade. One ran up the Trinity River from Galveston; the second Cora ran between New Orleans or
south Texas and Mexico. The latter was owned jointly by Theodore Gripon, Charles Gearing, and
Richard King (of the King Ranch). In 1863, the second Cora was registered under the Confederate flag.
(The broadside certificate of registration is included in the archive.) Loaded with cotton and under the
command of a hired captain, she was captured near Tampico by the Yankees. Much of the Cora-related
material in the archive concerns either the apparently unhappy involvement of Richard King in the joint
ownership venture or the post-Civil War legal claim by Gripon and Gearing against the United States
for damages resulting from the capture of the Cora.
The Gripon portion of the archive reveals much, not only about family matters but also about life in
southeast Texas in the latter third of the nineteenth century. Letters between the Gripon sisters predominate the decade from the mid 1880s to 1897. Interesting little details abound, including the 1889
Thanksgiving menu for just a few people “other than the boarders”: turkey, three baked chickens,
chicken salad, white celery, butter beans, Lyonnais potatoes, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, white
turnips, white head cabbage, baked ducks, pickles, corn, apple jelly, and for desert Coconut cake, Minnehaha cake, fruit cake, oranges, apples, mince pie, and Catawba wine.
Following is a sampling of the material (a full inventory is available online at our web site):
CIVIL WAR LETTERS. Twenty-three Civil War letters between the Kopke parents and their sons in
the Confederate Army, including interesting details on camp life and the Battle of Port Hudson,
Louisiana.
STEAMBOATS Cora I and Cora II & A RARE CONFEDERATE BROADSIDE: Documentation
on Theodore Gripon’s two steamboats, both named Cora, which were engaged in the cotton trade and
one of which was captured by the Yankees off Tampico. In this group is a large, pictorial, and rare Confederate ship’s register for the Cora, with three lithograph images at top showing ships at sea, a helms-
man, and a female figure with anchor. The broadside is very ornate, with elaborate wood types, and
completed in manuscript (Galveston, 1862). This a rare form of documentation on Confederate ships
and a highly unusual and elaborate Confederate imprint.
RICHARD KING CORRESPONDENCE: Correspondence involving Richard King (of King
Ranch) as a disgruntled investor in the second Cora steamboat, including one letter from King demanding reimbursement of his one-third interest.
PERSONAL & FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE: Personal letters, especially among the daughters
of Theodore and Lucretia Gripon: Zada, Jessie, and Florence.
FAMILY HISTORIES: Manuscript narratives and early twentieth-century typescripts of family histories.
ARTIFACTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS: cartes de visite, cabinet cards, tintypes, a set of six large coinsilver spoons, etc.
($15,000-30,000)
Sergeant Larson, 4th Cav.—Scarce Civil War Memoir
127. [CIVIL WAR]. LARSON, James. Sergeant Larson, 4th Cav. San Antonio: Southern Literary Institute, 1935. [14], 1-42, [2], 43-140, [2], 141-326 pp., frontispiece (photograph of author), text illustrations
after author’s sketches. 8vo (23.7 × 16 cm), original blue gilt-decorated cloth. Pp. 196/197 browned at top
where newspaper clipping was laid in, otherwise fine. Presentation copy from author’s daughter to Mrs.
Walter Schaefer, dated 1940. Laid in is a printed leaflet by Blum giving a short biography of her father.
First edition, limited edition (#122 of 300 copies) of this uncommon and obscurely published memoir
of service with the 4th Cavalry, edited and with an introduction by Annie Larson Blum, Sergeant Larson’s daughter. Coulter, Travels in the Confederate States 284. Dornbusch II:1618.
James Larson (1841-1921) was born in Wisconsin and enlisted in the U.S. Army in St. Louis, where
for more than a year he saw frontier service with officers like John Sedgwick and J.E.B. Stuart fighting
Native Americans, mostly in the vicinity of Fort Riley. During the Civil War he saw much fighting in
the campaigns in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama. At the end of the war, he accompanied his unit by boat from New Orleans to Matagorda Bay and marched from there to San Antonio.
($150-300)
Autograph Note Signed by Abraham Lincoln & a Selection of Lincolniana
128. [CIVIL WAR]. LINCOLN, Abraham. Autograph note signed, a five-line endorsement, “Will any
head of Department consider this man’s case? A. Lincoln, August 5, 1861,” (3.5 × 6.6 cm) on verso of
autograph letter signed from John Bechert to President Abraham Lincoln asking for assistance based
on his service with the 8th Battalion D.C. Volunteers, July 29, 1861, 4 pp., written on first page (notes
and rubber ink stamps on final leaf, where Lincoln’s note is found, along with an affirmation signed by
C.M. Butler attesting the worthiness of the petitioner). 4to (24.5 × 20 cm). Repaired with old tape (not
affecting Lincoln’s writing or signature). Second leaf fragmented, but Lincoln note and signature not
affected. With the document are the following Lincoln items:
BUTTRE, John C. (engraver). A. Lincoln [facsimile signature below image] [below image] Photograph
by M.B. Brady | Eng d. by J.C. Buttre, N.Y. N.p., n.d. (nineteenth century). Engraved bust portrait, without beard. Image, background, and title: 16.4 × 12.5 cm; overall sheet size: 20.2 × 12.4 cm. Foxed.
BUTTRE, John C. (engraver). A. Lincoln [facsimile signature below image] [below image] Photograph
by M.B. Brady | Eng d. by J.C. Buttre, N.Y. N.p., n.d. (nineteenth century). Engraved bust portrait on card
stock, without beard. Overall: 14.4 × 9.8 cm. Lightly foxed and a few stains.
CENTURY MAGAZINE. A. Lincoln [facsimile signature below image] [below image] From ‘The Century Magazine’ Engraved from an ambrotype taken in Springfield, Ill., in 1860, two days after Mr. Lincoln’s
first nomination for the Presidency. [Washington?, 1886?]. Engraving. Image: 16.6 × 12.5 cm; image, title &
imprint: 19.9 × 13 cm; overall sheet size: 24 × 16.1 cm. Two minor chips in blank margin, otherwise fine.
CURRIER & IVES (lithographers). Abraham Lincoln, The Nations Martyr. Assassinated April 14th. 1865.
New York, Published by Currier & Ives, 152 Nassau St. New York, 1865. Lithograph bust portrait, image 26
× 22 cm; image and title: 31.6 × 22 cm, overall sheet size: 46 × 34.3 cm. Browned, a few minor chips and
clean tears to blank margins, overall a good, large-margined copy of a wonderful print. Conningham
28. Peters 1880. Currier & Ives satisfied the public’s demand for portraits and events of the day, and this
is a prime example of a “rush” print. The image of the fallen president was based on a photograph taken
on February 9, 1864, in Mathew Brady’s Washington studio. The photographer, Anthony Berger, also
designed the Lincoln penny.
[HESLER, Alexander (photographer)]. Later copy print after Hesler’s original print taken in Springfield on June 3, 1860. N.p., n.d. 15 × 11 cm. Dark areas with mirroring, spotting.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. Printed electoral ticket: Republican Ticket. For President, Abraham Lincoln, of
Illinois. For Vice-President. Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine. Presidential Electoral Ticket. Electors for the State
of Illinois.... N.p., n.d. (Illinois, 1860). Broadside. 11.7 × 7.4 cm. Verso with old purple pencil note: “Got
of Miss Mary Brady Sept. 6, 1906. Ticket of 1860.”
ROINE, Jules. The Lincoln Centennial Medal. New York & London: Putnam & Knickerbocker, 1908.
8vo (19.2 × 12.7 cm), original gilt-lettered blue cloth, oval portrait of Lincoln on upper cover. Paste paper
frame inside book for holding a bronze centennial medallion of Lincoln designed by Edouard Roine
(6.5 cm diameter). The medallion has been removed and placed in custom round brass frame (easily
removable). Other than light foxing, fine. Front pastedown with two-cent Lincoln stamp.
Unattributed iron bas relief portrait of a bearded Lincoln. 8.6 cm tall. No markings seen on the artifact.
Unattributed thin copper bas relief portrait of Lincoln. 8 cm tall. No markings seen on the artifact.
($2,400-3,200)
Sam Maverick, Jr. with Terry’s Texas Rangers in the Civil War
Unpublished Vivid Manuscript Memoir
129. [CIVIL WAR]. MAVERICK, Samuel, Jr. Manuscript closely written in ink on rectos of about
twenty-three leaves of thin letterhead paper with imprint: Sam Maverick, Real Estate Agent, 419 E. Houston St. 1892. The manuscript commences: “Perryville Cumberland Gap....” 4to (approximately 27 × 21 cm).
[San Antonio, ca. 1892]. The manuscript appears to be in Maverick’s hand. Creased where formerly
folded, edges chipped touching some text, loss of a few letters at some folds and edges; one leaf is fragmentary. The leaves are connected at the top because the letterhead is from a pad. Although a connected
narrative, the story is incomplete and wants an unknown number of leaves. The hand is somewhat small
and cramped but generally legible; the pages are quite full. Unpublished.
Sam Maverick, Jr. (1837-1936), born in South Carolina, was brought to Texas in 1838 by his parents,
the legendary Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870) and Mary Ann Adams Maverick (1818-1898; see
Item 385 herein). He graduated from the University of Edinburgh and returned to the U.S. in time to
participate in the Civil War, first under Henry McCulloch in Texas and then as part of Terry’s Texas
Rangers, of which he was the last surviving member upon his death. He received a battlefield promotion after swimming the icy Cumberland River and setting afire a Union steamboat. After the war, he
returned to San Antonio and became one of its more prominent citizens, benefactors, and promoters
(see Item 332 herein). See Handbook of Texas Online for articles on Samuel Maverick, Jr. and his parents,
Mary and Samuel.
Although his parents left prolific writings, manuscripts written by Samuel Maverick, Jr. are extremely
rare. His mother’s correspondence makes it evident that he did write home from the battlefield occasionally, but none of those letters seem to have survived. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas
Library, San Antonio, holds a 1912 Maverick autograph letter signed to the Texas governor that was
studied in comparison to the handwriting in the present memoir. The present manuscript is a significant addition to the biography of a famous Texan, a new contribution to Civil War history, and an
amplification of the literature concerning the fabled Terry’s Texas Rangers.
Copies of Maverick’s known reminiscences are in the Center for American History at the University
of Texas, Austin. One is a typescript entitled “Reminiscences of Sam Maverick 1837 as Told to His
Daughter, Mrs. Emily Maverick Miller. Also San Antonio in 1874 by [Mrs. Lydia Van Wyke]. Dictated,
1923-1929,” containing 210 pages. The other typescript is entitled “Some Civil War Experiences. [Dictated to Mrs. M.A. Hatcher, 12/3/29],” containing seventeen pages. Neither of those manuscripts has
been published. The present manuscript is another, but previously unknown narrative of his experiences
in the Civil War, in which Maverick served from 1862 until the end of the war.
The present manuscript is an entirely different narrative from the two typescripts and in many ways
far more interesting, entertaining, and vivid. Compared to other similar materials published by his fellow soldiers in Terry’s Texas Rangers (8th Texas Cavalry) recounting their Civil War experiences, Maverick’s story stands out as a superior example of detailed narrative, engaging style, and lively tone. Evident throughout is Maverick’s quirky and brash personality, which made him an excellent soldier and
raconteur and about which his own father commented, “He is both mild as a lamb and brave as a lion.
I never saw anything like him in my whole life” (letter to his wife, September 30, 1856, quoted in Paula
Marks Mitchell, Turn Your Eyes Towards Texas, College Station: Texas A&M, 1989, p. 201).
For an excellent visual idea of Maverick’s personality, see Cecilia Steinfeldt, Art for History’s Sake
(Austin: TSHA & SAMA, 1993), p. 140. Illustrated in black and white is Carl G. von Iwonski’s ca. 1862
painting The Terry Rangers, with Sam Maverick as the central figure and the outline of San Antonio in
the background. (The painting also appears in color in Steinfeldt’s book, on the dust jacket and in the
color plate section following the preface.) Steinfeldt remarks on the painting: “Iwonski captured young
Maverick’s devil-may-care attitude by picturing him in a bright red tunic, waving his canteen aloft, galloping off to war.” The image can be viewed and enlarged at the Witte Museum web site. Search for
“Terry Rangers.”
This manuscript contains significant details on the actions of Maverick and his unit. Following are
random samples of his content and style:
I had no responsibility or care—no one else to look after or be responsible for as when an officer.
The boys seemed to be glad when I went along on picket duty or other details—There is one
thing I have always noticed—that a happy, cheerful man is always the best soldier—that a gloomy,
morose man—even when religious or fanatical is not necessarily a good fighter—I have even
heard old H.E. McCulloch, a regular old Methodist in strictness, say that the gamblers were the
best soldiers—They could stand everything without a murmur. Our commandment moved from
near Marietta to Resaca—where there were some nice meadows—Here we stayed about six weeks
in the pleasant springtime—until Sherman began to make a move when we were thrown out
above Dalton at Spring Place....
Next day we were hurriedly moved through Dalton to Resaca—as Sherman had found passage
through the mountains and was about to cut us off at that point—When we arrived we at once
went into action with their infantry—compelling them to stop marching and to fall into line of
battle and give our own infantry a chance to catch up—which they succeeded in doing—and the
cavalry were unceremoniously hustled back and precipitately driven over a steep wooded hill—
where we rested and ate lunch in a railroad cut where Lilly was mortally wounded & Talley
wounded sitting next to me—That night we slept on the battlefield under the fire all night—Ben
Polk our bugler, found a bullet in his bugle next morning & it was my birthday May 14, 1892 [sic]....
Moved up to the breast works for 24 hours duty about 4 P.M.—which we performed—not
much sleep in the mud of the trenches—a young Tennn whose mother had just placed [him] in
our command—she thought so much of us—was shot through the temples by a sharp shooter a
mile away—we only saw the puff of smoke & he was gone—joking and laughing a moment before
as he walked unconsciously around with his head too high....
Here we were lousy & had the itch—No one could keep clean among the infantry—I tried to
kill the itch with soft soap & powder—then I was told that frolts[?] root tea would accomplish
it—I tried this & came near killing myself—did not sleep for 2 nights—tried to wash it off—every
time I washed it would sting as much as ever....
Lucius Campbell who was captured, but escaped & rejoined us soon after—stopped at the
house of a young lady—whom I thought a great deal of—and he scandalized me very much—by
telling her that I was crazy about her & that her name was on my lips when I charged the battery
at Stone River & he said she believed every word of it—and was ready to reciprocate....
I boldly took the road—soon came to dead horses swelling up in the heat—was hailed—Who
comes there: I simply replied Sam Maverick—Is that you Sam—I thought you were killed—you
were reported killed—Delighted to see you....
Terry’s Texas Rangers were formed at Houston in 1861 by Benjamin Franklin Terry and Thomas S.
Lubbock. Originally consisting of 1,170 men, the unit saw action all through the South, particularly in
Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia. Unfortunately, Terry himself was killed at their first engagement,
although other officers ably took his place. Known for their contempt of sabers, which they considered
useless as cavalry weapons, the Rangers did most of their mounted fighting with shotguns and pistols,
often to devastating effect on opposing Federal troops. They also served effectively as foragers, raiders,
and scouts. The Rangers served until the end of the War, making one last, victorious charge to secure a
vital bridge at the Battle of Bentonville, the final major battle east of the Mississippi River. Their members either were surrendered at Bennett Place, North Carolina, a short time later with the rest of Johnston’s army or allowed to drift back to Texas on their own. See article on Terry’s Texas Rangers in Handbook of Texas Online.
($4,000-8,000)
Rare Confederate Broadside Verse on Texas Ranger Ben Mcculloch
130. [CIVIL WAR]. [McCULLOCH, BENJAMIN]. [BRADY, John (attributed)]. Song. [woodengraved illustration of man in riding breeches and cutaway, holding hat] Ben M’Cullough. Air—“Someting [sic] new comes every day.” Oh have you heard of the brave old fellow, He goes by the name of Ben McCullough.... [Baltimore, 1861]. Broadside, printed text (song lyrics) within ornamental border, black ink on
white wove paper. Border to border: 23 × 10.7 cm; overall size: 24.4 × 12.9 cm. Minor wrinkling, blank
verso with paper remains where formerly mounted, overall very fine and fresh. Copies located: NewYork Historical Society; Library of Congress; Wake Forest University.
First printing. Moss, Confederate Broadside Poems: An Annotated Descriptive Bibliography 29 (Brady
attributed as author on p. 62). Rudolph, Confederate Broadside Verse 42. Wolf, American Song Sheets 18501870 #C24. See also: Thomas W. Cutrer, Ben McCulloch and the Frontier Military Tradition (Chapel Hill
& London: University of North Carolina Press, 1992, frontispiece illustration).
Rare broadside in praise of Ben McCulloch (1811-1862), Texas Ranger, Indian fighter, U.S. marshal,
and brigadier general in the Army of the Confederate States of America. McCulloch ran out of luck
and sustained a mortal wound commanding the Confederate right wing at the battle of Pea Ridge, or
Elkhorn Tavern, on March 7, 1862. A popular frontier military leader, McCulloch followed David
Crockett to Texas in 1835, but failed to meet him at the Alamo after contracting measles. McCulloch
went on to play a prominent role in Texas history, commanding one of the Twin Sisters in the Battle of
San Jacinto. He joined the Texas Rangers under legendary John Coffee Hays. Luckily, he abandoned
the Mier Expedition only hours before the group’s capture. McCulloch shone in civil affairs as well,
working in the then-dangerous profession of surveying and serving as political representative for both
the Republic and State. During the Mexican-American War McCulloch gained national prominence
when he raised the group of Texas Rangers that became Company A of Col. Jack Hays’s First Regiment, Texas Mounted Volunteers. He was immortalized by war correspondent George Wilkins
Kendall, editor of the New Orleans Picayune [see Item 399 herein] and in Samuel Reid’s best-selling
1847 history of the campaign, The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch’s Texas Rangers.
Leaving Austin to join the California Gold Rush on September 9, 1849, he did not strike it rich but
was elected sheriff of Sacramento. Upon Texas secession, McCulloch was commissioned a colonel and
following a bloodless confrontation at the Alamo on February 16, 1861, General Twiggs relinquished the
federal arsenal and all other United States property in San Antonio to him. Subsequently Jefferson Davis
appointed McCulloch a brigadier general, the second-ranking brigadier general in the Confederate
Army and the first general-grade officer to be commissioned from the civilian community. McCulloch
built the Army of the West and gained the support of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, and other inhabitants of what is now eastern Oklahoma. See Handbook of Texas Online: Benjamin McCulloch.
The lyrics are as follows:
Oh have you heard of the brave old fellow,
He goes by the name of Ben McCullough,
He fills his foes with consternation,
He’s the pride of all the Southern nation,
Oh dear, oh ’tis truth what I tell,
’Mid fire and powder he loves to dwell.
He’s the man above all the rest, sirs,
That scatters all the Lincoln nests, sirs,
That makes them fly at the smell of powder,
That uses them up like old fish chowder.
Oh dear, &c.
The Kentucky boys he’s got to back him,
The Iowa boys will fail to crack him,
The Illinois crew he’ll beat all hollow,
Be quick Indiana, if him you want to follow.
Oh dear, &c.
He comes upon his foes like red hot brick bats,
He takes off their scalps like so many wild cats,
Anthony Wayne is no circumstance to him,
Though many of his foes do strive to undo him.
Oh dear, &c.
Huzza for McCullough the brave rifle ranger,
The friend of truth—to vice a stranger,
He’s a hard old knot of the hickory tree, sir,
He’ll work night and day to set the South free sir.
Oh dear, &c.
The Library of Congress copy is illustrated at their website (as is the Wake Forest copy at theirs),
where the genre of song sheets is discussed:
For most of the nineteenth century, before the advent of phonograph and radio technologies,
Americans learned the latest songs from printed song sheets. Not to be confused with sheet music,
song sheets are single printed sheets, usually six by eight inches, with lyrics but no music. These
were new songs being sung in music halls or new lyrics to familiar songs, like “Yankee Doodle” or
“The Last Rose of Summer.” Some of America’s most beloved tunes were printed as song sheets,
including “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Song sheets are an
early example of a mass medium and today they offer a unique perspective on the political, social,
and economic life of the time, especially during the Civil War. Some were dramatic, some were
humorous; all of them had America joining together in song.
($2,000-3,000)
P.O.W. John A. Bering’s Account of Camp Ford, Texas
131. [CIVIL WAR]. SOLDIERS’ AND SAILORS’ PUBLISHING COMPANY. The Soldiers’ and
Sailors’ Half-Dime Tales: Of the Late Rebellion. New York & Philadelphia: Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Publishing Co., 150 Fulton Street; Philadelphia: 125 South Third Street, 1868. [1-3] 4-32, [2], [33] 34-152 pp.,
printed in double column, numerous wood-engraved text illustrations (some signed in print by N. Orr).
12mo (19 × 13.3 cm), original tan wrappers with illustration (uniformed soldier with wounded foot and
sailor with amputated arm, shaking hands, military camp in background, foreground with smoking
bomb and mortar), sewn. First 32 pages very browned, lower right corner of upper wrap and first few
pages slightly dog-eared, and one minor chip to rear wrap, otherwise fine, the wrappers very well preserved. Uncommon in commerce.
First collected edition, originally issued in parts in a weekly magazine the same year. The present volume
consists of five issues continuously paged, the first two having similar title pages, the last three having the
caption title: Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Tales of the Rebellion. Nevins, Civil War Books I:161 (citing the parts issues
in 1868): “A series of sixteen weeklies that contributed more fiction and legend to the story of the war.”
Sabin 86329: “A reissue of The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Half-Dime Tales of the Late Rebellion, nos. 5-9.”
Though there is plenty in this volume to satisfy readers seeking military fancy, the present volume
includes John A. Bering’s genuine account of his service with the 48th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in
Texas, in the sections, “Prison-Life in Texas” (April 1864 battle and capture at Sabine Cross-Roads,
march to Mansfield, imprisonment at Camp Ford, escape to Indian Territory, recapture in Arkansas,
march to Shreveport, return to Camp Ford, and release to Shreveport and New Orleans). His account
of life as a prisoner of war and escapee is lively and detailed. He had the misfortune to be part of the
group of Union prisoners that swelled Camp Ford to the breaking point in April, 1864. His descriptions
of the struggles of daily life seem to be accurate and realistic. He notes in one instance, for example,
that the beef eaten by both the prisoners and the guards was so bad that the latter buried theirs with
military honors. Life on the run was also filled with perils, which Bering and his companion met with
both fortitude and resilience. One trick, for example, was to rub soap on their shoe soles to throw off
the bloodhounds, a ruse which apparently really worked in their case. They were recaptured, however,
by a freak coincidence magnified by their own carelessness, and marched back to Camp Ford.
Bering (1839-1922) was a descendant of Danish navigator and European discoverer of Alaska, Vitus
Bering. John A. Bering enlisted as a private in 1863 in the 48th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and rose in rank
thereafter. After the war, he held various public offices and was a businessman. He also wrote a regimental history in 1880 (Nevins I, p. 58).
Many of the engravings are signed N. [Nathaniel] Orr, younger brother of John William Orr (18151887), who studied with William Redfield in New York City in 1836. The two brothers set up their business and worked together until at least 1846. Nathaniel partnered briefly with James H. Richardson, but
worked on his own during the fifties and “was one of the leading wood engravers in the country” (Groce
& Wallace, p. 479). See also Hamilton, Early American Book Illustrators and Wood Engravers, 1670-1870,
Vol. II, p. 127 (and various entries for works to which he contributed engravings).
($150-300)
Civil War Texana: A Soldier in Hood’s Brigade
132. [CIVIL WAR]. STEVENS, J[ohn] W. Reminiscences of the Civil War by Jno. W. Stevens, a Soldier in
Hood’s Texas Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. Hillsboro, Texas: [Privately printed at] Hillsboro Mirror Print, 1902. [1-4] 5-213 [1, blank] pp., frontispiece portrait of author (photograph print). 8vo (24 × 16
cm), original slate blue blind-embossed cloth, gilt lettering on spine and upper cover. A few mild stains
and slight wear to binding, endpapers lightly browned, one short split at upper gutter margin, otherwise fine. Association copy; front free endpaper with contemporary pencil signature: “R.A. Brantley,
Somerville, June 27, 1902, Bryan.” Brantley ( June 3, 1838-August 3, 1911) served in Company D, 5th Regiment, Hood’s Brigade and was a pioneer of Somerville, Texas. For a number of years he was president
of the Hood’s Texas Brigade annual reunion. Laid in is Helen & Raymond Jackson’s three-page autograph letter signed ( June 6, 1969) to teacher-historian Ed. A. Perkins of Albuquerque. A note in the
letter states that the book came from the estate of Perkins’ daughter Edith Menning.
First edition (based on a series of articles printed in the Picayune, a Hillsboro newspaper, see p. 4).
Dornbusch II:1093. Howes S970. Parrish, Civil War Texana: A Bibliography of Outstanding Rare Books
94: “Instead of the usual battle accounts, Stevens gives a personal view of life in Hood’s Brigade, providing numerous anecdotes and colorful observations.” Not in Nevins.
The work is a classic, both among Texas Civil War literature specifically and Civil War literature in
general. Stevens, although he constantly refers to his reminiscences as those of an “old man,” nevertheless vouches for their accuracy and correctness. In the preliminaries is a statement by seven men, either
his fellow soldiers in Hood’s Brigade or his fellow prisoners (also referring to themselves as “old soldiers”), attesting that the author has given “a true record.” In some ways, Stevens says, the text was difficult to write: “As I look back over the intervening years, and contemplate the scenes of that day, it brings
up many sad memories. Some things in that list I could wish had never occurred, others are held as
sacred memories in the mind-casket, only to be looked at occasionally, as we would look at a lock of
hair or some other little trinket, once possessed by a dear one long since gone” (p. 7).
Stevens was promptly made a captain once the war was imminent and raised a company in Liberty
County; they eventually marched to Richmond as part of Hood’s 5th Company. His first significant
engagement was in Lee’s defeat of McClellan in that area and in the subsequent battles which ensued
as the Federals retreated to Washington. By the time the fighting reached Winchester, Virginia, he
notes, “two-thirds of our brave Texas boys have gone down in battle and...their remains now lie buried
in soldiers graves on the field of Sharpsburg” (p. 76). He then participated in the Confederate victories
at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. In a small aside, he states that Stonewall Jackson died not from
his wounds but from inept nursing that hastened his death: “But he was really killed by the kindness of
his family and friends who were so devoted to him, with kindness” (p. 101).
Stevens’ active participation in the war ended with his capture at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, when
he was miraculously left standing after practically everyone around him had been cut down: “As I now
remember, about six men who had become separated from their own commands walked up to where I
was standing and began firing, and the entire six were left dead at my feet” (p. 114). (That action was
the Battle at Little Round Top, where the Confederates were repulsed and captured by the bayonet
charge of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s desperate Union troops, as depicted in the film Gettysburg,
based on Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels.) At this point in the narrative the most unusual aspect of
the story begins, when Stevens is imprisoned at Fort Delaware and then Point Lookout, a situation that
occupies several chapters and is replete with interesting details on life in federal prisons, including
remarks on turncoats and the African-American troops used to guard them. In November, 1864, Stevens
was paroled, and once back in Texas he sat out the war in a desk job.
Stevens closes his work with a few chapters entitled “An Analysis of the Negro Problem, a Result of
the War.” In it, he offers his reflections on how the world has changed now that the people he considers the superior Anglo-Saxon race are on a par with those he considers his inferiors. Yet he argues that
overall the races are more peaceful and get along better in the South than anywhere else in the Union.
He also decries the practice of lynching and states that it must stop. Finally, however, he states his belief
that the younger generation born to former slaves have somehow developed degrading behaviors since
the war, especially in the matter of crime, which he sees as on the increase.
Little is known about Stevens, except that he seems to have married Sophronia Fields, and that the
couple had three children.
($750-1,500)
Texas’ Second Declaration of Independence
Texas Secedes from the Union
133. [CIVIL WAR]. TEXAS. SECESSION CONVENTION. (First Session, January 28-February 4,
1861). An Ordinance | to dissolve the Union between the State of Texas and the other | States, united under the
compact styled “The Constitution of | the United States of America.” | [text reads] Whereas, The Federal
Government has failed to accomplish the purposes of the | compact of union between these States, in
giving protection either to the persons of our | people upon an exposed frontier, or to the property of
our citizens: and Whereas, The | action of the Northern States of the Union is violative of the compact
between the States | and the guarantees of the Constitution: and Whereas, the recent developments in
Federal | affairs, make it evident, that the power of the Federal Government is sought to be made a |
weapon with which to strike down the interests and prosperity of the people of Texas and | her sister
slaveholding States, instead of permitting it to be, as was intended, our shield | against outrage and
aggression:— Therefore, | Sec. 1. We, the people of the State of Texas, by Delegates in Convention
assembled, do | declare and ordain, that the ordinance adopted by our Convention of delegates on the
fourth | day of July A.D., 1845, and afterwards ratified by us, under which the Republic of Texas | was
admitted into Union with other States and became a party to the compact styled | “the Constitution of
the United States of America,” be and is hereby repealed and annulled; |—that all the powers, which
by the said compact, were delegated by Texas to the Federal | Government, are revoked and resumed;—
that Texas is of right absolved from all restraints | and obligations incurred by said compact, and is a
separate State, and that her | citizens and people are absolved from all allegiance to the United States,
or the Govern- | ment thereof. | Sec. 2. This ordinance shall be submitted to the people of Texas, for
their ratification or | rejection, by the qualified voters, on the 23rd day of February, 1861, and unless
rejected | by a majority of the votes cast, shall take effect and be in force on and after the 2d | day of
March, A.D., 1861. Provided, that in the Representative district of El Paso, said elec- | tion may be held
on the 18th day of February, 1861. | Done by the people of the State of Texas, in Convention assembled, at
Austin, this | first day of February, A.D., 1861. | O.M. Roberts, President | [signers’ names in three columns]
| R.T. Brownrigg, Secretary. | Wm. Dunn Schoolfield, Assistant Secretary. | R.W. Lunday. [Austin]: State
Gazette, [1861]. Broadside within ornamental border printed on newsprint. Type area: 41.2 × 20.6 cm;
sheet size: 52 × 36.7 cm. Creased where formerly folded, wrinkled in several areas, a few small spots and
light stains, light wear to edges including a few small splits and chips, “1861” penciled in red in upper
right blank margin, furniture prints in left and right margins. Despite these flaws, a very good copy, in
the finest condition by far of the copies we have examined at the Texas State Library and the University of Texas. Provenance: Estate in East Texas.
Parrish & Willingham, Confederate Imprints 4163. Winkler & Friend, Check List of Texas Imprints
1861-1876 163. The printing sequence of the various 1861 editions of this ordinance has never been satisfactorily resolved. The first edition (Winkler & Friend 160) does not contain the last line of the third
paragraph, here present regulating the election in El Paso, and was the bill in draft form. The second
edition (Winkler & Friend 161) has the text concerning El Paso added, although the text is still in draft
form. Presumably, after the second edition was agreed upon, the ordinance was printed for public distribution. Some of these printings (e.g., Winkler & Friend 164) have the imprint “Gazette Print,” as
opposed to the “State Gazette” imprint here, which is misdescribed in Winkler & Friend 163; that edition has the signatures printed in four columns. Which of these printings came first is unknown. Winkler & Friend (165 and 166) report but do not locate editions in German and Spanish, based on the
Secession Convention journals.
Any copy of the ordinance is rare and usually known in just one copy. Upon investigation, some
reported copies of the present edition proved to be facsimiles or other types of reproductions, such as
photostats (e.g. Parrish & Willingham 4163, a single copy at New York Public Library). Winkler &
Friend also report a copy at the New York Public Library, a copy at the Texas State Library (put through
the press wrinkled and thus poorly printed and subsequently laminated), and a copy at the University
of Texas. In the last case there are actually fourteen copies of this printing, all heavily damaged by
rodents, in addition to another copy from the Vandale collection, on heavy paper. Another, reported to
be in the possession of the Maryland Historical Society, is also a ghost.
Texas was the seventh state to secede from the Union, and its action came at a critical time. The original six seceding states were meeting in convention in Montgomery, Alabama, to form the Confederate States of America. The impetus added by this Texas ordinance was an important reinforcement to
the cause, and the convention admitted Texas even before the state voted to join. The convention that
issued this document was subject to delaying tactics by Governor Sam Houston, who eventually lost his
position because of his opposition to the direction in which Texas was headed. One of Houston’s delaying tactics was to insist that this ordinance be approved by the voters, which it was, overwhelmingly,
three weeks later.
This brief but forceful ordinance was one of the basic documents that set Texas on a path that would
lead to its joining the Confederacy and becoming embroiled in the bloody and disastrous Civil War.
Although Texas itself was spared many of the ravages that were visited on other Southern states, she
nevertheless lost thousands of men on Southern and Northern battlefields, including Gettysburg. Texas
joined the rest of the Confederacy in the Great Conflict that ended at Appomattox Courthouse for the
rest of the Confederacy, who were declared to be in a state of peace on April 2, 1866. Ironically, Texas’
absolution did not come until later. Although a Constitutional Convention convened on February 7,
1866, and voted on March 15, 1866, to nullify this act, it was not until August 20, 1866, that the U.S.
declared peace with Texas.
($15,000-30,000)
A Union Female Spy in the Bosom of the Confederacy
134. [CIVIL WAR]. VAN LEW, Elizabeth Louisa. Autograph manuscript signed almost forty times
and with fifteen instances of the maxim: “Keep your mouth shut, your eyes and ears open.” Untitled
school practice notebook. 4to (18.8 × 16.3 cm), wove paper Seventeen leaves ruled in manuscript and
written on both sides in ink; original drab green paper covers. [Philadelphia, ca. 1830]. Upper cover
detached, stitching broken, first leaf wanting, second leaf torn in half; lower right corner of two leaves
nicked (no loss of text). Covers detached and moderately stained. Every page signed at bottom “Elizabeth Louisa Van Lew”; also signed in several other places. Overall, a good copy of an ephemeral survival. Because Van Lew destroyed most all of her manuscripts and letters, and others have survived
only by historical accident, any of Van Lew’s manuscript materials are exceedingly rare in commerce.
We find no manuscripts or letters by Van Lew in auction records. On the trade front, we found a 1907
sales offering by Goodspeed’s (54:39) for a copy of Pike and Heyward’s tract Religious Cases of Conscience Answered in an Evangelical Manner (Savannah, 1826), autographed on flyleaf by Van Lew. Provenance: Discovered in the early twentieth century in the Van Lew mansion in Richmond (demolished
in 1911).
Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900; Notable American Women), Union spy, probably created this practice
book as a student during her education at a Philadelphia Quaker school. As is typical of such volumes,
the contents were executed both to practice penmanship and to teach moral or practical maxims. The
maxims are repeated seven times per page, a different one on each page. Many are incomplete, suggesting that the penmanship aspect of this exercise book was the emphasis (e.g., “Variety tends more to
amuse than [to instruct]”). In other instances, Van Lew adjusted her writing to fit the space, and one sentence will be complete, but others not so. The lines guide the height of the letters, as is typical in student
writing books. One prescient maxim she repeated was: “Keep your mouth shut, your eyes and ears open.”
Richmond native Van Lew was sent to Philadelphia in the early 1830s to attend the academy from
which her mother had graduated. At this school, Elizabeth was probably exposed to anti-slavery ideas.
After receiving her education, she was supposed to enter the most glorious epoch of her life—her years
as a “belle.” Seemingly, she had one suitor, but apparently he died before they could marry. The identity of this man is not known; but after losing her love, Elizabeth threw herself into benevolent and abolitionist work.
After touring Europe in the late 1850s, Elizabeth made a momentous change at home. With her
mother’s blessing, she freed the family’s slaves, many of whom chose to stay on as paid servants. She
then began to buy the family members of her former slaves and reunite the families. The people of
Richmond raised their eyebrows, but continued to think of Elizabeth as a solid Southern citizen who
just happened to have peculiar ideas about slavery. As long as the Confederacy wanted to preserve slavery, however, she could never support the Confederate cause. She further did not believe that a state
had the right to secede, and thought that any person who wanted to destroy the Union was a traitor.
During the Civil War, Van Lew used her Southern social position to provide information out of a
sense of duty to the Union cause. She spied under various code names, sending valuable military information to Generals Ulysses S. Grant, George H. Sharpe, Benjamin F. Butler, and George G. Meade.
Elizabeth led a successful spy ring for the duration of the war from her Richmond mansion. Even
though under constant threat of being discovered, she kept a secret diary about her endeavors. She
buried the “Occasional Journal.” Fearing recrimination from Southerners, on December 16, 1866, she
went to the U.S. War Department and requested that every message she sent be returned to her; and
most were given to her. While she destroyed these documents, she did not burn the journal. Elizabeth
Van Lew’s “Occasional Journal” originally consisted of over 700 handwritten pages. Having been buried
for some time, however, many pages were lost or damaged. About 400 pages survive. On her deathbed,
she requested that the journal be brought to her and was disappointed that not half of it was readable.
The journal is now housed with the Van Lew Papers in the New York Public Library. Additional letters, notes, and road passes are located at the Virginia Historical Society.
Elizabeth was determined she would do all in her power to see the South defeated, the slaves freed,
and the Union reunited. She made dangerous plans to give information to the Unionists. She began by
helping Union prisoners with food and reading deliveries. Information was delivered in baskets of eggs,
one of which was hollow and contained her notes. She devised her own code that consisted of numbers
and letters. Coded notes were also placed into the spines of books. In addition, she deliberately infiltrated the Confederate White House. When Jefferson Davis asked for more household help, Elizabeth
sent her former slave to work for him and spy on the Confederate president in his own home as a table
maid. Elizabeth had previously given this woman a Philadelphia education, as she herself had received,
so her secret agent was literate.
As the war went on, Van Lew decided to leave the impression that she was crazy. She wore old, mismatched clothing, messed up her hair, and wore a ragged bonnet in public. She was laughed at in the
city’s streets and taunted as “Crazy Bet.”
When Jefferson Davis announced on April 2 that the Confederate army was abandoning Richmond,
chaos followed. Many tried to flee the city, but not Van Lew. Above her house, as victorious Union
troops entered the city in 1865, she was the first to raise a new American flag that had been smuggled
into Richmond. While in town on April 4, President Abraham Lincoln, confirmed of her true identity,
shook her hand and said, “And the country is grateful to you. God Bless you, Miss Van Lew!”
President Grant thought Van Lew a valuable spy and appointed her postmaster of Richmond, one
of the few women appointed postmaster during the nineteenth century. She worked to support Susan
B. Anthony’s fight to gain the vote for women. In 1880, Van Lew sent a letter to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, president of the National Woman Suffrage Association, expressing her view, “I am a property holder
and a taxpayer [who] ought of right to vote and wish to do so.” During that time, Elizabeth also wrote
in support of various other causes, widening her circle of correspondents to include Oliver Wendell
Holmes, Horace Greeley, and Frederick Douglass.
After the Civil War, not all the people of Richmond respected Van Lew. Ostracized, to many of her
neighbors she was the “witch” and “Union spy who betrayed the South.” Some old-line Richmonders
hold this view today. Within Van Lew’s own papers is embedded her protest against such characterizations and her abhorrence of being known in both North and South as a spy: “I do not know how they
can call me a spy serving my own country within its recognized borders.... [for] my loyalty am I now to
be branded as a spy—by my own country, for which I was willing to lay down my life? Is that honorable or honest? God knows” (p. 7, in Elizabeth R. Varon’s Southern Lady, Yankee Spy... Oxford University Press, 2003). Varon comments: “Behind the labels lies a true story more stirring than fiction, the
story of a heroine who deserves to be remembered, first and foremost, as a patriot” (p. 7). See also Karen
Zeinert, Elizabeth Van Lew: Southern Belle, Union Spy (Parsippany, New Jersey: Dillon Press, 1995). Van
Lew’s Civil War diary was edited by David D. Ryan: A Yankee Spy in Richmond: The Civil War Diary of
“Crazy Bet” Van Lew (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2001).
($4,000-8,000)
A Texan in Search of a Fight
135. [CIVIL WAR]. WEST, John C[amden]. A Texan in Search of a Fight. Being the Diary and Letters of
a Private Soldier in Hood’s Texas Brigade. By John C. West, Company E, Fourth Texas. Waco: Press of J.S.
Hill & Co., 1901. [1-7] 8-189 [1, blank], [2] pp. + tipped-in ephemera: poetry leaflet by Decca Lamar
West (2 pp.), prospectus with portrait of author tipped to title page (4 pp.), testimonial with portrait of
author’s wife, Mary Eliza West (8 pp.). 12mo (19.5 × 13.5 cm), original brown printed cloth wrappers lettered in black on upper wrap, stapled (as issued). Light wear to fragile wraps, title detached and lightly
chipped along right blank margin, paper browned due to its poor quality, otherwise very fine, with
author’s signed presentation inscription to Corporal James Tanner. Very scarce.
First edition. Coulter, Travels in the Confederate States 469: “A diary kept by West...with various letters written during his term of service.... He reached his unit [Hood’s Texas Brigade] on the Rapidan
shortly before Gettysburg, in which he took part. Returning to Virginia, he joined Bragg’s army around
Chattanooga.... After fighting at Chickamauga, he went into East Tennessee with Longstreet.” Howes
W278. Nevins, Civil War Books I:176: “Among the best personal accounts of life in Hood’s famous
Brigade.” Parrish, Civil War Texana 103.
West (1834-1927), a South Carolinian, came to Texas in 1855. After serving in the Civil War, he resumed
the practice of law in Waco. See Handbook of Texas Online: John Camden West.
($200-400)
First Complete Translation into English of Mexican Laws Re Texas
Kimball’s Laws & Decrees—Printed in Houston in 1839
136. COAHUILA Y TEJAS (Mexican state). LAWS. Laws and Decrees of the State of Coahuila and
Texas, in Spanish and English. To Which is Added the Constitution of Said State: Also: The Colonization Law
of the State of Tamaulipas, and Naturalization Law of the General Congress. By Order of the Secretary of
State. Translated by J.P. Kimball, M.D. [section title] Leyes y decretos del estado de Coahuila y Texas. Hous-
ton: Telegraph Power Press, 1839. [1-3] 4-353 (in duplicate), [1, blank], [1]-6, [1] [1]-4 [1], [2] pp., text in
Spanish and English on facing pages. 12mo (20.5 × 14.2 cm), contemporary full Texas sheep, spine with
red and black gilt lettered labels (including ownership of R.E. Corry), raised bands. Spine reattached to
text block, spine extremities with minor chipping, corners bumped, moderate shelf wear. Title page
chipped at upper right blank margin (no loss of text). Interior with light to moderate foxing with some
leaves heavily browned because of quality of paper in Texas at that time. A few leaves moderately waterstained at fore-edge. A good copy of a book often found in miserable condition and rebound. With
nineteenth-century owner R.E. Corry’s pencil signature on lower pastedown. R.E. Corry, who died in
1889 at Livingston, Texas, was a Confederate Army veteran and lawyer.
First edition (compiled bilingual edition of 41 decrees of the Constituent Congress, 1824-1827, and 325
decrees of the Constitutional Congress, 1827-1835, the first complete translation into English of the Mexican
laws relating to Texas). Very valuable for historical research, the Laws and Decrees contain over four hundred individual decrees, many of which are of the greatest rarity in their first printings in Spanish, and a
number of which are absolutely unobtainable except in Kimball. American Imprints (1839) 55012. Eberstadt,
Texas 162:461: “An indispensable collection.” Howes C503. LC, Texas Centennial Celebration 73. Raines, p.
228. Sabin 39405 & 94948. Streeter 310: “Issued in two parts, in plain paper wrappers. The first part ends
with p. 149 of the Spanish text and the text of the second part begins with p. 149 of the English text.... A
number of decrees, such as rules of various bodies and the charters of various towns referred to as ‘Municipal Ordinances,’ are entered only by title. The first printings of a number of the decrees of Coahuila and
Texas are of considerable rarity and those of particular importance, such as the first charters of some of the
Texas cities and decrees given in Kimball only by title, are entered under the years 1824-1839.”
This volume was essential for the practice of law in the Republic of Texas. Special strengths of
importance are colonization, immigration, and land law. The book is also a cornerstone Republic of
Texas imprint.
($750-1,500)
Codex Osuna—De Luna Expedition to Florida in 1561
137. [CODEX OSUNA]. Pintura del gobernador, alcades y regidores de México. Códice en geroglíficos mexicanos y en lenguas castellana y azteca, existente en la Biblioteca del Excmo. Señor Duque de Osuna. Publícase
por vez primera con la autorización competente. Madrid: Imprenta de Manuel G. Hernández, San Miguel,
23, bajo, 1878. [1-5] 6-10 pp. (printed introduction) + 40 leaves of hand-colored lithograph plates of facsimiles of the codex (illustrations and Spanish and Nahuatl text, a few pages blank as in the original
codex). Folio (40 × 28 cm), original tan paper wrappers printed in black and red, bound in contemporary full vellum, spine with raised bands and gilt-lettered dark brown morocco label, covers and spine
ruled in gilt, marbled endpapers, t.e.g. A few scratches to lower cover, else a superb copy of a work difficult to find in good condition due to fragile wraps, customarily found tattered but here well preserved
by the handsome contemporary vellum binding.
First printing, limited edition (#12 of 100 copies) of the 1565 codex from Mexico City, Tlatelolco,
Tacuba, D.F., and Tula, Hidalgo. Glass, p. 178 & 676: “The codex forms part of an inquiry into the conduct of the Indian and Spanish governments of Mexico City by the Visitador Valderrama in 1565.”
Leclerc, Bibliotheca Americana...Deux Amériques (1878-1881) 2903. Palau 226757. Pilling 2579 & 3012.
Codice Osuna is a post-conquest indigenous document discovered in the library of Mariano TéllezGirón y Beaufort-Spontin (1814-1882), Spanish diplomat, unbridled spendthrift, and twelfth Duke of
Osuna. After his death in 1882, the codex migrated to the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid. The preface
to this printed version indicates that it is a fragment of a larger work, thought to be lost. (Some of the
purported lost materials were included in the 1947 edition edited by Luis Chávez Orozco, published in
Mexico by Gráfica Panamericana.)
Codice Osuna was part of the documentary evidence gathered between ca. 1563-1566 and offered by
Native artisans and officials in litigation against Spanish authorities in Mexico (ca. 1564-1567). Complaints by Native officials representing their barrios reveal in sharp and dark relief Native perceptions
of their social, economic, and political interactions with Spanish authorities. The codex contains hieroglyphs and written explanations in Spanish and Nahuatl, including glyphs of towns, which are important for geographic studies. Codice Osuna is one of the few Mesoamerican pictorial manuscripts to
contain references to events relating to the history of the continental United States.
Among the information collected to discredit the Spanish authorities is a complaint that Native Americans who went on an expedition to Florida were never compensated. This concerns early Spanish efforts
to establish a settlement on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico (1559-1561) to counter growing
French interests in America. Preceded by two scouting parties, Tristán de Luna y Arellano (d. 1573) sailed
from Veracruz to Florida in eleven vessels with 240 horses and a culturally diverse party of approximately
1,500 persons, including veterans of the De Soto expedition, at least one Native woman from the Coosa
country, about a hundred Aztec warriors, and many Tlaxcalan farmers. The colony was abandoned five
weeks after their arrival in 1561 due to warring tribes, famine, and a devastating hurricane. This expedition
represents a very early colonization attempt in the present U.S. Spanish aspirations were realized four years
later with the arrival of Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in what is now St. Augustine, the oldest continuously settled city established by Europeans in the continental United States.
The leaf relating to Florida includes an illustration of four warriors with swords and shields marching resolutely behind a Spanish military leader on horseback carrying a flag emblazoned with the Aztec
eagle perched on a cactus and dangling a snake in its beak. Enrique Florescano references this flag in
conjunction with his discussion of Spanish attempts to suppress such “idolatrous” imagery and substitute instead Christian iconography (La Bandera Mexicana: Breve Historia de su formación y simbolismo,
Mexico: FCE, 2004, p. 56).
The fascinating reference to Florida in a Mesoamerican codex should not detract from the entire
content of the document, which consists of seven discrete documents relating to matters such as unpaid
deliveries of lime used in constructing colonial architecture in Mexico City, bitter personal grievances
against Oider Puga, glyphs of towns formerly tributary to Tacuba, etc. For instance, George Kubler used
glyphs from this codex as illustrations of early colonial Mexican architecture in his brilliant classic,
Mexican Architecture of the Sixteenth Century (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1948). ($1,500-3,000)
Colas’ Classic Study of Basque Tomb Art in Fine Binding
138. COLAS, Louis. [Text] La Tombe Basque Recueil d’Inscriptions funéraires et domestiques du Pays Basque
Français Études, Notes et Références Diverses.... Bayonne: Fondation de la Société des Sciences, Lettres,
Arts et Études Régionales de Bayonne (Bayonne: Foltzer, Éditeur; Paris: Honoré Champion, Éditeur),
1923. [i-vi] vii-xxxi [1], 93 [1], [2, colophon] pp., printed in double column, text illustrations. 4to (33.5 ×
25.7 cm), original pale grey printed pictorial wrappers. [Atlas] La Tombe Basque Recueil d’Inscriptions
funéraires et domestiques du Pays Basque Français Atlas d’Illustrations (Dessins et Photographies).... Bayonne:
Fondation de la Société des Sciences, Lettres, Arts et Études Régionales de Bayonne (Grande
Imprimerie Moderne, Biarritz), 1923. [2, illustrated half title], [1-6] 7-402, [2, colophon] pp., 1,300 text
illustrations (many signed in print as the work of Colas; some photographic and/or full page). Folio
(83.2 × 28 cm), original stiff maize wrappers printed in red and black and decorated with Basque symbols bound in. The two volumes are uniformly bound in fine matching custom French bindings of contemporary full maroon, tan, and dark brown levant morocco, text and outlining in sepia stamping, upper
covers decorated with illustrations of Basque symbols, spines lettered in gilt and with raised bands,
edges of covers gilt-lined, inner gilt dentelles, rose silk moiré endpapers, marbled flyleaves (matching
the accompanying marbled slipcases), t.e.g., both vols. gilt-stamped by binders (Randeynes et fils). Very
light shelf wear to the board slipcases, upper joint of text volume lightly chafed and just beginning to
crack (but strong), otherwise very fine, inside and out.
First edition, limited edition (#40 of 50 examples with text on Rives BFK paper and atlas on Lafuma
paper, this copy printed and bound for Madame Sam Park, with Colas’ signed inscription to her.) Arnold
van Gennep, et al., Manuel de folklore français contemporain (Maisonneuve et la Rose, 1992), p. 36.
This dense, rich study of French Basque design and aesthetic focuses on tombstone carving, along
with some domestic and sacred architecture and interior decoration. The regional focus is Labourd,
Lower Navarre, and Soule. Included are transcriptions of inscriptions, copious documentation, scholarly notes, and a plethora of illustrations. Documented are lives, history, ceremonies, folklore, and religious and fanciful iconography of many centuries. Inroads into the complexities of Basque dialects are
presented through transcription of texts.
Archaeologist Louis Colas (1869-1929), was born in Normandy and studied, taught, and lectured in
Rouen, Paris, Chartres, and Bayonne. He traveled extensively and meticulously documented tomb-
stones of the Basque country to create this classic work. But his research was interrupted by World War
I, in which he served as a guard of communications and later as a topographer. A supplement to the
present work was planned but his untimely death in 1929 prevented such.
($1,000-2,000)
Very Rare Colorado Album with Photographs by William Henry Jackson
Including a Panorama of Denver
139. PHOTOGRAPHY]. [COLORADO]. JACKSON, William Henry (photographer). [Cover title]
Centennial State 1776 [gilt-stamped state seal] 1882. A Memorial Offering of the Business Men and Pioneers
of Denver, Colorado. Published by Rebanks, Wilson & Co. Copyrighted. [Denver: Rebanks, Wilson & Co.,
1882]. [2 (letterpress text)], 26 leaves of heavy card stock containing 149 gold-toned albumen photographs: 46 mounted albumen photographs of Denver and surrounding area, most credited to “W.H.
Jackson & Co. Phot.” (city views, mining, architecture, railroads, landscape of Rocky Mountains, etc.;
4 of the views are reproduced from printed sources; view of Daniel’s & Fisher’s at 16th and Lawrence
is shown on both leaves 14 and 18), 103 portraits with Rinehart’s blind stamp (including portrait of Jackson on p. [41]), each page within red ruled border, each leaf numbered in ink on recto and verso, images
mounted on recto and verso of each leaf ( Jackson views alternate with portraits of businessmen, politicians, officials, and pioneers), most images and portraits identified either in letterpress below image, or
in the image itself, original pink tissue guards present. Dimensions of images vary, from approximately
15 × 10 cm (portraits and scenes) to 23 × 31 cm (city views, landscapes, and a few architectural images,
such as Tabor Grand Opera House, Denver Union Pacific Station, and Windsor Hotel). Folio (36.3 ×
31.5 cm), original full straight-grain maroon morocco, gilt lettered and decorated with gilt seal of Colorado, spine gilt lettered (“Memorial Offering”), beveled edges, edges stained red (professionally rebacked, preserving part of original spine and marbled endpapers). Other than minor outer wear, a very
fine copy, the photographs pristine. Contemporary pencil note on front fly leaf (“J.T. Cornforth, 2820
Champa St., Denver Cola.”-his photo is on leaf 27), verso of text leaf with small red ink stamp of Denver Public Library with its ink accession number and date, and partially effaced control and call numbers (call number 315548 repeated on p. 19). Very rare.
First edition. Harrell, William Henry Jackson: An Annotated Bibliography, p. 34: “A quite rare book...
only two documented copies [Denver Public Library and SMU-DeGolyer]; although there are thought
to be a few copies in private collections. This work is also unusual in that it is one of the very few published books in which actual Jackson photographs were used.” Harrell notes that the bindings of the
Denver Public Library and SMU copies vary (black leather and red morocco respectively). Harrell
reports 149 photographs in the Denver Public Library and SMU copies, like the present copy. Yale
reports a copy of the album, to which apparently someone has added an extraneous photograph of
Thomas Moran’s famous painting Mountain of the Holy Cross. Wynar 2078.
The accompanying letterpress text provides an enthusiastic history of “the youngest as well as the
loveliest City of the Plains”—concluding: “So the Great American Desert has now bloomed and blossomed into this wonderful rose, which, by the aid and through the power of the photograph, we to-day
present to the people of these United States.” Three of the large-format photographs form a panoramic
view of Denver, together measuring 22.8 × 91.5 cm. Other town scenes portray Georgetown and
Leadville. Landscapes include the Garden of the Gods, Pike’s Peak, Green Lake near Georgetown, and
a train coursing its way through majestic Rockies scenery (a wonderful image). Among the portraits are
Governor Pitkin, H.A.W. Tabor, Henry M. Teller, William Gilpin, W.A.H. Loveland, D.C. Dodge,
D.H. Moffatt, Jr., William Henry Jackson, the publishers of the album, and a few men whose names
are followed only by the designation “Pioneer, 1860” (craggy old James Baker is the best of these). As
noted in first paragraph, several of the portraits bear the blind stamp of Albert Rinehart, with whom
Jackson formed a partnership in 1881.
William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) began his photographic career in his home state of New York,
but then established himself as a photographer in various other places before joining the Hayden Survey in 1877-1878 as official photographer, in which capacity he became the first person to photograph
the Yellowstone region. He opened a photographic studio in Denver which he operated for twenty
years between trips to various other locales before moving back to the East. In 1942, Jackson was honored by the Explorer’s Club for his 80,000 photographs of the American West. When he died at the
age of 99, he was recognized as one of the last surviving Civil War veterans, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Considered one of the most prominent pioneer photographers of the Old
West at the time of his death, he has continued to hold a preeminent place in photographic history
ever since.
Jackson’s skill and artistry are universally recognized. William H. Goetzmann states: “William
Henry Jackson, the greatest of all Western photographers [with the] ability to capture the many scenes
of sublime beauty in the West on his photographic plates and stereopticon slides, did more than anyone else to publicize the tourist’s West. Jackson, like the avant-garde writers, the scientists, and even the
local colorists of his time, was helping to usher in a new era of realism that would in part replace, and
at the same time, as far as subject matter was concerned, parallel the romanticism of an earlier day”
(Exploration & Empire, pp. 499-500).
($15,000-25,000)
Arctic Ephemera & an Early Colorado Springs Opera
140. [COLORADO COMIC OPERA]. HAMP, Sidford F[rederick] and Albert C. Pearson. Below
Zero, or A Trip to the Top of the World. A Comic Opera in Three Acts. [Colorado Springs?, 1894] [verso of
title page: Copyrighted 1894, by Sidford F. Hamp and Albert C. Pearson]. [1-2] 3-40, [2] pp. 4to (27 × 20
cm), original half white cloth over brown cloth boards, title in gilt on upper cover. Cloth slightly soiled,
text leaves separating from binding because of weak stitching and adhesive. Overall, a fine copy of a rare
Arctic and Colorado item. Inscribed in ink and pencil on front pastedown from both authors to Mrs.
Wray, April 27 & 28, 1894. Very rare. No copies in OCLC, although Library of Congress reports a copy
in its collection.
First edition. Not in Wynar or other standard sources. In this work, Captain Jo of the S.S. Sparrowhawk, The Professor, and millionaire Junius Brutus Botts sail to discover the North Pole after a tearful farewell from their girlfriends (Polly and Claudia) at dockside, during which it is revealed that Botts,
who has made his money by cheating others, is underwriting this adventure. In the second scene, the
cast awakes at the North Pole, which is revealed to them when an iceberg shatters before their eyes. At
that point it becomes obvious that the reason Botts has financed the expedition is that he intends to
steal the pole itself and take it back to the U.S. for exhibition. That plan is interrupted, however, by the
appearance of Magnetic Pole, who says they have been summoned below by Queen Aurora, at whose
court they arrive after a 2,000-mile elevator ride. In the third act, which takes place at court, the travelers are regaled by dancing ladies, and the Queen magically learns to speak the “slang” her visitors use.
The festivities are interrupted, however, by the sudden appearance of Polly and Claudia, who are
shocked at the men’s unfaithful behavior. Finally, a Western Union messenger appears with a telegram
from the U.S Secretary of the Navy ordering them back home.
Using the search for the North Pole, which had not successfully been reached at the time, the
authors’ comic opera buffoons such themes as the unscrupulous rich like Botts, the miserable dialect
spoken by some Americans, and the follies of love. The first may have been inspired by Hamp’s uncle,
prominent British investor William Blackmore (see Item 60 herein), who helped finance both the 1872
Hayden expedition and photographer William Henry Jackson.
Hamp (1855-1919), an Englishman, wrote numerous books about his adventures in the American
West and was a member of Hayden’s 1872 expedition. As a seventeen-year-old on that expedition, he
accompanied Nathaniel P. Langford and James Stevenson on their ascent of Grand Teton, although
he did not reach the summit. Both his letters and his diary from the expedition have been published,
and he wrote several books and articles for boys based on Western life. Eventually settling in Colorado Springs, he was a prominent member of the city. Albert C. Pearson (1852-1917) was a musician
who lived forty years in Colorado Springs, where he was a leading and respected member of the
musical community. Leah Lucile Ehrich in a brief 1901 memoir remarks: “Mr. Albert C. Pearson,—
a most lovable kindly soul,—has for many years been one of our musicians. A fair pianist, he is a composer of no mean merit, and several years ago amateur talent gave ‘Below Zero,’ a most charming and
melodious little operetta of his.” Pearson himself also left a brief 1901 memoir discussing his life in
Colorado Springs. The opera was performed at the Colorado Springs Opera House on April 27-28,
1894, and on May 19, 1894.
($250-500)
Broadside for Colt’s .44 Caliber Second Model Dragoon Revolver
141. [COLT REVOLVERS]. Two items, illustrated broadside and letter:
BROADSIDE. Illustrated broadside commencing: Colt’s Patent Repeating Pistols, Army, Navy, and
Pocket Sizes. Manufactured at Hartford, Conn. Beware of Counterfeits and Patent Infringements [woodengraved illustration of Colt Revolver with parts identified by letters] Directions for Loading Colt’s Pistols.... [at end] Orders for Arms may be addressed to me at Hartford, Conn., or New York City. Samuel Colt.
Printed on pale blue wove paper (26.5 × 20.4 cm). On verso are miscellaneous unsigned writings in
French, dated 1850, concerning municipal taxes and business matters. Creased where formerly folded, a
few small voids due to ink corrosion (not affecting text), bleed-through from verso.
The broadside illustrates Colt’s .44 Caliber Second Model Dragoon Revolver (manufactured 18501851), complete with the cylinder engraving of a battle between Native Americans and soldiers. A key
to the parts of the revolver identify barrel, cylinder, hammer, trigger, ramrod, and lever. This is an interesting example of nineteenth-century advertising in the United States.
COLT, Samuel & Elisha. Autograph letter, signed, from Samuel and Elisha Colt (entirely in the latter’s hand and signed with both names by Elisha), Hartford, March 25, 1852, 1 page on wove paper, with
integral address leaf to Armand Soubie at New Orleans, 4to (25 × 19.7 cm). Docketed as from Samuel
Colt, March 25, 1852, and received April 2, 1852. Creased where formerly folded, address leaf with void
caused by removal of stamp (not affecting text), light overall browning and remains of wax seal.
The letter concerns various shipments of revolvers being sent to Armand Soubie and problems in
receiving them. The Colts promise that one box of twenty-four Navy pistols will be on its way, noting
that the small pistols he ordered have not been made, and it will be some months before they are ready
for shipment. They close with a promise that they will investigate Box Number One, which had been
sent in February but apparently was not received, with the help of the express company in New York.
Recipient Soubie was a New Orleans gunsmith and gun dealer with wide-ranging business interests,
including supplying weapons to the Texas population and people traveling to California via Chagres or
the Horn. Soubie was an avid fan of Colt’s revolvers.
In 1847, Samuel Colt (1814-1862) borrowed money from his banker cousin Elisha Colt and other
Hartford businessmen to lease a factory on Pearl Street in Hartford, where he adapted the system of
interchangeable parts to the mass production of guns. Samuel Colt was America’s first major arms
exporter and manufacturer and the arms industry’s first lobbyist. His manufacturing company was a
giant of nineteenth-century U.S. industry. Samuel Colt’s revolver was the most significant advance in
arms technology in hundreds of years and permanently transformed side arms. From his factory in
Hartford, Colt produced hundreds of thousands of revolvers in constantly evolving models. The one
shown here is a second-generation gun that followed the unwieldy Colt Walker revolver, which was
designed with the help of Republic-era Texas Ranger Samuel Walker. During the Mexican-American
War, Walker persuaded Samuel Colt to manufacture the heavy .44 caliber six-shooter which came to
bear his name. Like its predecessor, this weapon was intended for dragoons.
($750-1,500)
Colt Redivivus
142. [COLT REVOLVERS]. HENDERSON, Halton. Artistry in Single Action. By Halton Henderson.
Edited by Bill Sloan. Foreword by J. Evetts Haley Photographs by Charles DeBus. Dallas: Published by
Chama Press, [1989]. [i-vi] vii-xi [3], 1-110, [2, colophon] pp., numerous text illustrations (mostly photographic). 4to (28.5 × 22 cm), original brown levant morocco over tan cloth, spine and label on upper
cover lettered in gilt. Very fine, in original light brown cloth-covered slipcase. Original two-color publication announcement laid in. Signed sentiment by author on half title.
First edition, limited edition (#334 of 400 copies designed by David Holman and printed at the Wind
River Press, Austin, bound by Craig Jensen at BookLab in Austin, signed by Holman and Jensen on
colophon). The book is about modern revolvers, mostly 44-magnums, based on tradition and designs of
Samuel Colt. Edmond Henri de la Garrigue is discussed as the father of the “Grizzly Single Action
Revolver,” which is the main subject of the book: “The gun that de la Garrigue envisioned was like no
other single action the world had ever seen. It would have all the fine attributes of the timeless Colt
design, but none of the drawbacks and shortcomings” (p. 7). “The Grizzly was conceived, designed, and
manufactured in Texas” (p. 5).
($150-300)
“No Texan Ranger Considers Himself Equipped without One of Them”
143. [COLT REVOLVERS]. UNITED STATES. CONGRESS. SENATE. In Senate of the United
States, April 25, 1848. Submitted, and Ordered to Be Printed. Mr. Rusk Made the Following Report.... The
Committee on Military Affairs, to Whom Was Referred the Message of the President of the United States Relative to “Colt’s Repeating Fire Arms” Dated April 14, 1848, and the Documents Accompanying the same,
Report. [Washington, 1848]. 30th Congress, 1st Session, Document 136. [1] 2-8 pp. 8vo, (22.7 × 14 cm),
disbound. Left blank margin with old sewing holes and small cut marks, otherwise fine.
First edition of this important report on Colt’s revolver-brief in content, but pivotal in military history. The various documents concern the controversy surrounding the reliability of Colt’s revolver as a
service weapon for use in wartime. The chief critic of the firearm, G. Talcott, then in the Ordnance
Department, whose report to Secretary of War William L. Marcy is reprinted herein (pp. 4-5), states
that the revolver has several defects that make it an unreliable weapon. He remarks that the gun sacrifices “solidity, simplicity, and durability,” is liable to become unserviceable due to “wear, from rust and
dirt,” and has been “peculiarly liable to the accident of simultaneous discharges from two or more chambers at once.” He quizzically recommends “the double barrelled gun” as a more suitable weapon except
in certain, specialized cases.
Talcott is overwhelmed, however, by the vast amount of favorable experience gained in the MexicanAmerican War by troops using Colt’s revolver. A long list of veterans, including Zachary Taylor, John
A. Quitman, Jefferson Davis, Texas Ranger Ben McCullough, Texas Ranger Samuel H. Walker, and
B.S. Roberts, all give glowing testimony about the effect the revolver had in combat, remarking that at
times it even made the difference between defeat and victory. George Wilkins Kendall declares: “No
Texan Ranger considers himself equipped without one of them.” The Committee, based on the testimony that gives such “positive evidence” of the revolver’s efficacy, concludes: “Colt’s repeating pistols are
the most efficient arm, for mounted men and frontier troops, now known or used; and that it is highly
expedient for the government to introduce them into extensive use for these purposes.” They finally recommend that Colt himself manufacture the guns.
Samuel Walker helped design and ordered 1,000 Colt revolvers, known as the “Walker,” for Ranger
and dragoon use during the Mexican-American War, and that order proved a pivotal event in Colt’s
life. Not only did it make it possible for Colt to continue manufacturing, it also gave the weapon a
chance to establish its utility in actual combat, a valuable consideration that could never have been
achieved by any amount of static field testing, and the effects of which are on obvious display in this
report. From this point on, Colt was able to extensively expand his business in Hartford and became
the major supplier of side arms for those going to the California gold fields and other parts of the West
and for the federal government.
($100-200)
Zamorano Eighty: Gold Rush History & Humor
144. COLTON, Walter. Three Years in California. By Rev. Walter Colton, U.S.N. Late Alcalde of Monterey;
Author of “Deck and Port,” etc., etc. With Illustrations. New York: [Stereotyped by Richard C. Valentine,
New York., F.C. Gutierrez, Printer, No. 51 John-street, corner of Dutch, for] A.S. Barnes & Co., No. 51
John-Street; Cincinnati: H.W. Derby & Co., 1850. [1-5] 6-456 pp., 13 engraved plates, folding plate
(Declaration of Rights in the Constitution of California), map, text illustrations, ads on front endpapers.
8vo (19 × 14.2 cm), publisher’s original red blind-embossed cloth, gilt-lettered spine, gilt vignette of the
Great Seal of California on upper cover (re-backed, retaining most of original spine, corners renewed,
new endpapers). Light foxing, original tissue guards (first one torn), folding plate professionally backed
consolidating one tear at text block (no losses), overall a good copy, with contemporary pencil signature
of N.K. Baker, August, 1850, and contemporary newspaper clipping on front free endpaper.
First edition. Byrd 6. Cowan I, pp. 52-53: “The facsimile...‘Declaration of Rights’...is often missing.”
Cowan II, p. 137. Graff 839. Hill II:343. Howell 50, California 45. Howes C625. Huntington Library,
Zamorano Eighty...Exhibition of Famous and Notorious California Classics 20. Kurutz, The California Gold
Rush 151a. LC, California Centennial 239. Norris 827. Rocq 5644. Sabin 14800. Walker, San Francisco’s Literary Frontier, p. 21. Wheat, Books of the California Gold Rush #46: “Colton’s entries graphically depict
the news and results of the gold discovery in the coastal towns. Excellent engraved portraits of Sutter
and other pioneers.” Wheat, Maps of the California Gold Region #146. Zamorano Eighty 20.
The lively plates tinged with sardonic humor are the work of wood engraver William Orr (1815-1887),
who came to the United States at an early age and studied with William Redfield in New York City.
Orr established studios in Buffalo (1837) and New York City (1844). “He was one of the best known
wood engravers of his generation” (Hamilton, Early American Book Illustrators and Wood Engravers, Vol.
II, p. 127). Gary Kurutz in Volkmann Zamorano Eighty catalogue:
Walter Colton, the former editor of the North American in Philadelphia and first American alcalde
at Monterey, wrote one of the most colorful, breezy, and fact-filled accounts of the conquest of
California and the early days of the gold discovery. It is an essential work documenting the transition of California from a remote Mexican province to a pulsating, gold-driven American
state..... Colton left a breathtaking account of the placers in 1848 and early 1849 before the waves
of gold seekers swamped the Sierra. His description of the first news of the gold discovery is
unsurpassed..... Throughout his text are electric descriptions of those heady early days when gold
could be simply picked off the ground. Demonstrating his rhythmic prose style, Colton made the
following observation of the Argonauts on November 8, 1848: “Such a mixed and motley crowd—
such a restless, roving, rummaging, ragged multitude, never before roared in the rockeries of man.”
($150-300)
Definitive Study of the Butterfield Overland
145. CONKLING, Roscoe P. & Margaret B. The Butterfield Overland Mail 1857-1869. Its Organization
and Operation over the Southern Route to 1861; Subsequently over the Central Route to 1866; and under Wells,
Fargo and Company in 1869. Glendale: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1947. Vols. 1 & 2 + Atlas. Vol. I:
[1-13] 14-412 pp.; Vol. II: [1-9] 10-446 pp.; Atlas: [1-5] 6-8 pp., numerous plates and maps (some folded).
3 vols., 8vo (24.5 × 16.2 cm), original dark red cloth, spines gilt lettered, t.e.g. Other than bump to one
cover and light browning to endpapers, a very fine, tight set, prospectus laid in.
First edition, limited edition of the definitive study of the great stagecoach line begun in 1858 to cross
2,800 miles from St. Louis to California via Arkansas, El Paso, Tucson, and Yuma to Los Angeles and San
Francisco. Campbell, p. 186. Dobie, p. 78. Rocq 16779. Clark & Brunet, The Arthur H. Clark Company 58:
The Conklings began their research in the 1920s and continued it up to the time of publication.
What began as a history of the organization quickly evolved into the primary source of information on the Butterfield Overland Mail, the first great overland postal service from the Mississippi
River to the Pacific Coast. Roscoe, a mining engineer, and his music teacher wife personally traveled over 65,000 miles and took over 4,000 photographs, as well as interviewing those with personal, first-hand knowledge to document its path.... With its detailed information on routes, the
various stations, and the personnel, it is constantly in demand, and the set’s value has appreciated
dramatically over the years.
A.C. Greene commented to us on this title: “I almost wore out this set of The Butterfield Overland
Mail writing 900 Miles on the Butterfield Trail, as one might suspect. And I have tried to give the Conklings (husband and wife) as much credit as I can. They were the progenitors.... I carried this big
set...over the 1,900 miles of the Butterfield Trail...from the Red River of Texas to Los Angeles—despite
the mileage figure of the title. The Conklings left no stone unturned if it had any relation to the Butterfield Overland Mail Co., John Butterfield himself, or the vehicles, stations, and workers along the
route. Despite the thoroughness of the Conkling set, we discovered many, many changes and the need
for updating of the Butterfield Trail story.”
($400-800)
Bailout Texas Style: Annexation
146. CONNOR, Seymour V. (editor). Texas Treasury Papers, Letters Received in the Treasury Department
of the Republic of Texas, 1836-1846. Austin: Texas State Library, 1955. Vol. I: [2], [i-ii] iii-x, [1] 2-292, 292a-
292b, 293-402 pp. Vol. II: [4], 403-836 pp. Vol. III: [4], 837-1246 pp. 3 vols., 4to (27.9 × 21.4 cm), original
blue buckram, spines and upper covers lettered in gilt. Fine. Scarce.
First edition. Cf. Basic Texas Books 69. Previously unpublished correspondence on the perilous fiscal
history of the Republic and the struggles of Texas government officials to keep the young nation from
complete bankruptcy. A useful volume for research and checking provenance in the ever-challenging
field of Texana.
($100-300)
Rare Texas Railroad Promotional: Corpus Christi & Rio Grande
Superb Borderlands Map Lithographed by Julius Bien
147. CORPUS CHRISTI AND RIO GRANDE RAILWAY COMPANY. The Corpus Christi and Rio
Grande Railway Company. A Description of the New Railway across Southwestern Texas, from Corpus
Christi, on the Gulf of Mexico, to Laredo, on the Rio Grande River; With a Copy of the Charter, Franchises,
and a Brief Description of the Products and Resources of Texas, and the Mineral Wealth of Northern and Eastern Mexico. Philadelphia: Wm. F. Murphy’s Sons, Printers and Stationers, 509 Chestnut St., 1874. [1-5]
6-24 pp., tipped in at front, as issued, folded lithograph map on bank note paper, showing southwest
Texas and northern Mexico with relief shown by hachure, drainage, and major cities and towns; railroad route in original red watercolor between Corpus Christi and Laredo; Mexico with original pale
green tinting: Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Railway Company [lower right below neat line] Lith. by J.
Bien N.Y. [inset map at lower left] Corpus Christi Channel; neat line to neat line: 36.6 × 61 cm; overall
sheet size: 39.7 × 64 cm. 12mo (19 × 11.6 cm), original dark brown embossed pebble cloth, gilt lettered
on upper cover. Binding: Small pieces missing from spinal extremities, corners slightly bumped, minor
shelf wear, and a few light stains. Map superb. Text: Very mild foxing to endpapers, else fine. Very rare.
Copies located at Yale and the Center for American History (University of Texas at Austin).
First edition. Map: Modelski, Railroad Maps of the United States 393 (citing the map and noting it
appears in their copy of An Act to Incorporate the Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Railway Company and
to Aid in the Construction of the Same. Passed May 24th, 1873). Not in CBC or other standard sources.
This railroad promotional seeks support and investors for the proposed railroad that was to run from
Corpus Christi to Laredo. Among the advantages mentioned are the fact that Corpus Christi is the
only real seaport for two hundred miles in either direction, that the line will tap into the mineral wealth
of northern Mexico for export through the port, and that the line will open West Texas to development,
which will again enrich the investors. The authors are so confident that they predict a double track will
soon be required to handle the high volume of rail traffic they anticipate. Despite this glowing report,
the railroad was never built because of financial difficulties. There were also enormous objections to the
project from the wagon carting industry. Eventually, after wagon carting suffered a huge decline, interest was revived and the Corpus Christi, San Diego, and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Company was chartered in 1875 and actually laid some track. The entire enterprise was eventually incorporated into the
Mexican National Railway. See Reed, A History of the Texas Railroads, p. 473 (in the article “Texas Mexico Railway Company”).
The three factors that, according to the text, provided the impetus for this project were the return of
Texas to the Union after her experience as “one of the Southern Disloyal States in our recent civil war,”
the “changed and settled state of affairs [which] restored confidence in the stability of our Government,”
and the completion of a ship channel at Corpus Christi, which is shown on the map inset (not to be
confused with the modern ship channel). One cannot help but note a slight tone of bias toward Texas
in statements like the following:
It is but a short time since Texas belonged to the United States.... Between her “annexation” and
the war, but little progress in civilization had been made in her “rural districts.” Enterprise had
never taken hold of her people generally, and as a whole, she was sparsely settled. Such, in brief,
is her former history. Now peace has taken the place of war, and Texas is loyal to the United States,
recognizes the American flag, and claims its protection.
Mexico is not neglected either:
A few words of Northeastern Mexico. We shall not here write her history. It is sufficient to say, that
it was her mineral wealth in silver and gold that tempted Spanish cupidity across the seas, that cre-
ated piracy in the Gulf of Mexico, and organized banditti throughout Spain. Politically, discord,
anarchy, and revolution are written upon every page of her former history. At last she has emerged
from the arena of civil war and foreign usurpation. The United States has interposed her protecting arm.... The population is reasonably intelligent for a country practically isolated from the rest
of the world.... The amount of wool and hides sent off by these people is perfectly astonishing.
The promoters and directors included such prominent men as Richard King (of King Ranch fame),
zealous Texas railroad promoter Uriah Lott, and Galveston banker and merchant William Perry Doddridge, adviser and friend to Richard King and executor of his will. Cattle barons Richard King and
Mifflin Kenedy long supported and financed construction of a railroad from Corpus Christi to Laredo,
which would allow them to get their cattle to market more efficiently.
The handsome, finely executed, and rare Borderlands map was lithographed by Julius Bien (18261909), well known for his chromolithographs from Audubon’s copper plates. “Bien will always be
remembered chiefly as the first great scientific cartographer in the United States” (Peters, America on
Stone, p. 94). For more on Julius Bien and his New York publishing company, Bien & Company, see
Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, Vol. I, p. 137. The map was probably based on the survey work of Richard H. Savage, soldier-surveyor John James Dix, Jr. (1826-1910), and outstanding Texas
surveyor and engineer Felix A. von Blücher (1819-1879). These three men are listed as the Engineer
Corps for the Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Railway Company, respectively as Chief Engineer, Assistant and Consulting Engineer, and First Assistant Engineer.
($4,000-6,000)
The Country Gentleman’s Vade Mecum to the Vices of London
148. [COUNTRY GENTLEMAN]. The Country Gentleman’s Vade Mecum: Or His Companion for the
Town. In Eighteen Letters, From a Gentleman in London, to his Friend in the Country, wherein he passionately disswades him against coming to London, and Represents to him the Advantages of a Country Life, in
Opposition to the Follies and Vices of the Town. He discovers to him most of the Humours, Tricks and Cheats
of the Town, which as a Gentlemen and a Stranger he is most exposed to, And gives him some general Advice
and Instructions how he may best in his Absence dispose of his Affairs in the Country, and manage himself with
the most Security and Satisfaction when he comes to London. London: Printed for John Harris, at the Harrow in Little-Britain, 1699. [22], 1-148, [4, ads] pp., title within double rule border. 8vo (19.2 × 12.7 cm),
modern full brown leather Cambridge binding with burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt,
raised bands, edges gilt rolled, original flyleaves preserved (this duplicates the deteriorated original
binding). Text with uniform browning and occasional foxing, overall very good, with contemporary ink
ownership signature on blank preceding title.
First edition of an anonymous satirical “guide” to the vices, cheats, frauds, sharpers, knaves, strumpets,
and other perils of London, both amusing and instructive on seventeenth-century customs and social life
in England. Jessel, A Bibliography of Works in English on Playing Cards and Gaming 1470. Wing C6533.
The anonymous “Gentleman in London” is a master of bawdy language. Consider his jaded advice on
the question of whether a gentleman should keep a mistress: “But perhaps you may like the Humour of
Roveing better, than Keeping any of these Cattle for your Own Riding; hire a Hackney Whore, as your
Citizens do their Horses, for a Journey, and no more” (p. 105). The author’s convoluted description of the
London theater (“The Humours and Tricks of the Playhouse are Exposed,” pp. 38-44) presents a microcosm of London types in the most extravagant language worthy of study by historical lexicographers:
Sir, having finish’d the first Part of my Design, and, as I said, expos’d the Town to you, as the
Spartans were wont to do their Drunken Helots to their Children. I come now to the second
thing; i.e. first, to lay before you some of the Humours, Tricks and Cheats of it, which, as a
young Gentleman and a Stranger, you are in most danger of; and secondly, to give you some
general Directions and Advice, how you may best guard yourself against them. And first, Sir, I
will wait upon you to the Playhouse (for thither I’m confident your Inclinations or Curiosity, or
both together, will soon lead you) and bear you Company according to the best of my Judgment
through the Different Accidents and Adventures which, as a Stranger, you must expect to be
encounter’d with as soon as you come there. In our Playhouses at London, besides an Upper-
Gallery for Footmen, Coachmen, Mendicants, &c. we have three other different and distinct
Classes; the first is called the Boxes, where there is one peculiar to the King and Royal Family
and the rest for the Persons of Quality, and for the Ladies and Gentlemen of the highest Rank,
unless some Fools that have more Wit than Money, or perhaps more Impudence than both,
crowd in among ’em. The second is call’d the Pit, where sit the Judges, Wits and Censurers, or
rather the Censurers without either Wit or Judgment. These are the Bully-Judges that damn
and sink the Play at a venture; ’tis no matter whether it be good or bad, but ’tis a Play, and they
are the Judges, and so it must be damn’d, curs’d, and censur’d in Course; in common with these
sit the Squires, Sharpers, Beans, Bullies, and Whores, and here and there an extravagant Male
and Female Cit. The third is distinguisht by the title of the Middle Gallery, where the Citizens
Wives and Daughters, together with the Abigails, Serving-men, Journey-men and Apprentices
commonly take their Places; and now and then some disponding Mistresses and superannuated
Poets; into one of these you must go, and truly, considering your Circumstances, I think the Pit
is the most proper. Well, when you come there, the Eyes of every Body are presently upon you,
especially of the Whores and Sharpers, who immediately give out the Word, to try if anybody
knows you; and if they find you’re a Stranger, then a Lady in a Mask, alias Whore, which (as
they express it) is a good Tongue-Pad, is forthwith detatch’d to go and sound you, and in the
mean time a Cabal of Bullies and Sharpers are consulting which way you must be manag’d, and
passing their judgments, upon you. The Lady comes up to you with a kind of formal Impudence,
and fixes herself as near to you as she can, and then begins some loose, impertinent Prate, to
draw you into Discourse with her. If she finds you a Man of their Turn, and a true Squire, with
some sort of Subtil and Insinuating Civility, she leaves you a little, to go and make her Report
to her Friends and Allies, that are earnestly waiting to know the Success of her Negotiation, in
another part of the Pit; here some proper Measures are soon resolv’d upon, and she’s dispatch’d
to you again with new Instructions, and will be sure to stick to you till the End of the Play; and
in all the Interludes be constantly chattering to you, to screw herself as far as possible into your
Acquaintance, and familiarity. When the Play’s over she certainly marches out with you and by
the Way, perhaps does you the Favour to let you have a Glimpse of her Painted Face, &c. if she
sees you take no Notice of her, and insensible of her Design, she comes to a close Parley with
you, and must needs know which way you go; be it which way it will, her way’s the very same,:
and so to avoid the trouble of calling another Coach, if you’ll set her down she’ll give you a Cast
another Night, ’tis ten to one but this is agree’d to: and now she got you by her self, she begins
to Cajole and flatter you, to commend some particular Part; your Shape, Meen, Carriage, Good
nature, and Civility; but above all, the Kindness of taking her into your Coach; in Consideration of which, if you’ll do her the Favour to go Home with her to her Lodging, she’ll do her best
to make you Amends: When you come there, the first part of the Entertainment is, with her
own Character, and Circumstances, which she commonly makes use of, for an Introduction to
enquire into yours; when she has fully equip’d her self with your whole State and Condition, if
she finds that you’re worth her trouble, why, then she’s so much captivated with your Genteel
Deportment, free Disposition and your Even Temper and Conversation, that you must needs
Dine with her to morrow, and thus the Train is laid that will effectually blow you up and ruin
you inevitably, if you give her a second Opportunity to touch it with the fatal Coal. You are
hardly gone out of her Room, but in comes the rest of the Confederacy, a Set of Bullies,
Sharpers, and Whores, and then the Tables are soon turn’d, and you that were but the last
Moment one of the most Accomplish’d Persons in the Universe, are now made the grand
Laughing-Stock for the Night....
Other subjects upon which the author waxes profusely are “Tricks of Bawds and Whores are
Detected, under the Respective Characters of a Procurer, a Bawd and a Jilt; together with a short
Description of a Bawdy-house, and the Art of Trapping,” “Characters of a Bully, Setter, and Spunger,
with some general Observations and reflections upon Gaming,” “Humours and Tricks of Cockers and
Cock-Matches, and the Cheats of Horse-Races and Foot-matches are expos’d,” “Humours, Tricks and
Cheats of the Tennis-Courts,” “Humours, Tricks and Cheats of Bowling Greens, are discover’d,
together with an Account of their methods of Betting, &c,” etc.
($600-1,200)
One of the “Big Four” Cattle Books
149. [COX, James]. Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas and
Adjacent Territory. St. Louis, Missouri: Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co., 1895. [1-9] 10-743 [1, blank]
pp., color frontispiece (A Stampede [signed in print at lower right] Gean Smith [below title] Copyrighted
1895 by Gean Smith, New York City From Original Painting Owned by W.H. Woodward, St. Louis; image
15.5 × 23.8 cm; image and title: 17.5 × 23.8 cm), 16 photographic plates, numerous text illustrations (portraits, ranches, activities with cattle, etc., many photographic), tables. Folio (31.7 × 26.5 cm), original
black gilt pictorial leather covers stamped in gilt and blind, upper cover with gilt longhorn within star
of Texas, spine gilt-lettered. Of the original spine, about half remains, which has been professionally laid
down on new sympathetic spine. Corners expertly renewed, floral endpapers lightly browned (due to
contact with leather turn-ins). Interior with occasional browning and a few minor stains; the frontispiece has a few nicks and minor spots, and the photograph plates have mild to moderate foxing due
to interaction of tissue guards and images. Overall, this is a very good, complete copy, with the color
frontispiece (often lacking). This is a book difficult to secure in fine condition and complete. Pencil signature of J.W. Ray on front free endpaper with ink notation “Elijah Ray page 610” just below it and the
same notation in pencil on the following leaf. The writer was Elijah’s son James Ray, mentioned in the
biographical entry, or a descendant.
First edition. Adams, Herd 593: “Very rare.... One of the ‘big four’ cattle books. An important book
on the history of the cattle industry, and no collector’s library would be complete without it. It is rarely
found with the frontispiece, and since it is an unusually heavy book and the leather has deteriorated
with age, its backstrip is usually missing or in bad condition. It is said that the scarcity is due to the fact
that nearly all the edition was lost in a warehouse fire.” Basic Texas Books 34: “This compendium on
Texas cattle and cattlemen is also one of the rarest Texas books.... Nearly 400 pages are devoted to biographies of some 449 Texas cattlemen, and these sketches are a gold mine for research into the cowboys.... The other half of the volume...provides one of the two or three best contemporary accounts of
the history of the Texas cattle trade.” Campbell, My Favorite 101 Books about the Cattle Industry 23.
Dobie, p. 100: “In 1928 I traded a pair of store-bought boots to my uncle Neville Dobie for his copy of
this book. A man would have to throw in a young Santa Gertrudis bull now to get a copy.” Dykes, Collecting Range Life Literature, p. 12; Kid 29; Western High Spots, p. 27 (“My Ten Most Outstanding Books
on the West”); p. 103 (“The Texas Ranch Today”). Graff 891. Howes C820. King, Women on the Cattle
Trail and in the Roundup, p. 15. Merrill, Aristocrats of the Cow Country, pp. 9-10, 17: “Great source book
for both history and biography.” One Hundred Head Cut Out of the Jeff Dykes Herd 51. Rader 1891. Reese,
Six Score 24: “One of the ‘big four’ cattle books, and after Freeman’s Prose and Poetry, the most important. Vital and useful.” Saunders 2846. Vandale 44.
This is a lavishly illustrated work for nineteenth-century Texas. Kelsey, Engraved Prints of Texas 15541900, p. 334, “Contains...a few engravings, including ‘Old Time Cowboys of the Plain’ [D6.8] which is
copied or plagiarized from Leslie’s Weekly Newspaper”, p. 366: “This book contains a colored frontispiece
and 272 photographic illustrations. Many are full-page illustrations designated as cynographs. There are
a large number of photographic portraits. The frontispiece is a full-page chromolithograph.... There are
several end pieces that are probably metal engravings and a few wood engravings that are listed here.
None of the images is signed by artist or engraver.” The frontispiece is by Gean Smith (1851-1928), a
painter and illustrator especially focused on horses and equestrian portraits, although he also did other
genres of painting, such as his 1884 Civil War painting of General Grant and his Staff at Fort Donelson
and the illustrations for George W. Peck’s 1883 classic of American humor, Peck’s Bad Boy. Smith was
born in New York State and moved to Chicago in 1871, where he established a studio until 1884. The
next year, he moved to New York City and worked there until 1923, when he settled with relatives in
Galveston, Texas, where he died. An obituary of Gean Smith is in the Galveston Tribune (December 8,
1928; copy at the Center of American History, University of Texas, Austin).
Cox was clearly an indefatigable researcher who had access to first-person accounts that can never
be recreated. Thus, his text preserves much, especially in the individual biographies, that might well
have been lost without him. He complains, “The absence of authentic records as to the history of the
cattle industry in Texas and the Southwest had added materially to the difficulties of preparing the
introductory chapters.” Nevertheless, he overcame such limitations to provide a text valuable today.
Much of the biographical information in the discussions of individual cattlemen could hardly have
come from anywhere else but the subjects themselves. Cox also has the virtue of not tiring of his subject, despite the fact he had to prepare a long history section, procure illustrations, and write over 400
biographies. For the most part, his text remains fresh and readable even today. Even he knows, however,
that he writes against a changing and perhaps fading scene. One of his crucial chapters is entitled “The
Cowboy, As He Was, and Is, and Is Supposed to Have Been,” which he opens with this sentence: “It is
doubtful whether any human being in any age or generation has ever been so absurdly caricatured and
misrepresented as the cowboy” (p. 171). The chapter contains apparently authentic information about
cowboy life. It closes, ironically, with a description of cowboys who are riding a cattle train to Chicago
and the hardships involved in such an enterprise, which are quite different from those of the trail drive.
This is also a superb source for women in the cattle country of Texas, with many biographies and
portraits of the distaff side of the ranching world. Many of the women are, of course, married to ranchers and share in their ups and downs. On the other hand, some women had to forge their own way without a husband. As discussed here, when Lucinda Dalton’s husband was killed by Native Americans in
1869, the family was already somewhat prosperous, and Mrs. Dalton, by astute management, preserved
and increased her fortune. A more difficult path was followed by Anna Martin, who had no fortune
when her husband died in 1879, leaving her with two small boys in the wilds of a Mason County inhabited by numerous unsavory characters. She did, nevertheless, manage to become extremely prosperous
and respected, although she never remarried. Cox, in describing her life, sums up what must have been
the feelings and experiences of numerous frontier women, both in Texas and elsewhere:
Mrs. Martin still vividly recalls the scene of loneliness and desolation that assailed her eyes upon
her arrival at the spot which is still her home. She was a young girl at that time, reared and bred
to city life, and being suddenly transferred to a wild country uninhabited by civilized whites, but
literally overrun with savage Indians, and still more savage Caucasians, it is little to be wondered
at that a feeling of home-sickness and horror at her isolated position took possession of her. The
first part of her life here was filled with hardships and sufferings, but, like a true Spartan woman,
she lived down adversity and built upon its ruins, in what was regarded but little better than a
desert, a fortune and a domain that might be envied by a princess” (p. 471).
($4,000-8,000)
Asher B. Durand’s Engraving of David Crockett
150. [CROCKETT, DAVID]. DE ROSE, A[nthony] L[ewis] (artist) & A[sher] B[rown] Durand
(engraver). [Facsimile in Crockett’s handwriting] I leave this rule, for others when I am dead | Be always
sure, you are right, then go, a head. | David Crockett [rubric]. [below portrait] Painted by A.L. De Rose. |
Engraved by A.B. Durand. N.p., n.d. [New York, early 1830s]. Engraved bust portrait (facing right) of a
handsome, pleasantly countenanced David Crockett with sideburns, neck-length hair, white shirt with
high-standing collar, and formal coat with high lapels and buttons. Portrait, imprint, text, and signature
below: 17.5 × 18 cm; plate mark: 23.3 × 21.3 cm; overall sheet size: 27 × 23.7 cm. Old fold about a third
from top, a few minor fox marks, overall fine, matted, black and gilt wooden frame, under glass.
First edition of a real portrait of the legendary Crockett of Alamo and other fame. Grolier Club, Catalogue of the Engraved Work of Asher B. Durand (New York, 1894) #29. Kelsey, Engraved Prints of Texas
1554-1900, pp. 10 & 25, Figure 2.4 (locates a copy at the San Jacinto Museum of History). James T.
Mitchell, The Unequalled Collection of Engraved Portraits belonging to Hon. James T. Mitchell.... (Philadelphia, 1907) #286. This portrait, one of the few authentic and serious images of the iconic Crockett, was
created at the height of Crockett’s national popularity as an exotic representative of the West. After the
countless comical and outlandish cartoons of Crockett in the almanacs and elsewhere, this is a refreshing change that connects us to the real man. According to a footnote in Sam DeShong Ratcliffe’s,
Painting Texas History to 1900 (University of Texas, 1991, p. 107), engraver Asher B. Durand had an
arrangement to sell these engravings at fifty cents per copy.
Durand’s engraving was based on a watercolor portrait by Anthony Lewis De Rose (see illustration
on p. ii of James Atkins Shackford & John B. Shackford, David Crockett, University of Nebraska, 1986;
the watercolor is in the New-York Historical Society). Artist De Rose (1803-1836), a native of New York,
studied under J.R. Smith, was an early student at the National Academy School, and attained Academician in 1833. His specialty was portraiture and historical composition (see Mantle Fielding, p. 222).
Engraver Asher Brown Durand (1796-1886), who has been called the “Father of American Landscape
Painting,” apprenticed to engraver Peter Maverick in 1812 and eventually became Maverick’s partner.
His reputation for skillful, pure line engraving was established with his large plate of John Trumbull’s
Declaration of Independence painting, and Asher went on to engrave meticulous, artistic bank notes.
In 1836, Durand abandoned engraving and became a landscape painter, to which he devoted the rest of
his life, working with the Hudson River School. He was a charter member of the National Academy
and served as its president from 1845 to 1861 (see DAB and Mantle Fielding, p. 244).
($500-1,000)
151. [CROCKETT, DAVID]. DE ROSE, A[nthony] L[ewis] (artist). Tinted gelatin silver copy print
(bust profile portrait of David Crocket), photographer’s ink stamps on verso, printed label affixed to
lower left of recto: David Crockett Born at Strong’s Springs near Limestone, E. Tennessee, Aug. 17, 1786 Killed
in the Battle of the Alamo, March 6, 1836. San Antonio: N.H. Rose, n.d. (twentieth-century copy print).
35.4 × 28 cm. Image lightly worn and soiled with short tear and crease on bottom edge, otherwise good
to very good.
See preceding entry for details on the original print. This copy print was made by Noah Hamilton
Rose (1874-1952), printer, photographer, and collector of photographs of the frontier West, who is
responsible for preserving many images that otherwise would have been lost. See Handbook of Texas
Online, and Item 471 in this catalogue.
($50-100)
The Roots of Davy Crockett
152. [CROCKETT, DAVID]. FRENCH, Janie Preston Collup & Zella Armstrong. The Crockett Family
and Connecting Lines. Bristol, Tennessee: Press of The King Company, n.d. [1928 on title verso]. [8], 1-611
[1, blank] pp., 28 photo plates (mostly portraits, including Col. David Crockett, a plate of the Alamo,
example of Crockett’s writing), 2 leaves of armorial plates at front. 8vo (24.5 × 16.5 cm), original dark blue
moiré cloth, gilt lettered on upper cover and spine. Worn and stained, a fair copy only, but a survivor.
First edition. Vol. V only from the series Notable Southern Families. Chapter VII (pp. 324-381) is
devoted to Crockett and includes transcriptions of some documents and letters to and from Crockett.
Here some of the facts on the Texas hero are sifted from his colossal mythology.
($40-80)
Rare Lithograph Portrait of David Crockett—Printed on India Proof Paper
153. [CROCKETT, DAVID]. OSGOOD, S[amuel] S[tillman](artist) & [Cephas G.] Childs &
[George] Lehman (lithographers), [Albert Newsam] (attributed as drawing Osgood’s portrait on
stone). David Crockett. [below lower neat line] Printed by S.S. Osgood. | On Stone. | Childs & Lehman.
Lithry. Philadelphia. Lithograph bust portrait printed on India proof paper, mounted (as issued) on beige
wove paper support sheet, with lithograph facsimile of Crockett’s handwritten statement: I am happy to
acknowledge this to be the only correct likeness that has been taken of me. David Crockett [below facsimile signature] Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1831 by S.S. Osgood in the Clerks Office of the District
Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, 1834. Portrait: neat line to neat line: 23.6 × 19.2
cm; overall sheet size of portrait: 37 × 30 cm; mounting sheet: 37 × 30 cm. Professionally conserved. Mild
foxing and staining, a few tears expertly mended (no losses). Overall very good. Rarely offered. Known
locations: National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian), Center for American History (University of Texas,
Austin), San Jacinto Museum of History Association (Houston), Library of Congress. With the print
is a Xerox copy of a letter to the former owner indicating the print came from Joseph A. Heckel, print
dealer of New York City, documenting that the collector paid $10.00 for it in 1949. We traced another
offering (Dr. Rosenbach in 1948 for $10.00).
An extremely rare and handsome portrait of the iconic American frontiersman and indelible hero of
Texas who perished at the Alamo and caused generations of young and old boys to be afflicted with
Crockett-mania. Catalogue of American Portraits in The New-York Historical Society I, pp. 176-177. Dictionary of American Portraits, p. 140. Mitchell, The Unequalled Collection of Engraved Portraits belonging to Hon.
James T. Mitchell.... (Philadelphia, 1908) #285. Peters, America on Stone, Plate 33, p. 42: “The Crockett portrait is interesting as a type—with endorsement lithographed on the paper on which the print is pasted,
apparently to catch the trade of those who would think the autographs original”; pp. 136 & 139: “[Childs
is] one of the outstanding American lithographers...an able man at all his crafts, entangled with many
others over a period of time, producing a very great amount of extremely important Americana. His work
in book illustrating alone is pioneer and of utmost importance”; p. 138 (in the historical sketch on the firm
of Cephas G. Childs and George Lehman, with an amusing assessment of Crockett): “The facts in the
life of David Crockett are about as unimportant as the facts in the life of Robin Hood—if there ever was
such a person. Yet it is interesting to note what it was that so caught the fancy of young America. Crockett was a Tennessee frontiersman—strong, independent, frank, generous, footloose, and almost illiterate.
He married at eighteen, and failed dismally as a farmer and Mississippi flatboat man, but was a brilliant
scout in the Creek War of 1813-1814, a mighty hunter of bears in western Tennessee, and a local hero. He
was sent to Congress, almost as a joke (showing that Americans liked this kind of a joke as early as 1827),
but found himself out of his métier and finally went to fight for the independence of Texas. He was killed
at the defense of the Alamo, in 1836, at the age of fifty.”
As usual, Ron Tyler provides the best overview and even-handed historical details in his unpublished
manuscript on Texas lithographs of the nineteenth century:
Crockett was a famous figure by 1833. He was the obvious subject of playwright James Kirke Paulding’s 1831 The Lion of the West, featuring Colonel Nimrod Wildfire, a just defeated congressman who
was clearly patterned after Crockett. In 1833, Matthew St. Claire Clarke, clerk of the House of Representatives, published his Life and Adventures of Colonel David Crockett of West Tennessee, and when
Crockett returned to Congress in the fall of 1833, he undertook an autobiography with his friend
Thomas Chilton and sat for his portrait in 1833 and 1834 at least five times. While in Boston, on a
political tour of the East Coast in the spring of 1834, Crockett attracted a crowd of two or three thousand people, who heard that the Tennessee frontiersman was on his way to city hall.
The portraits might have been intended to help satisfy the demand for popular images or as
illustrations for his autobiography. The first of them, painted by New York artist James Hamilton
Shegogue, was not used, probably because it did not make Crockett look “western” enough. The
second portrait [present portrait], by New York-based Samuel Stillman Osgood, was more successful. The image was drawn on the stone by the prolific Albert Newsam, probably in May and
June, 1834. It was lithographed by the Philadelphia firm of Childs & Lehman, whose main principal, Cephas Childs, had earlier announced a series of portraits of distinguished Americans,
which he hoped would take advantage of the growing popular print market. While the portrait is
a recognizable Crockett, the compliment written underneath—the “only correct likeness”—was
impugned by Crockett himself, who commented... “Dare say it’s like enough, because it’s like all
the other painters make of me, a sort of cross between a clean-shirted Member of Congress and
a Methodist Preacher. If you could catch me on a bear-hunt in a ‘harricane,’ with hunting tools
and gear, and team of dogs, you might make a picture better worth looking at.” A reporter for the
Boston Transcript apparently liked it a bit more. “We have an excellent portrait of the Colonel....
The outline of the nose is rather faulty, but the features are well delineated, and the expression,
which is the life of portraiture, admirable....”
The life of traveling author and celebrity offered such appeal to Crockett that he was not as
effective a congressman as he might have been; at any rate, he was defeated in his bid for reelection in 1835. He had promised that he would continue to serve his constituents if reelected, but if
not, “they [could] go to hell, and I would go to Texas,” where he would help in what he perceived
to be a battle for freedom and opportunity.
Crockett and his friends traveled westward to Memphis, then southwest to Little Rock,
Clarkesville, Texas, and on to Nacogdoches, arriving early in 1836, where he thought he might find
his friend Sam Houston.... Texans welcomed Crockett and his fellow Tennesseans, who, finding
that Houston was in the field trying to raise an army against an expected Mexican invasion, swore
allegiance to Texas and marched on to San Antonio to help defend the Alamo, an act which cut
short their brave adventure but forever established their fighting credentials. Crockett is one of
the few heroes of the battle of the Alamo, along with James Bowie, for whom a life portrait exists.
Regarding the makers of this print: The image is after an original art work by Samuel Tillman
Osgood (1808-1885), a portrait painter born in New Haven who studied in Europe, settled in New York,
and is thought to have died in California (Mantle Fielding, p. 685). Lithographer Cephas G. Childs
(1793-1871) is discussed by Peters above (Mantle Fielding, pp. 150-151), as is Childs’ partner George
Lehman (d. ca. 1870), noted for his series of views of Pennsylvania towns (Mantle Fielding, p. 531). The
transfer of the painting to the lithograph stone is attributed to Albert Newsam (1809-1864), the celebrated deaf-mute artist and lithographer who studied with George Catlin and Hugh Bridgport (Peters,
America on Stone, pp. 296-300 & Mantle Fielding, p. 664)
This handsome print of David Crockett, above and beyond its Texas implications, is a fairly early
example of a lithograph portrait created in the United States. Bass Otis’ portrait of Abner Kneeland,
which appeared in 1818 as the frontispiece to his Series of Lectures, is widely conjectured to be the earliest U.S. lithographed portrait. (It is not fully established whether Otis actually used a lithograph stone
or some other method.) The most notable early use of lithography for portraiture in the U.S. was John
and William Pendleton’s series of portraits of the first five U.S. Presidents (1828). The present 1834
Crockett portrait is noteworthy and desirable for its highly sophisticated technique at such an early
stage of American lithography. It was printed on thin, high-quality India proof paper, providing a finer
image with more depth than could be obtained on ordinary paper. Because the technique of printing
on India proof paper is extremely time-consuming, expensive, and challenging, images were seldom
printed in this way. It is refreshing to find such a technically proficient and aesthetically pleasing image
of David Crockett, given the flood of cheap, excessive popular culture material on him, from the lurid
Crockett almanacs to modern comic art.
Included with this lot is Thomas B. Welch’s (1814-1874) stipple-engraved print on heavy wove paper
of Crockett after Osgood’s painting: Oval bust portrait with facsimile of Crockett’s autograph below, in
lower portion in image: Painted by S.S. Osgood | Engraved by T.B. Welch. Oval: approximately 11.3 × 8.5
cm; oval set in shaded rectangle: 12.3 × 8.8 cm; overall sheet size: 30.4 × 23.8 cm. A few minor stains The
engraved portrait is illustrated on p. 140 of Dictionary of American Portraits. For more on Welch see:
Groce & Wallace, p. 670 (biography of Welch). Mantle Fielding, p. 1009. Frank Weitenkampf, American Graphic Art, New York: Henry Holt, 1912, (pp. 117-118, discussing Welch’s use of mezzotint and stipple engraving).
($10,000-20,000)
1849 Political Pamphlet Proposing U.S. “Liberation” of Cuba
154. [CUBA]. [BETANCOURT Y CISNEROS, Gaspar]. [Caption title] Thoughts upon the Incorporation of Cuba into the American Confederation, in Contra-position to those Published by Don José Saco.
[Colophon: New York: Printed at the Office of “La Verdad,” No. 102 Nassau Street, (Corner of AnnStreet), 1849]. [2, “Preface to the American Edition” signed in print “Editors of La Verdad” and dated
July, 1849], [1] 2-30 pp., printed in double column. 8vo (20 × 13.5 cm), original plain yellow wrappers,
stitched, contemporary note on upper wrapper “Evening Post.” Fragile wraps lightly stained and with
chipped spine, upper wrap lightly chipped at both corners, text lightly waterstained throughout. Old
ink stamp on upper wrapper: “23 × 91.” Ephemeral political pamphlet. The preface states that only a few
copies were printed.
First edition in English of a pamphlet urging “liberation” of Cuba. The first edition was in Spanish:
Idea sobre la incorporación de Cuba en los EE. UU. en contraposición a José Antonio Saco. Palau (28773) states
Havana as the place of publication in 1849, but apparently this work and others put out by the newspaper La Verdad were printed in New York and clandestinely distributed in Cuba. The present English
edition is not in Palau, Sabin, and other sources. Eberstadt 167:176 (this copy): “A reply to Saco’s pamphlet of the same title by an anonymous Patriot who requested La Verdad to publish a few copies in
English for American editors. This copy is marked in manuscript for the ‘Evening Post.’”
La Verdad was a New York Spanish-language newspaper that enthusiastically backed Narciso López’s
plot to wrest Cuba from Spain and make it a slave state, like Texas. The editor of this English language
edition opens with the statement:
The author of the present pamphlet—the original of which is in the Spanish idiom—has sent us
an urgent request that we would cause a translation to be made, and that circulation be given to
a few copies, printed in the English language.... This request has been prompted by a desire on
the part of the author, to “aid, by a feeble effort in correcting an erroneous opinion, which has
obtained to some extent in the United States, through misrepresentations of the agents of the
Spanish government, viz:—that the people of Cuba are content with their present condition and
union with the Spanish monarchy.”
While this work is not definitively connected to Jane Maria Eliza McManus Storms Cazneau (see
Item 103 herein), she may have had a hand its creation or possibly translation. On January 9, 1848,
Cazneau became editor of La Verdad, which she used as a mouthpiece for strongly urging annexation of
Mexico and Cuba to the U.S. She wrote most of the copy for the bilingual newspaper herself. In 1850
she wrote a book under her pseudonym Cora Montgomery advocating U.S. annexation of Cuba (The
Queen of Islands and the King of Rivers). Between 1848 and 1849, she was obsessed with Cuban annexation following the model of Texas. Her incessant lobbying for Manifest Destiny led Senator Thomas
Hart Benton to state he had grown weary of her “masculine stomach for war and politics” (Notable
American Women I, p. 316). See also Handbook of Texas Online.
($200-400)
Idyllic View of New York Bay from Long Island
By “The Foremost Woman Lithographer of Her Time”
155. CURRIER & IVES (publisher). PALMER, F[rances] F[lora Bond (Fanny)] (artist). New York Bay.
From Bay Ridge, L.I. [below image] F.F. Palmer, del. | Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1860, by
Currier & Ives, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court, for the United States for the Southern Dist t. of N.Y. |
Lith. Currier & Ives. N.Y. [keyed below imprint] Bedlows Island | Communipaw | Gibbet Island | Hoboken
Gastle [sic] Garden | Governors Island | New York. New York, 1860. Hand-colored lithograph view of the
bay with Bedlow’s Island at left and Manhattan at right, border to border: 37.5 × 51.5 cm; image and imprint
below: 40.5 × 51.5 cm; overall sheet size: 46.1 × 59.2 cm. Scattered light foxing, light mat burn in blank margins, otherwise fine, color exceptionally strong and beautiful. Matted, gilt frame, under Plexiglas.
First edition. Gale, Currier & Ives: A Catalogue Raisonné 4821. Conningham 4435. Peters, Currier &
Ives 4005. This bucolic view was created by artist-lithographer Frances Flora Bond Palmer. The print
embodies the ideals of landscape architect and early suburban planner Andrew Jackson Downing.
Frances Flora Bond Palmer (b. England 1812-d. Brooklyn 1876), was one of the most productive staff
artists for Currier & Ives, for whom she worked for over twenty-five years. In the early 1830s, she married Edmund Seymour Palmer, an English “gentleman” who proved incapable of supporting his family.
The Palmer and Bond families emigrated to the United States and by 1844 were in New York, where
Fanny became the chief support of the families through the lithographic firm, F. & S. Palmer, founded
by her and her husband. The Palmer lithographic enterprise failed, and her husband died in 1857 when
he fell down the stairs of a tavern in Brooklyn, where he was caretaker.
In 1849 Fanny joined Currier & Ives as a staff artist, creating over two hundred images—large and
small—ranging from small works celebrating quotidian joys to larger works of epic style, such as The
Rocky Mountains, Emigrants Crossing the Plains (1866) and Across the Continent, Westward the Course of
Empire Takes its Way (1866). In 1847 William H. Ranlett wrote that Fanny “stands at the head of the art”
of lithography. In a more modern assessment, Deák calls her “the foremost woman lithographer of her
time” (Picturing America, I, pp. 438-439). Notable American Women III, pp. 10-11:
Fanny Palmer was a creative lithographer, doing her own drawings directly on the stone. The only
woman in her field, she was one of the best American lithographers; she also achieved success in
working with Charles Currier to perfect the lithographic crayon. Trained as a draftsman in England, she was familiar with lithographic art when she came to the United States; she introduced
to American printers the skill of printing a background tint.
See Items 156 and 157 following herein.
($1,000-2,000)
Currier & Ives View on the Hudson
156. CURRIER & IVES (publisher). PALMER, F[rances Flora Bond (Fanny)] (artist). View on the
Hudson [below title] New York, Published by Currier & Ives, 152 Nassau St.. [below image] F. Palmer, del.
| Lith. Currier & Ives, N.Y. New York, n.d. [1860s]. Hand-colored lithograph with gesso highlights, view
of the Hudson River with paddle steamer and sloops, border to border: 38 × 50.2 cm; image and imprint
below: 40.7 × 51.5 cm; overall sheet size 45.6 × 59.6 cm. Blank margins with moderate browning, otherwise very fine, color excellent. Verso of print heavily browned from old backing (not affecting image).
Matted, gilt frame, under Plexiglas.
First edition. Gale, Currier & Ives: A Catalogue Raisonné 6962. Conningham 6445. Peters, Currier &
Ives 4147 & Vol. I, pp. 110-116 (biographical essay of Palmer). Another beautiful view by a premier
American woman artist. See Items 155-157 herein.
($750-1,500)
Staten Island & the Narrows
157. CURRIER & IVES (publisher). PALMER, F[rances] F[lora Bond (Fanny)] (artist). Staten Island
and the Narrows. From Fort Hamilton. [below title] New York, Published by Currier & Ives, 152 Nassau St.
[below image] F.F. Palmer, del. | Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1861, by Currier & Ives, in
the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the United States for the Southern District of New York. | Lith. Currier & Ives. N.Y. [keyed below imprint] Fort Richmond. | Fort Diamond. | Fort Hamilton. New York, 1861.
Hand-colored lithograph view with gesso highlights, border to border: 37.4 × 51.5 cm; image and imprint
below: 41.7 × 51.5 cm. Blank margins with mild browning, small repair at top center (new color applied),
otherwise very good, color excellent. Matted, gilt frame, under Plexiglas.
First edition. Gale, Currier & Ives: A Catalogue Raisonné 6123. Conningham 5715. Peters, Currier &
Ives 4014. This lovely view was created by artist-lithographer Frances Flora Bond Palmer. See Items 155156 herein.
($750-1,500)
Go Mid-West, Young Man
158. CURTISS, Daniel S. Western Portraiture, and Emigrants’ Guide: A Description of Wisconsin, Illinois, and
Iowa; With Remarks on Minnesota, and Other Territories. By Daniel S. Curtiss. New York: Published by J.H.
Colton, 86 Cedar Street, 1852. [i-v] vi-xxx, [31] 32-351 [1, blank], 1-18 [publisher’s catalogue] pp., folded lithograph map with ornate botanical border, printed on bank note paper: Township Map of the States of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri & Minnesota. Published by J.H. Colton N o. 86 Cedar S t. New York 1852
[pictorial vignette at lower right] Maidens Rock. Lake Pepin, on the Mississippi; border to border: 49.3 × 47.3
cm; overall sheet size: 54.5 × 50.5 cm. 12mo (19 × 13 cm), recent polished crimson calf, gilt-lettered maroon
label. Scattered light foxing, else very good. Map fine save for a few clean splits at folds (no losses) and a
bit of light staining at left margin where folded into book (not affecting map proper).
First edition. Buck 473: “One of the best descriptive books of the period.” Graff 957. Howes C967. Sabin
18069. This book was intended to praise the area and to promote emigration to it, both from the East
Coast of the United States and from Europe. As the author notes: “Our Great West is a fertile, healthy,
and beautiful country, whose bountiful products reward toil and enterprise more liberally than any part of
the world; and already begins to number its millions of industrious and intelligent population, with millions more turning their thoughts and faces thitherward” (p. xiv). So much for Texas bragging.
Colton’s catalogue of publications at back includes descriptions of maps available from the Colton
firm, the last of which is the large De Cordova map of Texas, then available at $5.00 (mounted) or $3.00
(pocket map), four sheets, 36 × 34 inches. “This is the only reliable map of Texas, and being on a large
scale, exhibits minutely and with distinctness the natural features of the State and its several political
divisions.” Endorsers include Sam Houston, David S. Kaufman, Thomas J. Rusk, S. Pilsbury, and Texas
Ranger John Coffee Hayes.
($150-300)
Big Texas Mug Book—Doorstop Texana
159. DAVIS, E.A. & E.H. Grobe (editors). The New Encyclopedia of Texas. Dallas: Texas Development
Bureau, [1922]. Vol. I: [6], [1] 2-766 [15] pp.; Vol. II: [2] 769-1504 [13] pp.; Vol. III: [2] 1505-2250 [13] pp.;
Vol. IV [2] 2249-3002 [13] pp., including pictorial titles, hundreds of portraits (photographic, some from
prints or paintings), text illustrations (documentary photographs of architecture, city views, industries,
attractions, etc.), colored maps. 4 vols., complete, large 4to, original black textured and embossed cloth,
each cover with colored and gilt illustration of Lone Star and the Texas Capitol, spines with embossed
titles and the requisite bluebonnets. Minor wear, front joint of Vol. I cracked, pictorial titles foxed, generally a fine set of a work difficult to find complete.
First edition. CBC 4310a, 4375a, 4477a, 4545a, 4671a, 6782a. Dobie, Big Bend Bibliography, p. 6. Rader
1068. A massive Texas mug book, with many portraits of individuals from every walk of life and much
on businesses and economy, transportation, medicine, laws and legal history, etc. The first 261 pages contain a chronicle of Texas history, culture, prospects, industries (much on oil and photos of gushers), agriculture, etc. Articles include “Texas Libraries” and “History of the Texas Automobile Industry.”
Ranching is well covered, with sketches of cattle barons such as King, Kleberg, Littlefield, Slaughter, et al., along with a host of other ranchers—large and small. Articles on ranching include “Cattle
Raising in Texas” (by E.B. Spiller); “The Cattle Industry” (by H.L. Kokernot); “The Texas Cowboy” (by
Tom L. Burnett, with photos of Theodore Roosevelt in Texas); “The Old Trail Drivers” (by Ike T.
Pryor); “History of the West Texas Cattle Industry” (by Claude C. Broome); “History of the Texas
Sheep and Goat Industry” (by T.A. Kinkaid); and “Texas Cattle Industry” (T.D. Hobart). Many of the
regional and local histories contain documentation and photographs relating to ranching, e.g.,
Kingsville (with photo of “Santa Gertrudis, King Ranch Headquarters, Kingsville, Finest Ranch Home
in Texas”), Del Rio (Fawcett Ranch), and Kerrville (much on Schreiner). The local and social history
sections have fairly good coverage of women, including photos.
($200-400)
Zamorano Eighty: “The Authority for Its Period”
160. DAVIS, Winfield J. History of the Political Conventions in California, 1849-1892. Sacramento: [California State Library], 1893. At head of title: Publications of the California State Library No. 1. [6], [1] 2711 [1, blank] pp., printed errata slip inserted before p. [1]. 8vo (23 × 15 cm), original brown cloth, giltlettered and ruled spine, beveled edges. Other than minor wear to binding, very fine.
First edition. Cowan II, p. 161. Cowan & Dunlap, Chinese Question [171]: “Many references to legislation upon the Chinese question in California.” Howell 50, California 408. Howes D142. Graff 1024.
Rocq 16816. Streeter Sale 3015. Zamorano Eighty 28: “The author of this work was the historian of the
Sacramento Society of California Pioneers. He assembled his material from newspaper reports and
official state records. The volume begins with ‘the first political mass meeting in California,’ San Francisco, October 25, 1849, and ends with the state convention of July 26, 1892. Appended are biographical
sketches of the governors and a register of the officers of the state of California from 1849 to 1892. It is
the authority for its period and might well be brought down to date.”
($100-200)
Influential Emigration Lecture on Texas by Mapmaker De Cordova
161. DE CORDOVA, J[acob Raphael]. Lecture on Texas Delivered by Mr. J. De Cordova at Philadelphia,
New York, Mount Holly, Brooklyn, and Newark. Also, a Paper Read before the New York Geographical Society,
April 15th, 1858 “Texas,—the Garden State of the Union.”—The Wanderer. Philadelphia: Printed by Ernest
Crozet, Thirteenth and Market Sts., 1858. [1-3] 4-32 pp. 12mo (20 × 12.3 cm), original blue printed wrappers bound in modern brown calf over tan buckram, spine gilt lettered. Wraps foxed, else a fine copy of
an imprint that makes an interesting adjunct to De Cordova’s great map of Texas (see Item 287 herein).
First edition. Braislin 484. Clark, Old South III:459: “De Cordova had lived in Texas for twenty years. His
lecture...was intended to promote emigration to the Southwest.The author gave brief but interesting information on population, education, religion, clubs, banks, labor, agriculture, transportation, and climate.”
Eberstadt, Texas 162:248: “Glowing account of ‘the rare inducements offered in Texas to our Northern fellow-citizens to emigrate to that State.’” Howes D199. Norris 3896. Sabin 19190. Cf. Basic Texas Books 38.
De Cordova, one of the earliest Jewish settlers in Texas, was known as the “Publicity Agent for an
Empire” as a result of his promotional efforts on behalf of Texas in the U.S. and Europe (Handbook of
Texas Online). The author published an important map of Texas (Martin & Martin 39), two Texas
newspapers, and the most authoritative guides to Texas issued in the 1850s. His activities were responsible for attracting many emigrants to Texas in the latter half of the nineteenth century, and the present lecture is down-to-earth and at times humorous, with advice on “Persons Who Ought Not to Emigrate to Texas,” “To the Ladies,” and “To Widows and Old Maids.” In the last section, he remarks:
To Widows and Old Maids. I trust that neither the young ladies nor their mothers will take any
offence if I gave a little advice to the widows and the old maids,—although I do not suppose that
in this assemblage of beauty there is to be found a decided old maid. Still, supposing that there
may be some of these ladies who are thinking of emigrating to our State, I deem it a solemn duty
to inform their friends that the gentlemen of Texas have always evinced a perfect horror at the
bare idea of allowing the widow, and the old maid with her pet cat, to reside long within the limits of their State.
Our bachelors have entered into a solemn league to extirpate the whole race; and no sooner are
they informed of the arrival in any neighborhood of either one or the other of these members of
society, than they take the most energetic steps in their power to get rid of them, and are generally successful in their endeavors.
Having first got rid of the cats, they obtain the necessary warrant from the county clerk, and
procuring the services of a minister of the gospel or of a justice of the peace, in an almost incredibly short space of time the ladies are compelled to renounce the cheerless state of single blessedness and are transferred, without much inconvenience, to that of matrimony.
Strange as it may appear, it is not more strange than true that ladies who have been treated in this
summary manner seldom evince any reluctance or displeasure. It will thus be seen that, instead of
being crooked and cross-grained, as they are generally represented, they are either very good-natured
or very patriotic, believing that in changing their condition they are certainly contributing their share
toward the advancement of the interests of society and the prosperity of our country.
($150-300)
An Improbable Confluence of California & Texas Signatures
162. DE CORDOVA, Jacob Raphael, William H. Rhodes, William H. Baker & John Henry Brown.
Two autograph legal documents, both very fine condition, consisting of:
DE CORDOVA, Jacob Raphael, et al. Printed deed form completed in manuscript in which John H.
Brown sells De Cordova land in the Milam District in Texas, signed by De Cordova and attested by
William R. Baker. Houston, December 19, 1850. Also with printed filing certificate for Somervell
County, June 18, 1900, signed by William Shields, Jr. 2 pp. on a bifolium, folio (32 × 19.5 cm), grey paper.
RHODES, William H. Document signed on William H. Rhodes’ printed letterhead being a power of
attorney from John H. Brown to Jacob De Cordova to handle a land sale in Texas, signed by Brown and
William H. Rhodes, with the latter’s signed certification and personal seal as Commissioner for California. San Francisco, April 21, 1855. 2 pp. on a bifolium, folio (32 × 19.7 cm), light blue paper.
De Cordova (1808-1868), a native of Spanish Town, Jamaica, educated in England, came to Texas in 1839
where he became a prominent colonizer, and mapmaker (see Items 161, 162 & 287 herein). He also tirelessly promoted Texas in speeches and in his written works. He not only put Texas on the map, but also
sold Texas to the world.
North Carolinian Rhodes (1822-1876) graduated from Harvard and moved to California in 1850
where he practiced law, after living in Texas for several years. He was also a prominent author known
especially for “The Case of Summerfield,” an early science fiction work based on the premise that a villain by the name of Black Bart plans to destroy the world by setting the oceans on fire. Anthony
Boucher in the summer of 1950 issue of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, referred to Rhodes
as “one of the great pioneers of modern science fiction.”
Baker (1820-1890) was born in New York but moved to Texas in 1837. He became wealthy as a land
dealer and held several offices, including being elected Mayor of Houston and State Senator.
Zamorano Eighty author Brown (1810-1905) began his career in the west as a fur trapper and at one
time worked at Sutter’s Fort. Woods in Z80 describes Brown as “fur trader, bartender, citizen-soldier,
hotel builder, capitalist, man of affairs, and author.” He gradually rose in wealth and prominence in San
Francisco. He is well known for his 1886 Reminiscences and Incidents.
($200-400)
Utopian Jesuit Missionary in the Northwest—Excellent Map & Lithos
163. DE SMET, P[ierre] J[ean] de. Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, in 1845-46. By
Father P.J. De Smet, of the Society of Jesus. New York: Published by Edward Dunigan, 151 Fulton-Street,
1847. [i-xi] xii, [13] 14-408, [4] pp., 14 lithograph plates on maize tinted grounds (including frontispiece
and added illustrated title), plus folded lithograph map: Oregon Territory, 1846, neat line to neat line:
21 × 26.6. 12mo (17.8 × 11.5 cm), original brown embossed cloth, spine decorated and lettered in gilt
(neatly re-backed, original spine preserved, new endpapers at front). Mild staining to binding and scattered light foxing to interior. Very good copy.
First edition (several editions followed, including three in French; the second edition of the present
American edition did not have the plates). Bradford 1301. Cowan I, p. 217. Field 1424. Flake 7767:
“Encounters Mormons on Niobrara River and at Winter Quarters while descending the Missouri
River, 1846.” Graff 3829. Howes D286. Jones, Adventures in Americana 1159. Pilling 3624 (includes linguistic material on Flathead, Cree, Blackfoot, Potawatomie, etc.). Plains & Rockies IV:141. Sabin 82268.
Smith 9556. Streeter Sale 2099. Streit III:2339. Tweney, Washington 89: “Father De Smet was Superior
of the Indian Missions of the Oregon country. In this book he describes his travels through the central
Columbia River plateau, as well as a trip up that river to its source. He then continued on to the
Athabasca River, returning to Fort Vancouver by way of Fort Colville early in 1846.” Wheat, Mapping
the Transmississippi West #535 & Vol. III, p. 44:
After his return to the States late in 1846, Father De Smet published several maps, the best known
of which is his “Oregon Territory of 1846,” a great improvement over his previous maps. The original drawing of this map, doubtless in De Smet’s own hand, is preserved at the Huntington
Library, along with the manuscript of his book Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, in 1845-1846 (New York, 1847). The printed map is an exact copy of the drawing, even to the
placing of a number of names upside down. On it the Roman Catholic missions and churches of
the area are carefully shown, as are the “Press” (Presbyterians) Missions near Fort Walla Walla and
on the Salmon River. East of the Rockies, the Blackfeet Range and Buffalo Plains appear, and the
“Main Chain of the Rocky Mountains” is represented by two parallel lines running through the
map, which extends north to beyond the 54th parallel. This is an excellent map and discloses the
travels and careful studies made by De Smet, though the main chain of the Rockies still remains
vague and undefined.
The attractive lithographs include portraits of Native Americans, many scenes relating to the buffalo
hunt, and mission encampments (one of which is a utopian view of the missionaries supervising the
building of a complex church and village as the Sacred Heart of Jesus above radiates its blessing upon
the scene). According to the author’s text, the original art work for the plates was created by Rev.
Nicholas Point, S.J., but the lithographs are otherwise unsigned. The images are evocative of the sympathy and respect the missionaries felt toward those they served and De Smet’s fascination with the
grandeur of the landscape of the Far West.
Belgian Pierre Jean De Smet (1801–1873) served as a missionary to the U.S. Pacific Northwest and
emigrated to the United States in 1821, where he served his novitiate in Missouri and was ordained in
1827. His long career as a missionary commenced in 1838 with his work at the site of what later became
Council Bluffs, Iowa. He also served in Montana, Idaho, and later in the Pacific Northwest. He was a
peacemaker and negotiated between Natives and settlers, notably in the council at Fort Laramie in 1851,
in the Yakima War of 1858–1859, and the Mormon War. His vision of the Jesuit mission was utopian,
and he referred to the project as “The New Paraguay.” Robert C. Carriker, in his biography of Father
De Smet, remarks: “The life of Father De Smet is, in many ways, the simple story of a man who fell in
love with America and its Native inhabitants.... Six Jesuit historians have examined the life of Father
De Smet in the twentieth century, and all of them have concluded, by one line of reasoning or the other
that De Smet’s contribution was absolutely essential to the success of the nineteenth-century Jesuit
Indian missions in America.” (Father Peter John De Smet: Jesuit in the West, University of Oklahoma
Press, 1995, pp. xv, xvii).
($1,000-3,000)
Adams One-Fifty: “The Establishment of Law and Order on Western Plains”
164. DE VENY, William. The Establishment of Law and Order on Western Plains. Portland, Oregon:
Optimist Print, The Dalles, Oregon, 1915. [1] 2-120 pp., 4 photographic plates, one of which is a duplicate (confrontation of armed horsemen, group portrait of famous Western lawmen, moving photostudio to another town), 2 full-page text illustrations (murder and mayhem), pictorial initial of wolf signed
“CR.” 12mo (17 × 12.6 cm), wanting original photographic wrappers with portrait of author (supplied in
excellent facsimile), original heavy staples. Title page slightly dusty with some minor chipping at gutter margin (neatly reinforced), small rust stains from original staples, otherwise a very good copy of an
exceedingly rare book.
plates & text illustrations
The Surprise Bunch “held up.” Half-tone photograph between pp. 32-33. Staged shot of a long line of
armed horsemen from Ulysses holding another group from the town of Surprise captive at gunpoint
during a county seat contest.
Duplicate of preceding, in same location.
A little scrap in a Cincinnati “drug store.” [lower left] Caughey. Wood-engraving on p. [48]. Scene showing gunmen and two dead bodies in a saloon.
Top row; W.H. Harris, Luke Short, W.B. “Bat” Masterson, W.H. Petillon. Bottom row; Charley Bassett, Wyatt
Earp, C.M. McNort, Neal Brown. Half-tone photograph between pp. 64-65. Group shot of famous lawmen.
My arrival in Cincinnati, from Ulysses. Half-tone photograph between pp. 96-97. View of De Veny’s studio arriving in Cincinnati, Kansas, after having been moved there from Ulysses, Kansas.
The killing in county to the north of Santa Fe Rail Way. [lower left] Caughey. Wood-engraving on p. [112].
Street scene of gunfight.
First edition. Adams, Guns 584: Adams, One-Fifty 47: “The author states in his preface that it was
his intention ‘of having about one hundred copies printed to be used by my family and myself for gifts
to a few personal friends’.... According to all the information I was able to unearth, there was only
one copy known to authorities, that one being locked in a vault of the Oregon Historical Society....
The book deals largely with lawlessness in the various Kansas county-seat fights and has some material on Dodge City, where the author lived in its early days.” We know of three institutional copies
(Oregon Historical Society, Library of Congress, and SMU, which has Adams’ former copy), and two
copies in private hands. According to Library of Congress copyright details, the book originally sold
for 50 cents.
De Veny (1852-1918), an Illinois native, was a man stricken with wanderlust who met a wife with the
same passion. In this narrative, De Veny recounts his wanderings through the early Midwest and his
adventures there. Although a resident of Seattle when this book was published, De Veny here relates
earlier experiences before he moved to the West coast, including his childhood and his eventual drift
westward to Kansas and Nebraska. His narrative includes interesting remarks about Dodge City, where
he lived for a while and which he defends as a prosperous place, despite its unsavory reputation.
A major portion of this biographical narrative is, as De Veny says, taken up with his adventures and
involvement in contests for locating county seats in Kansas and Nebraska, a process that sometimes
brought out the worst in people in both monetary and political terms. As he explains: “A county seat
fight is about the strangest sort of scrap that can be imagined. In the first place such a contest as a rule
works up more ill will, destroys more friendships, makes more enemies, breaks up more families and
produces more pure cussedness than any other sort of a political contest ever fought” (p. 26). Land speculators, for example, often had relatively large sums of money riding on which community would
become the county seat. To lose the election meant to lose one’s investment. Residents of competing
towns also had significant stakes in election outcomes. In one case, for example, residents of the town
of Surprise attempted to move the entire town surreptitiously in the middle of the night to take up residence in a nearby area considered more favorable for their election chances against the town of Ulysses.
Their plans were undone, however, by the clever maneuverings of their opponents. Because De Veny
was heavily involved in several of these contests and well understood the legal and political maneuvers
that would come into play, his recounting of these events is an important record of life on the frontier
that gives insight into the present shape of the landscape.
In one instance, the run-off between Cincinnati and Ulysses in present-day Grant County became so
heated that a local doctor, in cahoots with De Veny’s opponents, actually poisoned him under the guise
of giving him treatment. De Veny finally figured out the ruse but was weakened for quite some time.
Cincinnati won the election, but the victory was not permanent. In the end, present-day Ulysses became
the county seat and Cincinnati disappeared, its land now incorporated partially into Ulysses itself.
De Veny enjoyed a reputation as something of a gun slinger or crack shot because of two totally fortuitous incidents. When he went west, he packed a .22 caliber pistol, which was considered a serious
weapon in his hometown. He had not been in the area long, however, before he realized how puny his
weapon was compared to the .45 calibers that everyone else carried, and quickly upgraded his personal
firepower to a pair of .45 Navies. De Veny himself admits that the guns were primarily for show and
that he had no real idea how to use them.
In the first incident that made him famous, De Veny witnessed a farmer’s wife chasing a chicken that
she intended to cook, but the woman was having no luck. De Veny pulled his .45 and by sheer luck managed to blow off the chicken’s head with the first shot while the bird was at a full run, a feat witnessed
by a companion. Later that same day, he was riding back to town with his companion when they spotted an owl about 30 yards away. De Veny’s companion urged him to try his skill and shoot the owl, a
trial that De Veny was, of course, reluctant to undertake given the serendipitous nature of his earlier
shot. Finding that his honor left him little choice but to try, De Veny pulled out his .45 and, to his own
amazement, repeated his feat by blowing off the owl’s head as well. Afterwards, stories spread rapidly
and apparently gained De Veny much respect. Oddly, De Veny never seems to have fired another shot
after that day. He did indeed draw his weapon from time to time, but only to use it as a club to hit people upside the head. After the chicken incident, he was known as “Buffalo Bill” De Veny. He helped his
reputation along by telling his own lies about his handgun prowess.
An important historical aspect of De Veny’s life is that both he and his wife were early photographers.
His wife, Martha Rosetta Ellis (1853-1927), was already a photographer by profession when they married
and taught him the trade, which the two pursued off and on over the years. They were married in Clay
County, Nebraska, where they set up a photography shop, at one point rigging up a traveling studio and
going to Arkansas. When they settled in Ulysses, they set up a photography studio there, which became
embroiled in an unusual way in the county seat fight between Ulysses and Cincinnati. Apparently persuaded that De Veny was an important ally, the Cincinnati partisans bought him off with so much money
that his wife thought he had robbed a bank. Shortly thereafter, De Veny dragged his entire photographic
studio westward to Cincinnati (the arrival of which is recorded by the photographic plate between pp. 9697). If De Veny is actually in the picture, the photograph was undoubtedly taken by his wife, as he seems
to imply (p. 95). If nothing else, the image is a highly unusual one in the history of Western photography.
Sometimes described in historical accounts as a podiatrist, De Veny was actually far more influential
as a politician, social organizer, and photographer. In an odd twist, it has also been asserted that he was
a double for Buffalo Bill and actually performed his own Wild West shows as an impersonator, apparently with the real Buffalo Bill’s connivance (see Don Holm’s article “Were There Two Buffalo Bills?”
in Frontier Times, September, 1965, pp. 35, 61). As the photographic portrait on the wraps demonstrates,
De Veny could easily be mistaken for Buffalo Bill. De Veny’s biography is a highly important, well written account of life in the early Midwest and is redolent with details of frontier life that could be known
only by someone who experienced them firsthand.
($750-1,500)
“A Story of Painful but Absorbing Interest” (Raines)
165. DESHIELDS, James T. Cynthia Ann Parker. The Story of Her Capture at the Massacre of the Inmates
of Parker’s Fort; of Her Quarter of a Century Spent among the Comanches, as the Wife of the War Chief, Peta
Nocona; and of Her Recapture at the Battle of Pease River, by Captain L.S. Ross, of the Texian Rangers....
”Truth is Stranger than Fiction.” St. Louis: Printed for the Author, 1886. [i-iv] v-vii [1], [9]-80 pp., 4
plates, including frontispiece (photograph of Cynthia Ann Parker, her hair chopped short to indicate
mourning, and her daughter Topsannah at her breast nursing): [1] Cynthia Ann Parker, [2] General L.S.
Ross, [3] Lizzie Ross, [4] Quanah Parker. 12mo (18.2 × 13.7 cm), original dark olive green cloth, upper
cover with blind-embossed bands, gilt lettering, gilt pictorial illustration of Fort Parker, original pale
green floral endpapers. Lower corners of binding lightly stained, front hinge split but strong, usual uniform light browning to text, overall a fine, bright copy.
First edition. Ayer 63. Dobie, p. 22. Graff 1064. St. Louis Mercantile Library Association, Adventures
and Sufferings: The American Indian Captivity Narrative through the Centuries 29: “One of the more
unusual captivity stories, Cynthia Ann was the mother of...Comanche chieftain, Quanah Parker. Her
name was legendary for generations in the Southwest.” Howes D278. Notable American Women III:1516. Rader 1126. Raines, p. 67: “A story of painful but absorbing interest.” Tate, The Indians of Texas: An
Annotated Research Bibliography 2280.
Parker (ca. 1825-ca. 1871) is one of the legendary captives in all captivity lore. Kidnapped in 1836, in
her twenty-five years with the Comanche, she forgot her Anglo ways. She is the mother of Quanah
Parker (see Item 468 herein). See Handbook of Texas Online: Cynthia Ann Parker.
($250-500)
Very Early New Mexico Directory—Original Photograph of Las Vegas in 1882
166. [DIRECTORY]. PORTER, Gay E. City Directory of Las Vegas, New Mexico for the Year 1882-3, By
Gay E. Porter. Price Two Dollars. Compiled and Published by Gay E. Porter, Real Estate and Collection
Agent. Las Vegas, New Mexico: Carruth & Layton, Printers, 1882. [1-5] 6-75 [1, “Territorial Mining
Law”], [1, “Addenda”] [1, blank] pp. (including 9 full-page ads), 2 leaves of inserted ads on heavier, colored paper (one on pale yellow paper, before p. [1], and another on light green paper after p. 24). Tipped
in as frontispiece is an original albumen photograph (9.7 × 18.2 cm) showing a panorama of Las Vegas
with three well-dressed ladies in the foreground looking over the town, on card mount (13.3 × 20.5 cm)
with imprint: F.E. Evans, Photo., | Las Vegas, New Mexico. 8vo (20.5 × 14 cm), original olive green printed
paper boards over black cloth (expertly re-backed with sympathetic black cloth). Boards rubbed and
moderately darkened and chipped (loss of some letters), corners rounded. Moderate to light soiling to
interior (mostly confined to blank margins), some finger soiling and scattered contemporary pencil
notes, a few minor closed tears and mended chips (not affecting text). The photograph has some edge
soiling (not affecting image) but is otherwise fine, with excellent contrast. Wants a folded illustrated ad
between pp. 40 and 41, which is present in the Bancroft Library copy, the only other known copy of this
directory. (Provided with this directory is a facsimile of the folded ad in the Bancroft copy.) The Bancroft copy does not have the original photograph. Early twentieth-century ink ownership inscription of
Chas. E. Liebschmer of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and later small printed ownership label (both on front
pastedown). Exceptionally rare.
First edition of the first directory of Las Vegas, New Mexico, one of the earliest directories of any
New Mexico town (if not the first), and a somewhat early imprint for Las Vegas. Not in Saunders and
other standard sources. Bancroft cited the present directory as a source in his 1889 History of Arizona
and New Mexico 1530-1888 (p. xxxv), and that is probably the reason that the Bancroft Library holds a
copy. The directory includes an advertisement for the publisher, the printing establishment of Carruth
& Layton, Printer & Binders.
The author asserts, we believe correctly, in his introduction: “I have the satisfaction of presenting to
the public the first complete Directory of Las Vegas.” The Eberstadts (133:742) list a 1907 Las Vegas directory which they conjecture to be the first directory of that town. We locate three earlier candidates, all
of which are components of larger works. A brief four-page directory of Las Vegas appeared within
H.D. Wilson’s Historical Sketch of Las Vegas, New Mexico (ca. 1880). In 1882, a Santa Fe publication called
A Complete Business Directory of New Mexico: and Gazetteer of the Territory for 1882 provided a territorywide survey of New Mexico. An omnibus publication published in Oakland, California in 1882 included
directories for New Mexico towns on the railroad route of the AT&SF. It had the long-winded title
McKenney’s Business Directory of the Principal Towns of Central and Southern California, Arizona, New
Mexico, Southern Colorado and Kansas: Including Cities and Towns on the Southern Pacific, Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe, Kansas Pacific, and St. Joseph and Western Railroads, with Their Branches and Connections from
San Francisco, Cal., to Kansas City, Mo. Giving Name, Business, and Address of Merchants, Manufacturers,
Professional, and All Business Men of Cities and Towns on the Above Roads and Branches. The only other
early New Mexico directory relating to a single town we locate is the Albuquerque Business Directory for
1883 (printed in Albuquerque). We find no directories for New Mexico listed in AII, Check List of New
Mexico Imprints and Publications, 1784-1876.
As noted above, this directory is a somewhat early Las Vegas imprint. The first Las Vegas imprints
are conjectured to be ca. 1869-1870. The first Las Vegas imprint listed by AII, Check List of New Mexico
Imprints and Publications, 1784-1876 (#228) is a broadside Manifiesto by Cristóbal Sánchez y Baca, conjectured to have been printed in Las Vegas with attributed date ca. 1870. Porter A. Stratton, The Terri-
torial Press of New Mexico 1834-1912 (Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press, 1969, p. 6) states:
“Las Vegas, founded in 1833, had grown slowly as a supply center for sheep ranchers and had a population of 1,090 in 1870.... Journalism was late in starting. The first paper in Las Vegas, the Acorn, published
by A.F. Avoy, was not founded until 1869” (p. 6).
The excellent panoramic photograph of Las Vegas in this copy is a bonus, providing early documentation of the booming town of Las Vegas shortly after introduction of the railroad in 1880. (The earliest printed view of Las Vegas listed by Reps is from 1882.) By 1882, Las Vegas was rapidly becoming a
leading commercial center in the West. Photographer F.E. Evans had a studio in Las Vegas in the 1880s
(see Mautz). An ad for Evans’ studio can be found on p. 42 of the present directory, where it is listed at
311 Grand Avenue, East Las Vegas. It is touted as “The Largest and Most Complete Photographic
Establishment in New Mexico.” The photograph shows the town looking west across the rail yards on
the east side, with hills in the distance. In one interesting detail, one of the trains is moving and is therefore blurred in the photograph. The inclusion of the proper Victorian ladies elegantly attired in the foreground visually reinforces the author’s strong assertions that Las Vegas is now a model of civility and
industry, worlds away from the not-so-distant days when Billy the Kid was being interviewed by Las
Vegas newspaper reporters after his incarceration in 1881. As the author notes (pp. 5-7):
Sensational writers had accepted New Mexico as the field of their fertile imaginations, and many
a scene of rapine and murder had been pictured as occurring within her borders by their romantic pens. A state of semi-civilization was exaggerated into a condition of heathenish barbarism,
and the usual occupation of most of the residents was described as closely resembling the calling
of Dick Turpin or Rob Roy.... This was the picture five years ago, but with the coming of the railroad with its manifold blessings all experienced a change and nowhere in the Territory has the
change been more rapid or unequivocally for good than in Las Vegas. In this city the one story
adobe houses have given place to elegant and substantial structures of brick or stone. The silence
and dearth that for long years hung like a cloud over us, have disappeared and we now live in the
daybreak of better things.... You will find in the new city, the queen city of the great southwest,
miles of side tracks, elegant and commodious offices of the management of the New Mexico division of the A.T.& S.F. R.R., mammoth wholesale and commission houses carrying stocks of millions of dollars. The hum of manufacturing industries will attract your attention. A line of street
railways, water works, gas works and a telephone exchange will be found in operations; and pushing and inspiring all are seven thousand busy people. The future of New Mexico, if written today, would be called an Aladdin’s story; her possibilities are bewildering.
($3,000-6,000)
Galveston Directory 1866-1867—Original Printed Boards
167. [DIRECTORY]. RICHARDSON, W[illard] & CO. Galveston Directory for 1866-67. Containing
the Early History of Galveston, the Officers of the Existing City Government, together with Full Details of All
Public Improvements, Institutions and Associations, Public Enterprises, etc. etc. By W. Richardson & Co.
Galveston: Printed at the “News” Book and Job Office, 1866. [2, ads], [1-3] 4-104, [40, ads] pp. 12mo
(19.5 × 12.2 cm), original printed paper boards (neatly re-backed with sympathetic dark brown cloth).
Boards worn, stained, and rubbed, title repaired and infilled (missing a few letters which are supplied
in good facsimile), a few other text leaves with marginal tears and chipping, foxed. A rare survival, particularly in light of the imprint’s origin and subsequent disasters in Galveston.
First edition. Raines, p. 174. Winkler 1517. Not in CBC. This rare directory provides names, occupations, and addresses of the citizenry, businesses, historical sketch of the city, officers of city government,
public improvements, biographical sketch of Galveston founder M.B. Menard, first survey of Galveston
(“The Flat Question”), institutions (including Galveston City Hospital and Galveston Medical College), associations, wharves, medical topography (healthfulness and safety of Galveston’s location), railroads, Galveston City Company, connections with Texas ports and interior, Galveston and Brazos
Canal and Navigation Company, and cotton presses and related material. The many ads provide valuable documentation on business history and material culture.
This directory documents Galveston’s rapid recovery and thriving economy following the Civil War.
By 1870 Galveston was the largest city in Texas. The primary business emphasis of this directory is on
trade goods, ships and shipping, transportation, and cotton. The section on “Medical Topography of
Galveston” was written by Dr. Greensville S. Dowell, one of the founders of the organization that
evolved to be the Texas Medical Association. Dr. Dowell acknowledges the susceptibility of the city and
its residents to epidemics of yellow fever, which would in 1867 strike about three-fourths of the population and kill at a rate of twenty per day. Dr. Dowell includes an interesting survey of the composition
of the population and living conditions at that time, on which apparently the editors felt the need to
comment just a bit:
Galveston is represented by the Doctor as a perfect Bable [sic]—about one-fourth American and
English, another fourth German, one-sixth French, another sixth Spanish, and the remainder all
other nations. These representatives from different nations pursue avocations and habits of living
peculiar to their nationality: the Americans eating of beef and pork, and drinking whiskey, gin and
brandy; the Germans eating beef, pork, cabbage and sour-krout, drinking Rhine wine and lager
beer, and so on with all others, the negroes eating anything and drinking everything. All use
tobacco: the Americans chew, the Germans smoke pipes, the French and Spanish smoke cigars,
the negroes chew and smoke.... The negroes are generally living in crowded huts, upon the alleys
or in the outskirts of the city. Many places in the streets and alleys are filled with water for weeks
after a rain; but few have much or deep mud. The alleys are the receptacles of all the filth of the
house yard and kitchen. In walking through alleys your nose is greeted with effluvia arising from
filth, the decaying carcasses of dogs, hogs, cats, rats, mice, old bones, fish.... Since the publication
of this article by Dr. Dowell, an energetic cleansing of alleys and yards has been effected and sanitary measures generally adopted by the authorities....
At pages 68-69 is an essay entitled Map and Plan of Galveston City and Island, which discusses a map
of Galveston (none of the copies located have a map). See Day (p. 78) and Taliaferro, Cartographic
Sources in the Rosenberg Library (336).
($750-1,500)
The First Kansas City Directory
168. [DIRECTORY]. SUTHERLAND, [ James] & [Henry N.] McEvoy (compilers & publishers).
Kansas City Directory, and Business Mirror, for 1859-60, Containing the Name and Residence of Every Male
Citizen, a Business Mirror, and an Appendix of Much Useful Information. Published Annually. Price One
Dollar. Saint Louis, Mo.: Sutherland & McEvoy, Publishers & Compilers, Office. cor. Second &
Chestnut Sts. [title verso states printing and binding by Bingham and Doughty, Indianapolis, Indiana],
[1859]. [i-ii] iii-xviii, 1-80, [2, “Street Directory”], 81-99 [1, blank] pp. (numerous ads, many with wood
engravings), first and last leaves used as pastedowns, last two leaves on pale green paper. 8vo (22.5 × 15.2
cm), publishers’ original blind-embossed diced purple cloth (faded to brown), title gilt-lettered on upper
cover (professionally re-backed, preserving original spine, corners renewed). Some shelf wear, three
small spots on upper cover, scattered moderate to light foxing and staining, light chipping to blank margins of penultimate leaf, otherwise very good. Scattered old pencil notes recording updates to the directory (including one on p. 15 noting that Diveley was “killed by Indians June 14, 1867 out West”). Laid in
is a newspaper clipping from the Star concerning a talk by Frank Titus about this directory and a later
manuscript list entitled “Buildings on the Levee.” Very rare. The only copy we trace on the market is
Mr. Streeter’s (which fetched $250 in 1967).
First edition of the first Kansas City, Missouri, directory, documenting a pivotal transit point and entrepôt on the way West and back. Graff 4036. Howes S1148. Streeter Sale 1871 (calling for 97 pp.). The compilers declare in the preface: “In presenting the first issue of the Kansas City Directory, the publishers
feel they have done something toward satisfying the wants and necessities of the public, and rendering
the work a fit representative of the business and enterprise of the city.”
Kansas City’s origins go back to 1833-1834, when John McCoy established West Port and Westport
Landing very near the Missouri River on the Santa Fe Trail. The town of Kansas was incorporated in
1850, by which time Kansas, Westport, and Independence were vital points of westward expansion for
three major trails, the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon. Walker D. Wyman comments in “Kansas City,
Mo., a Famous Freighter Capital” (Kansas Historical Quarterly, Vol. VI, No. 1, February, 1937, pp. 3-15):
The overland trade to New Mexico was the most ancient and honorable of all ox-team freighting
from Missouri river towns. Beginning in the eighteen twenties, it grew slowly until the Mexican
War; then the necessity of supplying troops stationed in the area, as well as other Americans, created a new era in this traffic. Lower Missouri river towns outfitted this trade in its infancy. But when
Kansas City came into existence in the forties it soon became the headquarters. Its fame lies in being
the patron saint of the trade down the old Santa Fe trail. It enjoyed practically an unbroken monopoly on the private trade to New Mexico.... In 1845, Bent and St. Vrain shipped there the first load of
goods. When this train of twenty-five wagons was unloaded the warehouse was full from top to bottom and 5,000 tons of buffalo hides covered with a tarpaulin were stored on the levee....
[In the 1850s] all the life was at the wharf, where the few inhabitants gathered to see the daily
show of churning steamboats, men bustling about loading or unloading goods, and plodding oxen,
drawing prairie schooners up the ravine, urged on by Missouri or Mexican profanity.... The warehouse, wharf, and stores bustled with activity. Hacks and drays rattled up and down the hilly
streets. The prairie southwest of town was covered with the camps and corrals of the traders. In
June [1858] “at least four thousand head of stock” grazed serenely on the prairie grass.... The Santa
Fe trail and the Missouri river made Kansas City. The New Mexican and the mountain trade
made it famous for more than a decade.... The inexorable forces of geography dictated that it
should be the supply depot for the upper Arkansas and New Mexico.
This directory offers an amazing assortment of material goods and services for the emigrant, trader,
and resident. Over half of the directory consists of advertisements (many pictorial and with a dizzying
array of typefaces). The goods and services offered would be of great utility to traders and overlanders
going to and coming from the West; blacksmiths, boot dealers, freighters, gun dealers, powder purveyors, wholesale grocers, harness and saddle makers, steamboat agents, hotels, hide and leather buyers,
commission agents, warehouses, and India rubber are all advertised for “the gentlemen destined for the
Gold Regions.” As might be expected in a growing boom town, there are many attorneys, boarding
houses, builders, painters, grocers, saloons, and doctors. Scarcer occupations are represented by one midwife (Mrs. S. Flaeger), photographers (Campbell’s Sky-Light Gallery and A.G. Garge), booksellers (two),
bookbinders (one), broom manufacturers (one), and one hatter (Mrs. Fraley). Because the directory was
published before the full expansion of the railroad system, only four railroad lines are listed in the directory proper, though there are two additional lines advertised for travelers heading east. As Wyman
observes of the year 1859 (using this directory as a source): “The four commission and forwarding houses,
three harness makers, two steamboat agents, six wholesale groceries, and twenty-two saloons surely had a
profitable year in this great splurge before the shadow of secession hovered over Kansas City” (p. 10).
($2,500-3,500)
Pioneer Colorado Photographer Chamberlain’s Copy
Of a Rare Denver Directory
169. [DIRECTORY]. WHARTON, J.E. History of the City of Denver from its Earliest Settlement to the
Present Time, by J.E. Wharton; To Which is Added a Full and Complete Business Directory of the City, by D.O.
Wilhelm. Denver: Byers & Dailey, Printers, News Office, 1866. [1-3] 4-184 pp., numerous ads throughout (a few illustrated), 8vo (20.5 × 12 cm), contemporary full tan sheep, black gilt-lettered spine labels
(plain endpapers, sometimes found with wrappers bound in). Binding moderately rubbed, especially
along spine (a few small strips flayed), hinges professionally strengthened, first two leaves mended at
lower blank corners (no losses), last leaf with blank corners neatly reinforced, overall very good, interior
very fine and fresh. Association copy, title with contemporary ink ownership reading “W.G. Chamberlain, Photographic Rooms” (lightly struck through). Chamberlain’s ad for his photography studio
appears on p. 98 and his business listing at corner of Larimer and West Streets is on p. 134. His ad states:
“Denver Photographic Rooms and Stock Depot. Graham’s Block, corner Larimer and F. Streets, Denver. Every style of Photographic work, executed with neatness and dispatch. City and Mountain Views
always on hand, for sale. Artists will find every article required for Photography at reasonable terms.
W.G. Chamberlain, Artist.” The only bookbinder listed in the directory is one C.W. Smart, who is
probably responsible for the binding here. Chamberlain is the only photographer listed in the directory.
See Item 455 herein for a photograph of Chamberlain.
First edition of an early and significant Colorado imprint. Anderson Sale 1686 (fetched $290 in 1922):
“Original edition of the pioneer history of Denver and one of the veritable nuggets of early Coloradiana. Historically the work is of the highest importance as affording a practically contemporary record
of the early emigrations and gold ‘strikes;’ the beginnings of the town with personal reminiscences of
its first settlers; of the Desperadoes and Adventurers, their duels, murders and executions; the Indian
Outrages, raids and Wars; disasters by fire and flood, etc. Among connoisseurs of Rocky Mountain lore,
this little volume has long been esteemed as one of the rarest and most to be desired of books printed
in the Territory.”
Bradford 5765. Eberstadt 135:267. Graff 4617. Howes W303: “Rarest of Colorado local histories; first
of this city.” Jones 295: “Excessively rare.” LC, Colorado 131: “This pioneer history of the ‘Queen City of
the Plains’ was printed by Byers & Dailey, proprietors of the city’s pioneer newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News.” McMurtrie & Allen, Early Printing in Colorado 73. Streeter Sale 2172: “The first history of
Denver and one of the rarest Colorado local histories.” Wilcox, p. 122. Wynar 884.
Publishers Byers & Dailey, among the early arrivals in Denver, founded The Rocky Mountain News.
William Newton Byers (1831–1903) was the foremost proponent of Denver during its early years and,
with his partner Dailey, published its first newspaper, The Rocky Mountain News, on April 23, 1859. On
pp. 125–127 a description is given of how the newspaper building was destroyed in the flood in May of
1864, and their establishment is described as “that pioneer of hardship and of honor.” McMurtrie &
Allen (p. 21) state that Byers “really laid the foundations of Colorado journalism and established the
printing craft there” (p. 21). At age twenty-one, while working as a U.S. surveyor, Byers crossed the
Plains and became familiar with the Plains and Rockies. He joined the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush in 1858,
conceived the idea of reporting firsthand information from the mines, and published a newspaper in the
Gold Region. He plunged into public affairs from the moment of his arrival in Denver in 1859, staunchly
advocating statehood for what is now Colorado. He was chosen as temporary president of the June 1859
convention to draft a constitution for the proposed state, and with his partner served as public printer
to the constitutional convention for Jefferson Territory. Due to his determined opposition to the lawless elements of the new community, he endured attacks by gangs. Contributor Junius E. Wharton was
also involved fairly deeply in early Denver printing, serving as editor or contributor to several newspapers. Wharton, however, had a checkered career, apparently constantly running afoul of people because
of his sour, turbulent disposition.
At p. 175 is a brief but glowing appraisal of the Denver area for stock raising, commencing: “The natural advantages of Colorado as a stock country are without a parallel” and concluding: “The grass-fed
beef and mutton of the Territory may safely challenge the markets of the world.” The addenda at the
end (pp. 177–184) concern several instances of violence, “bloody outrages,” and horse thievery that
occurred in Denver and reports other local news such as the arrival of a theatre troupe. One relatively
long section reports the murder of one Stark described as a “Mexican negro” and several individuals who
set about shooting people. The Rocky Mountain News, after denouncing these acts, was then subjected
to attack by the perpetrators.
($2,000-4,000)
“How a Little Town in Ohio Felt About Texas in 1836”—Streeter
170. EAGLE TAVERN (Manhattan, Ohio). Printed invitation completed in contemporary ink manuscript: The Celebration of the Independence of the U. States, AND THE TRIUMPH OF TEXAS. [cut of
eagle] The Company of Mr. [W. Kanhouse & Lady] is respectfully solicited at the Eagle Tavern, Manhattan, on Monday, the Fourth day of July, 1836. Managers. S. Thompson, Buffalo, S. Coming, Painesville, V.J.
Card, Cleveland, I.G. Camp, Sandusky City, F. Wright, Manhattan, T. Stickney, Manhattan, H.W. Goettel,
George McKay, Toledo, A.M. Thompson, Perrysburg, C.C.P. Hunt, Maumee. [Manhattan, Ohio?, 1836]. [4]
pp., printed on p. [1] only. 12mo, 19.9 × 12.5 cm. Creased where formerly folded, some light staining, a
few tiny losses at folds not affecting text, otherwise a very good copy of a fragile item, preserved in dark
brown morocco and a cloth slipcase.
First edition. Midland 72-441 (being the copy Streeter purchased, now at Yale): “Few states, if any,
gave greater support to Texas in 1836 than did Ohio.” Morgan, Bibliography of Ohio Imprints 5553 (locating copies at Yale and the University of Texas, Arlington). Streeter 1198: “This folder has been entered
after considerable hesitation, notwithstanding its direct reference to Texas. It does show how a little
town in Ohio felt about Texas in 1836.” A newspaper entitled the Advertiser was established in Manhattan at some point in 1836. If this item was printed there, it is the only known Manhattan imprint aside
from scattered issues of the newspaper itself.
Manhattan was one of the towns established in 1835 by speculators in the Maumee River Valley. It
had been in existence only a year when this invitation was issued. Some of the chief investors in the area
(I.G. Camp, S. Thompson, and F. Wright) are among the list of sponsors printed at the bottom of this
invitation. The Eagle Tavern was the only establishment of its kind in Manhattan. When it was decided
that the Miami & Erie Canal would have its junction with the Maumee River at Manhattan, the town’s
future looked secure. As events played out, however, the town finally failed, lost its plat in 1848, and the
area eventually was absorbed into present-day Toledo.
Despite Streeter’s statements that he included this item only “after considerable hesitation” and that its
significance is lies in the way it “does show how a little town in Ohio felt about Texas in 1836,” the invitation appears to be somewhat more complicated than that. Given the struggles Manhattan’s promoters
were having at the time, the invitation would seem to be an attempt to capitalize on a thrilling recent event
to help promote the town of Manhattan itself while commemorating Texas independence, won only three
months before at San Jacinto. This invitation is interesting evidence not only of the influence events in
Texas had on the U.S. at large, as Streeter implies, but also how those events might have been used to promote something other than the glories of Texas arms. Texas was hardly a stranger to Ohio. David Gouverneur Burnet, who had many connections to the state, had sought colonists for his grant there in 1827,
for example, and four of Ohio’s sons had died at the Alamo this very year.
($750-1,500)
The Foundation of Modern Mexican Bibliography
“A Dynamic Assertion of Mexican Intellectual Achievement“
171. EGUIARA Y EGUREN, Juan José de. Bibliotheca Mexicana sive eruditorum Historia virorum, qui in
America Boreali nati, vel alibi geniti, in ipsam Domicilio aut Studijs asciti, quavis linguâ scripto aliquid tradiderunt: Eorum præsertim qui pro Fide Catholica & Pietate ampliandâ fovendâque, egregiè factis & quibusvis
Scriptis floruere editis aut ineditis.... Authore D. Joanne Josepho de Eguiara et Eguren.... Tomus Primus exhibens
litteras A B C. Mexici: Ex novâ Typographiâ in Ædibus Authoris editioni ejusdem Bibliothecæ destinatâ,
1755. [158], 1-543 [1] pp., title printed in red and black, bibliography printed in two columns, occasional
side notes, copper-engraving at top of p. 1 (Spanish royal arms; Virgin of Guadalupe; arms of Mexico
City). Folio (30.2 × 20.5 cm), contemporary full Mexican tree calf, spine gilt decorated and with gilt-lettered leather label, marbled endpapers, edges tinted red. Headcap pulled but present, label chipped, overall moderate shelf wear and rubbing; some signatures lightly browned, some leaves worm damaged in
gutter margins touching a few letters, pp. 190 and 220 have old ink library stamp of a Guadalajara library,
pp. 533-543 stained in upper margin with resulting loss that touches a few page numbers, contemporary
trimmed ink marginalia on p. 434. Overall a very good copy of a handsome imprint printed on the
author’s own press. Rare; no copy has been at auction in the past thirty years.
First edition; no more published. Beristáin I, p. 309. Bibliotheca Mejicana 551. Leclerc, Bibliotheca
Americana (1867) 501: “Ouvrage très-important et d’une rareté excessive.” Mathes, Illustration in Colonial Mexico, Woodcuts and Copper Engravings in New Spain 1539-1821, Register No. 1755:4239 (no attribution). Medina, México 4239. Palau 78641: “Raro en comercio.” Pilling. pp. xxiii (cited in “List of Authorities”). Ramírez 345: “Beristain confesses that he should never have undertaken his own Biblioteca if
Eguiara had not opened the door and showed him the way.” Rich, Bibliotheca Americana Nova 1775:36
(1:115): “It is unfortunate that no more of this important work was published. It is probable that not
many copies were printed...as it is not often met with.” Sabin 22060. See also: González Echevarría, et
al., The Cambridge History of Latin American Literature: Discovery to Modernism, pp. 367-368.
This legendary Mexican imprint and bibliographical rarity was the first attempt to document writers
who worked, were born, or flourished in Mexico, 1521-1763, whether their works were in print or manuscript. It was compiled to refute authors who proposed the theory of American degeneration, especially
Spaniard Manuel Martí, who in 1735 denigrated native American writers. Martí’s dismissal is quoted
extensively in the work and commented upon. As Andrew Laird, The Epic of America (London: Duckworth, 2006), remarks: “[The work] is more than a bibliography: it represents both a demonstration and
dynamic assertion of Mexican intellectual achievement in several spheres of knowledge” (pp. 21-22).
His introductory remarks are also the first significant theoretical and practical analysis of Mexican literature. The work is in Latin, including those titles originally published in Spanish, the order is by
Christian name rather than surname, and the author’s comments are sometimes bombastic and convoluted. The book is still a valuable text, preserving records of works not known to exist today.
Although Eguiara y Eguren finished through the letter J, this is the only volume ever published. The
work had significant influence, especially being used by Beristáin y Sousa for his own bibliography, and
is considered the foundation of modern Mexican bibliography. What remains of his manuscript is in
the University of Texas, Austin.
Eguiara y Eguren (1696-1763) was born in Mexico City, entered the priesthood, and held a variety of
administrative and teaching positions. He devoted the last part of his life to compiling the present work,
although he also wrote others, now mostly forgotten, before doing so.
($2,000-4,000)
Exceedingly Rare 1846 Handbook to Texas for German Emigrants
With a Folding Map of Texas
172. EHRENKREUTZ, Baron von. Völlstandige Beschreibung des Staates Texas in historischer, politischer,
geographischer und geselliger Hinsicht. Ein Handbuch für die Auswanderer nach diesem Staate, mit besonderer
Berücksichtigung derjenigen, welche sich bei ihrer Auswanderung unter den Schutz des Mainzer- oder
Antwerpener-Vereins zu begeben, beabsichtigen. Herausgegeben nach Privat-Mittheilungen der Herrn R.
Schmitz und G. Adward, mehrjährigen Bürgern des Freistaats; der verschiedenen Vereine zum Schutze
deutscher Auswanderer nach Texas und sonstigen zuverlässigen Quellen: nebst einer Spezial-Karte von Texas
von B. v. Ehrenkreutz. Coblenz: Verlag von J.F. Aug. Reiff, 1846. [2], [i]-iii [1, blank], [2], 1-252 pp., folding lithograph map with original outline coloring of counties and route from the Texas coast to the German colony, which is shaded tan: Karte von Texas entworfen nach den Vermessungen welche in den Acten
der General-Land-Office der Republick liegen den neuesten Reisenachrichten und dem Hanbuche für deutsche
Auswanderer nach Texas, im Schutze des Mainzer Vereins von Br. v. Ehrenkreutz Coblenz bei J.F. Aug. Reiff.
Lith. Anst. v. J.B. Rühl in Coblenz, neat line to neat line: 39 × 38 cm; overall sheet size: 40.3 × 43.5 cm.
Small 8vo (14.5 × 9.5 cm), publisher’s original tan cloth, spine gilt lettered. Binding moderately worn,
faded, and with a few stains on upper cover, light foxing and browning to text. Map neatly mounted on
archival tissue and repaired at folds and along one diagonal tear (a few miniscule losses), browned along
a few folds, moderate offsetting, but generally very good with strong outline coloring. Book and map
are exceedingly rare. We find no copies of the book among U.S. institutional holdings, but the British
Library owns a copy. No copy in the Deutschen Nationalbibliothek or the Koninklijke Bibliotheek.
First edition of a very early German emigration guide to Texas. Sabin 22073. Not in other standard
sources. The map, a photostat of which is listed by Day in the holdings of the Texas States Archives
(pp. 45-46), is quite similar in title to the map included in the Society for the Protection of German
Emigrants to Texas publication, Gesammelte Aktenstücke des Vereins zum Schutze deutscher Einwanderer in
Texas (Mainz, 1845; Streeter 1625). The map in the 1845 publication was based on Hunt and Randel’s
1839 map of Texas. The present map is very similar, but dimensions vary slightly and numerous updates
have been made. A key with symbols locates various minerals for mining ventures. Located are Native
American tribes, missions, forts, the Alamo, land grants (including Bourgeois d’Orvanne), “Wilde
Herde od. Mustangs,” Cross Timbers, prairie lands, various geographical features, etc. In all, this is a
well-executed map, with excellent detail and added notes on topography and wildlife. The author is
attributed as the maker of the map. Author Ehrenkreutz, lithographer R.B. Rühl, and publisher J.F.
Aug. Reiff are not mentioned by Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition. Rühl’s lithography
included Dutch pharmaceutical cards, and the highlight of Reiff’s publishing venture seems to have
been an 1850 deck of Lenormand divination cards, known as “the wicked pack of cards.”
The guide contains a short history of Texas, including the colonization venture of Moses and
Stephen F. Austin and the Texas Revolution, followed by the constitution of the Republic of Texas. Discussion of mining possibilities are fully explored, and various tribes are described, with the Comanche
receiving the lion’s share of attention, undoubtedly due to their proximity to the German-Texas lands.
The author sets out the usual concerns of such guides—agriculture, stock raising, wildlife (including
buffalo), rivers, ports, major towns, counties, social, religious, and business life. The latter portion of the
book outlines the activities and mission of the Adelsverein (Society for the Protection of German Emi-
grants to Texas), reprinting much of the material published the previous year in Gesammelte Aktenstücke
des Vereins zum Schutze deutscher Einwanderer in Texas (Streeter 1625), with updated documents since
that publication. The work concludes with instructions on how to book passage and travel to Texas. For
more on the Adelsverein, see Streeter 1625 and Handbook of Texas Online: Adelsverein.
Baron von Ehrenkreutz (ca. 1786-ca. 1866) is a somewhat mysterious person, although many know him
as the German Isaac Walton for his book Das Ganze der Angelfischerei. He seems to have pursued careers
as a military officer and as a writer, although he also had pretensions to a title of nobility. Ekkehard von
Knorring, a truly persistent researcher, seems to have shed the most light on the Baron. For a translation
from German into English of that biography, please consult our web site.
($10,000-20,000)
“First Thorough American Survey of the Lower Mississippi & Gulf Regions”
Untrimmed & in Original Boards
173. ELLICOTT, Andrew. The Journal of Andrew Ellicott, Late Commissioner on Behalf of the United
States during Part of the Year 1796, the Years 1797, 1798, 1799, and Part of the Year 1800: For Determining the
Boundary between the United States and the Possessions of His Catholic Majesty in America, Containing
Occasional Remarks on the Situation, Soil, Rivers, Natural Productions, and Diseases of the Different Countries on the Ohio, Mississippi, and Gulf of Mexico, with Six Maps Comprehending the Ohio, Mississippi from
the Mouth of the Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico, the Whole of West Florida, and Part of East Florida. To which
is Added an Appendix, Containing All the Astronomical Observations Made Use of for Determining the
Boundary, with Many Others, Made in Different Parts of the Country for Settling the Geographical Positions
of Some Important Points, with Maps of the Boundary on a Large Scale; likewise a Great Number of Thermometrical Observations Made at Different Times, and Places. Philadelphia: Printed by Budd & Bartram, for
Thomas Dobson, at the Stone House, No. 41, South Second Street, 1803. [i-iii], iv-vii [1, blank], [1] 2232, 232-299, [1-2] 3-151 [1, blank], [1, errata + 1, blank] pp., 14 copper-engraved folded maps, mostly on
heavy laid paper (all untitled, drawn by Ellicott and engraved by Alexander Lawson). 4to (28 × 22 cm),
original blue paper boards over original white paper spine, raised bands, title and old number in ink on
spine. Spine rubbed and chipped at extremities, upper joint weak but holding, lower board separated,
boards lightly worn. Light to moderate waterstaining; maps in excellent, dark impressions (the maps for
the most part have escaped waterstaining). Overall, a very good copy of a rare, untrimmed example in
original boards. An unsophisticated copy, better than the Siebert copy.
First edition. American Imprints (1803) 4147. Buck 50. Clark II:89. Graff 1230. Howes E94: “First
thorough American survey of the lower Mississippi and Gulf Regions.” Rader 1295. Sabin 22217: “One
of the earliest books by an American author, which describes the vast regions traversed by the commission, and is indeed the pioneer account of regions then desert, and now teeming with life, activity and
civilisation.” Servies, Bibliography of Florida 768. Siebert Sale 607 (1999 fetched $8,625). Streeter Sale
1531: “The earliest account of West Florida. Ellicott’s report on the area influenced the eventual U.S.
acquisition of the area.”
This publication is by far the most comprehensive report on the trans-Appalachian West that had
appeared at the time. Although principally concentrated on the Gulf Coast area, the work also includes
valuable comments on Ohio and parts of the Midwest. The publication of this work in many ways opened
the eyes of both the public and the government to the riches and possibilities of U.S. expansion into the
areas discussed and was influential in persuading Jefferson to pursue the Louisiana Purchase. The maps
are original contributions to knowledge of the area. The present work was based on U.S. and Spanish surveys following the Treaty of San Lorenzo. The work is also the first extensive description of West Florida.
Andrew Ellicott (1754-1820) was one of the more important surveyors of his time. He was chosen,
for example, to extend the legendary Mason-Dixon Line west, and his survey of the new District of
Columbia became the standard for the nation’s new capital, supplanting L’Enfant. He tutored Meriwether Lewis in surveying techniques before the Lewis & Clark expedition. He ended his career as an
instructor at West Point. See DAB. The superb maps were engraved by Alexander Lawson (Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, Vol. III, p. 100) and Benjamin Jones (Vol. II, p. 453). Engraver,
publisher, Lawson (1773-1846) is best known for his engravings in Alexander Wilson’s American
Ornithology (1808-1814) and Charles Lucien Bonaparte’s continuation of the same (1825-1833). Lawson
was part of the Peale circle.
($4,000-8,000)
Adams One-Fifty—Good Lawmen Go Bad on the Owlhoot Trail
174. ELLIOTT, David Stewart. Last Raid of the Daltons. A Reliable Recital of the Battle with the Bandits
at Coffeyville, Kansas, October 5, 1892, by David Stewart Elliott, Editor Coffeyville Journal, First Edition.
Illustrated by E.A. Fulleau. [1-7] 8-71 [1] pp., text illustrations (portraits, scenes, plan). 8vo (19.4 × 13.4
cm), disbound (lacking wraps). A somewhat disreputable copy: old cello tape and stains on outside of
first and last leaves, interior fine and clean.
First edition. Adams, Guns 671: “Rare.” Adams, One-Fifty 52: “The author was editor of the Coffeyville
Journal and was an eye-witness to the battle of the citizens and the Dalton Gang. It is said that he was
the first man to reach the wounded Emmett Dalton. He wrote this little book to give an account of
what he saw and published it in a limited edition immediately after this battle took place.... This is
about the best account of this battle written thus far.” Dykes, Rare Western Outlaw Books, pp. 28 (illustrated) & 29. Graff 1235. Howes E107.
“What was supposed to be the crime of the century, turned out to be a bust. The Dalton gang rode
in, but they did not ride out.” McLoughlin, Wild & Woolly, pp. 126.
($250-500)
Rare Regional History of San Diego & San Bernardino Counties in 1883
Profusely Illustrated with Lithographs of Southern California
175. ELLIOTT, Wallace W. (publisher). History of San Diego County, California, with Illustrations,
Descriptive of Its Scenery, Farms, Residences, Public Buildings, Factories, Hotels, Business Houses, Schools,
Churches, and Mines, from Original Drawings, with Biographical Sketches [and] WILSON, Warren. History of San Bernardino County, California, pp. [141-204]. San Francisco: Wallace W. Elliott & Co., 609
Montgomery Street, 1883. [6], [17]-68, [2], 69-108, [2], 109-110, [2], 111-116, [2], 117-140, [4], [141]-158, [2],
159-178, [2], 179-198, [2], 199-200, [2], 201-204 pp. (printed in double column), 77 lithograph plates (8 of
which are folded), 3 lithograph maps (see below), wood-engraved text illustrations, diagrams, etc. Folio
(35 × 28.7 cm), publisher’s original black sheep over gilt-lettered and blind-stamped brown cloth, spine
lettered in gilt. Fair copy only. Binding worn, upper joint starting, cloth faded and stained. Moderate
waterstaining, especially the first 35 and last 10 pages (the majority of the images affected have only mild
marginal staining). A few leaves torn and/or repaired, a couple with minor loss. Pp. 17-18 trimmed at
top blank margin; 19-20, trimmed at right blank margin. Very rare.
maps
Map of California Published by W.W. Elliott & Co. Lithographers. 619 Montgomery St. San Francisco. 1881.
Full original color. Neat line to neat line: 30 × 24.5 cm.
Map of San Bernardino and San Diego. Compiled for Illustrated History. W.W. Elliott & Co. 618 Montgomery
St. [small untitled inset of San Diego Bay at lower left] San Francisco. 1882. Full original color. Neat line
to neat line: 29.3 × 22.4 cm.
Map of Etiwanda, San Bernardino Co., Cal. Chaffey Brothers, Proprietors This Tract is Located on the Southern Pacific R.R., 48 miles East of Los Angeles, Elliott & Co., 610 Montgomery St., San Francisco. Uncolored
plat map of town lots. Neat line to neat line: 30.2 × 23 cm. At the time of this map, Etiwanda (eventually part of Rancho Cucamonga), was newly formed, the land having been purchased in 1881 from a
retired Portuguese sea captain. The Etiwanda Water Company became the standard for water system
management in southern California. In 1882, the first long distance telephone call in southern California was completed between San Bernardino and Etiwanda; electric lights arrived the same year.
First edition. Bradford 742A. Cowan, p. 551. Edwards, Enduring Desert, p. 76: “Much of southern desert
interest in this huge old record book of 1883.” Filby, Bibliography of American County Histories, p. 31. Rocq
7303. Not in Adams (Herd) though the book is replete with illustrations of ranches and text on ranching,
including the 1851 “An Act re Judges of the Plains” (Herd 394). Adams does not list the title in Guns, either,
but there is much on rustling and lawlessness in the “Early Times” essays on each region, such as an account
of the 1851 raid on the Lugo Ranch in San Jose by a party of Utes from around Salt Lake (pp. 77-79).
Wallace W. Elliott seems to have been an even more indefatigable county history publisher than
Thompson & West, but Elliott’s tomes are scarcer. Elliott’s publications included histories for the counties
and regions of Colusa, Fresno, Humboldt, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Ana, Orange, Stanislaus, Tulare,
etc., etc.These histories extolling California with a profusion of lithographic plates are a valuable documentary source on nineteenth-century California, often recording views and places not found elsewhere.
Included in the present volume are images of ranches, orchards, vineyards, apiaries, farms, residences,
public buildings, factories, hotels, businesses, schools, churches, railroads, newspaper offices, etc. Particularly interesting are printing establishments showing printers at work and equipment in use at the
time. Some of the plates of residences feature owners’ portraits or even their prize livestock. Doublepage plates in the present volume include bird’s-eye views of Redlands and Etiwanda (not in Reps). The
engraved text vignettes consist of portraits, maps, public and private architecture, and views (including
a bird’s-eye view of the town and bay of San Diego).
The biographical sketches sometimes have interesting details not found elsewhere on early settlers
and Bear-Flaggers of California, as well as early miners. For instance, there is a good illustrated essay
on the property of Cave Johnson Couts, West Pointer, Mexican-American vet, and surveyor of the San
Diego pueblo lands in 1848. Coverage of the area’s Native American population includes historical
encounters, missionization, and descriptions of the tribes as they then existed. The picture is decidedly
mixed, with some tribes being lauded as industrious and peaceful, but others denigrated for their alleged
indolent ways. For example, the Coahuillas and Serranos are said to be “inveterate gamblers, and
observe Sunday by getting drunk and playing their favorite game, ‘peon.’ After betting away all their
money, they gamble their horses off ” (p. 149). On the other hand it is observed: “The marriage relation
among the Indians is very sacred, and this tie is never dissolved between them except for reasons laid
down in the Bible. Adultery is so common among them that many of the squaws do not marry, and some
of the Indians do not live with the wives who have become dissolute” (p. 149).
($3,000-5,000)
Shanghai Pierce—Very Fine Copy in Fine D.J., Author’s ALs Laid In
176. EMMETT, Chris. Shanghai Pierce, A Fair Likeness. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, [1953].
[i-vi] vii-xiii [1, blank], [1-2] 3-326 pp., 8 plates (mostly photographs), text illustrations by Nick Eggenhofer. 8vo (24 × 16 cm), original brown cloth, spine lettered in brown on yellow ground. Very fine in very
fine d.j. Signed by author on front free endpaper. Laid in is a one-page typed letter dated July 15, 1953,
signed by the author to Mr. William H. Morrow, informing him that a copy of the book will be sent to
him by Dudley R. Dobie (laid in is Dudley’s customary handwritten note on a bank deposit slip).
Emmett remarks in his letter: “I trust you will find [this book] to be true, you being quite an authority
on the old cooter yourself ” and concludes: “I have another book in the making, but if at all—it will have
to emerge faster than did Shanghai, as I do not have that much time left.” Also enclosed are two communications from collector Helen Runnells (a handwritten note and a typed letter signed) discussing
various historical matters and a painting of Runnells’ ancestor, Shanghai Pierce.
First edition. Adams, Guns 678. Adams, Herd 764. Basic Texas Books 56. Dykes, Fifty Great Western
Illustrators, p. 126 (Eggenhofer #70). Dobie & Dykes, 44 & 44 #56. Reese, Six Score 38: “Pierce was a grand
original, the first cattle king of Texas. A well written biography.” Abel Head (Shanghai) Pierce (18341900), was a prominent stockman and rancher ultimately responsible for introducing Brahman cattle into
Texas because he believed them immune to ticks. He was originally from Rhode Island and at one point
was worth over one million dollars, a remarkable sum for the time in Texas. See Handbook of Texas Online:
Abel Head (Shanghai) Pierce. For a photograph of Shanghai Pierce, see Item 469 herein. ($100-200)
Zamorano Eighty—“A Library of Western Americana Is Incomplete without It”
177. EMORY, W[illiam] H[elmsley]. Notes of a Military Reconnoissance, from Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri, to San Diego, in California, Including Part of the Arkansas, Del Norte, and Gila Rivers. By Lieut. Col.
W.H. Emory. Made in 1846-7, with the Advanced Guard of the “Army of the West.” Washington: Wendell
and Van Benthuysen, Printers, 1848. Senate Executive Document No. 7, 30th Congress, 1st Session. [13] 4-416 pp., 40 lithograph plates (26 views, Native Americans, and natural history by E. Weber + 12
botanicals by Endicott + 2 anonymous botanicals), text illustrations, 4 maps [see list of maps below].
8vo (23.4 × 15 cm), modern dark brown textured cloth. Very fine except for a few splits and small tears
to large folding map at end (no losses).
maps
Sketch of the Actions Fought at San Pasqual in Upper California between the Americans and Mexicans Dec.
6th. & 7 th. 1846. Sheet size: 22.5 × 13.8 cm.
Sketch of the Passage of the Rio San Gabriel Upper California by the Americans,—Discomfiting the Opposing
Mexican Forces January 8 th. 1847. Sheet size: 22.5 × 13.8 cm.
Sketch of the Battle of Los Angeles Upper California. Fought between the Americans and Mexicans Jan y. 9 th.
1847. Sheet size: 12.5 × 13.8 cm. The pueblo has only a few structures.
Military Reconnaissance of the Arkansas, Rio del Norte and Rio Gila by W.H. Emory, Lieut. Top. Engrs. Assisted
from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe by Lieut s. J.W. Abert and W.G. Peck, and from Santa Fe to San Diego on
the Pacific by Lieut. W.H. Warner and Mr. Norman Bestor, Made in 1846-7, with the Advance Guard of the
“Army of the West”. Under Command of Brig. Gen. Steph n. W. Kearny Constructed under the Orders of Col. J.J.
Abert Ch. Corps Top. Eng rs. 1847 Drawn by Joseph Welch. 76.8 × 183.5 cm. California 49: Forty-Nine Maps of
California from the Sixteenth Century to the Present 26. Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West #544.
First edition, the Senate issue, later printing with Emory’s rank given as “Lieut. Col.” rather than
“Brevet Major” and the plates in the preferred state (executed by Edward Weber, many after drawings by
John Mix Stanley). Although the Zamorano Eighty bibliography gives priority to the House issue, Becker
lists the Senate issue first (Plains & Rockies IV:148:2). Barrett, Baja California 2751n. California 49: FortyNine Maps of California from the Sixteenth Century to the Present 26 (Norman J.W. Thrower): “Emory’s
map accurately tied the southwest from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Southern California together for the
first time.” Cowan I, pp. 77-78n, 267-268n. Cowan II, p. 195. Edwards, Enduring Desert, p. 77: “Upon the
discovery of gold, [Emory’s] Report became immediately popular, as it afforded the first and only
description of the Southern route west to Santa Fe, supplying detailed information relative to watering
places, roads, deserts, Indians, plant and animal life.... Some indication of how highly this book of
Emory’s was prized by the gold seekers is unintentionally supplied by one of these self-same emigrants
( John E. Durivage). While struggling across the treacherous desert, according to Durivage: ‘...not-withstanding we left every article we thought we could possibly dispense with at the Colorado, we deemed it
necessary to make still further sacrifices. Away went a bag of beans; out tumbled a suit of clothes; Major
Emory’s Report and a canister of powder followed suit; a case of surgical instruments followed; and a jar
containing five pounds of quick-silver with a small bag of bullets brought up the rear.’”
Garrett & Goodwin, The Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, pp. 157, 297-298, 424-425. Holliday Sale
344. Howell 50, California 76. Howes E145. Huntington Library, Zamorano Eighty...Exhibition of
Famous and Notorious California Classics 33. Rittenhouse 188n. Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West
#544: “In many respects, Emory’s map was the most important milestone in the cartographic development and accurate delineation of the Southwest. In its period only the similarly scientifically based
reconnaissance maps of Frémont were its equals”; & III, pp. 6-8: “His map was epoch-making.”
Zamorano Eighty 33 ( J. Gregg Layne): “Emory’s report...is source material for the Southwest and the
Mexican border. A library of Western Americana is incomplete without it.”
McKelvey (Botanical Exploration of the Trans-Mississippi West) records an intricate array of more than
twenty issues and variants of the Emory report that constitute a cataloguer’s nightmare or joy, depending on one’s point of view. More important than the myriad trivial issue points and the oft-discussed
question of priority, here are the two important factors: [1] completeness, since frequently plates and
maps are missing from the Emory report; [2] the state of the important plates—the preferred state of
the plates of the Emory report should bear attribution to Weber. The matter of collecting preference is
complicated by the fact that the House issue of the Emory report is augmented by the valuable reports
of Abert and others, making both versions desirable—the Senate issue for the superior plates in
Emory’s report, and the House issue for the added reports. Nothing is ever simple on the Emory report,
because the augmented House issues vary as to execution of the New Mexico plates.
The iconography and cartography in the Emory report are marvelous. Many of the excellent plates
were based on the work of noted Western artist John Mix Stanley (1814-1872), who also served as artist
for the northern route on the Pacific Railroad Survey. “[Stanley] is represented by more plates than any
other artist employed in any of the surveys, and no early Western artist had more intimate knowledge
by personal experience of the American West than did Stanley” (Taft, Artists and Illustrators of the Old
West, p. 8). Tyler, Prints of the American West, pp. 77-80 (illustrating two prints from the Emory report):
“Immediately following the [Mexican-American] War, pictures of the newly annexed territories
appeared in dozens of different publications, and the government reports were among the most informative and beautifully printed. One of the first to appear was William H. Emory’s Notes of a Military
Reconnoissance...which resulted from Col. Stephen Watts Kearny’s invasion of the Southwest.... Artist
John Mix Stanley accompanied Kearny.... Emory’s report...contained not only his map of the largely
unknown Southwest but also John Mix Stanley’s views.... [Edward] Weber [printed the lithographs] for
the Senate version.” See also Schwartz & Ehrenberg (The Mapping of America, pp. 276, 278, discussing
the iconography and cartography in the Emory report and illustrating one of the lithographs after Stanley’s drawings): “[Contains the] first view of the Southwest.”
($400-800)
What Remains of the Home of an Early Czech Pioneer in Texas
178. EMSLEY, Charles. Dignowitty [i.e., Dignowity] House, Hill, San Antonio, 1885, Chas. Emsley [title
painted on verso]. Painting (oil on canvas, stretched over original wooden board and secured by original nails and three corner pieces) showing Dignowity’s idyllic San Antonio home (built in 1853), a European-type structure with blooming tree and yucca in landscape, peacock in foreground, blue sky and
puffy white clouds above. 15.3 × 25.1 cm. Signed by artist in red paint at lower left: “C. Emsley.” Slight
chipping of paint mainly confined to corners, mild discoloration, overall very good.
The painting shows the home of Anthony Michael Dignowity (1810-1875), early Czech-American
author, physician, inventor, businessman, and public official. The outspoken abolitionist was born in
Bohemia and fled the Austrian conscription laws in 1832, landing in New York. While traveling with
Arkansas volunteers to fight in the Mexican-American War he stopped in San Antonio and decided to
stay after realizing the city needed a physician. He was the first Czech to settle in San Antonio. See
Handbook of Texas Online.
Dignowity Hill, east of downtown San Antonio on the highest hill, was the first exclusive residential area in San Antonio, preceding King William and Laurel Heights. The fate of the Dignowity
House east of downtown San Antonio is described by Lewis Fisher in Saving San Antonio (Texas Tech
University Press, 1996, p. 136):
In 1927 the city purchased, commendably, a block of land on the city’s east side. It included the
deteriorating two-story home built in 1853 by Anthony Michael Dignowity, pioneer San Antonio
physician and perhaps the first Czech to immigrate to Texas. In one of the more bizarre cases of
landmark abuse in San Antonio’s history, a pile of shingles in an upstairs room of the Dignowity
House was saturated with kerosene. At six o’clock one August morning the pile of shingles was
ceremoniously lit by Acting Mayor Phil Wright, and the “old place slowly burned to the ground”
while three companies of city firemen stood by. The burning saved the city “from tearing it down
and carting off the lumber, rock, and adobe.” Debris was swept into two deep wells on the property. [quotations from San Antonio Express, August 5, 1927, p. 8]
The site of the Dignowity home became a park. The city later sold the property to the Baptist Hospital but repurchased it when the deal did not materialize. In 1952 the land was finally dedicated for
“park and recreation purposes only” and officially named Dignowity Park. In 1981, San Antonio formed
the historic district of Dignowity Hill, along with the Alamo Plaza.
English artist Charles Emsley was born in England in 1863, came to California in 1918, and resided
in Santa Cruz until shortly before his death in 1928. He was a member of the Santa Cruz Art League.
(Source: Edan Hughes, “Artists in California, 1786-1940”). At the time this piece was painted, the arts
were thriving in San Antonio and artists from all over the country and abroad visited the region. Emsley paintings seldom appear on the market.
($750-1,500)
1582-1583 Entrada into the Trans-Pecos West Region of Texas
179. ESPEJO, Antonio de. New Mexico. Otherwise, the Voiage of Anthony of Espeio, who in the yeare 1583.
with his company, discouered a Lande of 15. Prouinces, replenished with Townes and villages, with houses of 4.
or 5. stories height, It lieth Northward, and some suppose that the same way men may by places inhabited go to
the Lande Tearmed De Labrador. Translated out of the Spanish copie printed first at Madreel, 1586. and afterward at Paris, in the same yeare. Imprinted at London for Thomas Cadman. N.p., n.d. [Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Press, Inc., 1928]; [title verso] Two hvndred copies imprinted at Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
in the yeare 1928.... [1-2] 3-37 [1] pp., printed in black letter on fine laid paper with watermark (ROMA
and wolf in oval). 12mo (20.4 × 14 cm), original white parchment over charcoal laid paper over boards,
spine gilt lettered. Parchment paper on spine a bit darkened, otherwise very fine.
Limited edition (#43 of 200 copies signed by editor Frederick Webb Hodge, pioneer anthropologist
and archaeologist of the Southwest). Eberstadt, Texas 162:285. Saunders 2498. Tate, The Indians of Texas:
An Annotated Research Bibliography 529: “The most complete of all Spanish eyewitness descriptions of the
Jumano.” Wagner, Spanish Southwest 8bn (citing the original Thomas Cadman edition in English, with
dedication dated April 13, 1587, from which the present work was reprinted): “Described from the only
known copy, belonging to the Henry E. Huntington Library, formerly of Britwell Court [1916, #89].
Reprinted in 1928 by F.W. Hodge.... The translation was different from that of the same chapters which
appeared the following year in [Robert] Parke’s translation. From the title it seems that the translation
was made from the Spanish text printed in Paris by Hakluyt [Wagner 8].” See Wagner’s interesting discussion of the bibliographical complexities of the Cadman English translation in his entry 8 (pp. 159-160).
Antonio de Espejo’s account of New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas first appeared in the Madrid 1586
revised and expanded edition of Juan González de Mendoza’s history of China (Historia de las cosas mas
notables, ritos y costumbres del gran Reyno de la China (Wagner 7y), where it was added as an afterthought
to promote Espejo’s aspirations (see J. Lloyd Mecham, “Antonio de Espejo and His Journey to New Mexico,” SWHQ, 1926, 30:2; also Richard E. Greenleaf, “Antonio de Espejo and the Mexican Inquisition 15711586,” The Americas, January 1971, 27:3, pp. 271-292). The first edition in English of González work on China
with the Espejo account was published in London in the exceedingly rare edition of 1588 (Wagner 7jj).
The Espejo-Beltrán expedition, consisting of fourteen soldiers, their servants, 115 horses and mules,
arms, munitions, and provisions, left San Bartolomé, a mining outpost just north of Santa Bárbara, on
November 10, 1582. A month later the expedition reached the juncture of the Rio Conchos and the Rio
Grande, which Espejo named the Rio del Norte. Up the river was a nation Espejo called the Jumanos,
who lived in large pueblos with flat roofs, gave the Spaniards food, and told them that some years before
three Christians and a Black man had passed through the area. In January, 1583, the expedition
approached the El Paso area, inhabited by the Suma and Manso Indians. They followed the Rio del
Norte upstream, through a “mountain chain on each side of it, both of which were without timber,” a
possible reference to El Paso del Norte. On the Mexican side they traveled to the pueblos of the Piro
Indians, where they learned that the priests López and Rodríguez, whom they intended to rescue, had
been killed by the Tiguex Indians. When they reached the Tiguex country on February 17, Beltrán proposed that the expedition return, but Espejo was determined to explore the area to the east. He reached
the Pecos River about thirty miles southeast of Santa Fe and followed the river south to the site of present Pecos, Texas. From there Jumano tribesmen guided him and his men along what is now Toyah
Creek, through Balmorhea, and on up Limpia Canyon by the sites of present Fort Davis and Marfa and
down Alamito Creek back to the Rio Grande.
This expedition was perhaps more influential than any that had preceded it, since it actually resulted
in a colonization effort in New Mexico. Espejo was not immediately chosen to lead that effort because
of his checkered past. His ardent wish to be the colonizer of New Mexico evaporated with his early
demise on his 1585 trip from Mexico to Spain to plead his cause and clear his name. That honor fell to
Juan de Oñate in 1595. For more on Antonio de Espejo, early Mexican cattleman, entrepreneur of the
lowlands north of Mexico City, and would-be colonizer of New Mexico, see Handbook of Texas Online:
Antonio de Espejo and Espejo-Beltrán Expedition.
($400-800)
Proposed Dismemberment of Texas into Five States
180. EVANS, L[emuel] D[ale]. Speech of Hon. L.D. Evans. On the Condition of Texas, and the Formation
of New States. Delivered in the Constitutional Convention of Texas, on the 6th of January, 1869 [caption title].
N.p., n.d. [Austin? 1869?]. 30 pp. 8vo (23 × 14 cm), stitched, as issued. Exceptionally fine.
First edition of a Reconstruction judge’s proposed dismemberment of Texas into five states. Sabin
23174n. Winkler 2070. Evans (see Handbook of Texas Online) came to Texas in 1843 and was elected to
the U.S. Congress in 1845 on the Know-Nothing ticket. He opposed the secession of Texas and was an
exiled Unionist during the Civil War. He left Texas and went straight to Washington to consult with
William Seward on how to invade and isolate Texas so that she could not effectively contribute to the
Confederate war effort. His work as an undercover agent against Texas during the war and his Reconstruction positions as internal revenue collector and chief justice of the Supreme Court (the muchridiculed Semicolon Court) did not contribute to his popularity in Texas. In the present work he advocates dividing Texas into five separate states and discusses the feasibility of establishing colonies for
Blacks outside the U.S. or setting aside part of the country for Blacks. At the end he tacks on an incoherent little misogynist diatribe citing authorities such as Aristotle and the Bible: “Remarks of Hon.
L.D. Evans on the Resolution...to Extend Suffrage to Women.”
($150-300)
Unusual Bicentennial Poem for the United States
181. EVERSON, William. River-Root: A Syzygy for the Bicentennial of These States. [Berkeley]: Oyez
[designed by Thomas Whitridge and printed at the Watsonville Press], 1976. 50, [4] pp., illustrated with
erotic line drawings in sepia by Patrick Kennedy. 4to (32 × 25 cm), publisher’s original half tan calf over
decorative grey boards, spine gilt lettered. Fragile spine extremities slightly chafed and a few minor
small spots on lower cover, else very fine.
Limited edition of an unusual poetic tribute to the bicentennial of the naissance of the United States.
The print run was 250 copies, 200 offered for sale, this being copy “O” of 26 lettered copies, signed by
Everson on colophon, followed by his written verse: “And ever the River, Its heart pulsing, the phallos
Running in the wound of earth, The strength running seaward....” Everson’s poetry is followed by
“Author’s Afterword” which includes a line-drawing portrait of the poet. The influence of Walt Whitman, whose verses are opposite the title and to whom the work is dedicated, is strongly expressed in
this erotic poem with beautifully understated art work. Though written in 1957, due to its explicit eroticism this poem was not published until 1976.
In his narrative poem, Everson explores the archetypal union of the sexual act, situating the action
of the poem and its protagonists, the New Adam and New Eve, on the Mississippi River, as a symbol
of an American version of Paradise Regained. In his dedication, the poet states:
In preparing this manuscript for publication, its specifically American character became more
keenly impressed upon me than I had earlier felt it. And I realized that in issuing it during this
200th anniversary of our founding I am, in effect, offering it as a poet’s gift to the Nation; and so
dedicated it, as Whitman might have, to the Bicentennial of these States.
Everson in his Afterword remarks:
Centennials are resurrections no less than commemorations. At such times the root energies of
the nation seem to cry out for renewal, restoring people’s faith in their mythic origins.... Such a
thing, is River-Root, a poem of the mating of man and woman, that syzygy...touching the American ethos in a manner its author never dreamed when he wrote it....
Everson (1912-1994) was an influential member of the San Francisco Renaissance, which evolved into
the Beat movement. A deeply serious and religious writer, he spent eighteen years as a Dominican
monk and published many of his works under the name Brother Antoninus. He was variously classified as a nature poet, an erotic poet, and a religious poet, but James A. Powell in Dictionary of Literary
Biography states that “above all else, Everson is an autobiographical, even a confessional poet. Throughout his career.... he has made his personal life the predominant subject of his poetry.”
($100-200)
Lost in Yellowstone
182. EVERTS, Truman C. Thirty-Seven Days of Peril. A Narrative of the Early Days of the Yellowstone.
San Francisco: [Grabhorn Press], 1923. [10], [1] 2-56, [2] pp., decorations by Joseph Sinel, printed on laid
paper with watermark (Vidalon crown surmounting shield with hot air balloon and open scroll). 8vo
(22.2 × 15 cm), vellum over tan and blue marbled boards, spine gilt lettered. Very fine copy of an early
Grabhorn Press imprint. Contemporary ink gift inscription on front pastedown.
First separate edition (originally appeared in Scribner’s in 1871); limited edition. The colophon states that
the edition is limited to 375 copies on handmade paper. However, 500 copies were also printed on
machine-made paper. This copy is printed on machine-made paper. Grabhorn 53. Magee 27. Norris 1225.
In September 1870, Everts (1816-1901), a civilian member of the Washburn-Doane expedition to the
then little-known region of the Upper Valley of the Yellowstone River, was separated from the main party
without horse, supplies, or eyeglasses and wandered thirty-seven days struggling in a life-threatening
predicament, plagued by wolves, mountain lions, forest fires, and hallucinations of dining on plump,
sweet oysters at a fine restaurant in Washington or New York. After twelve days, it was assumed he was
killed by Native Americans or horse thieves and his companions gave up. Later a two-party rescue team
found Everts close to death, but he was revived by a pint of rendered bear oil administered by an old
mountain man. The news of Everts’ disappearance and reports of his rescue caused a national sensation,
and brought a deeper awareness and appreciation of the magic of Yellowstone to the nation. See Gareth
E. John & Christine R. Metzo, “Yellowstone Embodied: Truman Everts’ ‘Thirty-Seven Days of Peril’“
in Gender, Place & Culture, Vol. XV, No. 3, June 2008, pp. 221-242. For further information, consult the
web site.
($100-200)
Rich Source on Ranching
183. EWELL, Thomas T. A History of Hood County Texas, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present, Together
with Biographical Sketches of Many Leading Men and Women among the Early Settlers, as Well as Many Incidents in the Adjoining Territory. Also a Sketch of the History of Somervell County. Written by Thos. T. Ewell.
Granbury: Published by the Granbury News, 1895. [4], [1] 2-<161>, [7] pp., 6 leaves of inserted ads on pink
paper plus ads on pastedowns. 8vo (22.3 × 16 cm), original tan paper over black pebble cloth with gilt lettering on upper cover: History of Hood County by Thos. T. Ewell. Frank Gaston, Publisher, Granbury, Tex.
Slight shelf wear (corners lightly bumped and fragile spine with two short tears), ads on pastedowns
browned, text browned as usual due to being printed on newsprint. A fine, complete copy of one of the
rarest county histories. Some copies lack the history of Somervell County at the end (present here).
First edition. Adams, Herd 779: “Rare.” CBC 2475. Dykes, Collecting Range Life Literature, p. 18. Eberstadt, Texas 162:289: “Page 113 is misnumbered 115” [not the case in the present copy]. Graff 1279. Howes
E239. Vandale 62.
In the early years of the 1850s Anglo stock raisers and farmers began to settle in Hood County on
the north central plains of Texas, and in 1866 the County was established. There is scarcely a page in
this quaintly printed, marvelous county history that does not in some way touch on ranching history,
with a great deal on early ranchers, cowboys, trail drives, Comanche and Kiowa rustlers, women’s and
other social history in the cattle country, etc. Our favorite passage is the following account of an 1870s
trail drive that is almost Joycean in flow (original spelling and absence of paragraph breaks retained):
W.H. Kingsbury...often collected up considerable herds of marketable cattle, which he drove to
the markets beyond the Indian territory. These long drives to markets having become things of
the past, a short description of one with its difficulties and perils will scarcely be deemed out of
place here. For several weeks beforehand the numerous cattlemen are negotiated with to deliver
certain grades of steers—usually 2 to 4 years old—to Kingsbury, who announces that he will start
with a herd on a given date. At the appointed time often one to two thousand head of such
steers, sleek and fat from the range are put into the herd, driven by some ten or fifteen cowboys,
with three or more ponies to each, following the herd for reliefs and pack horses. An experienced
man is employed as “boss” and under this direction they proceed; Kingsbury accompanies the
herd with his wife, who desires to make a trip to the cities. There are no wire fences or other
incidents of civilization to obstruct their way, and the grass being abundant they drive from
twelve to fifteen miles daily, only having to take care that water is duly reached at proper intervals. Finally on a hot, sultry evening they draw near the bottoms of the Red river. The experienced eye detects signs of a stormy night and every precaution is taken, the cattle are carefully
“rounded-up,” the guards are placed at advantageous stations, and instructed to keep the herd
soothed if possible, by song and refrain. Kingsbury takes his wife to a remote grove and they go
into camp. After they have retired to rest the storm approaches, the thunder rolls and the lightnings play through the heavy timber of the bottom the uneasy herd have been lowing for some
time and the cowboys have grown hoarse with keeping up their constant refrain as they ride
about the outskirts of the herd; the night is dark and nothing seen save when the glare of the
livid lightning is thrown upon the scene. Kingsbury is on the watch, his own horse is saddled and
several of his men with him. Presently an ominous silence prevails in the great herd, instantly
followed by the dreadful tramping of thousands of hoofs and loud clashing of horns; they have
stampeded, in what direction nobody knows, till the lightnings reveal their course, then every
man in his saddle urges his pony through the darkness to gain their front, and finally a few fearless cowboys have placed themselves in the lead of the onward moving herd, and in the darkness
and storm lead them in the circling movement. Presently it is discovered by Kingsbury that the
herd is now heading toward the station where he is guarding his family. No time is lost; with a
few of his men they make to the head of the angry, surging column, which no human power
could check in its irresistible career, and succeed by their soothing voices to lead them in a circling line from their direction; so that by the time the camp is reached, the dashing mass pass it
but a few feet to one side, then to avoid further danger, the herd is led on far away to the prairies,
where after they have been severed into several bodies, and have finally exhausted themselves,
they are left till the morning light enables the cowboys to again gather them up for the trail,
which is resumed and accomplished without further serious adventure. But through the wild
uninhabitable plains, meeting here and there parties of half civilized Indians, and the many
adventures and diverting scenes passed on the long overland trail, made by short daily rides, possessed no doubt much to fascinate the spirited and brave little woman who had chosen to accompany her husband on this trip, yet it is not likely she again ventured to share the perils from
which, by the cowmen’s skill, she had such a narrow escape. But though such stampedes were
common, the cowboys’ experience and skill were usually sufficient for his own protection, however burdensome and fatiguing the task of night-herding on stormy nights. When he reached
Kansas City or Chicago, he, with his broad-brimmed sombrero, mounted upon his bronco, with
elaborate trappings dangling from his saddle, and quirt in hand, was an object of sufficient attraction to insure him a good time; thus accoutered, and hailing from Texas, he possessed immunity
from interference by the “cops” enjoyed by few other classes. And most of the cowboys relished
these trips kept up till railroads and wire fences destroyed their trade.
($750-1,500)
Two Glazier Editions of The Federalist in Contemporary Bindings
184. FEDERALIST. HAMILTON, [Alexander], [ John] Jay & [ James] Madison. The Federalist, on the
New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788, by Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Madison and Mr. Jay: With an Appendix, Containing the Letters of Pacificus and Helvidius, on the Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793; Also, the
Original Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States, with the Amendments Made
Thereto. A New Edition. The Numbers Written by Mr. Madison Corrected by Himself. Federalist, on the New
Constitution. Hallowell, (Me.): Printed and Published by Glazier & Co., 1826. [1-3] 4-582 pp. 8vo (23 ×
13.3 cm), original tree sheep, spine gilt and with gilt-lettered brown leather label. Binding very worn and
dry, joints cracked, extremities and corners chipped, interior browned and some light staining. Nineteenth-century ownership notations at front: Old ink stencil of John Harmer Gilmer; ink ownership
inscriptions of John G. Ott of Mississippi and Henry Field. All three edges with early twentieth-century ink inscription of George Prendergast.
First Glazier edition (first edition, New York, 1788: Grolier American Hundred 19: “Profound”; Howes
H114; Printing & the Mind of Man 234; Streeter Sale 1049: “The most influential American political
work”). References to this 1826 edition published in Maine: American Imprints (1826) 24513. Ford, Pamphlets
on the Constitution of the United States 43. Sabin 23987. Henry Cabot Lodge (editor), The Works of Alexander Hamilton (Federal Edition), New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, Vol. II, “The Federalist,” XI:
The eleventh edition was the first of a series of editions published at Hallowell, Maine, by Glazier
& Co., and their successors, who purchased the Gideon copyright. Some of these editions are now
very rare, while others are not infrequently to be met with. The first appeared in 1826. It is a single volume octavo, of 582 pages, and is identical with the Gideon editions of 1818 and 1821.
Gideon’s 1818 edition, sanctioned by Madison, was augmented with various material, including
Madison’s identifications of the authors, corrections, and notes. With this copy is another Glazier edition, same title, altered imprint (Hallowell: Printed and Published by Glazier, Masters & Co., 1831), 8vo
(23.2 × 14.2 cm), contemporary full sheep, red and black spine labels lettered in gilt. Wanting blank front
free endpaper and moderate shelf wear, otherwise very good, with very light scattered foxing. American
Imprints (1831) 7421. Ford 45. Sabin 23986. Lodge, XIII:
The thirteenth [edition] was another Hallowell edition, identical with the Gideon edition and with
that of 1826. Mr. Dawson mentions the existence of this edition, but had never seen or heard of a
copy. Mr. Hannah informs me there is a copy in the possession of the Long Island Historical Society, and I have heard of one other.... [It] is apparently as rare as one of the French editions.
The Federalist is a glowing example of reasoned political discourse that stands in stark contrast to
some of the pap being published in the twenty-first century.
($250-500)
“See America First”
185. FERY, John. Many Glaciers Region, Glacier National Park. Original painting of a majestic Western
scene with lake, mountains, and stream, buildings in left foreground. N.p., n.d. [1910 or after]. Signed
“J. Fery” at lower left. Original oil painting on canvas on original wooden stretcher. Visible area in
frame: 61 × 121 cm; 24 × 47½ inches. Very handsome contemporary gilt frame: 30 × 53½ inches, brass
label plate engraved in black with title as above. Frame slightly scuffed, painting fine.
The scene is from the area still known today as “Many Glaciers.” In the background a large mountain rises with others in the distance. In the middle ground a lake is visible, from which a swift flowing
stream emerges in the foreground. Beside the lake are several structures, which probably represent
accommodations built by Great Northern Railway.
John Fery (1865-1934) was born in Austria, supposedly to an aristocratic family. He is said to have
studied in Vienna, Munich, and with Peter Jansen at the Dusseldorf Academy, but it may be that Fery
was entirely self-taught. He first came to the United States to conduct European nobility on hunting
expeditions to the Northwest. His enthusiasm for the American West was unbounded, leading him to
move to the United States in 1886, where he adopted the “Rocky Mountain Style.” He created his first
landscapes of the American West between 1892 and 1893 and exhibited at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and elsewhere. He preferred tramping through the wilderness to saloonhopping. He seemed always on the go, living and working in New York, Minnesota (as a painter of
panoramas), Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and California; around 1900 he worked in Utah painting
many large oils of what he called “the natural wonders of the West.”
Fery worked for the Oregon Journal and the railroads. His chief patron was the Great Northern Railway. In 1910 Louis Hill, president of Great Northern Railway, hired Fery to paint vast panoramic landscapes depicting Glacier National Park. Hill used these paintings as part of a “See America First” campaign which fêted the natural wonders of the pristine mountain wilderness and encouraged people to
travel on Hill’s railroad line and stay in his hotels and lodges. Fery spent summers in the Rockies, particularly at Glacier National Park, and worked in the winter months in St. Paul producing large canvasses for display across the country.
Like Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Hill, Fery developed a life-long commitment to
exploring, painting, and preserving the mountain wilderness of the West. The work of these artists contributed to the cultural heritage of the American West and inspired concern and public awareness for
preservation and protection. Fery is credited with helping establish Glacier National Park. In 1910 President Taft signed the bill to make Glacier National Park our tenth national park.
Peter C. Merrill, “John Fery: Artist of Rockies” in Annals of Wyoming: The Wyoming History Journal
(1994, 66:1&2:2, 75):
John Fery (1859-1934) is an artist who should be seen against the background of the tradition of
panoramic western landscape painting. He is perhaps best remembered for his many large canvasses
of Glacier National Park in northwest Montana.... John Fery painted in broad strokes and is said to
have completed most of his canvases in a short time. There are at least 150 of his paintings still in
existence, most of them privately owned. About a hundred of his landscapes can be identified as to
location of the scene depicted. More than half of these are Rocky Mountain landscapes, mostly pictures of Glacier National Park and of the area around Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Seventeen pictures
depict scenes in California and the Pacific Northwest while another fourteen depict locations in the
Southwest, mainly Utah. There are eleven paintings of Wisconsin subjects, but surprisingly only two
identified as Minnesota locations. This probably reflects the fact that when Fery was living in St.
Paul he was absorbed with turning out paintings of Glacier National Park for the Great Northern
Railway. The remaining canvasses with identifiable locations depict scenes in New York state,
Michigan, and Indiana. Only two surviving works date from Fery’s European period, a scene in
Venice and a view of the Ammersee near Munich. Numbers of Fery paintings must be regarded as
open-ended, however, as there are doubtless numerous paintings which are unreported and newlydiscovered works keep appearing on the art market from time to time.
($4,000-8,000)
Best Account of the Alamo & Texas Revolution by a Mexican Participant
186. FILISOLA, Vicente. Memorias para la historia de la guerra de Tejas, por el General de División D.
Vicente Filisola, actual Presidente del Supremo Tribunal de la Guerra y Marina de la República. Publicación del siglo diez y nueve. Mexico: Imprenta de Ignacio Cumplido, Calle de los Rebeldes, número
2, 1849. Vol. I: [1-3] 4-256, 267-511 [1, blank], [2, himno] (text complete); Vol. II: [1-3] 4-267 [1, blank]
pp. Bound with this work at conclusion of Vol. II: Refutación en la parte histórica del artículo de fondo
publicado en el núm. 305 de periódico titulado: El Universal, el 16 del pasado septiembre; por una Comisión
de la Junta Cívica de México. Mexico: Imprenta de Ignacio Cumplido, Ca. de los Rebeldes, núm. 2,
1849. [2], [1-3] 4-32 pp. Two works in 2 vols., 8vo (22 × 15 cm), contemporary green, brown, and tan
tree sheep, covers gilt-ruled, original red leather gilt-decorated and lettered spine labels, spine extra
gilt, original red, green, and brown marbled endpapers, gilt-decorated. Vol. I professionally rebacked, preserving original spine. Except for very minor light scattered foxing to text, a superb set in
a handsome Mexican binding.
First edition of the Cumplido edition of Filisola’s memoirs (Rafael published an edition in Mexico in
1848 and 1849). The Cumplido edition provides the best coverage of the Battle of the Alamo and the 1836
campaign. Basic Texas Books 62: “The best account by a Mexican contemporary of the American conquest
of Texas. Eugene C. Barker called it ‘the only comprehensive history of the colonization of Texas and the
Texas Revolution from the Mexican point of view’.... The Rafael and Cumplido editions each stand on
their own as separate works but complement each other so much that both are necessary to have a complete account.” Eberstadt, Texas 162:236. Howes F126. Jones 1199. Palau 91612. Rader 1381. Raines, p. 82.
Sabin 24324. Streeter 853n: “Filisola, in two quite different works...gives, especially in the Cumplido work,
a much fuller account of the Texas campaign in 1836 and of the attempts of a Texas campaign in 1837....
The Cumplido imprint reports in detail upon the military operations from the taking of the Alamo in
March 1836, to about August 1, 1837. The account for the period from the taking of the Alamo to shortly
after the Battle of San Jacinto is much fuller than in...the Raphael imprint.... What Filisola calls the second campaign against Texas began in October, 1836, and is covered in the remaining pages, 397-511, of
Volume I and the 267 pages of Volume II. This work printed by Cumplido is largely made up of army
orders issued during the period.... One of the most important sources on Texas from the 1820s through
1837...enriched with scores of original documents and military orders unavailable elsewhere.” The second
title reprints some documents from the Mexican Revolutionary period as part of a local controversy.
Sabin 52332 (calling for a table and portrait, not present here); also listed at 68791.
Filisola (1789-1850) was a native of Italy who had participated in many battles of the Napoleonic
wars. He came to Mexico in 1811, where he rapidly rose in the Mexican military because of his friendship with Iturbide. He received a colonization grant in Texas in 1831. In November 1835, he was appointed
second in command to Santa-Anna on the Mexican campaign to crush the rebellious Texans. For more
on Filisola, see Valentine J. Belfiglio, The Italian Experience in Texas (Austin: Eakin Press, 1983) and
Handbook of Texas Online: Vicente Filisola.
W. Michael Mathes sums up Filisola succinctly: “Filisola was a straight arrow in a time of many
crooked ones. His memorias are, to me, about the best early Texana item from an historical viewpoint.”
($2,000-4,000)
Early Biographical Dictionary of Texas Artists
187. FISK, Frances Battaile. A History of Texas Artists and Sculptors. Abilene: Privately printed, 1928. [2],
[1-3] 4-228, [4] pp., 20 plates (photographic). 8vo (23.7 × 15.6 cm), original blue moiré cloth, upper cover
and spine lettered in navy blue. Spine lightly wrinkled and rubbed at extremities, otherwise very good,
with author’s signed presentation to Mrs. George Wythe Baylor (December 29, 1944), Mrs. Baylor’s signature on front free endpaper. Original prosectus and order form laid in. Very scarce.
First edition of the one of the earliest biographical listings of Texas artists. This pioneer work remains
very useful and is sought after by those who collect Texas art. Fisk covers the well-known artists, such
as Arpa, Bonner, Bugbee, Bywaters, McArdle, Ney, Onderdonk, Reaugh, et al., along with a host of now
obscure artists. The later reprint (Morrison, 1986) omits the illustrations. San Antonio Museum of Art,
A National Image (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003, p. 9):
In 1928, Frances Battaile Fisk authored a remarkable and ambitious volume: A History of Texas
Artists and Sculptors. Her primary focus was upon individual artists “who called Texas home,” but
Fisk also outlined a cultural and institutional history of the region that bears upon the formation
of San Antonio’s collection. She chronicled the state’s art history as a recapitulation of the nation’s,
articulating the importance of the visual arts in building cultural identity.... Fisk also understood
the importance of Texas’ participation in the larger art life of the nation, documenting the growth
of a regional environment that supported not only the state’s artists but also encouraged the building of public collections. While her book went on to document individual careers, her introductory chapter constructed a historical progression for the arts in Texas.
($200-400)
Hooker’s Superb Map of Texas & Early Engravings of Texas Scenes & Cowboy
188. [FISKE, M. (attributed)]. A Visit to Texas: Being the Journal of a Traveller through Those Parts Most
Interesting to American Settlers. With Descriptions of Scenery, Habits, &c. &c. New York: Goodrich &
Wiley, 124 Broadway, 1834 [copyright, dated 1834, in name of publishers, Goodrich & Wiley, on title
verso] . [i-iii] iv, [9] 10-264, [4, “Meteorological Journal”] pp. (p. 135 misnumbered 109), 4 copperengraved plates, folding copper-engraved map with original hand coloring (see below). 12mo (19.5 × 11.7
cm), original diced plum cloth (faded to tan), title and vignette of a rampant horse in gilt on spine. Sympathetically re-backed (original spine preserved), binding moderately stained and discolored, new free
endpapers, map with a few light stains and expertly restored (backed with thin acid-free paper and a
few tears mended—no losses), overall a very good copy in original cloth, text and plates especially fine
and fresh. Contemporary ink ownership signature on front pastedown.
map
Map of the State of Coahuila and Texas. W. Hooker Sculpt. Neat line to neat line: 25.7 × 33 cm; overall sheet
size (32 × 37 cm) (10½ × 12¾ inches). Frontispiece. Original extensive shading and outlining in color.
plates
M r. Neil’s Estate near Brazoria. [below neat line at right] Eng d. by J.T. Hammond. Border to border: 6.7
× 9 cm. Between pp. 38 and 39.
Shooting a Deer on the Prairie. Border to border: 6.7 × 9.5 cm. Between pp. 46 and 47.
Lazooing a Horse on the Prairie [below neat line at right] Eng d. by J.T. Hammond. Border to border: 6.7
× 9.6 cm. Between pp. 60 and 61.
Road Through A Cane Break [below neat line at right] Eng d. by J.T. Hammond. Border to border: 6.7 ×
9.6 cm. Between pp. 192 and 193.
First edition of a primary and early emigrant’s guide to Texas. Basic Texas Books 209. Bradford 5374.
Brinley Sale 4545 (75 cents in 1881). Clark, Old South III:114. Eberstadt, Texas 162:889. Graff 1336. Howes
T145. Jones 962. Kelsey, Engraved Prints of Texas, pp. 7 & 26: “A beautifully illustrated book.... The cultural amalgamation of the Hispanic and the Southern cow herding and handling traditions in Texas is
well known, but one of the engravings in A Visit to Texas (Fig. 2.13) may well be the first published illustration of a Texas cowboy.” Phillips, Sporting Books, p. 388. Rader 3547. Raines, p. 210: “A very rare book.”
Sabin 19533. Streeter 1155: “A fresh and interesting picture of life in Texas at that time, interspersed with
caustic comments on the Galveston Bay Company”; highly recommended by Streeter in the introduction to his section on “U.S. and European Imprints Relating to Texas,” p. 328: “The plates in this fresh
and lively narrative are thought to be the earliest to show sporting scenes in the West.” Streeter Sale
330: “His visit was made a few months before that of Mrs. Holley and covered considerably more
ground.” Taliaferro, Cartographic Sources in the Rosenberg Library 241n. Vandale 187.
No one is certain who wrote this important Texas book. It has been attributed to an M. Fiske, a Col.
Morris, or Asahel Langworthy (see Streeter 1130). The author states he arrived in Texas at Brazoria in
March, 1831, munified with scrip for 20,000 acres of Galveston Bay & Texas Land Company holdings
(see Item 203 herein). His first visit was to John McNeel, one of Austin’s Old Three Hundred, who had
a plantation in Brazoria County. He can hardly contain his growing sense of wonder, and his description of a gigantic, moss-covered live oak (pp. 37-38) is a classic. After his visit with McNeel, his imagination is fired by his own prospects. This generally favorable opinion of Texas remains throughout the
rest of his visit, except for certain negative experiences, such as a constantly contrary white mustang,
and a few unpleasant encounters, including a potential threat to colonists at Anahuac from Mexican
troops excited by a drunken lieutenant (pp. 131-132).
The same charity did not extend, however, to the company from which he supposedly had purchased
his land. His motivation for his trip to Texas in the first place was “to examine the condition of a large
tract of land I had purchased of the Galveston Bay & Texas Land Company, and to ascertain its value
to settlers from the United States, by personal observation, as well as to satisfy myself concerning the
soundness of the title which I had obtained” (p. [9]). Although he had little difficulty in being convinced
of the value of the land to settlers, he was frustrated and disappointed in his investigation of his land
holdings. In fact, he left Texas knowing that he had been cheated and that the Company could convey
no land to him. The various attacks on the Company sprinkled throughout the book are bitter, remorseless, and blunt. Clearly he intended to save his compatriots from the same troubles. In his parting shot
he remarks, “On my return to N. York, I got from the Trustees of the Land Company neither remuneration nor sympathy for my fruitless expense and disappointment” (p. 261). The publication of this work
caused so much difficulty that the Company employed David Woodman to write his Guide to Texas
Emigrants, a refutation published the next year.
This work is often compared to Mary Austin Holley’s Texas. This author ranged farther afield than
Holley, who visited only Austin’s colony, but lacked the benefit of Austin’s personal assistance, which
Holley received. Unlike Holley, this author does not so overtly espouse Texas independence and also
notes that Austin is jailed in Mexico (p. 262). Other authors, such as David B. Edward and Karl Postl,
silently plagiarized this author.
The exquisite little copper-engraved plates accompanying this account are significant. Streeter
remarks that they are “thought to be the earliest to show sporting scenes in the West.” They are
assuredly among the early engravings of scenes in Texas, and among the early ones based on an eyewitness account (preceded only by Zebulon Pike). The images are diminutive, yet precisely engraved with
much fascinating detail. What appear on first glance to be rather simple scenes, prove to be quite complex under magnification. The canebrake engraving is a dramatic example of the prairie primeval in
which the landscape seems to overwhelm the humans. Little is known of engraver J.T. Hammond.
Mantle Fielding assesses Hammond as “a good line engraver of landscapes and subject plates,” suggests
a birth date of ca. 1803, and notes that he worked in Philadelphia and perhaps St. Louis (p. 369).
The excellent map by William Hooker, showing Texas land grants, is highly compelling to many collectors of Texana. The map first appeared as a separate in 1833 and again, with revisions, in Holley’s 1833
book (see Streeter 1135 & 1136; Taliaferro, Cartographic Sources in the Rosenberg Library 241). Hooker’s
map, based on Austin’s monumental map but in smaller format, contains corrections given by Austin to
Holley. The Hooker map in the present book does not have additional place locations in the 1836 Holley (see Item 220 herein), identification of the Filisola grant, or manuscript additions. The map in the
present book does not have some features that are described by Streeter (1136) as being in the separately
issued Hooker map of 1833 (absence of crosshatching on the Burnet, Vehlein, and Zavala grants, etc.).
Martin & Martin, p. 32: “Clearly based on Austin’s sources.”
($3,000-6,000)
“Mexico in 1842”—With an Unusual Map of the Republic of Texas
189. [FOLSOM, George]. Mexico in 1842: A Description of the Country, Its Natural and Political Features; with a Sketch of its History, Brought down to the Present Year. To Which is Added, an Account of Texas
and Yucatan; and of the Santa Fé Expedition. Illustrated with a New Map. New York: Charles J. Folsom;
Wiley and Putnam; Robinson, Pratt and Co., [ J.P. Wright, Printer, 18 New Street, N.Y. (title verso)],
1842. [1-5] 6-256 pp., folding lithograph map, original color (outline coloring of Mexican states and
Texas in bright rose; Republic of Texas in yellow): Mexico and Texas in 1842. Published by C.J. Folsom,
N o. Fulton St. cor. Pearl, New-York. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by C.J. Folsom,
in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New-York. Lith. of G.W. Lewis, cor. Beckman & Nassau St. N.Y.; neat line to neat line: 22.8 × 25.2 cm. 16mo (15 × 10 cm), contemporary threequarter brown sheep over marbled boards, spine with raised bands and dark brown gilt-lettered leather
label. Professionally re-backed (original spine and label preserved). Corners of binding bumped. Text
with intermittent mild to moderate foxing. Old tape stain to map, which has a small tear professionally repaired on verso. A good copy of a book seldom found with the map, which in this copy has vivid
original coloring.
First edition. Braislin 745. Eberstadt, Texas 162:301. Graff 1372. Holliday Sale 380. Howes F226. Ludewig,
p. 152 (#19 in Texas section). Moser, Daniel Webster: A Bibliography 870. Palau 93035. Plains & Rockies IV:91.
Rader 1423. Raines, p. 83. Rittenhouse 694. Sabin 24968. Smith, The War with Mexico, p. 542.
Streeter, in his Bibliography of Texas (1413), best sums up the salient points of this book:
In the section of this book on Mexico which ends at page 151, there is a reprinting from Niles Register of December 4, 1841, apparently the first in book form, of a letter giving an account of a journey from St. Louis to Santa Fe.... The text from page 153 on relates to Texas for the period from
about 1832 to 1842. It is most useful for its printing at pages 215-230 of the correspondence of
Bernard E. Bee and James Hamilton with Santa-Anna that passed between December, 1841, and
March, 1842, also given in Mexique et Texas, Paris, 1842 (entry No. 1424), and for its reprinting, at
pages 234-243, from Niles Register of March 5, 1842, of the Franklin Combs narrative of the Texan
Santa Fe expedition. Combs (Coombs, according to Falconer and F.W. Hodge), the 17-year-old
son of General Leslie Combs of Kentucky, was one of the small group that included Kendall and
Falconer who had gone on the expedition as guests. His narrative relates mainly to the surrender
of the expedition and its sufferings in the journey to Mexico as captives. It gives no details of the
route of the expedition.... [Combs] was apparently the first of the prisoners to be released at Mexico City. Winkler, Manuscript Letters and Documents, Austin, 1937, reproduces (entry No. 144 at p.
271) a letter from Folsom to Ashbel Smith, dated October 24, 1843, indicating Folsom’s authorship
of Mexico in 1842, and this is made certain by a presentation copy in the collection of Everett D.
Graff, with the inscription signed “George Folsom, Esq. the Author.”
Folsom (1802-1869), although he originally intended to be a lawyer, turned to antiquarian and political pursuits. He assisted the American Antiquarian Society and became librarian of the New-York Historical Society, in which positions he was instrumental in bringing a number of basic source materials
for historical studies to publication. He also served in various political capacities, including that of the
U.S. chargé d’affaires to the Netherlands.
The work has a short, interesting chapter on the cooperation of the Republic of Texas and Yucatan
in their mutual rebellion against Santa-Anna’s dictatorship, including mention of the subsidized
Republic of Texas Navy that protected the Yucatecans. Folsom documents important events leading up
to and including the Texas Revolution. His comments on Mexico and Mexicans are unkind in relation
to the Revolution; on the other hand, his comments about Mexico and its resources are fairly flattering,
although his distaste for Santa-Anna is obvious.
This book is prized as much for its text as the unusual map showing the Republic of Texas in a rather
bizarre configuration, colored in neon yellow and outlined in hot pink. A tall, wide Panhandle reaches
to the Arkansas River. Though the Panhandle is wide, the outlining carefully retreats back to just east
of Santa Fe. The southwestern boundary follows the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers, relinquishing most
of the Trans-Pecos West to Mexico. Phillips, America, p. 410. G.W. Lewis, who lithographed the map,
is listed by Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, Vol. III, p. 128. Peters, America on Stone (pp.
264-265) attempts to piece together New Yorker Lewis’ body of work (1841-1867), conjecturing that he
may have been a stage-struck actor who supported himself with lithographic work. His map of Texas
certainly reflects a dramatic flair.
($2,500-5,000)
Texas Annexation Propaganda
190. FOOTE, Henry Stuart. Texas and the Texans; or, Advance of the Anglo-Americans to the South-West;
Including a History of Leading Events in Mexico, from the Conquest by Fernando Cortes to the Termination
of the Texan Revolution. Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. [on versos of titles: J. Fagan,
Stereotyper. T.K. and P.G. Collins, Printers], 1841. Vol. I: [i-iii] iv-viii, [13] 14-314, [1] 2-24 [publisher’s
catalogue] pp. Vol. II: [i-iii] iv-v [1, blank], [7]8-403 [1, blank] pp. 2 vols., 12mo (19.3 × 12.7 cm), original dark slate green cloth, blind-embossed sides, spines gilt lettered and ruled and with gilt lone stars.
Binding slightly rubbed and covers of Vol. II waterstained, spinal extremities lightly chipped, spines varnished and with old library call number in ink. Vol. II wants rear free endpaper, evidence of removal on
lower pastedowns. Except for light scattered foxing, text is fine.
First edition. Basic Texas Books 63: “One of the most influential books on Texas in its time, this work
is still of considerable value and interest. It suffers from the intense prejudices of the author, but it nevertheless provides material on numerous aspects of Texas history not available elsewhere. Foote wrote
his work as a deliberate piece of propaganda, with the goal of encouraging annexation of Texas to the
U.S. This objective led Foote into some startling statements, such as his remarks against the Mexicans,
‘whose extermination may yet become necessary for the repose of this continent.’” Bradford 1725. Eberstadt, Texas 162:292b: “Contains many rare documents and is a valuable authority. Foote wrote at the
request and with the aid of the most prominent Texas pioneers and officials of the Republic.” Graff 1376.
Howes F238. Rader 1425. Raines, p. 84. Sabin 25019. Streeter 1377: “This is a very discursive account of
Texas history down to the opening years of the Republic of Texas, but, with judicious skipping, a rather
entertaining one.” Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 1107: “One chapter concerns Cherokee efforts to secure a land grant in East Texas during the 1820s.”
Streeter notes that in his copy there is inserted the 1842 edition of Young’s New Map of Texas. In the
preface, Foote promises a third volume (never published) and a map (perhaps explaining the occasional
insertion of the Young map in the set). Streeter explores some book lore relating to this title, noting that
the Boston Public Library was supposed to have Foote’s portrait, which turned out to be a false report.
Foote (1804-1880), a Virginia native, was a prominent Texas historian and author. He sat out the Civil
War in Europe. See Handbook of Texas Online: Henry Stuart Foote and Dictionary of National Biography.
($300-600)
“ You Must Go as a Friend to Mexico and as an Enemy of the Followers of Cortina and Ochoa”
Legendary Texas Ranger “Rip” Ford to Tejano Santos Benavides
191. FORD, John Salmon (“Rip”). Autograph letter in ink signed to cavalry Captain Santos Benavides
giving him permission to cross into Mexico to pursue Cortina and Ochoa. Head Quarters Rio Grande
Military District, Fort Brown, May 29, 1861. 1½ pp., on a white lined bifolium. 4to (25.3 × 19.4 cm).
Docketed in contemporary hand, “Orders Capt. Benavides, concerning crossing the Rio Grande to
attack Cortina, May 29, 1861. Copied.” Creased where formerly folded, small piece of lower left corner
wanting, a few minor splits at folds (no losses). Bold signature. Overall very good. Excellent letter reflecting delicate international issues. Letters of this legendary Texas Ranger are rare in commerce, and
when found are usually much later reminiscences of events, rather than on-the-spot events as they actually unfold, as is the case here. The recipient, content, time, and place make this one of the finest “Rip”
Ford letters one might ever hope to acquire.
Ford informs Benavides that he has been visited by Mexican General Guadalupe García, who has
expressed interest in cooperating with Ford’s Confederate troops in “pursuing and attacking Cortina
and his followers.” Ford warns Benavides, however, that if he enters Mexico he must avoid molesting
or bothering innocent civilians and that he should not act “unless you should be in possession of reliable information that partizans of Cortina and Ochoa are at certain points and probably within your
reach.” Finally, he admonishes the captain, declaring: “You must go as a friend to Mexico and as an
enemy of the followers of Cortina and Ochoa.”
Juan Nepumoceno Cortina (1824-1894) was a constant agitator in the Brownsville area for Mexican
rights, which he felt were being violated by the Anglos. In some instances, he resorted to arms. Cortina
is variously perceived as a Mexican folk hero or a violent agitator and accomplished cattle rustler-raider.
This letter was written at the time of the Second Cortina War, during which Cortina invaded Zapata
County from Mexico and attacked the county seat, Carrizo. Cortina was assisted in the Carrizo raid by
his companion in arms Antonio Ochoa. In that action on May 22, 1861, they were defeated by Santos
Benavides, who here is authorized to pursue Cortina and Ochoa across the river.
Benavides (1823-1891) was commissioned a captain in the 33rd Texas Cavalry (Benavides’ Regiment) and
assigned to the Rio Grande Military District. He defeated Cortina on May 22, 1861, at the Battle of Carrizo, just one of many distinguished military victories in his long career. A fifth-generation Texan, his greatgreat grandfather founded Laredo. Benavides brought a traditionally isolated region closer to the mainstream of Texas politics while preserving a sense of local independence. He was the highest ranking Tejano
in the Confederate Army and quelled local revolts against Confederate authority. The states-rights principles of the Confederates were closer to Benavides’ support of regional autonomy, just as he supported the
Federalists in the late 1830s and 1840s, rather than the Centralists. His greatest military triumph was his
defense of Laredo on March 19, 1864, with forty-two troops against 200 soldiers of the Union First Texas
Cavalry, commanded by Col. Edmund J. Davis, who had, ironically, offered Benavides a Union generalship
earlier. Perhaps Benavides’ most significant contribution to the Confederacy came when he arranged for
safe passage of Texas cotton along the Rio Grande to Matamoros during the Union occupation of
Brownsville in 1864. “Rip” Ford wrote that the Benavides family “broke ground in favor of secession” and
“did the Confederacy an immense favor by declaring for her.” Benavides’s Company was utilized on a number of occasions by Ford for scouting purposes because of the Tejanos’ familiarity with South Texas.
“Rip” Ford (1815-1897) hardly needs an introduction. He was a true Renaissance man of Texas—
excelling both in peace and on the battle front—serving variously as a newspaperman, historian, soldier,
legendary Texas Ranger, and politician. Ford was involved in the action against Cortina in the First
Cortina War, as well the action documented in this letter. During the Civil War, Ford served as commander of the Rio Grande District and led Confederate troops in what was also that war’s last battle
(the May 13, 1865, battle at Palmetto Ranch in far South Texas), which he won for the Confederates over
a month after Robert E. Lee had already capitulated to the Union on April 9. Ford and his Texans and
Tejanos were fully aware of events in the East and still willing to fight for Southern independence.
Although Palmetto Ranch did nothing to change the War’s outcome, it added the final irony to a conflict replete with ironies, unexpected successes, and lost opportunities. For these reasons, it has become
both one of the most forgotten and most mythologized battles of the Civil War. See: Jeffrey William
Hunt, The Last Battle of the Civil War (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002). Perhaps Ford is best
known to many people for his nickname “Rip,” which he acquired during the Mexican-American War
Ford while serving as adjutant of John Coffee “Jack” Hays’ regiment and in command of a spy company.
When officially sending out notices of deaths, he thoughtfully included in the message, “Rest in Peace,”
but later, under the exigencies of battle conditions, this message was shortened to “R.I.P.”
This unusual and dramatic letter demonstrates an unusual instance of peaceful Mexican-Texas crossborder military cooperation. See Item 526 herein for another Rip Ford letter. The Handbook of Texas
Online has lengthy articles on Ford, Benavides, Cortina, and the Cortina Wars.
($10,000-15,000)
“What I Saw in Texas”—Texas & Pacific RR Promo with Engravings of Texas
192. FORNEY, John W. What I Saw in Texas by John W. Forney. Ringwalt & Brown, Prs., Press Building,
Philadelphia [1872] [wrapper title with imprint]. [3-5] 6-92 pp., wood-engraved vignettes and text illustrations, either unattributed or signed in print by Crosscup & West or F.B. Schell, 5 full-page engravings
including upper wrapper and untitled map (Texas, parts of surrounding states, and Mexico, showing railroad routes), neat line to neat line: 12.5 × 20.6 cm. 8vo (24 × 16 cm), original lilac pictorial wrappers (montage of Texas scenes), original stitching. Wrapper chipped with slight losses at head and foot of spine, loss
of upper right blank corner of upper wrapper; overall light soiling to wrappers, two small stains on lower
wrapper. Interior very fine. Upper wrapper with ink signature of journalist G.B.P. Ringwalt.
First edition. Adams, Herd 822: “Rare.” Howes F264. Kelsey, Engraved Prints of Texas, p. 164 (listing
seven Texas engravings). Raines, p. 85. Clark, Travels in the New South I:77: “Forney, a well-known jour-
nalist, left Philadelphia on June 12, 1872, and made his way to Texas.... His tour of Texas included Marshall, Jefferson, Dallas, Fort Worth, Corsicana, Austin, Houston, Galveston, and San Antonio. He was
a keen observer and noted the progress being made in various parts of the South, but pointed out the
need of schools, churches, free press, skilled labor, and capital. His chief interest, however, was railroads,
their builders, and statistics for Texas and the Southwest. An excellent work.”
John W. Forney (1817-1888), also known as John Wein, John Wien, and John Weiss, was a Philadelphia journalist who became heavily involved in politics, serving at various times as a surveyor of the
port of Philadelphia, Clerk of the House, and Secretary of the Senate. He was also important as a
newspaper publisher, although he switched political sides several times. The present pamphlet resulted
from Forney’s interest in and friendship with various railroad entrepreneurs. Here he describes his
journey with Thomas A. Scott, who gained control of the Texas and Pacific Railroad and sought a
route for the line. Forney’s account was published to spur a subsidy by Congress to the Texas and
Pacific Railroad. In it, he describes the features and productions of Texas, including stock raising with
a little essay, “What Poor Men Have Done Raising Stock in Texas” (pp. 85-86). Mifflin Kennedy and
his vast cattle operation are mentioned in the section on “West Texas—or the Country between the
Colorado and Rio Grande.”
Among the illustrations is a full-page view of Fort Worth before the railroad arrived, the foreground
occupied by a log cabin, cattle, and two horsemen, and the town sitting on a prominence in the far distance. Other illustrations include steam ship scenes and various vignettes, on such themes as ranch life,
railroad car interiors, and industry. Artist F.B. Schell, sometimes confused with Francis (or Frank) H.
Schell, was a Philadelphia illustrator who was working by 1870, but about whom little else is known (see
Hamilton, Early American Book Illustrators and Wood Engravers, Vol. II, p. 132).
($750-1,500)
1855 Lease on Fort McKavett
193. [FORT McKAVETT, TEXAS]. Manuscript: “Articles of agreement made and entered into this
first day December one thousand eight hundred and fifty five between Bvt. Lt. Col. A.C. Myers, Asst.
Quartm. U.S.A. on the one part and E.D. Lane of the County of Bexar and M.A. Dooley of the County
of Comal and State of Texas of the other part.... November 30, 1855.” Signed by Myers, Lane, et al. 4
pp., folio, manuscript in ink on blue ruled paper. Note on p. 4 by Myers indicating no payment on the
lease was made by him. Thin sliver detached, but present, from outer margin of first leaf (loss of a few
letters), a few short splits at old folds, otherwise fine.
Originally called Camp San Saba, Fort McKavett was established in March 1852 and covered about
2,373 acres near the right bank of the San Saba River. Several infantry companies were stationed there
in an effort to protect frontier settlers from the Comanches. The post was abandoned in March, 1859,
but reoccupied in April, 1868.
($200-400)
Claim File for Kickapoo Cattle Rustling of a
German-Texan’s Herd Headed for Fort Stockton in 1869
194. [FORT STOCKTON, TEXAS]. VANDER STUCKEN, Emile. Archive of about 12 letters and
documents relating to Vander Stucken’s 1869 agreement to supply beef to Fort Stockton and the subsequent rustling of the cattle allegedly worth $26,730.60 by Kickapoos. The archive follows Vander
Stucken’s claim with the federal government for depredations, from the commencement of the contract
in 1869 to 1907. Written from various places, New York, Washington, D.C., Fort Stockton, Austin,
Fredericksburg, San Antonio, McKinney, etc. Some in rough condition with stains and losses.
Vander Stucken was involved in law enforcement and served as a chief justice and county commissioner in Gillespie County in the 1860s. In 1902 he apparently was in Sonora, where he formed the First
National Bank of Sonora; about half the town was destroyed by fire in 1902. For some emigrants, the
Promised Land was elusive.
ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT TO DELIVER BEEF TO FORT STOCKTON. The papers are
documentation gathered by one of Vander Stucken’s successive attorneys ( J.S. Clark of Moursand &
Moursand in Washington, D.C.) for filing his claim with the U.S. Government. The earliest document
consists of the original signed “Articles of Agreement” (November 6, 1869) in which Vander Stucken of
Fredericksburg commits to “the beef contract at Fort Stockton, Texas, said contract to commence on
the first day of January A.D. 1870, and to end on the thirty first day of December A.D. 1870. The said
EVD Stucken to furnish the Troops stationed at said Post with good fresh beef at such times and in
such quantities as the Commissary at said Post may direct....” This is a rare type of documentation.
ATTEMPTS TO GATHER EVIDENCE. F.W. Young at Fort Stockton writes to Vander Stucken
at Llano on May 31, 1891 (2 pp., 4to) to apologize that he does not recollect the details of the Kickapoo
rustling but suggests names of others who were at Fort Stockton in 1869, giving names and present
locations. Young’s letter is on his handsome stationery lithographed by Clarke & Courts in Galveston
with the writer’s letterhead: Established in 1876. Office of F.W. Young, Dealer in General Merchandise and
Ranch Supplies with imprint below: Clarke & Courts, Lith. Galveston. Illustrated on the stationery are
branded cattle, mountain scenery, and branded horse and colt. The paper bears the watermark: The
Texas House [illustration of Lone Star flag] Clarke & Courts Galveston. Young was post sutler at Fort
Stockton. He built his home, wagon yards, corral, and store at the ford over Comanche Creek (the site
at Callaghan Street and Spring Drive was given an historic marker by the Texas State Historical Survey Committee in 1966).
FORMAL PETITION. A formal printed petition completed in manuscript (4 pp., folio) in the Court
of Claims for Indian Depredations (Claim No. 4581) in 1892, states that Vander Stucken at that time
was a resident of Llano County, Texas, on December 14, 1869; and 460 beef cattle worth $26,730.60 were
stolen. This is a rare survival, documenting the minutiae involved in the claim process for Indian Depredation Claims.
BUREAUCRATIC FORM RE PROCEDURES. An undated printed form (2 printed pp.) regarding
procedure appears to be part of the preceding petition. Here we witness bureaucratic instructions at
their most trivial, red-tape level, asking questions twenty-three years after the event, such as:
4. Give a description of the property stolen—if horses he should state how many were stallions,
how many were saddle or work horses, how many were mares, how many 1, 2, and 3 year olds and
colts; whether American or Spanish or mixed breeds and the value set opposite each class.
5. If cattle, state the number of 4 years olds and upwards, and value; 3 year olds and value; cows
or cows and calves and value; and 1 and 2 year olds and value....
7. State the tribes of Indians, and give reasons for the belief that it was Indians; state if any one
was killed and scalped or captured on the raid; state if any dead horses or cattle were found on the
trail; state if claimant saw any Indians; if any arrows were found where killing occurred, or if any
dead stock were found on the trail. How far, if claimant or witness knows the trail was followed,
and generally any fact to show that Indians did it, and any fact to identify the tribe of Indians. If
the Indians were followed to the reservation by claimant or any witness, that should be stated. If
any live or dead stock was found on the trail, that should be stated, and if the stock was identified
by brands or marks; state fully your means of knowledge as to all facts.
Added by hand in ink on the above form is the statement: “Claimant should state that he never
sought revenge or private satisfaction on account of the loss.”
DISPARAGING ATTORNEY. As if Vander Stucken had not endured enough from the Kickapoo
and the bureaucrats, included is a snippy letter from Vander Stucken’s attorney chastising him for
inconsistencies (e.g., price of beef in one instance being five cents and two and a half mills per pound
in one place in the petition and seven cents per pound in the evidence). The attorney remarks: “Now in
your superior wisdom you have occasioned unnecessary delay and have to take chances as to what Clark
will do, but remember, you did it.”
WORN OUT & R.I.P. The final communication is a 1907 TLs from Vander Stucken’s attorney in
Washington, D.C., to his attorney in Fredericksburg, in which we learn that Vander Stucken’s wife has
been substituted as claimant due to his death. No clue is offered as to the outcome of Vander Stucken’s
claim that began in 1869 and was still unresolved thirty-eight years later. This last letter does not bode
well, and the attorney is pessimistic about perfecting the claim.
($300-600)
A French Colonist in Mexico—Early Lithographs by Cumplido
195. FOSSEY, Mathieu de. Viaje a Méjico por Mathieu de Fossey, traducido del francés. Mexico: Imprenta
de Ignacio Cumplido, Calle de los Rebeldes número 2, 1844. [1-3] 4-363 [1, blank] pp., 6 lithograph
plates of Mexican scenes, one after a view by Heredia. 8vo (20.5 × 13.5 cm), contemporary half Mexican
sheep over brown marbled boards, spine gilt lettered and decorated. Neatly re-backed, original spine
preserved, interior with scattered light foxing, plates moderately foxed. With blind stamp of José M.
Robles on the title page. Rare.
plates
(with dimensions of image area):
Vista en el alto Goatzacoalco. [at lower right] Imprenta litog. de Cumplido. 9 × 14 cm.
Un nuevo Robinson. [at lower right] Imprenta litog. de Cumplido. 14 × 9 cm.
Corrida de toros en la plaza de San Pablo. [at lower right] litog. de Cumplido. Signed in image J. Heredia.
8.6 × 13.8 cm.
Vista del palacio de Chapultepec. [at lower right] Imprenta litog. de Cumplido. 8.6 × 13.8 cm.
Cascada de Regla. [at lower right] Imprenta litog. de Cumplido. 13.8 × 9 cm.
Fachada del palacio principal de Mitla. 8 × 12.6 cm.
First edition, probably translated into Spanish from his original manuscript in French. Fernández Ledesma,
Historia crítica de la tipografía en la ciudad de México, p. 76: “[Cumplido] publica la obra de Mathieu de
Fossey, Viage a Méjico, obtiene una pulcra edición hecha con gracioso tipo británico ligero y con buenas
litografías fuera de texto.” Mathes, Mexico on Stone, pp. 23 (mentioning book in text); 56 (listed in bibliography); 63 (Cumplido). Palau 93968. Porrúa V:6853: “Muy interesante la que representa una corrida
de toros en la plaza de San Pablo.” Sabin 25192. Toussaint, La litografía en México, p. xix.
This book is especially valuable for its early Mexican lithographs by Ignacio Cumplido, at least one
of which is after Joaquín Heredia’s art work. Fossey (1805-1870), a disillusioned Frenchman, came to
Mexico in 1831 with a group of his fellow countrymen to establish a colony at Coatzacoalcos on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. He was enthusiastic about settling Europeans in the country, although the enterprise eventually failed due to the organizers’ unrealistic promises and claims. Fossey spent much of his
remaining life throughout Mexico, living in Veracruz, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Colima, and Mexico City.
He returned to France only briefly, although he died there. His books on Mexico are admired and read
to this day. Even though he had the typical European view that Mexico needed European influence to
succeed, he was in many ways atypical because he became so involved in his adopted country and tried
to understand it in more than a casual, passing way. He spent twenty-five years of his life in Mexico.
Fossey’s book contains astute observations on Native Americans, archaeology, mining, social differences, etc. Fossey was ahead of his time in believing that no society could be fully understood without
considering its natural environment and the effect on its inhabitants.
($500-1,000)
Très Rare Texana Français—Avec une Carte de la République de Texas
196. FOURNEL, Henri [ Jérôme Marie]. Coup d’Oeil Historique et Statistique sur le Texas. Paris: Delloye,
Libraire-Éditeur, Place de la Bourse [title verso: Paris.-Imprimerie de Schneider et Langrand, rue d’Erfurth, 1], Avril, 1844. [1-3], 4-57 pp., lithograph folding map, boundaries with original hand coloring:
Carte du Texas, Extraite de la grande Carte du Mexique par A. Brué Géographe du Roi; revue, corrigée et considerablement augmentée, d’après des documens récens et des resignemens fournis par M r. le Docteur F c. Leclerc,
par Ch. Picquet, Géographe du Roi et de Mon gr le Duc d’Orléans. Paris, 1840 [below neat line] Lith. de
Thierry frères à Paris | Paris, chez Ch es. Picquet, Quai Conti N o. 17 près de l’Institut; neat line to neat line:
27.3 × 32.6 cm; overall sheet size 32 × 47 cm, graphic scales in “Myriamètres” and “Ligues d’Espagne”
(about 75 miles to the inch). 8vo (25.3 × 17 cm), original pink printed wrappers, title within ruled border
with type ornaments at corners, lower wrap with brief printer’s imprint and cut of steamship. Wrappers
lightly stained and slightly worn, first few leaves with light waterstain at upper blank margin and light
to moderate stains in lower blank margin. Overall a very good copy of a publication very rare in commerce. The map is fine. The last copy we find on the market was Streeter’s copy at his auction in 1966
(Streeter Sale 372; fetched $90).
First edition. Bradford 1751. Howes F296. Kress Library of Economic Literature 32006.11. Rader 1457.
Raines, p. 85. Sabin 25288. Streeter 1378: “This is an excellent, brief account of Texas, written by a French
mining engineer who the previous year had published in Paris Du travail des haute fourneaux dans
l’Amérique du Nord et de l’établissement des haute fourneaux dans l’Arkansas. In the introduction, dated at
the end April 21, 1841, Fournel expresses his debt to various talks he had had with General James Hamilton, then in Paris negotiating with bankers for a loan to Texas. Otherwise the text seems to be based
on secondary sources.... The note to Henri Castro’s Le Texas in 1845, Paris, 1845 (entry No. 1570) refers
to a claim by his son Lorenzo that this pamphlet was written by his father.” Sabin 25288.
This glowing account of Texas—a country with astonishing progress that is so little known but
deserves to be known, Fournel states—pays compliments to both the heroism from which it was born
and the progress to which it is susceptible. Written by a mining engineer, it opens immediately with
the salient fact that founder Moses Austin was a miner. But ever a Frenchman, he also gives credit
to Lasalle, who had “l’honneur d’avoir assisté à la naissance du Texas.” After giving a brief, correct,
and enthusiastic account of the Texas Revolution, Fournel spends the rest of his work discussing
Texas in general. He includes geographic divisions, coastal features, rivers, population, and agricultural products. He closes with the confident prediction that if Mexico were to be so foolish as to
attempt to reconquer the country now, the outcome would undoubtedly be the same as before.
Fournel (1799-1876), mining engineer, surveyor, cartographer, geologist, geographer, and historian,
worked for private individuals and the French government. His most important post was that of mineral surveyor in Algeria, to which he turned his attention shortly after this book was published. He was
one of the early promoters of the Suez Canal and involved in French railroad development.
The map is the same as that which appeared in Leclerc’s Le Texas et sa révolution (Paris, 1840; Streeter
1362 & Phillips, America, p. 843). It is based on the Picquet-Brué map of Texas, but with additions, including Austin, Waco, and wagon roads not previously mapped. The large, fine map alone would garner great
interest by itself, but having it in the pamphlet, as it issued, is most desirable.
($4,000-8,000)
First Published View of Fredericksburg, Texas
197. [FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS]. LUNGKWITZ, [Karl Friedrich] H[ermann]. Friedrichsburg.
[Texas.] [lower left below neat line] N.d. Nat. v. H. Lungkwitz [lower right below neat line] Lith. Anst.
v. Rau & Sohn, Dresden. Dresden, ca. 1859. Lithograph on subtly toned maize ground, neat line to neat
line: 31.3 × 48.9 cm; image & title: 34.2 × 48.9 cm; overall sheet size: 42.3 × 60.7 cm. Professionally
washed and deacidified, light foxing, a few tears (mostly marginal) consolidated, no losses, overall very
good copy of one of the rarest and most desirable nineteenth-century Texas lithographs.
First published view of Fredericksburg, Texas, and among the earliest printed views of any town in
Texas. Reps 3968 (first listed view of Fredericksburg). Seth Eastman made earlier sketches of scenes in
and around Fredericksburg in 1849, but these were not published, nor did Eastman attempt to show
the entire town and environs (see Jack Patrick Maguire, Fredericksburg, Texas: 150 Years of Paintings and
Drawings, Fredericksburg: Fredericksburg 150th Anniversary, 1995, pp. 24-32). The present print was
created by Hermann Lungkwitz (1813-1891), noted Bavarian artist who immigrated to the Hill Country of Texas in 1851 (Handbook of Texas Online: Karl Friedrich Hermann Lungkwitz): “His Texas studies and landscape paintings—of the Hill Country, old San Antonio and its Spanish missions, and
Austin—span four decades and provide unexcelled examples of romantic landscape scenes and visual
documentation of nineteenth-century Texas. In addition, two pre-Civil War lithographs (Dr. Ernest
Kapp’s Water-Cure, Comal County, Texas and Friedrichsburg, Texas) and one postwar lithograph (San
Antonio de Bexar) have been identified.”
James Patrick McGuire, Hermann Lungkwitz (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1983), pp. pp. 20, 183
and entries 218, 219, and 220. Pinckney, Painting in Texas, pp. 86-97 (litho illustrated, Plate 39). Martha
Utterback, Early Texas Art in the Witte Museum (San Antonio: Witte Memorial Museum, 1968) 40. Steinfeldt, Art for History’s Sake, pp. 154-165 (lithograph illustrated on p. 159):
When Lungkwitz painted his pastoral views of the Texas countryside he fused romanticism with
natural realism and, as Jerr y Bywaters has pointed out, made the first solid contribution to landscape painting in Texas.... Lungkwitz’s pastoral view of Fredericksburg...clearly shows the influence of the artist’s early training in Dresden.... Lungkwitz sent drawings to Germany to be converted into lithographs, which he hoped to sell. They were advertised in German newspapers in
Central Texas and displayed in the larger cities during the late 1850s. Evidently not many copies
of this lithograph exist. One family legend maintains that the ship returning with the finished
lithographs was caught in a storm and many of the prints were damaged. Another tale alleges
that Lungkwitz was not pleased with the final print, feeling that it did not do justice to his original sketches.
Lungkwitz emigrated with some of his family, including his brother-in-law and fellow artist Richard
Petri, to the United States in 1850. After first settling in the east, they eventually moved to Texas in 1851
because of health concerns. After arriving in Texas, Lungkwitz followed a variety of professions, including farmer, rancher, artist, print seller, teacher, and photographer, in the last capacity serving in the General Land Office photographing hundreds of manuscript maps of Texas counties, and with Carl G. von
Iwonski, with whom he toured, displaying a magic lantern show. See: Palmquist, Pioneer Photographers
from the Mississippi to the Continental Divide, pp. 407-409. During the Civil War, Lungkwitz attempted
to maintain a neutral position during the bitter sectional strife that proved tragically fatal to some of his
fellow German emigrants at Comfort. He obtained an exemption from conscription and tried to continue his painting.
Ron Tyler in his preliminary study of nineteenth-century lithographs of Texas discusses this view at
length:
Because Texas was a frontier for much of the century, most of the artists whose work resulted in
prints never saw the region or visited for only a short time. A few, such as Hermann Lungkwitz, settled in Texas and produced -some excellent prints in a futile attempt to earn their living as artists....
Lungkwitz’s pastoral view of Fredericksburg...is an excellent example of the feeling of harmony
between man and nature that came out of the European and then American schools of landscape
painting, and the later views of farmers and cowboys are evidence of the later nineteenth-century
view that man had conquered and subordinated nature.
Other than Americans, Germans were the largest group of newcomers to Texas—more than
7,000 between 1844 and 1847—and the lithographic record of the state owes much to the trained
artists and craftsmen among their number who produced drawings and paintings that were
lithographed in Germany and who founded, in 1855, the first lithographic printing establishment in the state. Hermann Lungkwitz and Carl G. von Iwonski are, perhaps, the best known
of this group, for their landscape and genre scenes constitute a colorful record of life on the
Texas frontier....
Lungkwitz’s idyllic view of Fredericksburg is one of the best known images of nineteenthcentury Texas. The preliminary drawing was made sometime after 1855, probably in 1858, and sent
to the lithographic firm of Rau and Son in Dresden to reproduce. Taken from a perspective on
Schneider’s Hill, the picture shows Fredericksburg in the middle ground to the north (left center), with several scenes of the pioneer life in the foreground: shepherd boys and their flocks, a
farmer plowing with oxen, and a group of horses grazing in the meadow. The zig-zag, or worm,
fence, usually made from cedar or oak, was commonly used by the Texas Germans, and examples
of it can be seen throughout the foreground of the print. It is also possible to identify the Society’s community building, the Vereins Kirche, the Zion Lutheran church (built 1854), and the
Southern Methodist church (built 1855).
When the print was finished and shipped to Texas, probably in the late summer or fall of 1859, the
editor of the Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung announced that, “A lithograph of Fredericksburg and vicinity is
on display at the drug store of Koester and Tolle; it is a copy of the beautiful original painting by the
artist Lungkwitz and is unquestionably the best of the current Texas landscape art.” Despite the editor’s
remark about the print being made from a painting, only a preliminary drawing is known. Perhaps the
painting was never returned from Europe.
($10,000-20,000)
Rare Source on the Spiritual Conquest of the Southwest & Borderlands
198. FREJES, Francisco. Historia breve de la conquista de los estados independientes del Imperio Mejicano,
escrita por Fr. Francisco Frejes, cronista del Colegio Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Zacatecas y su Actual
Guardian. Mexico: Ojéda, 1839. [i-ii] iii-vii, 302, [2, index] pp. 8vo (16 × 10.2 cm), original full Mexican
tree sheep, tan leather label lettered and ruled in gilt. Front hinge and split label expertly restored, front
pastedown replaced with sympathetic nineteenth-century paper, head of spine neatly mended, binding
a bit worn, otherwise very fine.
Second edition. Only a handful of copies of the original edition of 1838 are extant, of which Wagner
remarks: “This is the first edition of this famous book, of which only a few copies are known. It was
reprinted in Mexico in 1839, and in Guadalajara in 1878” (Spanish Southwest, p. 510, erroneously dated
1823). Barrett, Baja California 884. Cowan II, pp. 221-222: “Includes a chapter on the Californias.” Eberstadt 120:93. Graff 1424: “Contains much on the history, geography, Indians, and conquest of Coahuila,
Texas, Sonora, and Sinaloa, and on their colonization.” Howell 50, California 87 (1838 edition). Howes
F359: “Includes data on Texas and present Arizona.” Palau 94836. Porrúa V:6874. Ramos 1775. Sabin
25825 (citing the 1838 edition, 166 pp.): “Very rare.... Some copies have a different imprint.” Not in Alliot,
Rafael Ayala Echavarri (Bibliografía Histórica y Geográfica de Querétaro, Mexico, Secretaría de Relaciones
Exteriores, 1949), Saunders, Tate (The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography), or Father
Weber’s bibliography on California Missions.
The author is especially proud of the fact that unarmed missionaries without any military support in
effect settled and colonized vast areas of the Southwest and Mexico. This rare volume is an important
source for the colonial history of the Spanish Southwest, rich in historical detail on the missionary
expeditions that brought Texas, New Mexico-Arizona, and the Californias under the jurisdiction of
Spain and resulted in the settling of vast regions of what is now the United States. The work is largely
an account of the activities of the Church in Mexico and the Spanish Southwest relative to the indigenous population. Among the missionaries discussed is Father Kino. Frejes provides solid documentation, recording, for instance, that in 1655 there were in New Mexico twenty-five missions and as many
schools with sixty Fathers attending them. He sometimes remarks on unexpected topics, such as his
contention that the sands of the Colorado River are one continuous gold placer.
In the section on Texas (pp. 221-234) Frejes describes the territory as fertile and so large that no one
knows its actual northern extent. He states, however, that Father Juan de Larios was basically responsible
for beginning the pacification of the area and its tribes, a development to which the Texas chapter is chiefly
devoted (Handbook of Texas Online: Bosque-Larios Expedition; see also Donald Chipman, Spanish Texas
1519-1821, Austin: University of Texas Press, 1991, pp. 67-68). He traces the missionary movements north
from Saltillo and relates a different version of how Texas got its name (supposedly from the Natives calling the Spanish “Tejia,” their word for friend). He closes the Texas chapter with the entry of Aguayo,
which established a Spanish claim to Texas that never again was disputed by France or by the French in
Louisiana. See Handbook of Texas Online: Aguayo Expedition and Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo.
Frejes was official historian of the College at Zacatecas, the most important Mexican training center for the missionaries who went to the Southwest, and wrote several works on history and education.
(See Emeterio Valverde Téllez, Bibliografía filosófica mexicana, Mexico, 1907, pp. 77-78.) Appleton’s Cyclopedia of American Biography:
Frejes [1784-1845], Mexican historian, born in Guadalajara...was a Franciscan monk in the convent of
his native city, where he distinguished himself as a pulpit orator. His love of study caused him to
obtain his transfer to the convent of Guadalupe, in Zacatecas, where he had the advantage of a valuable library containing many manuscripts of the time of the conquest. He was appointed chronicler
of the convent in 1835, and in 1838 became its superior. Here he finished his Historia breve de la conquista de los Estados Independientes.... He is a clear and impartial writer, and as some material, which
never had become public, was at his command, his history may be considered the most authentic one.
Frejes’ reason for transferring to the convent of Zacatecas was to utilize its library, which contained
many unpublished manuscripts. Most of Frejes’ work was never formally published and remains a
promising field for additional research. Frejes is an under-utilized resource for the indigenous population of Mexico, the Southwest, and the Borderlands.
($400-800)
Zamorano Eighty & Grolier American Hundred
“Frémont’s Report and Map Changed the Entire Picture of the West”—Wheat
199. FRÉMONT, J[ohn] C[harles] & [ Jessie Benton Frémont]. Report of the Exploring Expedition to
the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842, and to Oregon and North California in the Years 1843-’44. By Brevet
Captain J.C. Frémont, of the Topographical Engineers, under the Orders of Col. J.J. Abert, Chief of the Topographical Bureau. Printed by Order of the Senate of the United States. Washington: Gales and Seaton, Printers, 1845. [Senate 174, 29th Congress, 2nd Session]. 693 [1, blank] pp., 5 lithographic maps (list below),
22 lithographed plates (views, fossils, botany), 4 of the maps and 14 of the plates are attributed to Weber
in image. Thick 8vo (23.5 × 15 cm), original blind-stamped dark brown cloth, spine gilt lettered (neatly
re-backed, original spine and endpapers preserved). Light waterstaining along top edges (quite mild,
mostly affecting only blank margins), text with moderate foxing and browning, some plates with uniform browning, generally a very good copy in original condition, the large map in pocket at rear excellent (far superior than usually found, backed with archival paper). Front pastedown with old newspaper
clipping on Kit Carson, and front free endpaper with nineteenth-century pencil ownership of S. Perham and a few light old pencil notes.
maps
[Untitled emigrant route in Bear River Valley]. Sheet size: 49 × 22.5 cm.
Beer Springs. Sheet size: 22.5 × 14.5 cm. Supplied from another copy.
The Great Salt-Lake. Sheet size 22.5 × 14.5 cm.
[Untitled map of the crossing of the Sierra Nevada by the South Fork of the American River] [lower
center] Lith. by E. Weber & Co. Baltimore, Md. Sheet size: 22.5 × 64 cm.
Map of an Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842 and to Oregon & North California in the Years 1843-44 by Brevet Capt. J.C. Frémont of the Corps of Topographical Engineers under the
Orders of Col. J.J. Abert, Chief of the Topographical Bureau. Lith. by E. Weber & Co., Baltimore, Md. [profile
at top] Profile of the Route from the Mouth of the Kansas to Pacific by Capt. J.C. Fremont in 1843. Neat line
to neat line: 78 × 129.5 cm. Water courses and lakes highlighted in blue. Uniform light age toning, clean
splits at several folds, no losses. Rumsey 1833 (House issue): “The large map of the west is one of the
most interesting and beautiful government maps of the 1840s. It filled in many of the gaps in cartographic knowledge of the west. Charles Preuss was the cartographer.” Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West #497. Wheat, Maps of the California Gold Region #21.
First edition, the Senate issue, with the astronomical and meteorological observations omitted from
the House issue and subsequent editions. Alliot, p. 83. Cohen, Mapping the West, pp. 130-133. Cowan I,
pp. 91, 269. Cowan II, pp. 223. Edwards, Enduring Desert, pp. 89-90. Field 565. Graff 1436. Grolier American Hundred 49. Hill I, pp. 112-113. Hill II:640. Holliday 396. Howell 50, California 88. Howes F370.
Huntington Library, Zamorano Eighty...Exhibition of Famous and Notorious California Classics 39. Mintz,
The Trail 165. Plains & Rockies IV:115:1. Sabin 25845. Scallawagiana 100 29. Schwartz & Ehrenberg, The
Mapping of America, pp. 262, 271-278. Streeter Sale 3131: “Though the [large folding] map is unsigned,
Lt. G.K. Warren in his Memoir, p. (45), says ‘it was drawn by Charles Preuss, whose skill in sketching
topography in the field and representing it on the map has probably never been surpassed.’ Though the
Oregon Trail and the Spanish Trail had been regularly used for a few years there were no dependable
maps. For other parts of Frémont’s route, much of the recording of his map was new, including the
whole extent of the Sierra Nevada Range, the California rivers from the American River south, and the
three Colorado rivers.—TWS.” Tweney, The Washington 89 #22. Zamorano Eighty 39.
Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West #497 & Vol. II, pp. 194-200: “[Frémont’s report and map]
changed the entire picture of the West [and] represented as important a step forward from the earlier
western maps of the period as did those of Pike, Long, and Lewis and Clark in their day.... [Frémont’s
map] represented trustworthy direct observation, a new, welcome, and long overdue development in the
myth-encrusted cartography of the West. To Frémont and his magnificent map of his Second Expedition all praise. An altogether memorable document in the cartographic history of the West, and for it
alone Frémont would deserve to be remembered in history.... This map marked not only the end but
the beginning of an era.” Wheat, Maps of the California Gold Region #21: “[Frémont’s] large map showing Frémont’s routes had wide circulation and was used as a base for a number of later maps.... This volume also contains a map, on a scale of three miles to one inch, showing the entire course of the ‘Rio de
los Americanos’ from the region of ‘Mountain Lake’ [Lake Tahoe] to its junction with the Sacramento,
below ‘New Helvetia.’” Wheat points out that the 1845 Frémont-Preuss map served as a basis for the
1848 Frémont-Preuss map (see California 49: Forty-Nine Maps of California from the Sixteenth Century to
the Present 27n). Wheat, “Twenty-Five California Maps” #3: “This map for the first time delineated the
land area of most of what is now California in a truly factual manner [and it] became the prototype of
many Gold Rush maps.” For further information, please consult our web site.
($1,200-2,400)
Rare Mexican Fencing Manual with Engravings
200. FRÍAS, Simón de. Tratado elemental de la destreza del sable. Compuesto por Don Simón de Frías, maestro de todas armas examinado, aprobado y titulado por el superior gobierno de Nueva España. Mexico: En la
Imprenta de Arizpe, 1809 [but 1810]. [14], 1-201 [17] pp., 13 copper-engraved plates (2 of which are folding) of fencing positions and gear, most signed: P. Patiño dib. | M. Araoz gra. or P.P. dib. | M.A. gra. Small
4to (21.2 × 15.8), contemporary full Mexican tan sheep, spine lettered and ruled in gilt, original green
spine label, edges sprinkled in green. Binding fine except for a few scattered stains and scuff marks;
small paper and ink library label at foot of spine. Lower hinge slightly cracked, some scattered light foxing, one leaf with light marginal staining. Front pastedown, front free endpaper, and half title with a
narrow 7 cm ink mark. Some plates with light scattered foxing; plates 2 and 3 with paper tape repairs to
tears (no losses); 3 plates trimmed close at right margin (no losses). Overall a very good, crisp copy.
Twentieth-century book plate of Ricardo Toledo (printing theme) on front pastedown and old ink signature of Vicente Quirós on rear flyleaf.
First edition. Garritz 362. Leguina, Bibliografía e historia de la esgrima española 65. Medina, México
10252. Palau 95016. Thimm, A Complete Bibliography of Fencing and Dueling, p. 108. Medina notes that
in reality, the book was published on August 14, 1810, because of delays occasioned by engraver Manuel
de Aráoz (Dicc. Porrúa). The Mexican author was a master of arms in New Spain. Dicc. Porrúa notes
that his birth and death dates are unknown, but he is known to have taught self defense by 1787. Of
engraver Manuel Aráoz, Mathes (Illustration in Colonial Mexico, Woodcuts and Copper Engravings in
New Spain 1539-1821 Register 1810:10252 comments): “Manuel Aráoz, instructor in engraving, produced
thirteen excellent plates of fencing and fighting maneuvers using the saber for Simón de Frías, Tratado
elemental de la destreza del sable, Imprenta de Arizpe.” The artist, who signs his name P. Patiño or P.P.,
may be sculptor and artist Pedro Patiño Ixtolinque (1774-1835, see Dicc. Porrúa).
This may be the earliest book on any form of fencing published in Mexico and is a thorough guide
to the formal sport of fencing with sabers, complete with accurate, detailed illustrations. The author
includes descriptions of various attacks, defenses, proper foot work, posture, and equipment, including
detailed descriptions of the fencing sword. He states that his motive in writing the book is to promote
the art of self defense, which he stresses is important not only for personal use, but also for other causes,
such as the defense of one’s nation.
($2,500-5,000)
An Intrepid Woman on the Overland Trail & in the Gold Rush
Only Fifty Copies Printed
201. FRINK, Margaret A. Journal of the Adventures of a Party of California Gold-Seekers Under the Guidance of Mr. Ledyard Frink during a Journey across the Plains from Martinsville, Indiana, to Sacramento, California, from March 30, 1850, to September 7, 1850. From the Original Diary of the Trip Kept by Mrs. Margaret A. Frink. [Oakland: Privately printed, 1897]. [1-5] 6-131 pp., 2 frontispiece half-tone sepia-tinted
portraits of Ledyard Frink and Mrs. Margaret A. Frink. 12mo (18.8 × 13 cm), original brown pebble
cloth, upper cover lettered in gilt “Overland to California in 1850 By Mr. & Mrs. Frink,” tan floral-patterned endpapers. Other than light shelf wear, fine. Rare, privately printed account.
First edition, limited edition (50 copies printed, per Kurutz). Cowan II, p. 225. Eberstadt 106:114: “One
of the fullest and most interesting of source accounts of the great overland migration.” Eberstadt, Modern Narratives of the Plains & Rockies 172. Graff 1445. Holliday Sale 407. Howell 50, California 479: “An
engrossing account in diary form.... Mrs. Frink, an intrepid, acute, and sensitive observer, comments in
detail on the routes followed, scenery, fellow travelers, and Sacramento.” Howes F388. Mattes, Platte
River Road Narratives 795. Mintz, The Trail 166. Streeter Sale 3201.
Kurutz, California Gold Rush 258a:
Along with her husband, Ledyard, and three other men, Margaret Frink began her great journey on
March 30, 1850. On September 4, they reached Pleasant Valley and on the 5th Ringgold, the first
regular mining camp.... In Sacramento the couple established Frink’s Hotel, experienced a cholera
epidemic, sold the hotel, and bought twenty-five cows. Frink concludes the journal with a summary
of their life in Sacramento and an account of what became of their traveling companions. Written
for family and friends, only fifty copies of this important and detailed narrative were printed.
($1,000-2,000)
1860 German Engraving of Galveston—In Wraps as Issued
202. [GALVESTON]. MEYER, Hermann J[oseph] (publisher). Galveston in Texas [below image at
left] Aus. d. Kunstanst d. Bibliogr. Instit. in Hildbh. [below image at right] Eigenthum d. Verleger. Hild.
[Hildburghausen, 1860]. Metal engraving, picturesque view of Galveston from a long curving wharf,
image and line border: 11 × 16.1 cm; image and text below: 12.7 × 16.1 cm; overall sheet size: 16.3 × 24.4 cm.
Scattered fox marks (none affecting image), otherwise fine. The engraving is in the following imprint:
[wrapper title] Octav-Ausgabe von Meyer’s Universum in fünf Bänden, oder in 60 wöchentlichen Lieferungen.
Jede Lieferung unthält 3-4 Stahlstiche und 12-16 Seiten Zert. Preis: 3½ Sgr. oder 12 Kr. rhein. Vierter Band, elftes
Heft. Hildburghausen: Stich, Druck und Verlag vom Bibliographischen Institut., 1860. Pp. 137-152, 4
engraved plates (including the Galveston plate; the other 3 plates are European scenes). 8vo (25.2 × 17.5
cm), original green printed wrappers. Mild soiling and slight wear to fragile wraps, scattered foxing to
text and plates, overall very good. The Galveston print is rarely found in its original fascicle, with wraps
and with text, as issued. The artist of this famous view has never been identified.
The Galveston view was Plate DCCLXXV in Meyer’s Universum. Kelsey, Engraved Prints of Texas
1554-1900, Figure 4.123, pp. 74, 93: “Meyer’s Universum, a twenty-four-volume German encyclopedic
collection of worldwide views, contains four engravings of Texas.... The view of Galveston has been
copied widely.” When found, the print usually has been rudely removed from its text, which is to be
regretted, since the text (pp. 143-149) includes a description of Galveston discussing Texas and emigration, the historical background of the West, and “Manifest Destiny” (apparently there was no German
term for such at that time).
($150-300)
Massive Texas Land Fraud—Certificate with Miniature Map of Texas
203. GALVESTON BAY & TEXAS LAND COMPANY. Ornate lithograph land certificate with two
cherubs reading at top right, decorative sidebar at left, untitled map at lower left of southeast Texas with
Company lands indicated by shading (6.5 × 10 cm). At lower center: E.S. Mesier’s Litho. [scrubbed]; certificate completed in manuscript, lithograph text commences: Galveston Bay & Texas Land Company No.
[10489] This certifies, 177-136/1000 Acres. That the Subscribers as the Trustees and Attorneys of Lorenzo de
Zavala, Joseph Vehlein, and David G. Burnet, have given and do hereby give to [William G. Buckner] and
h[is] legal representatives the bearer hereof, their consent to the location of, and holding in severalty, One Labor
of Land within the Limits of Four Adjoining Tracts of Land in Texas.... New York, October 16, 1830. Signed
in ink by Company officers Anthony Dey, W.H. Sumner, G.W. Curtis, and W.H. Willson, endorsed
on verso by bondholder Wm. Buckner. Folio broadside (32 × 20.4 cm) printed on onionskin paper.
Remains of old paper mount at top, creased where formerly folded, light marginal browning, overall
good, in handsome old walnut frame with gilt liner.
Streeter 1117. Streeter Sale 304. There are several versions known of this imprint and no priority has
been assigned, but this is likely a late one because the stone is worn and the lithographer’s identity has
been scrubbed. The existence of so many variants of this certificate would seem to indicate that the
Company indiscriminately issued as many of them as it possibly could. See Streeter 1117, who documents the certificate for one labor of land (as here), whereas copies exist for one sitio of land. There are
also variations in the method of printing and other details. The present certificate is lithographed rather
than engraved; variances occur on the map, e.g., here the names for the Brazos and Navasota Rivers
have been moved farther right; the line border on the right is not so sharp as in the engraved version;
the date in the last line of the present version reads 16th. October 1830, whereas in the engraved version,
the date appears as 16. October 1830; etc.
An unusual feature of this land certificate is its attractive miniature map of southeast Texas and the
Louisiana border, locating towns (San Felipe de Austin, Brazoria, Nacogdoches, etc.), Austin’s Colony,
roads, rivers, Caddo Lake, Sabine Lake, Galveston Island, etc. Peters (America on Stone, p. 280) comments on the lithographers: “The Mesiers produced an enormous mass of lithographed sheet music at
28 Wall Street, but there are also other prints of interest.... They were important, early, and their work
is scarce and almost always of interest.”
One of the more interesting and controversial of the colonization companies, the Galveston Bay &
Texas Land Company energetically promoted lands between the San Jacinto and Sabine Rivers. At five
cents an acre, naturally sales were brisk. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the colonists, Mexico had put
into effect the Law of April 6, 1830, prohibiting further Anglo colonization in Texas. When the immigrants, who were mostly Europeans, arrived in Texas, Mexican officials refused to allow them to settle.
The hoodwinked colonists were permitted to build huts and plant gardens but were left on their own
to try to acquire land holdings.
This is one of the primary documents that led to considerable confusion among “purchasers” of the
Company’s land. Despite the impressive look of the document and the handsome little map, the only
consideration the purchaser of it received was the privilege of locating a labor of land; the land then had
to be subsequently purchased in one of the grants given to Vehlein, Zavala, or Burnet. This is an early
shot in a barrage of printed materials filled with accusations, recriminations, apologias, and defenses by
both the Company and its critics. See: Barker, Life of Austin, p. 298; Handbook of Texas Online: Galveston Bay & Texas Land Company; and Williams, The Animating Pursuits of Speculation. ($600-1,200)
“ Yo Solo”
Galveston’s Namesake Comes to the Aid of the Colonists During the American Revolution
204. GÁLVEZ, Bernardo de. Diario de las operaciones de la expedición contra la Plaza de Panzacola concluida por las armas de S.M. Católica, baxo las órdenes del Mariscal de Campo D. Bernardo de Gálvez [caption title]. N.p., n.d. [Madrid or Mexico, 1781]. Signed and dated in print on p. 34: “Panzacola 12 de
Mayo de 1781, Bernardo de Gálvez.” 1-45 [3] pp. 4to (20.5 × 15 cm), early twentieth century smooth
brown calf over marbled boards, spine gilt lettered. Light shelf wear, else fine.
First edition. The place of printing has been conjectured to be Mexico, Madrid, or Havana. Medina
(México 7195) suggests Mexico. Harper XIV:568: “The only printed book to appear under the name of
this outstanding historical figure.” Howes P59. Leclerc, Bibliotheca Americana...Deux Amériques (18781881): “Pièce curieuse et peu connue.” Palau 96980. Sabin 19949 & 26475. Winsor VI, p. 739.
Streeter Sale 1191:
Gálvez tells of his expedition against the British at Pensacola after Spain had entered the War of
the Revolution as our ally. The account begins with the narrative of his first expedition from
Havana in November, 1780, which was scattered by storms. Undaunted, Gálvez organized another
expedition in February, 1781. The admiral of the Spanish fleet, not being subject to Gálvez, refused
to cross the bar at Pensacola under the guns of the British fort, alleging that certain destruction
would result. Gálvez shamed him into compliance by running the gauntlet in his own brig, the
Galveztown. The British finally surrendered on May 9, 1781, and in commemoration Gálvez was
made Count de Gálvez and Viscount de Galveztown; his arms were emblazoned with the brig
Galveztown and his new motto, “Yo Solo.” This capture of Pensacola was not only one of the most
glorious events of the Revolution, but it also in effect broke the British hold on West Florida and
made it likely that Spain would be given Florida at the Peace of 1783.
Gálvez (1746-1786) was one of the major figures in Texas and Borderlands history. His several and
signal victories against the common British enemy and the supplies he ensured for Washington’s troops
contributed greatly to the colonists’ ultimate victory. After the war he was appointed Viceroy of New
Spain. While viceroy, Gálvez ordered José de Evia’s survey of the Gulf Coast (see Item 303 herein). See
Handbook of Texas Online: Bernardo de Gálvez.
($4,000-6,000)
Alice in Karankawa Land
205. GATSCHET, Albert S., Alice [Williams] Oliver, et al. The Karankawa Indians, the Coast People of
Texas.... With Notes by Charles A. Hammond and Alice W. Oliver and Vocabulary Obtained from Alice Oliver.
Cambridge: Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology (Peabody Museum Papers, Vol.
I, No. 2), 1891. [i-v] vi-viii, [9] 10-103 [1, blank], map showing region inhabited by the Karankawa. 8vo
(23.2 × 14.5 cm), lacking wraps. Stitching loose, otherwise fine in mailing envelope from Charles F.
Heartman, with ink note: “This work is hard to obtain & first copy located over about 5 yr. search.”
First edition. Rader 1552. Raines, p. 89. Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography
577: “Although dated, this remains the standard account of this neglected tribe. Gatschet drew information not only from early travel accounts but also from his interviews with Alice Oliver, who had
observed the Karankawa at some length during the 1840s. A detailed list of Karankawa words as
remembered by Mrs. Oliver is also provided.” Not in CBC.
The tall, nomadic tribe first encountered by Cabeza de Vaca supposedly practiced ritualistic cannibalism and were considered formidable fighters. After decimations by disease and various confrontations with both Europeans and fellow Native Americans, the last of the tribe was wiped out in Texas in
1858 near Rio Grande City. Alice Williams Oliver’s family established a ranch in Matagorda Bay in 1838
when Alice was ten. As a teenager she formed a friendship with the now extinct tribe, recording their
language and history. The family was friendly with the tribe, who often camped on their ranch when
passing through. They never tried to kidnap or hurt her, and Alice’s record here is the only substantial
surviving documentation on the tribe, completing lacking in bias. Alice’s account is considered the
definitive record of Karankawa language, and historians still use it today.
($100-200)
Another Declaration of Independence
206. [GINSBERG, Allen]. SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA PROSE POETS’ PHALANX. Declaration of Independence for Dr. Timothy Leary July 4, 1971. Model Statement in Defense of the Philosophers
Personal Freedom Proposed by San Francisco Bay Area Prose Poets’ Phalanx. [Colophon] Printed on recycled
paper-July 1971—Hermes Free Press San Francisco. [8] pp. 8vo (22 × 14.7 cm). Leaflet, printed in black on
grey paper. Pristine condition.
First edition, limited edition. Morgan E62c. No limitation is stated, but no more than 250 copies were
printed for private distribution to members of the American PEN Club and the signers listed on the last
page. Signers include Allen Ginsberg, Andrew Hoyem, Anaïs Nin, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane de
Prima, Laura Huxley, Ted Berrigan, and others. NB: These are printed names, not original signatures.
Ginsberg, a staunch supporter and friend of Leary through the cultural wars of the ’60s, wrote what
amounts to a manifesto for freedom of speech rights, which he contends were the real reason for Leary’s
thirty-year prison sentence for a miniscule amount of Cannabis sativa. This polemic succeeded in gaining the support of PEN and securing the release of Leary from a prison in Switzerland, from which
President Richard Nixon had ordered his extradition for prison escape.
($250-500)
Early American Teaching Globe—Texas Labelled as a Separate Entity
207. [GLOBE]. HOLBROOK & CO. Solid wooden terrestrial globe on which are mounted 12 lithographed and varnished paper gores, original outline coloring, set on original wooden base with single
column-type metal stand. Berea, Ohio, ca. 1840. Globe height: 12 cm; width: 12 cm; height of globe and
stand: 30.5 cm. Scale 1: 100,000,000. Paper browned and moderately foxed, light wrinkling and creasing at top. Overall, a very good copy of a rare survival.
Very early U.S. teaching globe, later used in Holbrook’s School Apparatus (see Warner). Rumsey 2511.
Warner 95. Texas is labelled as a separate political entity. Alaska is designated as Russian America.
Dwight Holbrook worked with his brother Alfred in Berea, Ohio from 1837 to 1850. The long-lived
Holbrook firm relocated to Connecticut in 1854. They specialized in making and selling globes, scien-
tific equipment, school supplies, and other educational tools. Charles Holbrook, the final proprietor of
the highly influential firm, advertised Holbrook’s in the Teacher’s Manual for Lunar Tellurian in 1888 as
“Three Generations and Sixty years in the Cause of Education.”
($1,000-2,000)
A Very Handsome Early American Terrestrial Globe
Texas Now Shown as Part of the United States
208. [GLOBE]. LORING, Josiah. Loring’s Terrestrial Globe Containing, all the Late Discoveries and Geographical Improvements, also the Tracks of the Most Celebrated Circumnavigators. Compiled from Smith’s
New English Globe, with Additions and Improvements by Annin & Smith. Revised by Russell Park 1846.
Manufactured by Gilman Joslin Boston. Boston, 1846. Globe covered with 12 copper-engraved paper gores
and 2 polar galottes with original full and outline hand coloring; diameter: 30.5 cm; overall height: 43 cm.
Original four-legged maple stand with mahogany horizon ring (with printed astronomical and zodiac
data), maple stretchers, brass meridian, brass hour pointer at top; galottes engraved with hour rings in
both directions. A few light rubs, one dime-size loss in Southern Ocean (with a crude attempted
restoration and facsimile replacement), one dime-size neatly repaired spot at northeast coast of United
States (no loss of original image), globe slightly off axis, rubs at horizon ring, small void in Western
United States. Pleasing, rich amber patina, virtually all place names visible, original hand coloring discernible and printed surface sharp. Very handsome.
Josiah Loring (1775-ca. 1840), one of the most prolific early globe makers of the United States, sold
globes as early as 1832 and advertised that they were superior to British globes (while using the work of
London map and globe maker C. Smith Company). The present globe was issued by Loring’s successor, Gilman Joslin, revised from the 1845 edition, now showing Texas as a state after annexation, but
before the 1867 version showing Dakota Territory. Gilman Joslin (1804-ca. 1886) commenced making
globes for Josiah Loring in 1837. Eventually he took over the Loring firm and made globes using his
name and Loring’s. Dekker & Van der Krogt, Globes from the Western World, pp. 126 (illustration of 1833
Loring globe), 139-140, 176-177. Ristow, American Maps & Mapmakers, pp. 89-92. Warner in “The Geography of Heaven and Earth” in Rittenhouse: Journal of the American Scientific Instrument Enterprise (Vol.
II, No. 4, pp. 110-112 & Vol. II, No. 3, pp. 100-103). See also: David M. Rumsey & Edith M. Punt, Cartographica Extraordinaire: The Historical Map Transformed (Redlands: ESRI, 2004), where Loring’s predecessor 1833 terrestrial globe is illustrated at pp. [1] and 137 and on back of dust jacket.
The high quality of Josiah Loring’s Boston globes won him many awards and high praise, and he
created this handsome globe during his first year of independent production. During the eighteenth
century, most globes in America were imported from England, and Loring was among the earliest pioneers in the commercial manufacture of globes in the U.S. In the 1830s Loring’s globes were awarded
medals and honors at the Franklin Institute, the American Institute, and the Massachusetts Charitable
Mechanic Association; the judges of the latter association commented on Loring’s work:
The resolution with which the indefatigable maker of these globes has persevered, at very great
expense, and with little expectation of ever being adequately remunerated, till he has overcome the
many and serious difficulties in the way, in introducing a new branch of manufactures, and has
brought every part of the work to a high degree of perfection, deserves unqualified praise.
In the disputed area between the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Ocean, the globe shows the presentday Canada-U.S. boundary. Also located are the tribes of the Snake, Blackfoot, Shoshone, Crow,
Chipeway, Comanche, Choctaw, Pawnee, and Tejuas. Only national boundaries are shown in the
United States (all the way to Oregon). The globe contains the tracks of several major voyages, including Vancouver, La Pérouse, Wilkes, Clerke, Cook, et al. Important stopping points are shown and major
events are noted, for example, at Hawaii, we read: “Here Capt. Cook was killed 1779.” The only sites
located in Texas are rivers and the bays of St. Bernard and Galveston. Just south of Santa Fe in New
Mexico is “San Felipe,” the original name of Albuquerque.
($15,000-20,000)
Diminutive English Teaching Globe
209. [GLOBE]. Rice’s Mechanical Globe. G. Philip & Son, London [title in circular label pasted on Pacific
Ocean]. Solid wooden terrestrial globe on which are mounted 12 lithographed and varnished paper
gores with original full coloring, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn painted in red, equator painted in
black, Arctic and Antarctic circles painted in blue, mounted on original wooden stand with tripod feet;
engraved sub-divided brass meridian; horizon ring with lithographed astronomical data (months, days,
astrological signs). London: George Philip & Son, n.d. [between 1867 and 1898, showing Alaska, which
was annexed in 1867, as belonging to the U.S.; but with Hawaii, annexed by the U.S. in 1898, still designated as Sandwich Islands]. Globe height: 7 cm; width: 7 cm; height of globe and stand: 18 cm. Globe
slightly darkened and with scattered spots, one small paper crack at North Pole, Southern hemisphere
scraped with small voids, wooden stand neatly repaired.
This is an excellent, attractive example of a diminutive teaching globe meant to be used by individual students at their desks. The English geographical publishing and globe-making firm of George
Philip & Son made countless globes and maps and pioneered mass production of cheap, quality lithograph maps affordable to the masses. “Their most important contribution was publication of educational maps” (Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, Vol. III, p. 425). The firm was established
in 1834 and continues to the present. See: Philip George, The Story of the Last Hundred Years; A Geographical Record (London: G. Philip & Son Limited, 1934).
For decades the globes of William Rice F.R.G.S. were considered the premier aids for teaching geography. Testimonials may be found in Joseph Hughes, The Practical Teacher: A Monthly Educational Journal (London, March 1884-February 1885, p. 485); and J.W. Jarvis, “Globes and Mechanical Models in
the Teaching of Geography” in The School World: A Monthly Magazine of Educational Work and Progress
Vol. VIII January to December, 1906 (London & New York: Macmillan, 1906, pp. 12-14). In commenting
on the geographical teaching artifacts of Philips and Rice, Jarvis states: “Perhaps here we may mention
the whole secret of successful work with the globe in school. Like most trade secrets, it is very simple,
and, indeed, everyone knows it, but they do not think about it. It is that the pupil should study the globe
by himself with the minimum of explanation by the teacher. If ever a little wholesome neglect is beneficial, it is when pupils are dealing personally and in actual touch with concrete things. Just as the boatman gives the skiff a gentle push off, so should the discreet teacher tell the boy just enough to start him
on his travels round and about the globe. The rest may be safely left to the natural inquisitiveness of the
human boy” (p. 14).
($600-1,200)
“I Rank it the Finest Piece of Texas Writing Ever Done”—A.C. Greene
210. GRAVES, John. Goodbye to a River. A Narrative by John Graves. Austin: [W. Thomas Taylor for the
Book Club of Texas], 1989. [10], 1-237 [1, blank], [2] pp., folded map, text illustrations (toned photographs, prints made by William Wittliff from the originals taken by Graves during his trip down the
Brazos River). 4to (28 × 20.2 cm), original half brown cloth over marbled boards. Very fine, signed by
Graves at end of preface.
Limited edition (550 copies), new introduction by John Graves and added photographs. The first edition was designed by Carl Hertzog and published by Knopf in 1964. Cox, More Basic Texas Books 40.
Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 3737: “Moving account of the Brazos
River and the events which have transpired in its vicinity. Graves writes not as an historian, but as an
environmentally and culturally conscious observer who laments the passing of an earlier era.” Cf. CBC
2477n, and three others.
Greene, The Fifty Best Books on Texas, p. 86: “A great book.... It contains the essential humor, the rawness, and earthy wisdom of an old, rural Texas society without sacrificing intelligence and historical
accuracy. There have been only a handful of books that achieved this plateau.... I rank it the finest piece
of Texas writing ever done.” A.C. Greene & His Library: “Although this is not the first edition of Goodbye to a River, it is the most beautiful. It contains several photos of John on the river which were taken
by his wife Jane. Bill Wittliff and W. Thomas Taylor, both of whom have had so much to do with beautiful Texas books, added their skills.”
($100-300)
“How to Conquer Texas, before Texas Conquers Us”
A Texas Three-Penny Dreadful
211. [HALE, Edward Everett]. A Tract for the Day. How to Conquer Texas, before Texas Conquers Us [title
within ornamental border, above which is: Price Three Cents]. Boston: Redding & Co., 8 State St.,
March 17, 1845. [1-3] 4-16 pp. 8vo (22.7 × 14 cm), removed from a bound volume of pamphlets, remains
of stitching. Creased at center, first and last leaves foxed, else very good.
First edition. American Imprints (1845) 2939. Eberstadt, Texas 162:373. Sabin 29626. Streeter 1583:
Hale, later to become a famous and beloved American, and at this time not quite twenty-three
years old, wrote this tract when news came to New England that President Tyler had signed on
March 1, 1845, the joint resolution for the annexation of Texas. The tract begins, “What shall we
do? Massachusetts and New England have resolved, in this emergency, not to withdraw from the
Union. They have resolved rightly.” Hale then advanced the novel and highly original idea that
the North should promote the emigration of its citizens to Texas so that by “a systematic and
united effort...free labor and free institutions, may obtain a predominance in that territory” and
declared, “There can be no question that Texas, particularly the upper country of Texas, is naturally one of the finest agricultural countries in the World.”
Hale refers to the Texans as “an unprincipled population of adventurers.” His main intention, of course,
was to somehow prevent Texas from becoming a slave state by diluting the present population with abolitionist New Englanders who would gain a voting majority if enough of them emigrated. Hale (18221909), author and a Unitarian minister to the core of his righteous soul, entered Harvard at age thirteen.
He is described by DAB as: “Big of body and spirit, destined to grow, with his aspect of a shaggy prophet
and his great, reverberating voice, into the very figure of a seer, Hale was precisely the man to put into
action the prevailing beliefs of the Boston in which he came to maturity.” The present tract was his maiden
voyage in his vision of Western emigration as a springboard for the betterment of human relationships,
social, political, and personal. Some critics described him as a zealot in the anti-slavery cause, but recognized the good works he performed as the chief propagandist and historian of the New England Emigrant
Aid Company, which advocated organized emigration. In 1854 he wrote an emigrant guide conforming
with those theories (Kanzas and Nebraska, Boston, 1854; Plains & Rockies IV:239A). Hale is best known
for “The Man Without a Country” (Atlantic Monthly, December, 1863), considered to be one of the best
short stories written by an American. See Johnson High Spots of American Literature, p. 36.
($250-500)
The Heraldry of the Range
212. HALEY, J[ames] Evetts. The Heraldry of the Range: Some Southwestern Brands. By J. Evetts Haley
Illustrated by H.D. Bugbee. Canyon, Texas: [Carl Hertzog for] Panhandle Plains Historical Society, 1949.
[1-4] 5-35 [1] pp., illustrations by H.D. Bugbee, facsimiles. 4to (28.5 × 22 cm), original terracotta pictorial cloth, upper cover with gilt lettering and brand-theme illustration. Very mild foxing to front free
endpaper, otherwise very fine in very fine illustrated d.j. Colophon with presentation inscription signed
by Haley. #112 ink stamped on rear flyleaf.
First edition. Adams, Herd 962. Dykes, Fifty Great Western Illustrators (Bugbee) 79. Dykes, Western
High Spots, pp. 54-55 (“High Spots of Western Illustrating” #76). Lowman, Printer at the Pass 62. Robinson, Haley (1978) 16. Robinson, Haley (1967) 82: “A handsome volume profusely illustrated with lively
drawings and reproductions of pages from brand books and stock directories. The origin of brands, as
with armorial bearings, is lost in time. Yet both are sources of pride that go with honest ownership. The
book chronicles a few noted brands: the JA, XIT, the Bells, the Matador V, 101, Cross L, and the JJ.
Each is significant in the story it tells.”
($200-400)
XIT: Merrill Aristocrat & Reese Six Score
213. HALEY, J[ames] Evetts. The XIT Ranch of Texas and the Early Days of the Llano Estacado. Chicago:
The Lakeside Press, 1929. [i-vi] vii-xvi, 1-261 [1, blank], [2] pp., 30 leaves of plates with images on rectos and versos (portraits, scenes; mostly photographs, some by Erwin E. Smith), plus 2 maps: [1] frontispiece map: Western Land Cessions; [2] folded map: Map of XIT Ranch Lands. 8vo (23.5 × 15.5 cm), original dark olive green cloth, gilt longhorn on upper cover, gilt lettering on spine, t.e.g. Very fine. Original invoice for $32.50 from Carnegie Book Shop laid in.
First edition of author’s first book. Adams, Guns 894. Adams, Herd 969: “One of the rarest and most
sought after books on cattle.” Basic Texas Books 82: “Haley’s first book, this is nevertheless one of the best
examples of his scholarship.” Bauer Sale 178. Campbell, pp. 187–88. Campbell, My Favorite 101 Books
about the Cattle Industry 41. CBC 121a (plus 5 additional entries). Dobie, pp. 104: “As county and town
afford the basis for historical treatment of many areas, ranches have afforded bases for various range
country histories. Of such this is tops.” Dobie & Dykes, 44 & 44 #20. Dykes, Collecting Range Life Literature, p. 5. Dykes, Western High Spots, p. 21 (“My Ten Most Outstanding Books on the West”): “Beautifully printed”; p. 70 (“High Spots of Western Illustrating” #56); p. 79 (“A Range Man’s Library”):
“Spoke quite plainly about some folks who started their herds with XIT cows. A suit was filed and the
unsold remainder of the first edition was impounded by the court. It is a very scarce and expensive
book”; p. 103 (“The Texas Ranch Today”). Graff 1718. Howes H39. Merrill, Aristocrats of the Cow Country, p. 19. One Hundred Head Cut Out of the Jeff Dykes Herd 68. Rader 1731. Reese, Six Score 54. Robinson,
Haley (1967) 198: “This epic account of the largest and most famous ranching operation of the early
West is a landmark in the literature of the cattle country. Monumental in scope, infinitely detailed, the
book presents the history of the Llano Estacado and traces the development and operations of a
3,000,000 acre ranch. It is the one volume that, more than any other, portrays the early-day cattle business of the West”. Robinson, Haley (1978) 3: “The first edition consisted of 1,380 copies, and was withdrawn from circulation soon after it was first issued.” Vandale 82.
Handbook of Texas Online: James Evetts Haley, Sr.:
In 1927 officials of the former Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company commissioned
the twenty-six-year-old scholar to write a history of the XIT Ranch. Haley’s critically acclaimed
The XIT Ranch of Texas and the Early Days of the Llano Estacado, which appeared two years later,
established the author as a premier interpreter of the western range cattle industry. The book,
however, was also the subject of libel suits totaling $2.2 million. The first of these actions was tried
in state district court in Lubbock in 1931. Although acquitted of the charges, Haley and his codefendants subsequently agreed to withdraw the book from the market and paid the plaintiffs
$17,500 to settle all pending claims.
The book is enhanced by the presence of incredible range photographs of cowboy-photographer
Erwin E. Smith who captured a way of life then rapidly disappearing.
($500-1,000)
Rare Texas Broadside on the Hotly Contested 1869 Gubernatorial Election
214. HAMILTON, A[ndrew] J[ackson]. Address of A.J. Hamilton [text commencing] To the People of
Texas. Fellow Citizens—Impressed with the belief that it was the wish of a large portion of the citizens and
voters of Texas, I have presented my name as a candidate at the approaching election for the Governor of the
State under the New Constitution. It has been, and is my wish and intention to meet and confer personally with
as many of the people in different sections of the State as may be practicable between this and the time which
may be fixed for the election. But the vast extent of our territory, and the absence of facilities for rapid travel,
preclude the possibility of my visiting all of the different counties of the State within the limits of an ordinary
canvass.... [ads at end: two administrator notices re estates in Travis County and Wm. Sauer’s notice of
missing horses and cattle with illustration of steer offering compensation for return to Austin and
describing his brand]; [date at end] Austin, March 18, 1869. [Austin, 1869]. Folio broadside printed in six
columns: Sheet size 45.6 × 40.2 cm. Creased where formerly folded, remains of mounting tabs on verso,
extremely tiny hole in column 3 affecting two letters, otherwise fine. Matted, framed, and under glass.
First edition. Winkler 2078 (locating copy at Austin Public Library). Sabin (29993 & 29994) lists two
of Hamilton’s broadsides, but not this one. In the election of 1869, Texas Reconstruction Governor
Davis ran against Andrew J. Hamilton in a controversial and hotly contested election. In this address
Hamilton states that he is a supporter of a new constitution and denounces his Democratic opponents
as divisive. He remarks he believes everyone of any race should be allowed to vote and that he will
defend the rights of people of color. He is especially opposed to disenfranchising those who sympathized with the South. He finally states that at this juncture all people will suffer if any element in society is slighted and that the populace needs to pull together for their mutual prosperity. He mentions
incidentally that he is opposed to establishing a new state in West Texas. Hamilton does not pass up
the opportunity to take jabs at patriotism and motivation of Edmund Jackson Davis. (Texas had long
had the right to divide itself into several states.)
Andrew Jackson Hamilton (1815-1875) served as governor of Texas after holding a series of more
minor political positions. A Union sympathizer, he had a stormy career in post-Civil War Texas politics. See Handbook of Texas Online. One of the finest swimming holes in Texas, Hamilton’s Pool, about
thirty minutes northwest of Austin was named in his honor. For more on Hamilton and the 1869 election, see: Dale Baum, “Chicanery and Intimidation in the 1869 Texas Gubernatorial Race,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 97 ( July 1993): 36-54; and John Leroy Waller, Colossal Hamilton of Texas: A Biography of Andrew Jackson Hamilton, Militant Unionist and Reconstruction Governor (El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1968).
($600-1,200)
“Slavery Has Fallen, Never to Rise Again on this Continent”
215. HAMILTON, A[ndrew] J[ackson]. Message of Governor A.J. Hamilton to the Texas State Convention.
Delivered February 10, 1866. Austin: Printed at the State Gazette Book and Job Office, 1866. [1-3] 4-14
pp. 8vo (20 × 13.6 cm), disbound. Ink library stamp and old ms. ink note on title indicating this copy is
a duplicate from the New Jersey Historical Society. Signed by A.B. Norton, chairman of the Texas delegation to the Constitutional Union party convention in May, 1860, where he urged the nomination of
Houston for president (Handbook of Texas Online: Anthony Banning Norton). Blank right margin of
title slightly chipped, overall a very good copy, with original invoice from Midland Rare Book Company laid in. Scarce.
First edition. Eberstadt, Texas 162:107. Midland 69:491: “Superb message by the provincial (Reconstruction) Governor. Alabama-born, like Norton, [Hamilton] was an ardent pro-Unionist and had to
flee the state after secession. Presentation inscription by A. Banning Norton; who had also returned to
Texas (from Ohio), and here inscribes himself as a member of the Convention.” Winkler 1541: “Appears
also as pages 16-27 of the Journal of the Texas State Convention assembled at Austin, February 7, 1866.”
Handbook of Texas Online: Constitutional Convention of 1866:
The governor made it clear that half measures would not satisfy the U.S. government and warned
the delegates that hasty action might postpone indefinitely the day Texas would be represented in
Congress. As minimum requirements for restoration of normal relations with the Union he...set
out: that the right of secession must be specifically denied; that acquiescence must be given to the
abolition of slavery; that a fair and impartial determination of the social and political status of the
freedmen must be arrived at; and that the debt incurred by the state in the prosecution of the war
must be repudiated.
In this address Hamilton specifically warns against disenfranchising African-American citizens,
although he is not opposed to putting qualifications on their rights to vote and exercise other civil liberties, such as access to courts. He bluntly warns that the Civil War has permanently settled the question of slavery and that it will never be tolerated again in the U.S. unless some catastrophic period of
darkness and decline should fall on the country.
($150-300)
“Should Texas Remain an Independent Nation?”
216. HANCOCK. Essays onTexas, by Hancock [pseudonym]. New York: Printed by Thomas W. McGowran,
1837. [1-3] 4-20 pp. 8vo (19.8 × 13.2 cm), disbound. Slightly soiled and one small spot on title, otherwise
fine. Uncommon.
First edition. American Imprints (1837) 658. Eberstadt, Texas 162:383. Rader 1760. Sabin 30194 (incorrectly attributing authorship to Jonathan Russell). Streeter 1276: “This is a series of short papers, each
signed Hancock, that advocate the annexation of Texas. Jonathan Russell of Massachusetts, who died
in 1832, used the pseudonym Hancock in an address entitled The Whole Truth, Boston, 1808, and he is
given as the author of these essays in one or two catalogues, the 1832 date of his death having apparently been overlooked. The actual author is unknown.” Vandale 84.
The anonymous author emphasizes the commercial potential of Texas while minimizing the slavery
issue. In lofty terms, the section entitled “Texas. Its Annexation Strengthens the Union” enthuses:
This is not a question of territory. Had we millions more, still Texas should be ours, on account
of her peculiarized locality and its profound results. Distance of place is not now what it has been.
Internal improvements are hourly contracting space; and the two extremities of which I speak,
would soon be identified and familiarized with each other. What was once Cicyon became
Greece. Spurn not the bold and laurel crested stand of this young and salient republic. The banners of Mexican conquests and the beaks of the Anglo Saxon eagles may float back upon the
north. This infant Hercules may one day awake your quiet, may extract your strength, divide and
conquer. This republic may now be made to you the germ of wealth and the sinew of war. Friendship in adversity, is a gem of great price and inspires lasting gratitude. Let us remember that the
time may come, when we may look to the strength, wealth and resources of Texas with anxious
solicitude. Let not the North American policy and strength of this continent, south of the United
States, become separated. Let us now by annexation lay the foundation of that friendship and
national strength, which will do more for us than foreign nations can undo, and consolidate our
peace by putting at defiance their power, menaces or intrigues.
The last section of the pamphlet asks: “Should Texas remain an independent nation?”
($250-500)
Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Time Table & Map
Bright, Color Illustrations, Including “The New Electric Light”
217. HANNIBAL & ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD. Twelve-panel timetable, 2 prints, and map: [Recto,
tabulated route information] [Title] Hannibal and St. Joseph Rail Road. The Old Reliable Route to the West.
Via Quincy. Through Day Coaches and Pullman Sleeping Cars Leave Toledo Daily, with Horton’s Reclining
Chair Cars from Quincy, via the Wabash Railway, for Kansas City Atchison and St. Joseph, without Change.
John B. Carson, General Manager. F.E. Morse, Gen’l Pass. Agent, Hannibal, Mo.... [below title] Rand,
McNally & Co., Printers, 77 and 79 Madison Street. Chicago [date beneath repeated title on next panel]
505-June-’80 Rand, McNally & Co., Printers, Chicago. [full color untitled print of railroad car with name
of line on car above windows, image: 7.5 × 51 cm] Hannibal & S t. Joseph R.R. Reclining Chair Car. [Verso,
full color print, untitled, but with text within print, image: 16.6 × 50 cm] “Always On Time” The New
Electric Light. [map below print, full color, border to border 16.7 × 47.3 cm] Map of the Old Reliable Hannibal and St. Joseph Short Line. [below map title] Rand, McNally & Co. Map Engr’s, Chicago. Chicago:
Rand, McNally & Co., 1880. Overall sheet size: 34.8 × 51.9 cm; folds to size: 17.8 × 9 cm. Three minor
voids at folds (no losses), a few minor spots, otherwise excellent.
The map features the route of the line with connecting feeder lines to Denver and Chicago. The
entire geographic coverage is from Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico to the East Coast (Maine to
North Carolina). The Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, the first line to cross Missouri, was in operation
between 1846 and 1883. The construction of the line was conceived in the Hannibal office of John H.
Clemens, father of Mark Twain.
The two brightly colored prints are little masterpieces of railroad illustration. The image on recto
presents a profile view of the car with reclining chairs where passengers enjoy the ride, playing cards,
reading, chatting, sleeping, etc. In the background is a bridge and a sailboat on a blue river. Another
train travels down a track on the right of the image. The image on verso is quite dramatic, showing a
train engine pulling cars along a track over an arched stone bridge with a full moon glowing over a treecovered hill. A train lamp shines straight down the track from the engine emitting “the new electric
light.” From the engine flows a stream of black smoke. A man stands with a lantern at center bottom.
An engineer looks out from his seat in the engine, and another railroad worker is reaching into the coal
bin car. A fourth man is standing in the doorway of the second car holding a lantern. Light shines from
the windows in the front of the train, but not from the Pullman cars.
($300-600)
A Modern Rarity & a Basic Texas Book—First History of Galveston
218. HAYES, Charles W[aldo]. Galveston: History of the Island and the City. Austin: Jenkins Garrett
Press, [1974]. Vol. I: [6], i-xiii [1, blank], [1] 2-543 pp. (frontispiece counted as p. [6]); Vol. II: [4], [547548] 549-1,044 pp. 2 vols., 8vo (23.5 × 16 cm), original white linen, spines lettered in brown, upper covers with brown gilt-lettered labels. Other than a few spots to upper edges of text block of first volume,
very fine, in publisher’s brown board slip case.
First published edition, printed from proofs of an 1879 edition never published. Basic Texas Books 88:
This is one of the most comprehensive histories of any area of Texas, written and set in type in
the 1870s, but never published. The author had access to documents now lost, as well as to early
settlers and pioneers of Galveston Island. The work contains much primary and secondary historical information on Texas unavailable elsewhere, and reaches far beyond the Galveston region....
Hayes was born in Pennsylvania, served in an Illinois company in the Civil War, was captured
and imprisoned in Alabama, and became a railroad man and journalist in Galveston during Reconstruction. Hayes’ book “represents five years of work by Mr. Hayes. Upon its completion, in 1879,
it was sent to Cincinnati and set in type, however the printing plant burned down destroying the
plates. A single copy of the revised proofs had been sent to the publisher and this proof became the
only existing copy of the most complete history ever written of Galveston. This proof copy passed
through the hands of several dealers” [Larry Wygant, archivist of Rosenberg Library in Galveston],
and became part of the fabled Jenkins Garrett Collection, now in the Jenkins [and Virginia]
Library at the University of Texas at Arlington. Garrett and his son published the work as the initial volume of their Basic Texiana Series, making the text available to scholars for the first time....
The volume is divided into 25 chapters of chronological history, followed by a statistical section
and 173 pages of biographies, including sketches of Gail Borden, X.B. DeBray, Ben C. Franklin,
Levi Jones, N.D. Labadie, James Love, Francis R. Lubbock, Thomas F. McKinney, M.B. Menard,
Sidney Sherman, and Samuel May Williams, almost all written with the aid of persons and material now unavailable.... [Wygant]: “Hayes consulted persons actually involved with the making of
the city and he had access to newspapers, documents, and records which were destroyed long ago.”
The narrative itself encompasses the recollections of many early Texans, such as Amasa Turner,
Robert J. Calder, and others, and includes much on Jean Lafitte, Samuel Bangs, the Texas Revolution, the Texas Navy, the invasions of 1842, and the Civil War.
($150-300)
Edward Rufus Hill’s Painting of Mount Hood
219. HILL, Edward Rufus. Mount Hood [title on brass plate on frame]. Original oil painting on canvas,
recent wooden stretcher, signed at lower left: “E. Hill.” Undated [1880s]. 34.5 × 50 cm. Very good condition, in a handsome heavy wooden gilt frame.
In a painterly style the artist shows Mount Hood as the centerpiece, rising from a hazy landscape
with river in foreground; figures are standing and sitting before an open fire while others are standing
next to or sitting in a boat at the shore. Landscape painter Edward Rufus Hill, born in Taunton, Massachusetts, on September 7, 1851, was the son of painter Thomas Hill. He traveled overland to San Francisco with his family in 1861. The younger Hill studied painting with his father and often accompanied
him on painting trips. He also made small landscapes of northern California on cigar box tops. Hill was
active in California up until his death in Oakland on February 23, 1908, just four months prior to his
father’s demise.
($600-1,200)
“An Emigrants’ Guide, a Defense of the Revolution & a Spur to Annexation”
220. HOLLEY, Mary [Phelps] Austin. Texas. Lexington, Ky.: J. Clarke & Co., 1836. [2], viii, 410 pp.,
engraved folding map on bank note paper, original full and outline hand-coloring: Map of the State of
Coahuila and Texas. W. Hooker Sculp t., overall: 26.8 × 33.1 cm. 12mo (18.5 × 11.2 cm), original brown muslin.
Expertly re-backed with sympathetic spine, new paper spine label, and new rear flyleaf. Original cloth
faded and worn; corners bumped. The map is from another copy; the upper right corner is in expert facsimile (8 × 6 cm & not affecting Texas portion of map), along with portions of the neat line which have
been trimmed. A few short splits and minor voids to map expertly repaired and infilled. Four old wax
attachment stains on verso. Uniform light browning to text and some minor marginal pencil markings.
Old pencil notes on rear flyleaf; front pastedown darkened where old book label was removed.
First edition. Basic Texas Books 94: “An entirely different book from Mrs. Holley’s 1833 volume, this
contains a great deal more information on Texas history, geography, and society.” Bradford 2349. Clark,
Old South III:56n. Eberstadt, Texas 162:397. Fifty Texas Rarities 15. Graff 1935. Howell 52:49. Howes
H593. Jones, Adventures in Americana (Check List) 984. Rader 1911. Raines, p. 116. Sabin 3252. Sibley,
Travelers in Texas 1761-1860, pp. 178-179: “Mary Austin Holley opened the great era of travel literature
in Texas with Texas: Observations, Historical, Geographical and Descriptive. Her books are standard
sources for the later Mexican period because they are based on the writer’s observations and information obtained from her cousin, Stephen Fuller Austin.” Streeter 1207. Vandale 88.
Mrs. Holley dedicates her classic book, among the most influential early books on Texas, to her
cousin: “GEN. STEPHEN FULLER AUSTIN, Truly the Genius of Texas—the HERO, the
PATRIOT, the BENEFACTOR, the just man, in each and every character above praise—this new
work on Texas, with equal pride and pleasure, is dedicated.” The book contains early printings of official
documents and reports of the newly forming Republic (e.g., the first appearance in a book of Sam
Houston’s official report of the Battle of San Jacinto). Streeter preferred Holley’s 1833 book (the first
book ever written in English about Texas), but Jenkins considered Holley’s 1836 book more important
and influential, commenting (Basic Texas Books 94): “In addition to the San Jacinto reports, it includes
the first book printing of the Texas Declaration of Independence, of the Republic of Texas Constitution, of Travis’ famous letter from the Alamo, of Austin’s Louisville Address of 1836, and other key documents of the revolution. It includes the full text of the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and translations
of the colonization laws, as well as chapters on money and banking, the mails, trade, natural history,
society and manners, religion and Indians. It includes the best physical description of Texas up to that
time, and a clear and concise analysis of the colonization and land grant system and of Austin’s colonization activities.” The serious collector will aspire to both the 1833 and 1836 books.
Mary Austin Holley (1784-1846), cousin of Stephen F. Austin, early Texas writer, and land speculator,
writes in the midst of the fomenting Texas Revolution in a very compelling tone, e.g.: “Not only are events
of stirring interest ‘treading on each others heels’ with the swiftness of phantasmagoria, but new local
advantages, new facilities for the manifold operations of society, and new natural beauties, are constantly
developing themselves to excite our wonder and delight.” This complimentary work on Texas surpasses
even her 1833 work on the same subject, in this case being directed to the potential emigrant who might
want to cast his or her lot with the newly liberated Republic of Texas. Although Holley does not know
the ultimate outcome of the ongoing struggle, she says that all hope “for better things.” For more on Holley see: Handbook of Texas Online: Mary Austin Holley; and Notable American Women II, pp. 204-205:
In the summer of 1835, with the outbreak of the Texas Revolution imminent, Stephen Austin
appealed to [Holley] to aid the cause by encouraging emigration from Kentucky and Tennessee.
Her response was...designed to serve as an emigrants’ guide, a defense of the revolution, and a spur
to annexation. It was Mrs. Holley’s particular hope that, with American settlement and annexation of Texas, the rising value of her extensive land holdings would pay off her debts and provide
a measure of financial security.... But despite repeated trips to Texas in the late 1830s and 1840s she
succeeded in realizing very little profit from her speculations. “It is truly in Texas, ‘Man never is
but always to be—blest.’ You are put off—put off—forever,” she wrote despairingly. Finally, in
1845, she returned to Louisiana.... She succumbed to yellow fever in New Orleans a year later and
was buried in the Donation Augustin family tomb in St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans.
Hooker’s map is one of the outstanding features of this classic Texana. In addition to its presence in
this work, the map appeared as a separate ca. 1833 (Streeter 1136), in Holley’s 1833 book entitled Texas:
Observations, Historical, Geographical and Descriptive (Streeter 1135), and in A Visit to Texas (Streeter 1155
and Item 188 herein), with revisions to reflect the changing face of Texas. Martin & Martin (p. 32)
observed: “In 1833, Austin’s cousin Mary Austin Holley produced a promotional tract on Texas which,
because Tanner [publisher of Austin’s map] refused Austin permission to use his map for the purpose,
was issued with an accompanying map by William Hooker, which was clearly based on Austin’s
sources.” Taliaferro, Cartographic Sources in the Rosenberg Library 241: “Hooker’s map is one of the earliest maps of Texas to show all of Texas to the Arkansas River, including the Panhandle.”
Here Hooker’s map is in an early intermediate state, as opposed to its appearance in Holley’s 1833
book, where the map was uncolored and featured considerably less detail. The map is quite striking,
with grants brilliantly colored and other additions. These include: Herds of Buffalo; new towns and settlements (Laredo, Columbia, Bell’s Lang., New Washington, C[ape] Bolivar, Cole’s Set., Dr. Cox’s Pte.,
Bastrop, Gonzales); new grants (Powers, De Leon, Beale and Grant, McMullen & McGloin’s, John
Cameron, Padilla and Chambers, Beales and Rayuellas [correctly spelled, unlike Rayuelas as in Streeter
1136]); Choctaw, Creek, and Cherokee tribes located in Arkansas Territory and Comanches in West
Texas. Thorn’s grant is stamped “now Filisola” (rather than printed); the printed designation “Copano”
has been overstruck and replaced with ink manuscript “Corpus Christi” and “Copano” in ink manuscript
has been added farther north in “Powers Grant”; the words “Milam and” have been added to precede
the printed designation “Wavel’s Grant”; “Washington” and “San Augustine” are added in ink. We have
observed similar variations in all the copies of the map we have handled, leading to the conjecture that
these edits were added by the publisher.
($5,000-10,000)
Oil Painting of Mount Ranier, Puget Sound
221. HOLT, H[enry] H[arrison]. Untitled oil painting on canvas of Mount Rainier, Puget Sound,
signed at lower right: “H.H. Holt 1900.” Visible in frame 39.2 × 59.5 cm. Original stretchers and molded
gilt frame. Other than light craquelure, very fine.
This nicely executed oil painting shows a sweeping scene with snow-covered Mount Rainier (formerly known as Mount Tacoma) rising prominently in the background, with the foreground showing
trees and a body of water, beside which sits a small house. A skiff floats in the water. To the right several animals are visible on a beach and a church is nestled in the wooded hillside. Holt (1843-1920?) lived
in Washington, was associated with the Tacoma School, and is known for landscapes.
Mount Rainer is an icon of the American landscape. On March 2, 1899, President William McKinley established Mount Rainier National Park as the fifth national park of the United States, in response
to public urging to protect scenery and environment, provide recreation, and stimulate tourism.
($400-800)
Texas Lithograph Pictorial Letter Sheet
222. HOLTZ, Helmuth (artist). Hotel at Matagorda, Texas; [top left] Church; [top center: untitled illustration of eagle with spread wings, 2 banners, and foliage]; Masonic Hall; [lower left] Courthouse; [lower
center] Residence of Col. R.H. Williams; [lower right] Store of M r. G. Burkhart; [imprint below image]
Ed. Lang lith. Hamburg | Drawn from nature by Helmuth Holtz. Hamburg, [ca. 1860]. Lithograph pictorial letter sheet with 7 views (architecture) and decorative element at top center, each element within
vine and branch border, image on a bifolium (lithograph on p. 1), printed on ruled white wove paper.
Image: 15.1 × 19.3 cm; image and imprint: 15.5 × 19.5 cm; overall sheet size 27.2 × 21.5 cm. Light marginal browning and minor wear along edges, very good overall, better than usually found, due to the
poor quality of paper.
First edition. Amon Carter 1148. California letter sheets abound, but only a few were made for Texas.
The image will be included in Ron Tyler’s forthcoming work on nineteenth-century lithographs of
Texas. Artist, draftsman, and Union sailor Helmut Heinrich Diedrich Holtz (1833-1915) also created
large bird’s-eye views of Indianola and Matagorda, both “taken from the Bay in 1860” (Reps 3981 &
3986). Holtz (b. 1833) in Germany, visited Texas as a sailor in 1860. He served in the Union navy during
the Civil War and latter settled in New Orleans. See Handbook of Texas Online.
($300-600)
“That Essentially Lonesomest River in North America”—Greene
223. HORGAN, Paul. Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History. New York & Toronto:
Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1954. Vol. I: [2 limitation page], [i-vi] vii-xviii, [1-2] 3-447, [1, blank]; Vol. II:
[i-iv] v-ix, [1, blank], [449-452] 453–1020 pp., 8 plates of Horgan’s field sketches (mostly color and with
illustrations on rectos and versos), maps. 2 vols., 8vo (23.5 × 16 cm), original tan linen, spines lettered in gilt,
t.e.g. A very fine copy, preserved in publisher’s board slipcase (moderate wear). Signed by Horgan.
First edition, limited edition (1,000 copies, specially illustrated with added color illustrations, colored
endpapers, and signed by author). Adams, Herd 1065. Basic Texas Books 95A: “This is the most thorough
and the most civilized account of the vast region draining into the river that forms 900 miles of Texas border.” CBC 653 (and 14 additional entries). Powell, Southwestern Book Trails, p. 19: “The most ambitious and
impressive of all Southwestern river books.” Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography
169. Wynar 1925. J. Frank Dobie wrote in The Book Review in 1954: “Paul Horgan is an artist, which means
that he is a master of proportions, perspective and details. His book is an unfoldment of life with stretches
of narrative.” Great River garnered for Horgan both the Pulitzer and Bancroft prizes.
Greene, Fifty Best Books on Texas 78:
Some historians have picked on this book for being more fictional than historical. They haven’t
meant it was untrue so much as it was written like a novel—the birth of a river, the ages and stories of the civilizations that lived along it—everything flowing along like a river of plot as well as
water. That is exactly what I like about it. It finds the romance of that essentially lonesomest river
in North America, the Great River, Rio Bravo, Rio Grande del Norte...its names almost interchangeable.
($150-300)
Rare Genuine Texas Captivity in Original Boards
First-Hand Account of the Dystopian Beales Colony
224. HORN, [Sarah Ann Newton] & E. House (editor). A Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs. [Sarah Ann
Newton] Horn, and Her Two Children, with Mrs. Harris, by the Camanche [sic] Indians, after They Had
Murdered Their Husbands and Travelling Companions; with a Brief Account of the Manners and Customs of
That Nation of Savages, of Whom So Little is Generally Known. [Four lines of verse] Copyright Secured. St.
Louis: C. Keemle, Printer, 22 Olive St., 1839. [1-5] 6-60 pp. (pp. 15-22 in sympathetic facsimile). 12mo
(18 × 11.5 cm), original brown cloth over publisher’s printed boards with title within ornamental border:
A Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs. Horn...with That of Mrs. Harris, by the Camanche [sic] Indians, and
Who Was Ransomed by the American Traders, and Brought by Them from Santa Fé to New Franklin, Mo.,
in the Fall of 1838. Written by E. House.... Cloth spine slightly worn, spine extremities slightly chipped,
spine partially shellacked, fragile covers moderately rubbed and worn (some dulling of text), printed
covers have a few voids affecting some text. Interior with light overall browning and foxing; some leaves
lightly waterstained in margins. Ink ownership inscriptions of G.M. Stoltz on front fly leaf and of S.M.
Long on lower pastedown (the latter with genealogical notes). The book is rare in any condition. The
copy at the Center for American History at the University of Texas is in lesser condition, with wraps
very worn and lacking nine leaves. The Siebert Sale copy, which fetched $20,700 in 1999, was in boards
but re-backed and had perforations on the title page and one other leaf.
First edition of a very rare, genuine Texas captivity. Ayer 134. Eberstadt, Texas 162:401 (pp. 51-58 in
facsimile): “The first copy to appear at public sale since 1912.” Graff 1973. Field 715. Howes H642 (“c”).
AII, Missouri Imprints 244. Plains & Rockies IV:74:1. Rader 1929. Sabin 33024. St. Louis Mercantile
Library Association, Adventures and Sufferings: The American Indian Captivity Narrative through the
Centuries 14. Streeter 1347 (locating seven copies, none in Texas, though we know of one copy in a private collection and UT owns a defective copy): Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 2298. Vaughan, Narratives of North American Indian Captivity 13. Not in American Imprints.
This is a first-hand historical account, not to be confused with the “penny dreadful” captivity genre,
such as the Caroline Harris captivity story, New York, 1838 (Streeter 1312), and the Clarissa Plummer
narrative, New York, 1838 (Streeter 1320). Carl Coke Rister considered the work authentic and reprinted
it in full in Comanche Bondage (Glendale: Arthur H. Clark, 1955). Rister comments on the rarity of this
book and speaks of “its narration of stark realism, of primitive Indian life, and of terrible cruelty and
grim tragedy.” For additional commentary on this authentic work and its influence on fictional captivity tales, see Streeter’s notes to his entry 1312A and Roy Harvey Pearce, “The Significance of the Captivity Narrative” (American Literature, Vol. XIX, No. 1, March, 1947, pp. 16-17).
Filled with the usual recitations of atrocities, cruelties, and sufferings inflicted at the hands of her
Comanche captors, Mrs. Horn’s account is nevertheless highly unusual because of the brooding, dark
vision she has of Texas, forebodings that she recounts beginning as soon as the trip was planned in England. Afflicted from the beginning by gruesome nightmares about calamities befalling her children,
Mrs. Horn is quickly overtaken by genuine disasters. She has nothing good to say about Texas; in fact,
her story is portrays it as a dystopic landscape in which dire presentiments continually come true.
The overland expedition recounted here crossed southwestern Texas from Copano, where Mrs.
Horn’s group landed, through Austin’s Colony, past Bexar and Presidio Rio Grande, to Dolores, the
capital of Beales’ Rio Grande Colony. Her account of the journey is filled with misadventures, catastro-
phes, and tragedies. One particular series of accidents on the way inland seems representative of the
entire experience for Mrs. Horn. Wagon wheels broke on three successive vehicles, all in the course of
a single hour. Forced to move farther inland because of Beales’ plans for his colony, the party was sent
to an exposed position. After the start of the Texas Revolution and a series of Native American attacks,
the vulnerable group decided to head for the safety of Matamoros and thence back to England. “At this
time the bloody Santa-Anna was ravaging the country with fire and sword, and was no less a terror to
us than the Indians. He was carrying on a war of extermination against the Americans” (p. 15). The bulk
of the narrative occurs after they are captured on that trip. As she remarks in one sentence that seems
to sum up her entire experience: “Little else but a series of misfortunes and disappointments had
attended us from the moment we set out for this strange land” (p. 14).
Mrs. Horn (ca. 1809-ca. 1839), who is notably absent in the standard sources on women in Texas and
the West, was born in England. After her marriage to John Horn and the birth of their two sons, the
family set out for Beales’ Rio Grande Colony in July of 1833. After a difficult two years on the far southwestern Texas frontier, the family decided to return to England, but the plan was interrupted by the
aforementioned attacks and by her captivity. Mrs. Horn was eventually ransomed by American traders
in New Mexico. After spending some time there, she went to Missouri and stayed with William
Donoho. She apparently died shortly thereafter, and her two sons were never heard from again. A notice
on the lower board attests to the authenticity of this narrative, which, according to its editor, House,
was published to raise money so that Mrs. Horn could return to England. Little is known of the fate of
her fellow captive, Mrs. Harris, except that she was “redeemed” before Mrs. Horn.
Between 1830 and 1832, John Charles Beales (1804-1878), along with several partners, received a group
of large land grants from the Mexican government totalling more than fifty million acres, with the proviso that they settle eight hundred families in the region. The expedition described in Mrs. Horn’s narrative was the first to arrive on the grant. Despite some progress and the arrival of other colonists, the
enterprise never prospered because of poor crops, Native American incursions and drought. The beginning of the Texas Revolution and Santa-Anna’s invasion signaled the end of the venture. Dolores, the
place where Mrs. Horn and her fellow emigrants settled, was located about thirty miles up the Rio
Grande from Eagle Pass.
Streeter comments in his introduction: “What are known as ‘Indian Captivities’ have a fascination
for many, especially if they are fact rather than fiction.... A Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs. Horn, and
Her Two Children, St. Louis, 1839 (No. 1347), a book sought after by collectors of Western Americana,
is in part an account of an actual journey across south Texas to the Beales colony.”
($6,000-8,000)
Important Archive of Unpublished Sam Houston Material
Descended from the Houston Family
225. HOUSTON, Samuel. Archive of 21 letters and documents. Various places, 1815-1848. The collection consists of either materials written to Houston or of his retained copies. None of the items appear
in The Writings of Sam Houston. Highlights of the documents include Houston’s description of conditions at the Cherokee Indian agency preceding the tribe’s march west to Indian Territory; a holograph
letter from Texas Declaration of Independence signer Samuel Price Carson; an early, interesting
description of Charles Edwards Hawkins, who later commanded the Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution; and a petition to Houston from the citizens of Milam County asking for help in suppressing
Native Americans who have just conducted a raid in the county and killed Peter M. Mercer, a man who
survived the Goliad Massacre and fought at San Jacinto. Three printed items accompany the 21 documents. Early materials concerning Houston’s life are extremely rare. All these materials descended
through Sam Houston’s family. All are creased where formerly folded. Condition is rough and the
papers need to be conserved properly.
Samuel Houston (1793-1863), “one of the most illustrious political figures of Texas” (Handbook of
Texas Online) was influential in Texas history for a lengthy and pivotal period, achieving Texas Independence at the Battle of San Jacinto and serving at various times as U.S. Senator and state Governor
up until the Civil War period. The present collection of correspondence offers new light on his early
life in the South, his military service in Florida and Tennessee, and his activities during the Republic
period and as late as 1848.
The collection consists of the items listed below (in chronological order):
STRONG, Joseph. ADs, 1 p. 4to (25.5 × 20 cm). Knoxville, Tennessee, June 20, 1815. Statement from
Strong stating he has examined the wound Sam Houston received at the Battle of the Horse Shoe, and
since the wound is not sufficiently healed, his recovery would be delayed if he stayed in the present climate. [Verso] Robert Butler. ADs, 1 p. Knoxville, Tennessee, July 4, 1815. Grants Houston a two-month
furlough. Docketed on verso in Houston’s hand. Very good. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend took place
on March 27, 1814. Despite the Knoxville addresses, Houston was at New Orleans at the time. One of
the wounds he received never satisfactorily healed. It was at this battle that Houston’s valor won the
attention of Andrew Jackson.
LEA, Luke. ADs, 1 p. 12mo (13 × 20 cm). Knoxville, Tennessee, August 21, 1815. Deposit receipt acknowledging that Houston has deposited $160 in the Bank of the State of Tennessee in favor of U.S. Paymaster Robert Brent. 2 identical copies docketed in Houston’s hand and with later pencil docket by his son
Andrew Jackson Houston. Lightly waterstained, otherwise good.
WILLIAMS, Will. ADs, 1 p. 12mo (15 × 20.3 cm). New Orleans, Louisiana, April 7, 1816. States that
Houston has not yet recovered from his wound and recommends a six-month furlough. [Verso]
G[eorge] Croghan (Fort Croghan in Burnet, Texas, was named for George Croghan). ADs. New
Orleans, April 8, 1816. Approves Houston’s furlough. Endorsed by Andrew Jackson. Docketed by Houston and Andrew Jackson Houston. Browned. Excellent confluence of the signatures of Sam Houston
and his mentor, Andrew Jackson.
JESSUP, Thomas J. ALs, 1 p. 4to (24.5 × 19.5 cm). Baton Rouge, Louisiana, November 1, 1816. To Robert
Butler stating that Lieutenant Rodgers has declined the open position in Butler’s office but that Houston would probably be interested were it offered. States that he does not know Houston personally but
that others speak highly of him. Docketed in pencil in the hand of Andrew Jackson Houston. Missing
small piece from upper blank margin, otherwise very good.
BUTLER, Robert. ALs, 1 p. 4to (25 × 20.5 cm). Nashville, Tennessee, [December 18, 1816]. To Sam
Houston offering him a position. Date from docket in Houston’s hand. Waterstained, voids at folds
touching some letters, left margin damaged with loss but not affecting text.
HOUSTON, Samuel. “Return of Clothing for a Detachment of U.S. Infantry (Stationed at Nashville)
under the command of Lieut. Sam Houston.” ADs, 1 p. 4to (19 × 31.5 cm). Nashville, Tennessee, February 18, 1817. 2 copies, noted as “signed duplicates,” one of which is docketed in Houston’s hand and by
Andrew Jackson Houston. Waterstained.
[HOUSTON, Samuel]. “We the subscribers do acknowledge to have received from Lieut. Saml. Houston of the 1st Regiment U.S. Infantry the several articles of clothing [damaged] and accoutrements, set
opposite our names respectively.” Ds, 1 p. 4to (31.5 × 38 cm). Nashville, Tennessee, February 26, 1817.
Probably completed by Sergeant Samuel E. Corbett, who signs on the right side. Docketed by Houston on verso. Waterstained, folds damaged with loss of a few letters.
HOUSTON, Sam Houston. ADs, 1 p. 12mo (12.7 × 19.8 cm). Nashville, Tennessee, April 18, 1817. Certifies that Samuel Jones has received the equipment listed herein. Browned.
HOUSTON, Samuel. Ls, 2 pp. on a bifolium. 4to (24 × 19 cm). Cherokee Agency, [Tennessee], December 14, 1817, to The Secretary of War [ John C. Calhoun]. In a secretarial hand but signed by Houston
and with corrections in his hand. Reports on the state of supplies and the Native Americans served by
the agency. Also reports that he intends to issue them blankets, but only those of inferior quality that
will barely serve the purpose (i.e., their march to new lands in the trans-Mississippi west). Waterstained, browned, bifolium separated, causing loss of some letters, split at one fold affects a few letters.
Docketed by Houston. Houston was appointed agency sub-agent in late 1817 but resigned in early 1818
because of difficulties with Calhoun.
PARKER, D. ALs, 1 p. on a bifolium. 4to (25 × 20 cm). [Washington, D.C.], February 14, 1820, to Sam
Houston acknowledging receipt of his militia return. Docketed by Houston and annotated by Andrew
Jackson Houston. Waterstained, margins chipped, fold split affecting salutation.
HOUSTON, Samuel. ALs, 1 p. on a bifolium. 4to (25 × 20 cm). Nashville, Tennessee, January 1, 1822, to
General Samuel H. Williams, ordering the record of the court martial of John Mills, who has appealed,
be sent to him. Docketed by Houston and Andrew Jackson Houston. Left side and one fold damaged
affecting a few letters. With another copy also docketed by Houston and Andrew Jackson Houston.
Waterstained, heavily damaged on left side costing several words, right side chipped affecting text.
CALHOUN, J[ohn] C. Ls, 1¼ pp. on a bifolium. 4to (25 × 19 cm). [Washington, D.C.], April 22, 1822,
to Andrew Jackson. Entirely in a secretarial hand and marked “Copy.” Reporting on a favorable decision concerning Houston’s compensation. Docketed by Houston. Heavily waterstained, split with loss.
Poor condition.
PARRISH, Joel. ADs, 1 p. Folio (32 × 19.5 cm). Nashville, Tennessee, July 2, 1822. An order stating that
John Wilkes’ appeal of his court marshal is granted and setting up the procedure to do so. Docketed by
Houston. Waterstained.
HOUSTON, Samuel. Ls, 1 p. Folio (32 × 19 cm). Nashville, Tennessee, July 9, 1825, to J.B. Reynolds,
assuring him that he believes Reynolds’ political and personal conduct have been of the highest caliber
and restating his friendship for him. Docketed by Houston and Andrew Jackson Houston. Waterstained, splits at folds affecting a few letters.
CARSON, Samuel Price. ALs, 4 pp. on a bifolium. 4to (25 × 19.7 cm). Pleasant Gardens, North Carolina, June 18, 1828, to Sam Houston. A warm, newsy letter covering many personal topics and arranging the introduction of W.N. Davis to Houston. Docketed by Houston and Andrew Jackson Houston.
Browned, waterstained. Carson (1798-1838), a North Carolina native, moved to Texas in 1836 and was
promptly elected a delegate from Pecan Point to the Convention of 1836. He was a signer of the Texas
Declaration of Independence and briefly the Republic’s Secretary of State. See Handbook of Texas
Online: Samuel Price Carson.
GRAHAM, Daniel. ALs, 3 pp. on a bifolium. 4to (25 × 20 cm). Nashville, Tennessee, October 20, 1829,
to Sam Houston at Cantonment Gibson, Arkansas. Warm, personal letter mostly discussing their
mutual acquaintances and politics. Docketed by Houston and Andrew Jackson Houston. Waterstained,
fold splits and minor losses affecting some words. This is a very rare piece of correspondence to Houston while he was living in self-imposed exile among the Cherokees in the Indian Territory.
SEARCY, J.G. ALs, 4 pp. on a bifolium. 4to (25 × 20 cm). Tallahassee, Florida, March 10, 1830, to Sam
Houston. Discusses Houston’s continued reputation in Tennessee. Includes a long, detailed discussion
of Charles Edwards Hawkins (d. 1837), at the time an officer in the Mexican Navy and being confined
for murder but who eventually rose to be commander of the Texas Navy during the Revolution. Searcy
describes Hawkins, about whom Houston has inquired, as “a high minded honourable man, as brave as
a bear, and as independent as old Hickory.” He also mentions that he has just published a map of
Florida. See Handbook of Texas Online: Hawkins.
HALLETT, W.R. ALs, 1 p. 8vo (24.5 × 19.5 cm). Mobile, April 29, 1839, to Sam Houston, requesting
his presence at a dinner. Browned, fold splits affecting address.
WINFREND(?), Joseph F. ALs, 1 p. on a bifolium with integral address leaf. 4to (24.5 × 19 cm).
Nashville, Tennessee, June 22, 1839, to Sam Houston informing him that he has been elected a member
of the Agathenedan Society of Nashville University. Docketed by Houston and another hand. Browned
and badly faded.
MILAM COUNTY CITIZENS. “To his Excellency Sam Houston President of the Republic of
Texas.” Ds, 2 pp. on a bifolium with integral address leaf. Folio (32 × 20 cm). Caldwell, Texas, June 22,
1844. Signed by sixteen citizens requesting assistance in avenging the murders of Mercer, Orr, and several others during a Native American raid, which is described. Docketed by Andrew Jackson Houston
and an unknown hand. Slightly soiled, waterstained. This petition refers to the June 17, 1844, murder of
Peter M. Mercer, who managed to escape the Goliad massacre and then fought at San Jacinto. Until
1846, Texan emigrants’ hold on Milam County was tenuous at best. This is a superb document.
GAINES, E.P. ALs, 1 p. on a bifolium with integral address leaf. 4to (24.2 × 19 cm). Milam, Sabine
County, Texas, January 23, 1848, to Sam Houston, requesting his assistance in getting himself established
as a sutler under General Gaines. He requests that Houston forward a letter (not present) to Gaines
himself. As the letter states, the writer is the son of General Edmund Pendleton Gaines. Docketed in
an unknown hand. Lightly stained.
Also included are three imprints, the third of which is not from the Houston family:
[HOUSTON, ANDREW JACKSON]. Memorial Services Held in the House of Representatives and Senate of the United States, together with Remarks Presented in Eulogy of Andrew Jackson Houston, late a Senator from Texas. Washington: GPO, 1944. [1-10] 11-<54> pp., frontispiece (Houston’s portrait). 8vo, Original cloth. Good.
WHARTON, Clarence R. The History of Texas. 1930. Not collated. Disbound, water damaged, overall
extremely poor, but has some manuscript notes and corrections in the hand of Andrew Jackson Houston.
WHARTON, Clarence R. The Republic of Texas: A Brief History of Texas from the First American Colonies
in 1821 to Annexation in 1846. Houston: C.C. Young, 1922. [1-6] 7-255 [3] pp., frontispiece, 8 photographic
plates. 8vo. Original leatherette. Hinges split, overall good. Author’s presentation copy.
($8,000-16,000)
“ You Are Notorious, in Texas as Having Reviled, Traduced, Calumniated,
Or Threatened Every Man Who Has Obtained Any Favorable Reputation....”
226. [HOUSTON, SAMUEL]. HUNT, Memucan. Gen. Hunt’s Letter to Senator Sam Houston [caption
title]. [Austin: William H. Cushney, 1849]. [1] 2-11 [1, blank] pp. 8vo (20.5 × 13.7), disbound. Fine with
contemporary ownership of D.Y. Portis, early Texas lawyer and legislator (Handbook of Texas Online).
Rare (OCLC locates six copies).
First edition. Eberstadt, Texas 162:422: “A scorching excoriation of Sam Houston.... A violent attack
on Houston’s personal and public life. ‘You are notorious, in Texas as having reviled, traduced, calumniated, or threatened every man who has obtained any favorable reputation....’ This is only the warmup.” Goodspeed 467:436 (this copy). Graff 2015. Sabin 33882. Vandale 92. Winkler 99 (attributes printing to Austin printer William H. Cushney).
As Houston was packing to return to Washington, his enemies planned this surprise attack. Hunt
names over seventy prominent Texas gentlemen with fine reputations whom Houston has attacked and
remarks: “It is, sir, proverbial in Texas, that the lowest compliment that can be bestowed on an old public officer, or an influential gentleman in private life in Texas, is, that Gen. Sam Houston has never
denounced him” (p. 8). The immediate provocation for Hunt’s enmity is that Houston voted for the
Oregon Bill, which had implications for slave-holding states, such as Texas. See Item 233 herein.
($200-400)
First Lithograph Political Cartoon Created in Texas—Sam Houston Pilloried
227. [HOUSTON, SAMUEL]. T[HIELEPAPE], W[ilhelm Carl August]. Sam Recruiting, after the
injunction of secrecy had been removed | [pointing finger] These are his Principles [lower center] San Antonio, July 1855 [lower right] W.T. Lith. San Antonio, Texas. Lithograph on heavy paper. Image area: 49 ×
41 cm; sheet size: 61 × 48.1 cm. Creased where formerly folded, small holes in blank corners and margins where previously tacked up, 3.5 × 2 cm void and 3 cm split on right edge (affecting a couple of letters), several other splits, chips, and small holes (mainly confined to blank margins, but a few affecting
image), overall browning. Professionally washed, backed, and infilled. Very good condition. Exceedingly
rare, especially given the brittle, poor quality paper on which it is printed.
First lithographed political cartoon created in Texas. This highly unusual print is part of a group of three
lithographs, all the work of Thielepape, which are considered by some to be the first three lithographs
created in Texas. In his unpublished manuscript on nineteenth-century Texas lithographs, in the section entitled “Introduction of Lithography in Texas,” Ron Tyler comments: “The first lithographs that
can be documented as having been made in Texas appeared in San Antonio, the result of efforts by
Adolf Douai, the editor of the San Antonio Zeitung, J. Martin Reidner, his partner, and Wilhelm C.A.
Thielepape.” (The other possible candidate for first Texas lithograph is an early view of Austin in A.B.
Lawrence’s Texas in 1840, which was published in New York in 1840 but credited Joshua Lowe of Galveston as the image’s lithographer; however, some believe this image may in fact be an engraving.) The
three documented Thielepape lithographs pulled in Texas in 1855 are: (1) the present image of Sam
Houston, dated in July 1855; (2) a letter sheet with a view of Alamo Plaza, undated but believed to be
from 1855 (see Sloan Auction 21, Lot 242); and an undated map of San Antonio exhibited in the fall of
1855. Winkler, Check List of Texas Imprints 1846-1860 531 (incorrectly transcribing lithographer’s name as
W.J. Leth.). The print and its makers are not mentioned by Peters, America on Stone. Ron Tyler locates
copies at the Center for American History at the University of Texas and the Dallas Historical Society,
and comments in his unpublished research:
Trained artists who produced pre-Civil War lithographs of Texas were usually the immigrants who
settled in San Antonio or among the German and French villages in the Hill Country. Wilhelm
C.A. Thielepape, a trained surveyor and recent immigrant with no printing experience, pulled the
first lithograph from a Texas press in 1855. It was a crude map of San Antonio. He printed at least
two other images, this caricature of Sam Houston and the other a view of the San Antonio plaza,
before finally abandoning the badly worn lithographic equipment and closing his shop.
Probably the first lithographs that can be documented as having been made in Texas appeared
in San Antonio, the result of efforts by Adolf Douai, the editor of the San Antonio Zeitung, J. Martin Reidner, his partner, and Wilhelm C.A. Thielepape. After Thielepape and his partner Martin
Reidner exhibited a lithographic map of San Antonio and several smaller works at the Agricultural
Exhibition of Bexar County held in the fall of 1855, Douai published this account of their endeavor:
“One must know about the history of the beginning of the local lithographic establishment in
order to value the achievements and merit of Mr. Thielepape. The establishment was founded
by Douai & Reidner, by which the latter deluded his partner into thinking that he completely
understood the lithographic process and was able to prepare by himself or with the help of a
draftsman all the work orders needed in San Antonio. We gave up the rest of our small savings to this project and warned him that by our unfamiliarity with lithography he took upon
himself the responsibility of our ruin and that of our families. He brought a lithographic press
from New Orleans and soon it became apparent that he understood very little about lithography.... Then several weeks later it also became apparent that all of the material that he had
bought was more or less unusable. Meanwhile Mr. Thielepape had come into partnership with
us, but he originally knew nothing about lithography, but was instead a capable architect and
surveyor. After months of study, numerous attempts (with the advice of a man who only
understood how to draw on the stones) and with great effort and at considerable expense, he
discovered the problems with the press and with the materials and improved them so well as
to allow for the modest means available in San Antonio for orders. He practically re-invented
the art of lithography, and was able to develop it to the point that now, six months after he
started, he produces capable work in this field. Truly, only a German could do this, and for that
reason, we find it just and reasonable that he did not receive a prize at a native exhibition. Then
is there nowhere in America a suitable place for this man?”
Douai & Riedner advertised in January, 1855, that they were accepting orders for lithographic printing. Two months later they had dissolved their partnership and by July Thielepape was advertising
his caricature of Sam Houston, which attacked the Senator for his presidential ambitions and
increasing association with the Know-Nothing movement. Thielepape depicted Houston as a
drunkard carrying a bottle of whiskey—‘Not the Battle of Brandywine, but the bottle’—walking on
the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. He wears a ‘transparent
political coat’ that reveals all his Know-Nothing leanings and carries a long-handled net over his
shoulder, to which are attached his ‘logic or reasoning powers’ (a knife and a pistol), hero’s medals
(for churches burnt or destroyed and riots in various places), his diseased American heart, and ‘Mask
of Washington.’ In case the points were not clear enough in the caricature, Thielepape listed them
at the right-hand side, adding comments such as, ‘Lexington—not the battle, but the horse—lost
$50.’ He also taunted Houston for his several marriages with a pamphlet ‘From Brigham Young
about wives’ and ‘Marriage Certificate No. 34’ attached to the end of the pole. The Bible sticking out
of his rear pocket is, no doubt, a reference to Houston’s recent adoption of the Baptist faith, which
many saw as leading to his embracement of Know-Nothingism. What Thielepape’s caricature lacked
in draftsmanship it made up for in political complexity and bluntness.
A nineteenth-century Renaissance man, Thielepape (1814-1904), engineer, surveyor, and mayor of
San Antonio, was born in Germany, where he studied and practiced engineering before settling in Indianola, Texas, in 1850. He later relocated to San Antonio in 1854, then spent his later years in Chicago in
the building boom that followed the Great Fire. In addition to his surveying, engineering, and political work, Thielepape’s myriad activities spanned the fields of music, architecture (buildings he designed
include the San Antonio Casino and Comal County Courthouse), teaching, photography, lithography,
and journalism (he served as editor of an abolitionist newspaper). He was also the artist-engineer
behind a traveling attraction called “Stereomonoscopic Dissolving Views & Polaroscopic Fire Works”
(Indianola Courier, January 5, 1861, page 2, column 1).
A Union sympathizer, Thielepape helped raise the Union flag over the Alamo on July 21, 1865, served
as Reconstruction mayor of San Antonio beginning November 8, 1867, and is thought to have spent part
of the Civil War in Eagle Pass and Mexico. Houston’s politics clearly provoked bitter irritation in the
German-born Thielepape, particularly his affiliation with the Know-Nothing Party, which discriminated against immigrants, advocating that foreign-born persons not be allowed to hold office and petitioning for requirements that would grant citizenship only once immigrants had lived in the United
States for twenty-one years and had passed an intelligence test.
This lithograph appeared at a time when Sam Houston’s political career was in shambles. Shortly
after this, Houston failed in his reelection bid for the U.S. Senate and in a run for the Texas governor’s
office. The present caustic, derogatory image of Sam Houston is a world away from the customary
heroic Houston to which we are accustomed and a prime example of acerbic German humor.
($3,000-6,000)
Excoriation of the “Hero” Sam Houston
First Pamphlet Printed in Texas on a Horse-Powered Press
228. [HOUSTON, SAMUEL]. Two imprints bound together: [1] Life of General Sam Houston [caption
title]. [Washington, D.C.: J.T. Towers, 1852?]; [colophon on p. 15] Printed by J.T. Towers, Washington,
D.C.—Price one dollar per 100 copies. Orders, accompanied by the cash, and forwarded either by mail, or by
Express. [1]-15 [1, blank] pp., printed in double column. [2] BURNET, David G[ouverneur]. Review of
the Life of Gen. Sam Houston, as Recently Published in Washington City by J.T. Towers, By D.G. Burnet, First
President of Texas. Galveston: News Power Press Print, 1852 (preface dated Oakland, Texas, May 5, 1852).
[1]-15 [1, blank] pp. 8vo (24.3 × 15.8 cm), contemporary plain tan paper wrappers, original blue stitching.
Wrappers wrinkled, chipped with some losses, ink stained, creased where formerly folded; interior with
light waterstaining at top (generally not affecting text), a few leaves of first work with moderate staining at lower right quadrant. Second work with scattered uniform light to moderate foxing; title foxed
and stained. Some leaves in both works chipped and dog-eared. Upper wrapper has title and notes in
contemporary ink: “The Life of Sam Houston and The Review by D.G. Burnet” (probably in Burnet’s
hand), followed by signature of “John Chrisman [?] Lynchburg.” Lower wrap has two brief contemporary manuscript notes in ink on recto (“Saml Houston”) and verso (“Remarks D.G. Burnet”). In the second work, there is a manuscript correction on p. 11, probably in Burnet’s hand. The first work is uncommon. The second work is genuinely rare.
First editions of both works. An example of the two works bound together, as here, is held by the
Center for American History at the University of Texas. Winkler considers the second work to be the
first pamphlet printed in Texas on a power press, albeit, in this case, a press powered by a horse.
First work: Eberstadt, Texas 162:410. Sabin 33192. Raines, p. 226 (title omitting “General” and dated
184-). Basic Texas Books 126n (referring to the present work in the entry for Charles Edwards Lester’s,
Sam Houston and His Republic, written in 1846):
In Texas, [Lester’s] book was a sensation. Houston’s enemies howled at the title, and the Senator
seems overall to have lost rather than gained support as a result. Mirabeau B. Lamar wrote: “His
Republic! That is true.... I can regard Texas as very little more than Big Drunk’s big ranch.” David
G. Burnet began immediately to prepare a rebuttal; he wrote to a friend: “I have some idea of
answering some of its misstatements and in order to do so am anxious to collect all the facts possible relating to the campaign of ‘36. The book is full of falsehood—every truth is turned upside
down.” He bemoaned Houston as “the prince of Humbugs,” and detailed errors, exaggerations, and
what he called outright lies. No one seems to have doubted that Houston had himself written the
book. In 1851, Lester, who had become a sort of unofficial press agent for Houston, wrote Houston
that the 1852 nomination would be “between you and Douglas.... It is necessary for you to shew
yourself throughout the United States.” About the same time an anonymous pamphlet appeared,
printed by J.T. Towers in Washington, entitled Life of General Sam Houston, obviously derived from
the Lester volume. I reprinted this in 1964, dating it circa 1855. This was an error on my part, however, for in 1852 David G. Burnet published Review of the Life of Gen. Sam Houston, as Recently Published in Washington City by J.T. Towers (Galveston: News Power Press print, 1852), in which he
details his objections to both the Towers pamphlet and the Lester book, saying that every longtime Texas resident knew that “the hero of the tale was virtually the author.” The Towers pamphlet,
he said, is but a repetition of the same falsehoods and the same absurd distortions of character.
The pamphlet amounts to a campaign biography. “Houston served in the Senate from February 21,
1846, until March 4, 1859. Beginning with the 1848 election, he was mentioned as a possible candidate for
president. He even had a biography published in 1846 by Charles Edwards Lester entitled Sam Houston
and His Republic, which amounted to campaign publicity” (Handbook of Texas Online: Samuel Houston).
Second work: Eberstadt, Texas 162:104 (offered at $500 in 1963, but given to Thomas W. Streeter
who gave the copy to Yale): “An important work in Texas history, and the first imprint of a power press
in Texas” (see Winkler, p. xix). A revealing review of events that came under Burnet’s observation during the Texas Revolution, including hidden facts on the Alamo, Goliad, and San Jacinto. The first
President here handles the second President without gloves, then throws down the gauntlet in a tirade
of animosity that had brewed for fifteen years. Texana, Statehood 4 hints at an earlier power-press
imprint from Houston, and states: “The Galveston Power Press was not operated by steam, but by a
horse driven by a Negro slave belonging to Willard Richardson, publisher of The Galveston News.”
Graff 495: “Comprises a bitter attack on Sam Houston and his pretensions.” Raines, p. 37: “Harsh, but
not without provocation.” Winkler 295 (locations MoSM, Tx, TxU; Clint and Dorothy Josey also had
a copy).
Regarding the Alamo, Burnet accuses Houston of basically ignoring the situation. He goes into considerably more detail on events surrounding the Battle of San Jacinto, being careful to ensure that Houston receives practically no credit for the victory, and even blaming him for Fannin’s massacre. He repeatedly accuses Houston of being an unredeemed drunkard and skirt chaser. He writes: “That Gen. Houston
is looking and straining for the presidential nomination, with all the anxiety that an intense selfishness and
an unscrupulous avidity for office, acting on a weak and inflated vanity, can elicit, requires no labored effort
to make manifest. That he is totally incompetent intellectually and morally, to the high office, a very slight
acquaintance with his history and his heart, will abundantly discover to all.... I have written very hastily
and from recollection only, not referring even to the documents in my possession.... As to comments,
although there may appear some objectionable warmth, to the calmly dispassionate and uninterested, I
do feel in my inmost conscience, that I have said nothing that the subject does not fully justify.”
($1,500-3,000)
G.T.T.
229. [HUGHES, William George, et al.]. G.T.T. Gone to Texas: Letters from Our Boys. Edited by Thomas
Hughes. New York: MacMillan and Co., 1884. [iv] vi-xiii [1, blank], [2], [1-3] 4-228 pp. 12mo, original
dark green cloth, spine lettered in gilt. Light shelf wear (lower corners and tail of spine frayed), light
oval spot on spine from removal of label, text block cracked at pp. 80/81, hinges weak, occasional light
browning to text (especially on pastedowns and front free endpapers).
First American edition, the U.S. issue without Oxford printer’s imprint on last page. Adams, Herd
1091: “Scarce.” Basic Texas Books 98B. Clark, New South I:108: “It is a capital book and gives an excellent
account of cattle and sheep ranching in Texas. There is much data on English sheep, Angora goats, Ger-
man settlers, cotton culture, Mexican laborers, and wages in Texas from 1878 to 1884. One of the best
accounts of Texas immigrants and ranch life of the period. Extremely valuable.” Eberstadt, Texas 162:421.
Rader 1974. Raines, p. 121.
This highly entertaining, humorous, and literate account contains letters from three young Englishmen who, being dissatisfied with their prospects in England, bought acreage near Boerne, Texas, in 1878,
and by 1883 had a much expanded, successful cattle, sheep, and horse ranch. Their letters were edited by
their uncle Thomas Hughes, noted author of the English classic, Tom Brown’s School Days. William
George (Willy) Hughes (1859-1902), the chief letter writer, was an early importer of high quality breeding sheep to Texas and one of the first to integrate Angora goats into his operations. He also initiated
a breeding program between native mustangs and his registered Arabian stallion, resulting in a horse
used by the United States Cavalry.
The title G.T.T. stands for “Gone to Texas,” a term that entered the language in the first half of the
nineteenth century when Texas had the reputation for producing and giving refuge to outlaws and rascals of every ill ilk. Editor Thomas Hughes remarks on the term in the preface to this work: “When we
want to say that it is all up with some fellow, we just say, ‘G.T.T.’ as you’d say, ‘gone to the devil,’ or ‘gone
to the dogs.’”
($100-200)
Humboldt’s Scientific Discovery of America
With The First Printing of the Juan de la Cosa Map—Believed to be
“The Earliest Extant Map Showing Any Part of the Continent of North America”
230. HUMBOLDT, [Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich] Al[exander von] [& Aimé Jacques Alexander von
Bonpland]. Atlas géographique et physique des régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent, fondé sur des
observations astronomiques, des mésures trigonométriques et des nivellemens barométriques par Al. de Humboldt. Paris: Librairie de Gide, 1814-1834 [verso of first half title] A[nge]. Pihan de la Forest, Imprimeur
de la Cour de Cassation, Rue des Noyers, N o 37. [second title] Voyage de Humboldt et Bonpland. Première Partie. Relation Historique. Atlas géographique et physique. Paris, Librairie de Gide, 1814-1834. [8 (2 titles & 2
half titles)], [1] 2-3 [1, blank] pp., 40 copper-engraved plates on heavy rag paper, some colored (frontispiece view, maps, profiles). Folio (58 × 46 cm), contemporary half green morocco over green and black
marbled boards, spine with gilt panels and title in gilt, raised bands, marbled endpapers. Minor shelf
wear, joints rubbed, first signature detached, occasional very mild foxing. Overall an excellent, large,
handsome and fresh copy of a splendid imprint of historic consequence. This is a rare work in commerce, much more difficult to find than Humboldt’s Atlas géographique et physique du royaume de la Nouvelle-Espagne. Of the publications comprising the entire massive series Voyage aux régions équinoxiales
du Nouveau Continen, this atlas is the most difficult element to acquire.
First edition. This atlas was issued as part of Humboldt and Bonpland’s Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent fait en 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804 (Paris, 1808-1834), which was published in over thirty volumes over several decades. Fiedler & Leitner (Alexander von Humboldts
Schriften Bibliographie der selbständig erschienenen Werke 4.4, pp. 157-163) describe variants in publishers
of this atlas on the general title page (Librairie de Gide, F. Schoell, and L’Imprimerie de Smith; all
Paris) and provide a history of the publication in parts, noting that the number of plates varies. See
also: Hanno Beck, Alexander von Humboldt (Wiesbaden, 1961) II, pp. 347-356; and Löwenberg, Humboldt: Bibliographische Ubersicht (1872) (S.506). British Museum (Natural History), pp. 890-891 (cites
the atlas as accompanying the first three volumes of Voyage aux régions équinoxiales, itself published in
24 vols., 1805-1837). Brunet III, 373-374 (cites the series, within which is the atlas, as a component of
the first part): “Exemplaires bien complets de cette collection sont rares.” Griffin 2879 (citing the 1942
edition of the complete work published by the Venezuelan government): “The fruit of lengthy and
penetrating observation, Humboldt’s work remains an indispensable source.” Palau 117013: “Obra monumental.” Sabin 33753. See also: Printing & the Mind of Man (320) for a discussion of how Humboldt
altered the way we view the world. Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Vol. V, pp. 549-555. See Phillips,
America and Mapoteca Colombiana for citations to the maps. See our web site for a complete listing of
maps and plates.
An excellent overview of protean explorer and scientist Humboldt (1769-1859) and his travels and
researches in Latin America are found in the notes of R.A. McNeil & D.M. Deas in the 1980 exhibit cat-
alogue at the Bodleian Library, Europeans in Latin America: Humboldt to Hudson, Part II “Humboldt”, p. 5:
Humboldt was born in 1769 in Berlin. From an early age he was determined on the life of a scientific research and explorer: before he was thirty he had published a monograph on the vegetation of the mines of Freiberg and made a botanical and geological tour through Switzerland and
Italy. In 1799, under Spanish patronage, he set sail for the New World, accompanied by the French
botanist Aimé Bonpland [1773-1858]. They arrived at Cumaná in Venezuela, and set off to explore
the course of the Orinoco river. After a journey of nearly 2000 miles through previously unknown
territory they returned to the coast and spent several months on the island of Cuba; then they
crossed the South American mainland again on an expedition from Cartagena to Quito, ascending the Magdalena River and crossing the Cordillera of the Andes. From Quito they travelled to
Lima and Callao via the headwaters of the Amazon; then by sea to Mexico, where they stayed for
a year before returning to Europe.
Humboldt spent much of the next twenty-five years arranging the publication of the mass of
scientific, geographical and political information he and Bonpland had collected during their
five-year trip. Paris was chosen as the place of publication; and thirty folio and quarto volumes
appeared between 1805 and 1834; even so, the work remained incomplete. Humboldt never went
back to America (though Bonpland returned to settle in Argentina, and spent several years
imprisoned in Paraguay). Nonetheless, by his trip and the resulting publications, Humboldt did
much to condition the way in which nineteenth-century Europe viewed Latin America.
McNeil and Deas in their entry (#11, p. 5) on multi-volume Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent, in which the present atlas appeared, remark on the work in general:
Humboldt was determined to produce a report of almost clinical objectivity, rather than a mere
“narrative of personal adventure.” Fortunately the resultant loss in readability was compensated for
by the amount and importance of the information contained...and the work acted as an inspiration to many subsequent nineteenth-century explorers of Latin America.
This atlas is important for many reasons, and its illustrations showed Europe and the entire world
new scientific information for the first time. Humboldt’s groundbreaking exploration of the Orinoco
River, for example, is delineated on two maps, one of which was the first to establish the precise location of and to show the connection between Rio Orinoco and Rio Negro, a question that had baffled
geographers for three centuries. Von Hagen, remarks: “[Humboldt] and his companion...had come [to
America] with the avowed purpose of ascending the Rio Orinoco...which would open the portals of
South America to the world.... The determination of the connection of Rio Negro and the Orinoco was
complete.... How exact and estimable this survey was, considering that his chronometers had not been
set for years, is seen in a recent survey where with radio and perfect time sequences the same region was
determined.... Humboldt was off a little more than a minute and wrong by only two miles on the
Orinoco’s length” (South America Called Them, pp. 87 & 122). The Orinoco river maps are supplemented
by maps of other rivers, many accurately depicted for the first time.
Also significant are the profiles and maps of mountain ranges, which are depicted with scientific precision showing new information in novel ways. Many of the profiles are dramatically hand colored. One
such profile is that of Chimborazo, which is a complement to the grandiose, dramatic view of the legendary mountain in the pair’s Atlas Pittoresque: Vues des Cordillères et monumens des peuples indigènes de
l’Amérique, where the mountain is viewed from afar in a vast landscape, in the foreground of which are
people, animals, and plant life. In the profile in the present atlas, Chimborazo is viewed close up and
deconstructed scientifically to precisely show geological formations, plant life at various elevations, snow
heights, relative heights, etc. It is easily understandable that Humboldt would have lavished such attention on Chimborazo, which he considered the grandest mountain in the world. In 1859 when he sat for
his last portrait, he refused a background with decorative trappings indicating status, wealth, and
accomplishments, instead suggesting that the background should be Mount Chimborazo and commenting that of all he had undertaken in his ninety years, he regarded his ascent of the mighty mountain his greatest accomplishment. Humboldt and Bonpland climbed to 19,286 feet, only about 400 feet
short of the summit of Chimborazo, before a deep, wide, crevice prevented further progress, along with
extremely gruesome physical duress. Nevertheless, the ascent of Humboldt, Bonpland, and their party
was the highest ever completed up to that time.
The fellow travellers seem to have been especially fascinated by volcanoes, of which they explored
several by climbing them. The dramatic volcano plates are supplemented by several large-scale maps,
which are masterful depictions of land forms. These studies were crucial to Humboldt’s later conclusions about the origin and nature of these natural structures and constitute one of his major contributions to the field of geology.
Humboldt mapped many areas in an accurate fashion for the first time. Because riverbeds and stream
courses interested him immensely, those features are often shown in great detail on the maps, which
also depict other natural and man-made features, such as mountains, missions, roads, and settlements.
His map of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, for example, was from the latest available surveys recently done
by the Mexican government (Humboldt was for fifty years an advocate of an interoceanic connection
between the Atlantic and Pacific). The Cuba map is also an updated version and reflects his recent
explorations of the island. Despite a few secondary sources, most of the maps are based directly on his
extensive travels and observations during the course of his explorations.
Perhaps the most remarkable map in this atlas is the first printing of a manuscript map that harks
back to the very earliest European cartographic representation of the New World. This is the manuscript world map made by Spanish conquistador, cartographer, and explorer Juan de la Cosa (ca. 14601509), who sailed with the first three voyages of Columbus and was the owner of the Santa María. This
portolan world chart incorporates lands discovered in America up to 1500 during expeditions by Spanish, Portuguese, and English expeditions to America. Juan de la Cosa’s mappa mundi is painted in ink
and colors on ox hide (93 × 183 cm) and richly decorated. His map is believed to be “the earliest extant
map showing any part of the continent of North America” (Schwartz & Ehrenberg, The Mapping of
America, Plate 1, pp. 18-19). Schwartz & Ehrenberg comment:
Both its authorship and date of execution continue to be contested. As is true of many significant
historical documents, the discovery and disposition of this one also involved dramatic coincidence. While browsing in a Paris bric-a-brac shop in 1832, Baron Walckenaer, the Dutch ambassador to France, came upon an intriguing map drawn on ox hide and bearing the signature of Juan
de la Cosa and the date 1500. The ambassador surmised its importance and brought it to the
attention of German naturalist and traveler Alexander von Humboldt, who authenticated it after
extensive study. Following Walcknaer’s death, the map was auctioned in 1853. Henry Stevens, one
of the first collectors of Americana in the United States, bid the equivalent of $200 for the map,
but lost it to the Queen of Spain, who bid approximately $8 more, and eventually it became the
major attraction of the Museo Naval in Madrid.
The identity of the mapmaker is uncertain. Most scholars identify the name Juan de la Cosa,
written on the parchment, with the great Basque cartographer who traveled on Columbus’ first
and second voyages—the owner and mate of the Santa María and one of the signers of Columbus’ affidavit affirming that Cuba was part of Asia. Yet there are others who claim that its author
was another Juan de la Cosa—a sailor who served on the Niña only during Columbus’ second voyage. The inscribed date of 1500 is also under contention, since it is apparent that the Western
Hemisphere portion was executed later than the European. The map could not have been drawn
much before 1500 because it incorporates Cabot’s voyage of 1497. It is now generally thought that
the map was not completed before 1505, perhaps not until 1509.....
It is the first map on which Cuba is so named.... Since Cuba is shown as an island, which is at
variance with Columbus’ concept, the map perhaps reflects the results of a voyage Amerigo
Vespucci purportedly made in 1497. The significance of the map, however, relates to the North
American continent.... Five English standards...are irrefutable evidences of John Cabot’s explorations. It has even been suggested that the Cosa map may have been copied from an undiscovered Cabot map.... Although the Cosa map stands at the summit of historical listings as the first
map of North America, it apparently was not available to other contemporary cartographers and
had little influence on subsequent mapping of the continent.
Finally, going back to the beginning, the emblematic frontispiece engraving Humanitas. Literæ.
Fruges (after the art work of artist Barthélemy Joseph Fulcran Roger) is not just another pretty, classi-
cal picture, but rather an expression of Humboldt’s deep philosophical concept of America and Europe
expressed in iconography. Anthony Padgen comments in European Encounters with the New World: from
Renaissance to Romanticism (Yale University Press, 1993, pp. 8-10; illustrated, Figure 1):
Humboldt, whose cosmology attempted so hard to shrink distances, to encircle and contain the
world, wished to preserve at least this distinction between the ‘Old’ continents and the “New” one.
America, he believed, was a more recent creation than Europe, and its peoples, for all their obvious achievements, were still at that stage where their arts...could not be considered as anything
other than of historic interest....
Humboldt looked forward to a future in which the European would be able to assist the
Amerindian in his struggle towards a “civilization.” Such a civilization would, he argued, be characterized, as that of classical antiquity and its modern European heirs had been, by the capacity
to create transcendent works of art, and to understand the cosmos through science. On the frontispiece to his Atlas géographique et physique des régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent he tried
to capture this process. A fallen Aztec is being lifted up by the twin figures of Greece and Rome,
represented by Minerva and Mercury. To this Humboldt has appended a caption from Book VIII
of Pliny the Younger’s letters, Humanitas. Literæ. Fruge.... Intelligible now as a part of a huge spatial and environmental scale, at one with the flora and the geology in which they had their being,
the Native-American was, still fixedly, for the moment at least, “other”.
Humboldt could hope that one day the Americans might come to resemble the Europeans,
Tibetans or Asians with whom he compares them. But in his own time, as in this illustration, his
world and theirs were still wholly incommensurable.
See Items 231 and 315 herein.
($7,500-15,000)
Statistics on New Spain, Including Texas, California & New Mexico
231. [HUMBOLDT, Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von (after)]. Idea estadística y geográfica del
reyno de Nueva España precedida de una descripción general de la America traducción del francés por M.B.
Guadalajara: Imprenta del cuidadano Urbano Sanromán, 1823. [4], 1-118, [1] 2-7 [1, blank] pp. Small 4to
(20.5 × 14 cm), full contemporary mottled Mexican sheep, spine ruled in gilt and with tan leather label
lettered in gilt, sprinkled edges. Binding moderately worn and with waterstaining on lower cover. Right
blank margin of title and lower blank margin of last few leaves stained, otherwise very good. Faded
manuscript inscription on front free endpaper. Very rare First Mexican Empire imprint.
First Mexican edition. Catálogo de la colección Biblioteca Manuel Arango Arias R174 (p. 105). Palau 117889.
According to the anonymous translator, this work is based on a text written in Paris in 1814 and published in 1817, although that text has never been positively identified. The author drew upon Humboldt
(see preceding entry herein), whom he cites several times, but clearly was familiar with many other
sources, including those that ranged far beyond Humboldt’s scope. Scholar Elías Trabulse, on the other
hand, believes this work to be based on Humboldt’s Essai politique sur le royaume de la Nouvelle Espagne,
an opinion also shared by Dr. W. Michael Mathes, who further suggests that the work may have been
extracted by historian, savant, and liberal political activist, Carlos María Bustamante (1774-1848; see
Dicc. Porrúa and Eladio Cortés, Dictionary of Mexican Literature, Greenwood Press, 1992), pp. 102-103.
The study, after considering North America in general, discusses Mexico and the Southwest, including physical geography, agriculture, manufacturing, industry, revenue, mines and mining, revenue, military defenses, and Native American population. Each intendancy and province of Mexico is described,
including the extent of each region’s territory, resources, and leading towns. Of special Southwest interest are contemporary statistics and conditions for California, New Mexico, and Texas. Like many writers of the time, the author also speculates at some length on the origin of North American Natives. The
text offers many interesting details, such as the use of dogs as draft animals by the Comanche: “Los
Comanches que son los indigenas mas teribles, igualan à los Tartaros en lo rapido de sus incursiones à
caballo: se sirven de los perros como de bestias de carga” (pp. 83-84). The Province of Texas is described
as a fertile and deserted land on the frontier, coveted by Anglo Americans, its capitol a humble outpost:
“San Antonio de Béjar, ciudad compuesta de cabañas de tierra, cubiertas de ciudad, es la capital de la
Provincia de Tejas, tan codiciada por los Anglo-americanos, y ha recibido oficialmente el nombre de
Nueva Estremadura” (p. 84).
California, New Mexico, and Pimería are discussed on pp. 75-82, including the missions and presidios
of California, its diverse Native population and its resources. The section on Baja California describes
the quality of the land which, seemingly barren under dry conditions, is transformed to fertility with
water. It also comments on viticulture, the pearl fishery, mining, and Jesuit missions and their extension
to Upper California in 1769. The section on New Mexico, designated as the land between California and
Louisiana, presents population statistics (4,000 in Santa Fe; 9,000 in Taos; 6,000 in “Albarquerque”),
buffalo hunting by Anglo Americans, Native Americans (Navajo, Apache, Hopi, and other tribes), El
Paso, and San Elizario.
Publisher and printer Sanromán was an important figure in Guadalajara, both for his printing activities and his political connections. He is generally said to be the first printer of any political importance
in the region. See Items 230 & 315 herein.
($750-1,500)
Spanish Gastronomic Humor Transplanted to the United States
Droll New Orleans Lithographs
232. [HUMOR]. La Risa Enciclopedia de estravagancias. Obra Clásico-Romántica, de costumbres, de literatura
de sana moral, de gastronomia y de carcajadas. Escrita en prosa y verso por varios poetas de buen humor y un
habilísimo cocinero. Edición Americana. Publicala la Sociedad Literaria Española [Esaañola (Vol. II)] de N.
Orleans. New Orleans: Alemán & Gómez & Alemán, Gómez y Ca. editores. Establecimiento tipográfico
de J.L. Sollee, 1848-1849. [2], [1]-2, [i] ii-vi, [3] 4-504 pp., lithograph title page (La Risa. Enciclopedia de
estravagancias. Litho X. Magny. Exchange Alley, No. 35 N.O.), 30 lithograph plates (1 folded; portraits,
humorous scenes). 3 vols. in one, with continuous pagination. 4to (26 × 19.5 cm), contemporary brown half
sheep over brown and blue mottled boards, spine with raised bands, gilt lettered and decorated. Spine
rubbed and lightly chipped at extremities, boards moderately rubbed, corners bumped, moderate shelf
wear, front hinge open but holding. Front flyleaf and Vol. I printed title page separated, a few other leaves
somewhat sprung; overall good, with the interior fine and the plates excellent. Vol. I printed title page with
purple ink rubber stamp of Filosofado Salesiano Bibliotheca Chapalita, which recurs on pp. 24 and 125.
First U.S. edition. Palau 269405: “Se publicaba por entregas semanales de 8 páginas cada una, menos la
última con 24 p. La primera entraga corresponde a 25 octubre de 1848 y la última a 26 mayo de 1849.” Raymond R. MacCurdy, A History and Bibliography of Spanish Language Newspapers and Magazines in
Louisiana, 1808-1849 (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1951), p. 38. MacCurdy, “A Tentative Bibliography of the Spanish-Language Press in Louisiana, 1808-1871,” The Americas, 10:3 ( January, 1954), #59.
A partial reprinting of the Madrid, Spain, periodical of the same name that appeared April 2, 1843-September 15, 1844, edited by Wenceslao Ayguals de Izco (Palau 269404; see also Item 406 herein). The plates
were drawn by Jovannis and printed by either Dominique Theuret or X. Magny; all are dated 1848 or 1849.
The U.S. editors state that this periodical is appropriate for New Orleans because half the population there
is crazy and the rest are half crazy. Although some articles are rearranged from their place in the original
magazine, the New Orleans publication in general is true to its source, including the reproduction of some
of the original lithographs. The publication enjoyed readers as far away as Texas and Cuba. As Jefferson
Rea Spell, “A New Orleans Edition of La Risa,” Hispania, 23:1 (February, 1940): 81-84 points out, the publication must have enjoyed considerable popularity given its widespread circulation.
The U.S. publication, however, left out some of the culinary recipes and articles for which the original was famous both in Spain and in its Mexican reprint. Thus, the bent of this edition tends to be literary and satirical, omitting the cultural feature of cuisine, which the New Orleans editors might well
have found of little interest given the established cuisine already in the area. Nevertheless, because the
original actually included various literary works with culinary themes, items are included that used food
as a basis, such as Juan Martínez Villegras’ “Oda a las patatas,” which begins:
No las lides pretendo
celebrar de Austerlitz y de Lepanto,
ne de Roma el estruendo;
y que de eso no entiendo
la gloria y prez de las patatas canto.
One will immediately recognize the oblique reference to the opening lines of Homer’s Iliad and other
standard poetical invocations to the Muse. He follows that ode up with another, “A los ajos,” which he
deems “del mundo vegetal principe augusto” (pp. 269-270). Vicente Sainz Pardo entitled his poem, which
might serve as a summation, “No hay cosa como comer” (pp. 451-453). Such culinary articles are liberally
mixed with others by some of the most prominent nineteenth-century Peninsular humorists and authors.
The chief editors were apparently Eusebio José Gómez, Victoriano Alemán, and José Segundo Flores, although little is known about any of them; the first two gentlemen are shown in lithographs in La
Risa itself. All were apparently members of La Sociedad Literaria Española de Nueva Orleans, an
organization devoted to promoting Spanish language and culture. When the original Spanish publishers became aware of the pirated publication, they promptly began to offer the original publication and
others at a substantial discount, thereby undercutting and apparently killing off their American rival. As
Spell concludes, “From this it seems fairly conclusive that the New Orleans editors were not co-operating with the Madrid group” (p. 84).
Lithographer Louis Xavier Magny (1800-1855), a native of France, is first recorded as a lithographer
in New Orleans in 1847. His lithograph of the destroyed St. Charles Hotel is considered “one of the
most dramatic prints published in the pre-Civil War period.” See Jessie J. Poesch (editor), Printmaking
in New Orleans ( Jackson: University Press of Mississippi & The Historic New Orleans Collection,
2006), pp. 130-132.
Despite its short life, La Risa was an important Spanish-language New Orleans publication, especially significant for its lithographs and the republication in America of works by important Spanish
authors.
($600-1,200)
With Text of Two Streeter Texas Items Known Only in Single Copies
233. HUNT, Memucan. Address of Memucan Hunt, to the People of Texas, Soliciting the Payment of His
Claims against the State, at the Next Regular Session of the Legislature, with a Few of His Public and Private Papers, in Behalf of What He Deemed the Best Interests of Texas in 1836, until Annexation; Together with
a Speech of the Hon. W.M. Williams, before the Last Regular Session of the Legislature, in Behalf of Said
Claims; With Which Speech is a Copy of a Letter from Ex-President Houston, in Reference to Memucan Hunt
in 1836. Galveston: Printed at the Office of the News, 1851. [1-3] 4-83 [1, index] pp. (last 2 leaves provided in facsimile). 8vo (22 × 13.6 cm), unbound, as issued, stitched. First leaf foxed and stained, remainder of text with uniform mild browning, blank margins of title chipped (but neatly mended), some
heavy corrosive stains to a few leaves at front (a few small voids with loss of a few letters), waterstaining to upper corners of several leaves toward end of text. Professionally washed and deacidified.
First edition. Howes H808. Sabin 33881. Winkler 231 (2 locations: Bancroft & UT Austin). Hunt was
instrumental in the fiscal, military, and diplomatic history of Texas. He sacrificed his fortune to help
establish the Republic of Texas and ensure its annexation to the United States. In this pamphlet Hunt
documents his efforts to recover his losses. Hunt opens with his April 3, 1851, address to “Fellow Citizens of the State of Texas” outlining his efforts and expenditures beginning in June 1836 with the granting of a contract with the ad interim government of Texas to raise volunteers and loan money to the
emerging Republic, and continuing to annexation and beyond. He documents his expenditures and
accounting up to 1850, commenting:
Be pleased to bear in mind also, that no other person on his own individual responsibility
advanced in 1836, as much money for struggling Texas as I did, but who not only received back
the principal and interest on his or their money thus advanced, but immense profits in addition
thereto, excepting but one, who was a large land holder in Texas, and advanced money without
profit to himself, namely, Major Gen. Thomas J. Chambers, who, it affords me pleasure to state,
did advance more money without profit, and bring more men to the rescue of Texas in 1836, than
any other one gentleman connected with the Texian revolution; but who, I believe, had his
accounts satisfactorily settled shortly after the first issue of Texas money, in which he was paid
before it depreciated in value (p. 11) ...I expended more than the government promised to give me,
with the view to advance the best interest of my country. Ought I to lose it? Fellow-citizens, Texas
is now the wealthiest State for her population in the Union—she is more able to do me justice by
paying me, and not feel the just disbursement—and believing my claim to be just, I solicit its pay-
ment, and request of you, if you concur with me in opinion, to instruct your representatives to the
next Legislature to give me the compensation claimed (p. 14).
Included in this rare Galveston imprint are transcriptions of original letters between Hunt and
Mirabeau B. Lamar, Samuel Houston, John Forsyth, et al. Perhaps of more importance is the presence
in reprint of two exceedingly rare imprints relating to the Revolution and annexation, respectively, both
known only in single copies.
HUNT, Memucan. To the Brave and Generous. [Oxford, North Carolina, 1836]. Streeter 1209 (no copy
located until a copy was found at Yale after publication of Streeter’s bibliography of Texas): “An appeal
for emigration of volunteers for the Texan army. It includes the decree ‘adopted in the Convention of
Texas, at the town of Washington, on the 17th day of March, 1836’ providing bounties of land for service in the army of Texas. Streeter had not seen a copy of this broadside, but entered it from its reprinting in Hunt’s Address...to the people of Texas... Galveston, 1851.” This item appears at pp. 15-18 in the present pamphlet.
GALVESTON COUNTY. CITIZENS. Address to the People of Texas, by the Committee appointed for
that purpose, at a meeting of the citizens of Galveston County and City, on the 21st inst., favorable to an immediate ratification of the joint resolution of the Congress of the United States of America, offering to Texas,
Annexation. Galveston, 1845. Streeter 622 (locating only the copy at Texas State Library): “This address
urges annexation rather than a ‘stringent commercial alliance’ with England. The Constitution of the
United States is declared to be ‘almost the only protection against the growing power...and reckless violence of Abolitionism.’ Economic advantages which would result from annexation are stressed. The text
of this address is given on pp. 56-78 in Address of Memucan Hunt, to the People of Texas, Galveston, 1851
(Winkler, Texas Imprints 231), a pamphlet in the University of Texas Library to which my attention was
called by Mr. Winkler.”
Hunt (1807-1856), secretary of the Texas Navy, was from North Carolina and arrived in Texas shortly
after the Battle of San Jacinto. He was one of the main financiers of the early Republic. See Handbook
of Texas Online. See also Item 226 herein.
($300-600)
Hunt & Randel’s Large-Scale Map of Texas, Rivaling Austin & De Cordova
“First General Guide to Texas”—Streeter
234. HUNT, Richard S[almon] & Jesse F. Randel. Guide to the Republic of Texas: Consisting of a Brief
Outline of the History of Its Settlement: A General View of the Surface of the Country; Its Climate, Soil,
Productions; Rivers, Counties, Towns, and Internal Improvements; The Colonization and Land Laws; List
of Courts and Judicial Officers; Tariff and Ports of Entry &c. Accompanied by a New and Correct Map. By
Richard S. Hunt and Jesse F. Randel, Houston, Texas. New York: Published by J.H. Colton, 124 Broadway, 1839. [1-3] 4-63, [1, contents], [1, Colton ad], [1, blank] pp., copper-engraved map with original
hand coloring; neat line to neat line: 80.9 × 61.5 cm; overall sheet size: 81.2 × 62.1 cm: Map [fivepointed lone star] of Texas, Compiled from Surveys on Record in the General Land Office of the Republic,
to the Year 1839, by Richard S. Hunt and Jesse F. Randel. New York, Published by J.H. Colton Engraved by
Stiles, Sherman & Smith. New York; [copyright at lower left below neat line] Entered...January 1839, by
J.H. Colton, in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York; [attestation
text, facsimile signatures and General Land Office seal at lower left corner] “We the undersigned have
inspected the above map and give it our approval as being a compilation from the best and most recent
authorities” James Webb Sec y. of State. John Woodward Consul Genl. of Texas, N. York. Francis Moore Jr
Editor Telegraph, Houston. Republic of Texas, General Land Office Apr. 25, 1839. I hereby certify that the
compiler of this map has had access to the records of this office and that the map was compiled from them.
John P. Borden Comm. Gen. Land Office; [inset map of West Texas and Mexican territory to the Pacific,
Baja California, and northern Mexico at lower right corner] Map of the Rio Grande and the Country
West to the Pacific (22 × 26.4 cm), folded into publisher’s original olive diced cloth covers (15 cm tall),
upper cover lettered in gilt: Guide to Texas with a Map Published by J.H. Colton, 1839. Covers sympathetically re-backed (original spine preserved), text with scattered light foxing, a few minor voids at
folds (no losses of text or image), map professionally laid down on archival tissue. Nineteenth-century bookplate on front pastedown, red ink rubber-stamped number on front free endpaper. Overall
a fine copy, the map excellent, with fresh, intense original color, the best we have seen of this desirable Texana.
First edition. Subsequent editions with updates were published (cf. Streeter 1348A-B, discussing various issues of the map; Sabin notes an 1846 edition). Bradford 2469: “The map, often missing, is scarce.”
Clark, Old South III, p. 145. Day, Maps of Texas, pp. 28-29. Eberstadt, Texas 162:424. Graff 2017. Howes
H809. Rader 1980. Raines, p. 122. Sabin 33887. Streeter 1348. Streeter Sale 368. Taliaferro, Cartographic
Sources in the Rosenberg Library 278n (1845 edition). Vandale 93.
No one says it better than Streeter:
The contents of this Guide, the first general guide to Texas, are pretty well stated in its title. It
must have been a useful book for intending settlers, and its contemporary account of existing conditions makes it a valuable book now. The map is important.
Unlike several Texas maps...such as the series by Hooker first issued in 1833, by Burr in 1833,
and by J.H. Young in 1835, all of which showed the colonization grants in far western Texas and
were on a small scale, this shows Texas only to a little west of the 101st meridian, or less than 150
miles west of San Antonio. In this respect it follows the Austin maps, the first entered under 1830,
that go only to a little west of the 102nd meridian and have the large scale of 24 miles to the inch.
In the prefatory remarks to this Hunt and Randel Guide, it is stated that though the map is necessarily imperfect in some details, it is based from the coast to the San Antonio Road on existing
surveys, and that the principal rivers are accurately laid down for more than 100 miles above that
road. The claim is made that “this map is the only one which makes any pretentions to being
based on accurate surveys.”
The 1839 map shows in colors thirty-one counties with their boundaries clearly defined, the latest being Harrison, which was organized under an act of the Third Congress dated January 28,
1839.... It shows, probably for the first time, the newly laid-out town of Austin on the north bank
of the Colorado.... A German edition of the map is present in Scherpf ’s Entstehungsgeschichte,
Augsburg, 1841 (see Item 500 herein). The inset map is most interesting, showing as it does “Upper
California” and “Lower California” from the 23d to the 42d parallels, with many place names and
the Timpanogos and Buenaventura rivers running to the sea, and with the north boundary of the
Mexican province of Sonora at about the 29th parallel. [Wheat does not list the inset map which
extends from Texas to California and includes Lower California.]
In the category of large-scale nineteenth-century maps of Texas, Hunt and Randel’s magnificent
production, like the maps of Austin and De Cordova, had few rivals. The guidebook is a classic on its
own, addressing all the needs and concerns of the prospective emigrant.
Richard Salmon Hunt (1812-1869) came to Texas from Cairo, New York, in 1836 with his brother
William Hudson Hunt (1815-1864; Handbook of Texas Online). The brothers had an interest in maps, surveys, and the law. Richard spent most of his years in Texas, either in Bastrop or Bonham. He bought
Charles DeMorse’s interest in a local newspaper, the Bonham Advertiser, in 1849 but sold out after landing in hot water with the locals for supporting Sam Houston (Sibley, Lone Stars and Lone Star Gazettes:
Texas Newspapers before the Civil War, p. 309). Although he was a Union man, Richard remained in Bonham during the Civil War without being maltreated. We find little on Jesse F. Randel. He sold four
slaves for $4,500 (a disputed sale) and posted notice of probate for John T. Randel in Harris County in
1839. He owned property in Hood and Johnston Counties and corresponded with Memucan Hunt in
1846. There is a reference to Colonel Cooke’s military road expedition from the Red River border
through present-day Dallas and Waco to Austin in Stephen F. Moore’s Savage Frontier, 1840-1841 (University of North Texas Press, 2007, Vol. III, p. 171): “Mr. Hunt, the military road engineer, worked with
a man named Randel to create a map of the Cross Timbers. The Telegraph on January 16 gave a definition of the Cross Timbers area, based on Hunt’s surveys.”
The map is noteworthy for having been offered as evidence in a U.S. Supreme Court case (U.S. vs.
Texas, 162 U.S. 1, United States vs. State of Texas, March 16, 1896), where it is cited, along with the maps
of Stephen F. Austin, Disturnell, Pressler, et al., in the controversy over whether Texas was entitled to
Greer County.
($20,000-30,000)
Unpublished Manuscripts & Letters by Robert Hancock Hunter—“Best Account of the San Jacinto
Campaign Left by a Veteran... An Indispensable Source” (Carlos E. Castañeda)
235. HUNTER, Robert Hancock & family. Collection of materials by Hunter, including two unpublished versions in his hand of his famous Narrative of the Texas Revolution, correspondence concerning his life, and other materials relating to his family and descendants. The collection descends from the
Burke family, who married into the Hunter family.
Robert Hancock Hunter (1813-1902), by virtue of his Narrative, is one of the better known veterans
of the Texas Revolution. In 1822 he came to Texas as a child with his four siblings and parents, physician Johnson Calhoun Hunter and Martha Herbert of Virginia (a relative of David Crockett). The family did not have a soft landing, being shipwrecked on the Texas coast, where they lost most of their
belongings and ate roasted alligator tail. The Hunters were “Old Three Hundred” colonists in Stephen
F. Austin’s grant and established themselves near Houston in 1824 (probably the first colonists to establish themselves in present-day Harris County). As a young man, Hunter participated in the Grass Fight
and the siege of Bexar; he volunteered to march to the relief of the Alamo, but it fell before his column
could reach it. Joining Sam Houston’s forces, his unit was at the Battle of San Jacinto, although Hunter
himself was delegated to guard the baggage train. His descriptions of the battle and its aftermath are,
however, gripping. After the war, he returned to Fort Bend County, and for the rest of his life was
engaged in various enterprises. He died a widower in Flatonia, his wife having died in 1888. Handbook
of Texas Online: Robert Hancock Hunter.
His father, Johnson Calhoun Hunter (1787-1855), one of Austin’s Old Three Hundred, was a physician,
farmer, stock raiser, surveyor, and postmaster. According to various sources, he was born either in North
or South Carolina. After living at various places in the Midwest, he came to Texas with his family in 1822,
where he was promptly shipwrecked. After initially settling in Harris County, he removed to Fort Bend
County. During the Runaway Scrape, both Mexican and Texas troops slaughtered and dined on his cattle herd, which he could not remove in time, forcing him to leave them on his plantation. Reportedly, he
refused to bill the Texas Republic for his losses. Handbook of Texas Online: Johnson Calhoun Hunter.
Hunter fathered Thaddeus Warsaw, Messina, Martha, Letitia, William, Amanda, Walter Crockett,
Jacob, Robert Hancock, Mary, John Calhoun, Harriet Harbert, and Thomas Jefferson. His wife was the
former Mary Martha Harbert. Some of those people and their descendents are buried in the family
cemetery, called Brick Church Graveyard, near Richmond, Texas.
William Wittliff, in the introduction to his 1966 Encino Press edition of Hunter’s Narrative, remarks:
In reading Robert Hancock Hunter’s Narrative, something about the man is quickly gleaned: his
enthusiasm for and his delight in life. When his father asked who would go to defend the Alamo
with Travis, he immediately shot back, “I am one.” ...I do not believe his quickness of reply was
strictly in the line of patriotism; rather, it was the spirit of the thing—to take a personal part in
the events, to wield whatever powers he might command, to assert his manliness in the face of
what might well be eternal darkness....
In my mind, the Narrative written by [Robert Hancock Hunter] is one of the great classics of
what J. Frank Dobie called “the stuff of literature.” Robert Hancock Hunter was participant in events
which have for more than a century reflected glory on Texas and Texans, and shall yet do so until
men no longer care about such things. His Narrative is straightforward—without embarrassment or
embellishment—and it reveals vividly the frontier mind and tongue. There is much of the understatement in it—usually the mark of the authentic in the personal narrative of early days. With the
exception of J.E. McCauley’s A Stove-up Cowboy’s Story, I can think of no other personal narrative
so delightful to read for the sake of the happy manner in which the words are strung together—and
in the case of Hunter’s Narrative, the happy misspellings of the words. For me, the monumental
events in which Hunter took a hand and described become almost secondary to his talk.
The collection consists of:
HUNTER, Robert Hancock: NARRATIVE (1884). Autograph manuscript signed of Hunter’s “Narrative.” 1884. 8vo (22 × 14 cm) in ink on 110 numbered and lined pages in a stenographer’s notebook stapled into printed covers. Written on one side only. With eight leaves of inserts, six of which are written on both sides, and various manuscript corrections. Wanting most of lower cover, contents very fine.
The manuscript of Hunter’s Narrative (Basic Texas Books 100) in the Texas State Library has been published twice. It was first put into print by Beulah Gayle Green (1936; copy included with archive), who
worked from the original. Its second appearance was edited by William D. Wittliff (1966; see Item 236
herein), who worked from a typescript, possibly the one also found in the Texas State Library. Jenkins
and others have praised the narrative and declared it to be one of the more important Texas Revolution
documents covering that critical era in Texas history, not only for the facts it preserved but also because
of Hunter’s plainspoken, direct style. As Jenkins concludes, “Hunter’s narrative, with all its flavor,
remains not only an important account of the revolution, but a delight to read.”
The present version, although it covers many of the same events found in the published versions, is in
fact more extensive and contains more information than the published ones. One revelation he makes, for
example, is that he actually managed to attend school for a while (p. 60). He also notes that a Catholic
Mexican who had never read the Bible because it was forbidden to do so, upon being given one, read it
cover to cover and was eventually hired by printer Gail Borden, who declared he “was the best tipe seter
in the office” (pp. 58-60). He discusses other daily routines and problems, such as cholera (pp. 63-65), welldigging (pp. 67-69), brick making (pp. 73-75), and yoke mending (pp. 93-97). He also gives some descriptions of fights with Native Americans (pp. 100-105) and bears (pp. 72-73 and 79-80). Finally, he relates the
first time he got drunk (pp. 77-78). A highly important manuscript containing new information about
Hunter himself and life in pioneer Texas and every bit as interesting as the known published versions.
HUNTER, Robert Hancock: NARRATIVE (1900). Autograph manuscript signed, of Hunter’s “Narrative.” San Antonio, April 26, 1900. 8vo (22.5 × 15 cm) in ink on twenty-nine pages of ruled paper. Written on one side only, addressed to Andrew Jackson Sowell (1848-1921). Vertical crease where formerly
folded, otherwise very fine. This version, which is far shorter than the one found in the stenographer’s
notebook and the version in the Texas State Library, fairly closely follows the published work, although
it often differs in some details.
HUNTER, Robert Hancock: LETTERS TO SOWELL. Three autograph letters signed from Hunter
to Andrew Jackson Sowell relating details of his life and ancestry (creased where formerly folded, otherwise all are very fine) consisting of:
FIGHTS WITH NATIVE AMERICANS. 2½ pp., in ink. 8vo (22.2 × 14.7 cm). Flatonia, May 3,
1900. Relating a fight with Native Americans and requesting that Sowell return his documents when
he is through with them.
FAMILY HISTORY. 1 p., in ink. 8vo (22.2 × 14.7 cm). Flatonia, May 13, 1900. Discussing his father
and his own birth place.
FIGHT AT RICHMOND IN 1828. 1½ pp., in ink. 8vo (22.3 × 14.7 cm). Flatonia, n.d. [but 1900].
Discussing an 1828 fight with Native Americans at Richmond, Texas.
HUNTER, Robert Hancock: PAPERS ON HIS MILITARY SERVICE & PENSION. Five autograph documents signed and one printed form concerning his military service and his applications for
a pension. Folio. Creased where formerly folded and slightly worn, otherwise very good. All in Hunter’s
hand and signed by him, recounting his service record, enlistment, discharge, battles, etc.
HUNTER, Robert Hancock: ACCOUNT OF EARLY LIFE IN TEXAS. Autograph letter signed to
his brother, Thaddeus Warsaw Hunter. Flatonia, March 14, 1884. 12 pp., in ink on lined paper. 8vo (25 ×
12.7 cm). With two typed transcriptions of the letter. Fine. Recounting the family’s early days in Texas
and during the Revolution. Thaddeus was the first Anglo male born in Austin’s colony (so stated by
Thomas Cutrer in the Handbook of Texas Online article on Robert Hancock Hunter).
HUNTER, Robert Hancock: VARIOUS CORRESPONDENCE. Seven autograph letters signed from
Hunter to various people on various topics. All 8vo (approximately 20 × 12.5 cm), in ink, as follows:
LAND TRANSACTIONS. 3 pp., unsigned, Flatonia, June 28, 1889, to his brother William Hunter,
concerning land transactions, etc.
SACKETT NEIGHBORS. 1½ pp., unsigned Flatonia, November 16, 1890, to Mary W. Sackett,
concerning his neighbors (condition is fair only).
VETERANS’ REUNION IN FORT WORTH. 1 p., signed, Flatonia, March 27, 1890, to A. Faulkner, Passenger Agent, requesting the promised free railroad pass to attend the veterans’ reunion in
Fort Worth.
EARLY FAMILY HISTORY IN TEXAS. 2 pp., signed, Flatonia, April 10, 1892, to his brother
T.W. Hunter, concerning community news and the family’s early history in Texas.
NEW MADRID QUAKE & LOSS OF SLOOP WHEN EMIGRATING TO TEXAS. 9 pp.,
unsigned, Flatonia, December 14, 1893, to his brother T.W. Hunter, concerning an earthquake he
experienced in Ohio (i.e., the New Madrid quake) and difficulties, including the loss of their sloop,
that occurred after the family moved to Texas (as recounted in the “Narrative”).
POST-ARMY EXPERIENCES. 1½ pp., unsigned, Flatonia, October 6, 1894, to his brother T.J.
Hunter concerning events after his discharge from the army, including collecting salt at a destroyed
mill (as recounted in the “Narrative”).
PICTURES & FRAMES. 1 p., unsigned, Flatonia, December 3, 1894, to his nephew R.W. Say,
sending some pictures and frames.
HUNTER, Thomas Johnson: ACCOUNT OF EARLY LIFE IN TEXAS, “Incidents in the Life of
Thomas J. Hunter in Texas for 72 years.” March 27, 1893. Folio (31.7 × 20.2 cm), in ink on ruled paper,
4½ pp. (incomplete). Creased where formerly folded, last page partial, chipped, and torn at bottom, otherwise very good and highly legible. Interesting relation of early pioneer life in Texas, including his near
death by drowning when he was only four months old and saved only by his mother’s bravery, the
courage of his mother in numerous trying circumstances, the struggle to find and plant enough food to
sustain them, etc. An important description by Hunter’s younger brother, some of it based on incidents
learned from his parents and not related in his brother’s “Narrative.”
HUNTER, Johnson Calhoun: ACCOUNT OF EARLY TIMES IN TEXAS. Autograph letter signed
with an initialed postscript to his sons Thaddeus and W.H. Hunter. Rocky Well, September 30, 1846. 2
pp. Folio (31 × 19.8 cm), in ink. Creased where formerly folded, a few splits at folds with minor losses,
otherwise fine. A vivid letter from their father describing difficult frontier times in the Republic, including near-fatal illnesses of himself and family members, troubles with getting in the crops, and difficulties making a success of his cattle herd. He complains about the scarcity of labor and asks that his sons
come to help him and bring some mounted men with them to assist with rounding up the cattle. In the
postscript he jokingly chides them for not having sold the mill yet. Any Johnson Hunter letter is a very
rare survival.
WREN, T.L.: DETAILS ON MILITARY ASPECTS OF TEXAS REVOLUTION. Three typed
letters signed to R.H. Hunter, 1891 & 1894. 1 p. each. 4to. Mostly routine correspondence requesting
information about Hunter’s former acquaintances. The January 31, 1894, letter, however, contains the
revealing information that Hunter apparently informed Wren at one point that he exchanged rifles with
supposed Alamo defender William Hunter, thereby explaining the origin of the decrepit Jaeger rifle
Hunter himself had at San Jacinto. William Lockhart Hunter was actually a survivor of the Goliad
massacre rather than an Alamo defender.
HUNTER FAMILY, CIVIL WAR IN TEXAS, ETC.: Collection of approximately seventeen nineteenth-century manuscript documents, letters, receipts, and other materials relating to the Robert Hancock Hunter and the Hunter family. Condition varies. Contains two miscellaneous manuscripts in
Robert Hancock Hunter’s hand and signed by him (one of which is a brief listing of Republic of Texas
Navy officers), and a deed also signed by him (February 11, 1882). Included is a J.S. Menefee autograph
letter signed, 4 pp., 4to, Galveston, April 15, 1865, to an unspecified recipient concerning Civil War activities in the city, referencing the activities of Galveston blockade runners now that Wilmington and
Charleston have capitulated. Also present are three Civil War letters ( June 18, 1864, August 18, 1864, and
January 8, 1865), from William Hunter (Robert Hancock Hunter’s brother) to his family from various
places in Louisiana and Texas (4to & 8vo). These are newsy and sometimes impassioned letters concerning events he has witnessed and his own feelings about his service.
BURKE, James & William Burke: VARIOUS. Collection of approximately twenty-five nineteenthcentury manuscript documents, letters, receipts, three photographs, and other materials related to the
Burke family. Condition varies. Included is a January, 1895, slightly faded albumen cabinet card on plain
mount showing William Burke and wife (Robert Hancock Hunter’s daughter, Mary Martha Hunter
Burke), W.P. Burke, and E.M. Burke.
BURKE, William Pinckney (b. 1867): VARIOUS. Collection of approximately fifty manuscripts, typed
letters, documents, receipts, twenty-five photographs (most identified) etc., either by him and to him or
concerning his family and acquaintances, late nineteenth-early twentieth century. Most in good condition. This Burke was the last survivor of the children born to William Burke and Mary Martha Hunter.
See Photograph section below.
PHOTOGRAPHY. Four photographs, consisting of:
THE FOUR BROTHERS. Group shot of the four brothers Thomas J., Robert H., William H., and
T.W. Hunter. Albumen print mounted on printed card of photographer L. Hartmann, Opposite Court
House. 103 Congress St., Houston, Tex. Image area: 14 × 9.7 cm; card size: 16.3 × 10.7 cm. Except for
absence of upper left corner and small loss in lower left corner of image area, very fine. Subjects identified in pencil on verso. The veterans are wearing their campaign ribbons. Haynes, Catching Shadows: A Directory of 19th-Century Texas Photographers, p. 50 locates Leopold A. Hartmann at that
address in 1892.
HUNTER FAMILY 1900. Hunter family group portrait posed outdoors. Albumen print mounted
on card stock. Ca. 1900. Image area: 15 × 20.4 cm; card size: 18.6 × 23 cm. Image is missing three corners where the card broke (costing some of the names on verso and far edges of image), but the loss
does not affect the group shot itself; some spotting in upper left, mostly confined to mount. Sitters
identified in pencil on back. R.H. Hunter is seated in the front row, holding a cane and sporting a
long, white beard. He is identified on the verso as “Grandpa Hunter.”
TEXAS VETS AT BELTON. “1836 Texas Veterans At Belton, Texas” (inscription in pencil on
verso). Albumen print mounted on card stock, outdoor, formal portrait of several hundred people
(including some women) posed before a building. [Belton, 1883?]. Image area: 13.4 × 20.3 cm; card
size: 18.5 × 23.5 cm. Image somewhat faded, lightly foxed, and with loss of image at edges. Mount is
missing two corners and is lightly stained, none of which affects the image area itself. Many of the
subjects hold bouquets. None are identified; nevertheless, an iconic image of the people who fought
the Texas Revolution.
WILLIAM BURKE. William Burke bust portrait (attribution in pencil on verso of frame backing).
Albumen print mounted on card stock. 13.7 × 9.8 cm. Photographer’s imprint on verso: C. Petersen, Photographer, La Grange, Fayette Co., Tex. Sittings for Portraits made by the instantaneous perfect method.
Except for slight marginal chipping, very good, in later oval tin frame. (Haynes, Catching Shadows: A
Directory of 19th-Century Texas Photographers, pp. 86-87 locates Conrad Peterson in La Grange, Fayette
County between 1872 and 1900 and notes he was born in Germany in 1836 and emigrated to Texas in
1850.) William Burke on June 14, 1865, married Mary Martha, Robert Hancock Hunter’s eldest daughter. Burke died in 1927.
HUNTER & BURKE FAMILIES. Several modern typescripts, with some duplication, of genealogical information concerning the Hunter and Burke families.
NEWSPAPER: Republic of Texas News. Authentic News of the Period of 1836...Price 10¢. Vol. I, No. 1,
Austin, April 2, 1935. Compiled by Lance Parker. 4 pp., folio. Creased where formerly folded. Overall
light age toning, a few splits at folds (no losses), very good. Rare ephemera containing reconstructed
historical news stories from the Revolution such as Austin’s letter to the Committee of Safety (October 11, 1835), “Funeral of the Heroes of the Alamo” (March 27, 1837), “Texian Opposition to the Release
of Gen. Santa Anna,” Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, etc. The final page is devoted
to an announcement of the Texas Centennial Half-Dollar.
($20,000-40,000)
Original Ink Sketch by Bill Wittliff
236. HUNTER, Robert Hancock. The Narrative of Robert Hancock Hunter Describing in His Own Manner
His Arrival to Texas in 1822 & His Participation in Events of the Texas Revolution, Including the Grass Fight,
Leading to the Battle of San Jacinto. Slightly Edited & with an Introduction by William D. Wittliff. Austin:
The Encino Press, 1966. [i-iv] v-vii, [1-2] 3-27 pp, frontispiece portrait by Wittliff. 8vo (25 × 18.2 cm), original brown cloth over pictorial boards (Hunter portrait by Wittliff). Fine copy with Wittliff’s original pen
and ink portrait of a man in profile (Hunter?) on front flyleaf and inscription: “Inscribed con mucho gusto
and with the old-time kind of good wishes for Don and Jan Brainard—Bill Wittliff Aug 26/66.”
Limited edition (#453 of 640 copies “and the type melted according to the design of William D. Wittliff”), second edition (first edition, Austin, 1936). Basic Texas Books 100A: “Beautifully designed and
edited by William D. Wittliff. The most vivid of all recollections of the Texas Revolution.” Whaley,
Wittliff 18. See preceding entry.
($100-200)
San Jacinto Vet Robert Hancock Hunter’s Veteran’s Certificate
Signed by Renowned Texas Ranger & Soldier Walter P. Lane
237. [HUNTER, ROBERT HANCOCK]. TEXAS VETERANS ASSOCIATION. Printed form
accomplished in manuscript appointing R.H. Hunter a member and signed by Walter P. Lane,
Stephen H. Darden, and A. Deffenbaugh. Austin, January, 1890. Oblong 8vo (14 × 21.5 cm). With
printed seal at lower left. Lightly creased where formerly folded, three small staple holes in left blank
margin, otherwise fine.
This document captures in one place the signatures of several prominent Texas soldiers and veterans. Association President Walter Paye Lane (1817-1892) was a veteran of San Jacinto, the MexicanAmerican War, and the Civil War. A Texas Ranger of legendary status, Lane expanded his field of
action to join the California Gold Rush in 1849, and prospected in southern Arizona after the Gadsden
Purchase (Handbook of Texas Online). The appointee, Robert Hancock Hunter (1813-1902), served in the
Texas Revolution and was one of Santa-Anna’s guards (Handbook of Texas Online). Hunter left behind
an important memoir which, after publication in 1936, was deemed by Jenkins to be a Basic Texas Book
(100). Carlos Castañeda referred to Hunter’s memoir as “the best account of the San Jacinto campaign
left by a veteran.” (See Items 235 & 236.) Secretary Stephen Heard Darden (1816-1902) served in the
Texas Revolution and the Civil War (Hood’s Brigade), and had been the Association’s secretary since
1886 (Handbook of Texas Online). Treasurer Anthony Deffenbaugh fought in the Texas Revolution.
($500-1,000)
“First of the Cowboy Writers”—Américo Paredes
238. INCLÁN, Luis G[onzaga]. Vol. I: Astucia el gefe de los hermanos de la hoja, ó Los charros contrabanistas
de la rama. Novela histórica de costumbres mexicanas, con episodios originales, escrita por Luis Inclán en vista
de auténticas apuntaciones del protagonista, amenizada con sus correspondiente litografías. Tomo I. Mexico:
Imprenta de Inclán, cerca de Santo Domingo Núm. 12, 1865. [1-7] 8-392 pp., 17 lithograph plates. [Bound
at end, excerpt from the 1890 edition] Astucia el Jefe de los hermanos de la hoja.... Mexico: Imprenta de L.
Inclán S. José el Real Núm. 16, 1890. [1-7] 8-70 pp., 1 lithograph plate. Vol. II: Astucia el gefe de los hermanos de la hoja...Tomo II. Mexico: Inprenta [sic] de Inclán, cerca de Santo Domingo Núm. 12, 1866. [13] 4-397 [2] pp., 16 lithograph plates. 2 vols., 8vo (19.7 × 14.5 cm), modern slate blue smooth Mexican calf,
covers with rolled silver borders, spines with raised bands stamped in silver, red calf labels, silver dentelles, blue marbled endpapers, edges sprinkled in brown. Spines slightly faded, waterstaining on signatures 14 and 15 of Vol. I, scattered light browning, 2 leaves trimmed (touching four page numbers), but
generally a fine copy with exceptionally clean, bright lithographs. Small blue lithograph labels on title
versos (design and initials H.M.). This popular book is difficult to find in any condition, since most
copies were “read to death.” Not in Yale or the MELVYL database, but UT (Benson Collection) has a
copy. OCLC designates a copy at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (a mixed edition: Vol. I
is the 1890 edition, and Vol. II is the first edition). LC reports a copy without much detail, but dated 1866.
First edition of the first Mexican novel “to integrate the theme of banditry throughout its narrative”
(Chris Frazer, A History of Outlaws and Cultural Struggle in Mexico, 1810-1920, University of Nebraska,
2008, p. 109). Mathes, Mexico on Stone, pp. 30 & 58. Palau 118818. Porrúa V:7203. As noted above, an
excerpt and plate from the 1890 edition is bound at the end of Vol. I (first 70 pages). The plate in this
1890 excerpt is a repeat of the second plate in the first edition. The 1890 edition is not in Palau, who
does, however, record a 1908 Paris edition. The enduring nature of the work is demonstrated by the
plethora of modern editions that continue to be published.
Inclán (1816-1875) led almost as adventurous a life as his protagonist in the present work. Intended
for the priesthood from a young age, he ran away from school and spent many years working as a
vaquero on a hacienda. He eventually grew tired of being employed by others and bought the property
where he was born, which had been badly damaged in 1847 during one of a series of Mexican political
upheavals. He then bought both a printing and lithographic establishment in Mexico City, at which he
worked successfully for the rest of his life. Known primarily as a novelist, he was also a poet, dramatist,
journalist, publisher of both sacred and profane works, and a non-fiction author of high repute who
printed all of his own works. He is considered by some to be the best Mexican novelist of his time (see
Salvador Novo’s comments in the introduction to the Porrúa scholarly edition of Astucia). See also: Eladio Cortés, Dictionary of Mexican Literature, (Greenwood Press, 1992), pp. 348-349.
Astucia features many themes that would become characteristic of U.S. cowboy novels: bravery, horsemanship, ranch life, a code of honor, gun skills, the lawman, and violence. As such, it is an important precursor to the genre. It was the first such work to capture and depict a “Code of the West” that would
eventually be adopted by writers far and wide to great public acclaim. Américo Paredes comments that
Inclán’s works “reveal his kinship to the writers of the western United States” (p. 55, “Luis Inclán: First
of the Cowboy Writers,” American Quarterly, Vol. XII, No. 1, Spring, 1960, pp. 55-70). Paredes does not
suggest that American Western writers are indebted to Inclán in the same manner that the American
cowboy is indebted to the Mexican vaquero, but rather that the same conditions that produced Western
writing made of Inclán a veritable “cowboy” writer. He served as a forerunner of men writing in another
language but sharing his methods and outlook as well as his subject matter. Inclán also published Recuerdos de Chamberín, a verse biography of his favorite horse that predated similar U.S. works on famous
steeds such as Muggins. In 1860, Inclán also wrote a classic illustrated manual on the reata, the distinctive braided rawhide rope inherited by U.S. cowboys from the Mexican vaquero: Reglas con que un colegial puede colear y lazar (Rules by Which a Tenderfoot, i.e., a “Collegian,” May Tail and Rope).
This novel is divided into two distinct parts. In the first, the hero, Astucia (Astuteness), is the leader
of a band of tobacco smugglers who, betrayed by one of their own, are wiped out in an ambush by authorities. Left for dead, Astucia miraculously recovers after three days and eventually escapes. In the second
section, he becomes the dominant figure in an idealistic, closed society in an isolated valley. Eventually,
however, the experiment fails and Astucia fakes his own death in order to pursue other goals.
Inclán wrote this novel against the background of the French Intervention and published it in the
final months before the collapse of Maximilian’s Empire. The work even bears the invader’s copyright;
apparently some of the political subtext went over the censors’ heads. The text is an important one,
embodying essential Mexican characteristics that were in danger of fading away, either through assimilation or outright destruction. The work is obviously influenced by Dumas’ Three Musketeers, whose
“All for one, one for all” motto Astucia’s band adopts. Nevertheless, the novel is hardly a slavish imitation of the French work and sets out in its own unique way to capture what Inclán believes to be essential characteristics of Mexican society that must be preserved and nurtured. As Juan Pablo Dabove
remarks: “Astucia establishes a cluster of features that convert the charro into a mass-media icon. Rural,
light skinned, mestizo, equestrian, male, insurgent, traditional, oral and artisan. He is the ultimate representation of Mexicanness” (Nightmares of the Lettered City: Banditry and Literature in Latin America,
1816-1929, University of Pittsburg Press, 2007, p. 131; Chapter 7 has a long discussion entitled “Astucia,
Banditry and Insurgent Utopia,” pp. 129-145, in which the author refers to the book as “a key work in
nineteenth century Mexican literature, although often for the wrong reasons”). Operating outside society yet at the same time thoroughly integrated into it, Astucia is brought down not by any fatal flaw of
his own but rather by the machinations of characters who represent all that is bad and flawed in the
Mexican social system. The novel contains strains of both realism and idealism, skillfully woven
together in a fast-moving, thrilling tale of adventure.
The text is also a vital treasury of Mexicanisms and other native expressions in use at the time. As
such, its influence has been widespread and persistent. Juan Pablo Dabove remarks: “The novel is an
accomplished ethnography of rural speech, to the point of being a major source of the Mexicanisms that
Joaquín García Icazbalceta records in his 1899 Diccionario de mexicanismos” (p. 131). It has proved useful
in this respect for decades, with constant reprintings keeping it alive. It is apparent that Inclán himself
appreciated the importance of the native linguistics employed in the novel, as he also supposedly compiled a dictionary of Mexicanisms. Unfortunately, no copy is known to exist; the manuscript of this
work was probably lost in an 1884 fire at his son’s house.
The unsigned lithographs are important adjuncts to the text, serving not only to illustrate the plot
but also to capture many aspects of Mexican costume, furnishings, charro equipage, and other material
culture, as well as social customs of the time. The many images in these two volumes make them important examples of the work of Inclán’s lithographic press. A large number of them depict violent or otherwise disturbing scenes. Although some of the subjects are more innocuous, one cannot help but be
taken aback by the amount of work devoted to rather grim subjects, such as a woman choking or a man
being hung upside down in a tree.
In “The Mexican Novela de Costumbres” (Hispania, 8:5, November 1925, p. 289), Arthur H. Seymour
comments on the work of Inclán and other Mexican novelists: “The Mexican novels offer us a fairly
adequate mirror of the life of the people for the past one hundred years. One distinguishing characteristic of them is a fatalistic melancholy that is native to Mexican soil, and inherent in the Indian character. It is noticeable from Fernández de Lizardi to Federico Gamboa, and decidedly pronounced in the
works of Inclán, Payno, Altamirano, Rabasa, and Delgado.”
($1,500-3,000)
Laying the Atlantic Cable
239. INDIA RUBBER, GUTTA PERCHA, AND TELEGRAPH WORKS COMPANY, LIMITED. Central and South American Cable Expedition, 1881-1882. Pacific Side. Presented by the India Rubber, Gutta Percha, and Telegraph Works Co., Limited. N.p., n.d. [London? 1882]. [i-v] vi-xv [1, blank], 1450, [2], 1-54 pp. 8vo (22 × 14 cm), original blue cloth, beveled edges, a.e.g., lettered in gilt on upper
cover: “Presented by The Indian Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Works Co., Limited, Central and
South American Pacific Side. 1882 Cable Expedition. No. 14.” A fairly disreputable copy of a very rare
book (we found no copies on OCLC or in the British Library). Covers abraded, text block separated
from binding, title browned and with one small hole. Occasional contemporary manuscript corrections
(pp. 375-379, 387-389, 393-397, 403-419, 444-445). Signed presentation copy, on front free endpaper: “To
Martin L. Hillings by Key West, Silverton 9th Sept. 1884, Robert Kaye Gray.” Gray (1851-1914) was a
Scottish engineer who served as Telegraphic Engineer-in-Chief for the India Rubber, Gutta Percha,
and Telegraph Works and was involved in the 1881-1882 laying of the Central and South American Telegraph Company’s cable. It seems likely the manuscript corrections are those of Gray.
First edition. Not in standard sources. In 1854 New York merchant and financier Cyrus W. Field had
the original idea for an Atlantic Cable that would speed the time of communication between Europe and
America to hours rather than weeks, which would offer multiple benefits, among them commercial and
military. Field’s idea, sometimes referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, was not fully realized until
the project described in the present work. The original contract made by the India Rubber, Gutta Percha,
and Telegraph Works Company for 2,726 nautical miles of cable was signed on August 13, 1881, and fulfilled exactly one year later on August 13, 1882. The book contains a general introduction to the project and
is followed by the diaries of the Engineers on the various ships, including Robert Kaye Gray who was in
charge of the Central and South American segment of the Atlantic Cable project. Following the diaries
are documents relating to the expedition and technical reports. This is a minute, precise report on the project that expedited international communication by a quantum leap.
($150-300)
Valuable Mexican Geographical and Statistical Periodical—Excellent Maps
240. INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE GEOGRAFÍA Y ESTADÍSTICA DE REPÚBLICA MEXICANA. Boletín del Instituto Nacional de Geografía y Estadística de la República, presentado al Supremo Gobierno de la Nación por la Junta Menor del mismo Cuerpo. Mexico: Tipografía de R. Rafael, Calle de Cadena
número 13, [1849]-1850. 4 parts in one vol.: Part I: [1-3] 4-72 pp.; Part II: [2] [i] ii-iv, [3] 4-68 pp.; Part
III: [1] 2-39 [1, blank] pp.; Part IV: [1] 2-114, [2], 113-325 [1, blank] pp., numerous letterpress tables, 13
folded lithograph maps and profiles, some in color (see below). 8vo (22 × 15 cm), contemporary brown
sheep over black and red mottled boards, spine lettered and ruled in gilt. Head of spine chipped, binding worn, corners bumped. Interior fine save for a few light spots and occasional foxing. Maps and
profiles excellent. Rare.
maps, profiles & plate
Istmo de Tehuantepec por Juan de Orbegozo. [below neat line] Lito. de Salazar. Neat line to neat line: 32 ×
25.4 cm. Folded map.
Perfil del Istmo de Tehuantepec.... [below profile] Por Juan de Orbegozo. Overall sheet size: 37.2 × 45 cm.
Folded profile.
Guanajuato divido en sus cuatro departamentos ó prefecturas. [below neat line] B.B. delin. 1849 | Lit de
Salazar. Neat line to neat line: 21 × 22.5 cm. Folded map. Departments colored in outline.
Caverna de Cacahuamilpa. Image and title: 12.5 × 17.3 cm. Toned lithograph view, large cave entrance
with people milling about. The caverns in Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexico, are
among the largest in the world.
Carta del estado de Tamaulipas.... Neat line to neat line: 33.5 × 19.5 cm. Folded map. Tamaulipan borders
outlined in yellow. Texas is shown from north of the Nueces River to the border at the Rio Grande,
with the Nueces labelled: “Antiguo limite del estado de Tamaulipas.”
Mapa de México y algunos lugares inmediatos. Modelo. Folded circular map with Mexico City in center
with distances to Texcoco and other surrounding points. Overall sheet size: 34.3 × 29.5 cm.
Mapa del partido de del Distrito de ___ del Departamento del ___. Folded circular map form for completing. Overall sheet size: 34.63 × 31.5 cm.
Corte geológico del Distrito mineral del Fresnillo comprendiendo el Cerro de Proaño. Folded geological
profile, hand-colored. Profile and text below: 13 × 39.8 cm.
Mapa del estado de Michoacán. Folded map, borders in yellow. Neat line to neat line: 22.8 × 26.2 cm.
Plano del distrito de Aguascalientes perteneciente al Estado de Zacatecas.... Folded map. Neat line to neat
line: 22.6 × 19 cm.
Corte Geológico del camino de Méjico á la Hacienda de S. Servando de Tlahuelilpan. Folded geological
profile, hand colored. Neat line to neat line: 15.6 × 35 cm.
Mapa del Territorio de Colima formado con vista de los Harcot y Narvaez par L.B. Folded map. Neat line
to neat line: 19.3 × 32 cm.
Plano del Río Pánuco desde la barra de Tampico hasta el Rancho de Pujal en la entrada del de Villa y una parte
de este rio. Levantado de órden del Supremo Gobierno, por el capitán de Fragata D. Luis Valle. Folded map of
the course of the river as indicated. Overall sheet size: 32 × 41 cm.
First edition. Sabin 48307. See also: Enrique de Olavarría y Ferrari, La Sociedad mexicana de geografía
y estadística (Mexico: Oficina Tip. de la Secretaría y Fomento, 1901, pp. 52-53). James David Thompson,
Handbook of Learned Societies and Institutions: America (Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1908, pp.
469-470). This is a publication of the Sociedad Mexicana de Geográfica y Estadística founded in 1833
as the Instituto Nacional de Geografía y Estadística de la República and superceded in 1839 by the
Comisión de Estadística Militar. In 1849 the group reorganized once again and commenced an excellent publication program, beginning with this volume (with the second volume, the title of the periodical changed to Boletín de la Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística). Their goal was to investigate
Mexican geography and statistics and to act as advisors to the Mexican government.
This volume begins with an introduction and short history of the organization, and jumps right into
a statistical history of Mexico’s population beginning with Revillagigedo’s census of Mexico in 1793, followed by Humboldt, and carried up to the 1830s (included are statistics on California, New Mexico, and
Texas). The content is uniformly excellent with a variety of interesting articles, and the maps are
superb—highly detailed, professional, and masterfully lithographed (Hipólito Salazar is credited on a
few of them).
($750-1,500)
Very Rare Mexican Fandango Lithograph
241. IRIARTE, Hesiquio. El Fandango Mexicano. (El Jarave.) [signed in print in lower part of image
near center] Yriarte 1847. [below neat line] Lithg a. de M. Murguia. | Propriedad del Editor. | Iriarte
Invento. [Mexico: Murguía, 1847]. Uncolored lithograph of crowded fandango scene. Image: 25 × 38.5
cm; image and line border: 25.8 × 39.3 cm; image, border, and title: 28.5 × 39.3 cm; overall sheet size: 36.5
× 53.5 cm. Moderately foxed (more noticeable in margins), light waterstaining affecting upper left section, four tears expertly repaired (mostly marginal, although one tear extends into image and title, but
without losses). Professionally washed and restored. Very rare, a remarkable survival.
First edition. Not in standard sources. This is a separately issued lithograph, not an individual plate
plucked from a lithographic album, such as the fandango plate in Castro’s México y sus alrededores albums
(1855-1856), which can be found separately on the market from time to time. This lithograph is the first
large-format lithograph of the Mexican fandango, and would serve as a model for subsequent fandango
plates, including an almost immediate knockoff by Currier and Ives (El Fandango Mexicano, El Jarave.
Mexican Fandango, 1848; see Item 242 following). It is interesting to speculate how Iriarte’s image came
so quickly into the hands of Currier and Ives, but perhaps someone who was in Mexico purchased the
print to bring back to the States. We do know that some of the Mexican lithographers whose presses
were not entirely co-opted by the U.S. Army made prints meant to appeal as souvenirs for soldiers to
purchase. Published accounts by U.S. soldiers document their warm memories of the fandango, so a fandango print would certainly be an appealing way for an enterprising Mexican lithographic shop to
divest the Yanquis of a few centavos. Enough diverting speculation, and on to the facts....
This lively image reflects the humanity, sociability, indomitable spirit, and material culture of the
Mexico we love. In a large, high-ceiling hall is a teeming crowd of happy revelers—drinking, preparing
food, eating, playing music, waving hats, singing, clapping hands, and at center, a beautifully attired coy
lady dancer with flirtatious eyes who daintily lifts her gorgeous skirt—just a little bit. Her handsome,
graceful, and virile partner dressed in full charro garb glances down at his partner’s delicate hands. The
details of costume of the dancers and onlookers are incredible. To the right of the dancing couple stands
another couple just as lavishly attired, but differently enough to interest someone studying costume history or china poblana. The man is smoking, and behind the couple is another lady who is also smoking
(resonating Nebel’s provocative image of Mexican female smokers; see Item 435 herein). On the wall at
the back hang a lasso, bridle, and spurs, and in the right foreground is a saddle, next to a cat hissing at
an indifferent dog. Details of the harp, mandolin, and guitar of the three seated musicians at left are
accurately delineated. Adorning the wall at left is an elegantly framed image of the Virgin of
Guadalupe, below which are a crucifix and three other prints or sketches tacked to the wall. The print
recedes at the center rear to a large open wooden door, revealing a landscape suffused in light and a
grand pile of Mexican colonial architecture atop a high hill.
One can only wonder how it could be that such a joyful image was created by a Mexican in the midst
of the horrors and tragedies of the Yanqui Invasión.
The image was created by Hesiquio Iriarte (ca. 1820-1897?), who was, arguably, the finest lithographer
in nineteenth-century Mexico. Iriarte’s earliest major productions were the numerous plates in the
extraordinary four-volume El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Mexico: Ignacio Cumplido,
1842) and lithographs in El Gallo Pitagórico (Mexico: Ignacio Cumplido, 1845). He also produced excellent plates for Apuntes Históricos de la Heroica Ciudad de Vera-Cruz (Mexico: Ignacio Cumplido, 1850)
with an extraordinary portrait of Fernando Cortés, De Miramar a México (Orizaba: J. Bernardo Aburto,
1864) with an outstanding image of Maximilian, and La Orquesta: Periódico omniscio, de buen humor y con
caricaturas, the first Mexican periodical to employ graphic political satire in a significant way, and a premier illustrated political periodical for any time or place in history [see our Auction 21, Item 218]. Spanning a half-century, the role of Iriarte in Mexican lithography cannot be overstated. See Mathes, Mexico on Stone, and Dicc. Porrúa for more on Iriarte.
In 1847 Iriarte joined Manuel Murguía’s newly established typography and lithography shop at Portal
del Águila de Oro (Mathes, Mexico on Stone, p. 24, Dicc. Porrúa). The long-lived Murguía firm created
some marvelous lithographic books, such as Los Mexicanos Pintados por sí mismos (1854-1855) and Los Conventos Suprimidos de México (1861; see Item 483 herein). The Murguía firm was also a prolific publisher of
sheet music, some of which featured illustrations of different types of dance. Here Murguìa’s scores of lithographed music and dance are visually brought to life for the pleasure of the viewer.
($3,000-6,000)
Fandango Gringo Style—Currier Knock-Off
242. [IRIARTE, Hesiquio (after)]. CURRIER, N[athaniel]. El Fandango Mexicano, El Jarave | Mexican
Fandango, 1848 [signed in print at lower right in image] J.G. [below image] Lith. & Pub. by Currier, | 152
Nassau St. Cor. of Spruce N.Y. [below title] 633. [New York, 1848]. Toned lithograph with original hand coloring. Image: 20.7 × 31.9 cm; image and line border: 21.2 × 32.3 cm; image, border, and title: 32.1 × 32.3 cm;
overall sheet size: 32.5 × 43.7 cm. Slightly browned at top blank margin, lower left blank margin has small
area scrubbed from surface, scattered light marginal staining, overall good condition and fresh colors.
First U.S. edition. Peters, Currier & Ives 584. A smaller scale knock-off of Iriarte’s original Mexican
edition of the previous year (see Item 241 herein), this print is one of the few Mexican scenes published
by the N. Currier firm that does not depict Mexican-American War scenes. It is, however, basically a
somewhat faithful reproduction of Iriarte’s original, lacking the finesse and technical proficiency of its
original.
($600-800)
Presentation Copy from One Giant of Modern Art to Another
Kandinsky’s Signed Presentation Copy to Diego Rivera
243. [KANDINSKY, WASSILY]. GROHMANN, Will, F. Morlion & Georges Marlier. Sélection
chronique de la vie artistique. Antwerp: Éditions Sélection, 1933. [1-2] 3-96, [4] pp., numerous text illustrations, many full-page and on coated paper, including a half-tone photographic portrait of the artist.
8vo (25.4 × 18.2 cm), full contemporary smooth-finish Mexican sheep with gilt decorated borders on
covers, spine lettered in gilt, raised bands, brown marbled endpapers. Spine rubbed, upper joint beginning to split (but strong). Other than a few stains to interior, a fine, desirable copy—Kandinsky’s presentation copy signed in pencil to Diego Rivera, dated at Berlin in 1933.
First edition. The pamphlet is a periodical that came out from 1920-1933 with focus on modern art
and artists. This number is devoted to Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), Russian painter, printmaker and
art theorist—among the most famous twentieth-century artists and a pioneer of modern abstract art.
The periodical came out in 1933, when the Nazis closed down the Bauhaus school of art and architecture, prompting Kandinsky to move to France, where he lived the rest of his life.
This issue includes an homage to Kandinsky written by Diego Rivera, the best-known Latin American artist, who made early contact with the modern movement in Paris. Rivera made his famous assessment of Kandinsky in the present work (translated in part):
I know of nothing more real than the painting of Kandinsky—nor anything more true and nothing more beautiful. A painting by Kandinsky gives no image of earthly life—it is life itself. If one
painter deserves the name ‘creator,’ it is he. He organizes matter as matter was organized, otherwise the Universe would not exist. He opened a window to look inside the All. Someday, Kandinsky will be the best known and best loved of men.
($750-1,000)
Promotional Newspaper for Kansas Pacific RR Company Lands: With Map
244. KANSAS PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY. LAND DEPARTMENT. Newspaper with map
and two views: Kansas Pacific Homestead. Sent Free to Any One on Application. Salina, Kansas November, 1877.
[bird’s-eye view below masthead, 12 × 37.5 cm] View of the Donmeyer Colony, in 1874 [map spreading across
top of pp. 2-3, neat line to neat line: 16.5 × 68.5 cm] [above map] The Shaded Belt Indicates the Lands for
Sale—Six Million Acres. Rand McNally Co. [title in cartouche with buffalo and scene with train] Map of the
Kansas Pacific Railway and Its Connections Map Showing the Kansas Pacific and Denver Pacific Railway
Lands, and How to Reach Them. [view on p. 4; 10 × 16.1 cm] Valley of Cedar Creek, Russell County, Kansas. A
Characteristic view of the Agricultural and Grazing Lands of the Kansas Pacific Railway. Salina, Kansas, 1877.
4 pp. on single double folio sheet (61 × 86.3 cm; folded to 61 × 43 cm), printed in four columns. Creased at
folds and a few minor losses, a few stains, overall a good to very good copy of an ephemeral publication.
Contemporary purple stamp at top right of first page: H.C. Hoagland Agent. Delhi, N.Y.
First edition of a rare promotional newspaper with a map of the Kansas Pacific railroad. Eberstadt
137:546. OCLC locates one copy each of the issues for 1876 and 1879 (both located at the Denver Public Library). Opening statement at top of first column on p. 1:
THE KANSAS PACIFIC HOMESTEAD is published by the Land Department of the Kansas
Pacific Railway Company, to supply the large and increasing demand for information respecting
Kansas, and especially the magnificent body of lands granted by Congress in aid of the construction of its road. This grant comprises over five million acres of land....
Every inducement for settlement along the lands of the Kansas Pacific Railroad is set forth, including stock raising, with discussion of luxuriant grazing pastures, the position of the line as the depot for
transportation of cattle, the advantages of cross-breeding domestic stock with Texas longhorns, the
Herd Law, etc. The map shows railroad routes from the east coast to the west, rises in elevation (including the Llano Estacado), cattle trails, states, cities, forts, etc. The area of land for sale is mostly between
Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Kansas City, Missouri. On the inner margins of pages 2 and 3 is reference to
another map that may be obtained: Large Sectional Map Showing the Railroad and Government Lands
will be Sent Free on application to S.J. Gilmore, Land Commissioner, Salina, Kansas.
($300-600)
Superb Copy of One of the Fifty Texas Rarities
“One of the Best Campaign Narratives Ever Written”
245. KENDALL, Geo[rge] Wilkins. Narrative of the Texan Santa Fé Expedition, Comprising a Description
of a Tour through Texas, and across the Great Southwestern Prairies, the Camanche [sic] and Caygüa HuntingGrounds, with an Account of the Sufferings from Want of Food, Losses from Hostile Indians, and Final Capture
of the Texans, and Their March, as Prisoners, to the City of Mexico. With Illustrations and a Map. By Geo.
Wilkins Kendall. New York: Harper and Brothers, 82 Cliff-Street, 1844. Vol. I: [2], [i]-xii, [13]-405 [1, blank]
pp., engraved folding map, 2 engraved plates; Vol. II: [i]-xii, [11]-406 pp., 3 engraved plates. 2 vols., 8vo (25
× 13.6 cm), publisher’s original ribbed embossed dark brown cloth, spines lettered in gilt, each with gilt
illustration of a buffalo hunt. Except for minor outer wear, a very fine, fresh, tight copy with exceptionally
bright gilt stamping on spine; interior, plates, and map excellent (free of the usual foxing), all tissue guards
present. Ink ownership inscription of Charles J. Buchanan, Albany, New York, dated November 18, 1900
(signature repeated in gutter margin of p. 43 of each volume). Buchanan was an attorney in Albany. Vol.
II with contemporary pencil signature of John Cramer (1779-1870), U.S. Representative from New York.
This set is not particularly difficult to find, but seldom is it encountered in such fine condition.
map
Texas and Part of Mexico & The United States, showing the Route of The First Santa Fé Expedition, Drawn
& Engd. by W. Kemble N. York. [below neat line] Harper & Brothers, New York. 39.2 × 29 cm. In two
places the map extends beyond neat line. On thin paper.
plates
A Scamper Among The Buffalo. [lower left] J.G. Chapman. [lower right] Jordan & Halpin. R. Miller
Printer. Image area: 9.6 × 15 cm.
Incident On The Prairies. [lower left] J.W. Casilear. [lower right] Jordan & Halpin. [lower right below
title] R. Miller Printer. Image area: 8.9 × 14.7 cm.
The Puente Nacional, Or National Bridge. New York, Harper & Brothers. [lower left] Altered from Ward
[lower right] Engraved by A.L. Dick. [lower right below title] R. Miller, Printer. 9 × 14.5 cm.
City of Guanajuato. [lower left] Altered from Ward [lower right] Engraved by A.L. Dick. [lower right
below title]: R. Miller Printer. 9 × 14.7 cm.
Mexican Girls. Costumes of the Poblanas. Harper & Brothers New-York [lower left] Adapted from Nebel
[lower right] Eng. by A. Halbert. [lower right below title] R. Miller, Printer. 13.8 × 9.5 cm.
First edition, first issue (“1844” gilt stamped at foot of spine of each volume) of the best account of the
abortive 1841 Republic of Texas expedition to establish jurisdiction over Santa Fe. The first issue is distinguished by the gilt stamping of 1844 at the foot of the spine of each volume (rebound copies thus are
indistinguishable as first or later issue). Alliot, p. 122. Basic Texas Books 116. Bradford 2809. Clark, Old
South 3:188. Dobie, p. 56. Eberstadt, Texas 162:456. Field 818. Fifty Texas Rarities 26. Graff 2304. Holli-
day Sale 601. Howes K75. Jones 1089. Kelsey, Engraved Prints of Texas 1554-1900, p. 39: “A significant
illustrated book”; Figures 3.59 & 3.60. LC, Texas Centennial Exhibition 122. Martin & Martin 34 (citing
the map). Palau 127837. Plains & Rockies IV:110:1. Rader 2157. Raines, p. 131: “‘As a writer,’ says Dr. Randall, ‘he...possessed the art of giving the most dry details all the vivid interest of a well-told tale. His
style was vigorous, direct, and crisp, while it had a most captivating ease and unstudiedness; and gleams
of quaint and irresistable humor.’” Rittenhouse 347. Sabin 37360. Saunders 2998. Streeter 1515. Streeter
Sale 379. Tate, The Indians of Texas: An Annotated Research Bibliography 2093. Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West #483 & Vol. II, p. 188.
Kendall (1809-1867) learned the printing trade in his native New England before moving to New
Orleans, where he founded the Picayune newspaper in 1837. Interested in Texas, he joined the Texas
Santa Fe Expedition in 1841, was captured and then imprisoned in Mexico along with the rest of the
Texans, even though he was a non-combatant and a U.S. citizen. Released in May of 1842, he returned
to his newspaper in New Orleans, but by 1846 was back in Texas and Mexico as a volunteer in Scott’s
army, participating in several battles including the storming of Monterrey. His dispatches from the front
lines made him famous. One of the cornerstone books of the Mexican-American War was his splendid
portfolio with art work by Carl Nebel (see Item 399 herein). By 1852, after spending time in Europe, he
was back in Texas raising sheep, one of the earliest settlers to do so. His sheep ranch prospered, and
Kendall County, Texas, was named for him after his death. He is considered both the father of the sheep
industry in Texas and the first modern war correspondent.
The map by W. Kemble accompanying the book exhibits no geographic advances, but Martin and
Martin include it in their selection of important maps for Texas and the Southwest because it “stimulated renewed interest in Texas and represented another major step toward the inevitable solution to the
Texas question later in the decade” (p. 131). In his introduction, Kendall states that he based his map on
those of Josiah Gregg and Albert Pike. He comments: “Of course, in the construction of this map, much
of what the Yankees term ‘guess work’ has been resorted to; but it will be found, in the main, correct.”
In a departure from the more customary nineteenth-century practice of borrowing images without
acknowledging the artists, Kendall graciously identifies the sources for the superb engravings in his book,
the use of which was probably arranged by his publishers. He states that artist John G. Chapman (18081889; Hamilton, Early American Book Illustrators and Wood Engravers I, pp. 90-91) created the classic frontispiece, A Scamper Among The Buffalo. Although Kendall says the plate arises from Chapman’s fertile
imagination, the scene depicted is quite similar to a buffalo hunt described in the book (Vol. II, pp. 236241). A reduced detail from this plate is reproduced on the spines. John William Casilear, landscape
painter (1811-1893; Hamilton, Early American Book Illustrators and Wood Engravers, Vol. I, pp. 88-89), drew
the plate of Native Americans entitled Incident On The Prairies. The Puente Nacional and City of Guanajuato are based on lithographs found in Henry George Ward’s Mexico in 1827 (London, 1828; see Item 554
herein), which were from an original art work by Ward’s wife, Lady Emily Elizabeth Swinburne Ward.
The final iconic plate of intriguing Mexican girls smoking in a doorway was reworked from a lithograph
in Carlos Nebel’s Voyage pittoresque et archaéologique dans la partie la plus interessante du Méxique (see Item
435 herein). Few plates of nineteenth-century Mexico were recycled and reworked by other publishers as
frequently as this charming image, which must have struck U.S. readers as either exotic or scandalous.
Nebel subsequently collaborated with Kendall on their magnificent portfolio on the Mexican-American
War (see Item 399 herein).
($2,800-3,400)
British Kendall
246. KENDALL, George W[ilkins]. Narrative of an Expedition across the Great South-Western Prairies,
from Texas to Santa Fé; With an Account of the Disasters which Befel the Expedition from Want of Food and
the Attacks of Hostile Indians; the Final Capture of the Texans and Their Sufferings on a March of Two Thousand Miles as Prisoners of War, and in the Prisons and Lazarettos of Mexico. By George W. Kendall. In Two
Volumes. London: David Bogue, Fleet Street, 1845. Vol. I: [i-iii] iv-xii, [13] 14-432 pp., engraved frontispiece, 1 folded lithograph map; Vol. II: [i-iii] iv-viii, [13] 14-436 pp., engraved frontispiece. 2 vols.,
12mo (16.9 × 10.7 cm), publisher’s bright red cloth, blind-embossed covers, spines lettered in gilt. Binding with a few mild stains, earlier touch-up of light abrasions to binding, front hinge of Vol. II cracked
but holding strong. Text, plates, and map fine. Overall a very good copy.
map
Texas and Part of Mexico & the United States, Showing the Route of the First Santa Fe Expedition. [below
neat line] D. Bogue, 86 Fleet Street. | J.R. Jobbins, lith. 39.6 × 29.1 cm; overall sheet size: 42.5 × 31.6 cm.
The map extends beyond neat line at New Orleans area. Printed on medium weight wove paper.
frontispieces
Untitled scene of buffalo hunt. Image area: 8.5 × 12.8 cm. This plate corresponds to the image A Scamper Among The Buffalo in the first issue of Kendall’s Narrative.
Costume of the Poblanos. Image area: 13.2 × 8.9 cm; image & title: 14.2 × 8.9 cm. This plate corresponds
to the image Mexican Girls. Costumes of the Poblanas in the first issue of Kendall’s Narrative.
Second English edition of preceding entry. Basic Texas Books 116C. Streeter 1515B. Here the map is
lithographed rather than engraved.
($250-500)
Chromolithograph Kickapoo War Game Depicting the Battle of Dove Creek
Rare Texas Lithograph
247. [KICKAPOO WAR GAME]. La Guerra de los Kikapoos. [chromolithograph pictorial game] Lit.
Debray Sucr. esquina Portal coliseo viejo 6. y callejón Espíritu Santo. México. Propiedad de los Editores [below
image] Explicación.... Mexico, n.d. [ca. 1870s]. Chromolithograph broadside pictorial game with rules
for playing printed in letterpress beneath image. Neat line to neat line: 29.2 × 29.2 cm. Sheet size: 44.6
× 32.8 cm. Creased where formerly folded with some minor losses at folds. Margins with a few short
tears not affecting image. Lower left blank corner wanting. Light overall browning with some minor
foxing. Verso with ink spots. Overall a very good copy with bright coloring. Very rare ephemera.
Unrecorded. This game appears to depict a scene from the Battle of Dove Creek, Texas (near present-day San Angelo), which occurred on January 8, 1865, in which the Kickapoo inflicted a decisive
defeat on a combined Confederate and militia force. The Kickapoo forces are shown on the near side
of the creek and the opposing forces on the far side. Several Kickapoo ford the creek toward their opponents. The opposing Anglo forces have considerably more dead and wounded than do the Kickapoo,
and the left side of their line is fleeing in disarray. After the battle, the Kickapoo quickly retreated into
Mexico, their original destination when they were attacked. This battle marked the beginning of a long
period of conflict between Texans and the Kickapoo. Prior to the Battle of Dove Creek, the Kickapoo
were considered peaceful. An attack upon them was unnecessary since they were merely returning to
their reservation in Mexico to escape the dissension and violence of the Civil War. See Handbook of
Texas Online: Battle of Dove Creek.
The game is played on a grid of bright red circles interconnected by red lines. Four lines of battle on
each side are numbered one to four. Meant for two players, each starts with sixteen soldiers and two
commanders, the soldiers situated on lines one and two and the commanders on three and four. The
soldiers may move to the left and right; the commanders may move in any direction. The game is played
like checkers, from which it is probably derived; the person with the most pieces remaining who reaches
Line One of the enemy’s position is the winner.
Mexican lithographer Victor Debray continued to work on his own after he and Decaen dissolved
their partnership in 1868. Among their outstanding lithographic productions was Castro’s México y sus
alrededores, a work W. Michael Mathes refers to as “the most important work illustrating Mexico in the
nineteenth century” (Mexico on Stone, p. 30). The ca. 1875 full-color edition of that work includes a plate
entitled Indiens Kikapoos... (perhaps the earliest lithograph made in Mexico from a daguerreotype)
showing a group of Kickapoo in tribal dress with runaway slaves from Texas who were living with the
tribe. The Kickapoo, a branch of the central Algonquin, in 1809 ceded to the U.S. their lands in Illinois
and lived successively in Missouri, Kansas, East Texas, and Mexico. The tribe survives today, dividing
its time between their lands at El Nacimiento in Mexico and in southern Texas near the international
bridge at Piedras Negras.
Although not openly stated, this game would seem to be a Mexican satire on the Texans and their
defeat. In any case, this broadside clearly shows Native Americans winning this battle.
($500-1,000)
Rusticatio Mexicana
A Mexican Epic by the National Poet of Guatemala
248. LANDÍVAR Y BUSTAMANTE, Rafael. Rusticatio Mexicana. Editio altera auctior, et emendatior.
Boniniae: Ex Typographia S. Thomae Aquinatis, MDCCLXXXII. [Bologna, 1782]. [i-ii] iii-xxviii, 1209 pp., 3 copper-engraved plates. 8vo (20.3 × 13 cm), contemporary mottled calf, spine gilt decorated
and with gilt-lettered morocco label. Lightly rubbed and slightly shelf worn, label chipped, front hinge
open but holding; light foxing throughout, including plates, upper gutter margins with slight waterstaining, light abrasion on title, otherwise very good. With old ink signature of P. el S. Dn. Palacios on
front free endpaper, marca de fuego of V. Raga on upper text block edge, and one ink manuscript word
on p. 25.
plates
(neat line to neat line), all signed L.C. s.
Trapetum commune (8 × 12.6 cm) [animal powered mill].
Trapetum aquarium (8 × 12.8 cm) [water powered mill].
Volantum ludus (12.7 × 8 cm) [flying acrobats, i.e., voladores, as still practiced in Papantla near El Tajín].
Second edition, considerably expanded over the first of 1781 published at Modena. Because of the expansions made in this 1782 edition, the first of 1781 is almost forgotten. Both editions are very rare. No copy of
either is recorded in auction records for the past thirty years. Backer II, p. 342. Beristáin II, p. 129. Leclerc,
Bibliotheca Americana (1867) 830 & Leclerc, Bibliotheca Americana...Deux Amériques (1878-1881) 1173. Medina, Hispano-Americana 5004. Palau 131046. Porrúa 7316. Ramírez 429. Sabin 38839. See also: Eladio Cortés,
Dictionary of Mexican Literature (Greenwood Press, 1992), p. 359: “Stands as one of Spanish America’s
greatest descriptive poems.... Rusticatio Mexicana is a grandiose hymn to America.” Andrew Laird, The
Epic of America: An Introduction to Rafael Landívar and the Rusticatio Mexicana (London: Duckworth,
2006): “Exceptional because it offers a unique perspective on a crucial transitional period in the history of
New Spain.... Rafael Landívar anticipated the modern quintessentially Latin American genre of magic
realism” (pp. 4-8). Alvaro Félix Bolaños & Gustavo Verdesio (editors), Colonialism Past and Present: Reading and Writing about Colonial Latin America Today (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002).
This famous American quasi-epic poem, influenced heavily by Virgil’s Georgics, asserts in a way previously unprecedented in European poetry the beauty, sublimity, and grandeur of American landscapes,
folkways, and natural phenomena, in part as a defense of them and in part an apologia against authors
such as De Pauw, who asserted that all things American were inferior and degenerate. (Landívar’s first
edition of 1781 coincided, ironically, with the year Thomas Jefferson composed his Notes on the State of
Virginia, also intended to refute the same theory, which was published in 1785.) In so doing, it asserts
and describes a country that is at once spectacularly wild but at the same time reflective of both natural and man-made order. Despite his enthusiasm for the wilds of American nature, the author is
restrained by Classical influences and never wanders too far into what might be properly called Romanticism, with its own peculiar sense of a world untamed, unknowable, and better left as found. That he
chose to write in Latin rather than Spanish indicates the direction and audience to which he tends.
Despite the far-ranging nature of his work, he closes with a description of the miracle of the Prodigious Grass Cross of Tepic, into which he leads by declaring: “Thus far I have been telling of the flower
gardens which grow in the middle of the lakes, of Vulcan’s wrath, of waters streaming from the hills, of
cloth steeped in various dyes, of the deep haunts of the beaver, and of metals tore from the mountain.
I have explained how to refine sugar, how to learn the ways of herds and flocks, and after telling of the
fountains, I have described the birds and beasts and shown how to relieve the worries of the mind with
merriment and sport.” At this point, his religious fervor clearly asserts itself, and he bids the Muses be
silent: “But in order that no corruption may defile my mind or worldly song be able to profane that
which is sacred, begone, O Aonian sisters, and let the Delphian bard be constrained to hold his silence
and to put aside his Castalian waters, eithara, and songs. Do thou alone, Almighty Wisdom of the
Supreme Father....be gracious unto me as with trembling hand I play the lyre in celebration of the
unfailing memorial of thy glorious triumph” (Regenos’ translation).
And thus it is in the final analysis. Although Landívar is both a poet and a scholar, at heart he is a
Jesuit, and everything he describes and interprets must be seen through the prism of God’s greatness,
goodness, mercy, and power. Without that foundation, nothing in Landívar’s world would make sense
or even be explicable. Although Classical forms may well serve to describe the world, in the end it is
the religious motif that must triumph, and all other voices must be silent before its power. His predecessor Ercilla struggled with, in the late sixteenth century, some of the same contradictions and concepts in his powerful poem, La Araucana, wherein nature almost seemed to betray the Spanish in their
righteous conquest, and their foes were ennobled in many of the same ways found in descriptions of
Classical heroes. In the end, however, only religion unites and explains the world and man’s place in it.
Landívar (1731-1793) was a highly educated Guatemalan who emigrated to Mexico after his parents
died. Once in Mexico, he formally entered the Jesuit order and later held numerous positions in the
church. He left America with the expulsion of his order and wrote this famous poem in Europe, never
returning to America. Known as the national poet of Guatemala, his remains were returned there from
Italy in 1950. Guatemala’s first private university is named after him. He is best known for this work,
which was not completely translated into Spanish until 1924.
($2,000-4,000)
True Crime in Pennsylvania
249. [LAROS, ALLEN C.]. The Laros Murder. A Whole Family Poisoned by an Ungrateful Son. Full Particulars. The Arrest and Confession of the Prisoner, Funeral Services, and both Sermons in Full, with Incidents,
Interviews, &c. Easton, Pa.: West & Hilburn, Publishers, 1876. [2], 3-36 pp., wood-engraved text illustrations (some full page) of the family’s last supper, various scenes of the crime, funeral, and trial. 8vo
(21.5 × 13.7 cm), original grey pictorial wrappers with text: Eine Familie von einem Sohn Vergiftet. Laros
Tragedy...A Whole Family Poisoned by a Son; upper cover with large wood-engraved portrait: Allen C.
Laros, the Poisoner; illustration on rear wrap: A correct view of the Forks Township Church—Where the Victims are Buried. Fragile wraps moderately soiled and chipped (most noticeable at corners), back repeatedly stamped Clara S. Snyder. Very scarce: Library of Congress, University of Michigan (Clements),
and Lafayette College (Easton, Pennsylvania).
First edition of an account of true crime in Pennsylvania. Another undated work (The Murderer, Allen
C. Laros....A Whole Family Poisoned, Full Particulars of the Greatest Crime Ever Committed) consists of 26
pages published by the Daily Express of Easton, Pennsylvania (McDade 585). McDade (583) lists an
entirely different work, dated 1877 and with 284 pp. and extracts from the legal proceedings. McDade,
The Annals of Murder 584: “In Northampton county, Pennsylvania, Laros, a twenty-two-year-old
teacher, put four and one-half ounces (equal to over two thousand grains) of arsenic in the family coffeepot, killing his parents and a hired man; his two brothers and two sisters were made ill but lived. He
had stolen $330 from money kept in house. A defense of insanity did not convince.” Portions of the text
are in German, such as the funeral sermon, for which there is a translation into English.
This crime was notorious, with legal and psychological interest evoked early on. For instance, in 1880
there was published in London the following study by Edward C. Mann, Psychological Aspect of the Laros
Case: On the Trial of Allen C. Laros, at Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., for the Murder of his Father, Martin
Laros, by Poison, the Defence being Based upon the Allegation of Epileptic Insanity. The case has also been
cited in publications on medical forensics. See W.C. Posey and W.G. Spiller, The Eye and Nervous System, Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1906, p. 736, in which the authors cite Laros feigned attempt at epilepsy.
($150-300)
Superlative Photographs of Yosemite & the High Sierras in 1870
“One of the Greatest Classics of Early Californian Mountain Travel”—Neate
250. [LE CONTE, Joseph]. A Journal of Ramblings through the High Sierras of California by the “University Excursion Party.” San Francisco: Francis & Valentine, Commercial Printing House, 517 Clay Street,
1875. 103 [1, blank] pp., text printed within ruled borders, 9 mounted albumen prints by John James
Reilly (uncredited) within red line borders, captions beneath printed in red. 8vo (24 × 14 cm), original
blue gilt-lettered cloth, blind-stamped ruling on covers (professionally re-cased). Binding darkened,
corners renewed, light shelf wear, short tear to blank outer margin of frontispiece (no loss), a few ink
stains (leaf 51/52). Several manuscript corrections in ink. The photographs are unusually fine, with excellent contrast. Contemporary pencil ownership inscription of C[harles] Palache, dated December 20,
1889, and pencil price of ten cents. Palache (1869-1954) was an eminent student of mineralogy and crystallography. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with a Ph.D. in 1894, he
eventually moved to Harvard, where he spent the remainder of his career. In addition to his teaching
and research duties, he was instrumental in building Harvard’s Mineralogical Museum into one of the
most outstanding collections of this type in the world. In 1889, Palache went by horseback to the Sierras with Le Conte.
albumen prints
Phelps. Bolton. Perkins. Prof. Le Conte. Soulé Linderman. Cobb. Stone. Hawkins. Pomeroy. Great Yosemite
Fall. 2,634 Feet High. 10.5 × 8 cm. Frontispiece.
The Grizzly Giant. 110 Feet in Circumference, 33 Feet in Diameter. 10.5 × 8 cm. Facing p. 27.
The High Sierras, From Glacier Point. Nevada Fall, 700 Feet High. Vernal Fall, 350 Feet High. 10.5 × 8 cm.
Facing p. 33.
The Gates of the Valley. From Inspiration Point. El Capitan, 3300 Feet High. The Three Graces. Bridal Veil
Fall. 10.5 × 8 cm. Facing p. 41.
Bridal Veil Fall. 940 Feet High. 10.5 × 8 cm. Facing p. 47.
The Heart of the Sierras. Lake Tenaya. 10.5 × 8 cm. Facing p. 53.
Day-Dawn in Yosemite. The Merced River. 10.5 × 8 cm. Facing p. 77.
Linderman, Dolly Ann Scabgrider. Cobb, Snipper-Snapper. Bolton, Old Shoveler. North Dome, 3,725 Feet
High. South (Half ) Dome, 6,000 Feet High. 10.5 × 8 cm. Facing p. 91. Three riders are identified and their
horses named.
Montgomery St., San Francisco. Where Our Trip Ended. 10.2 × 8.5 cm. Facing p. 103.
First edition. Cowan I, p. 137 (stating that only 20 copies were printed, an assertion absent in his second edition). Cowan II, p. 387. Currey & Kruska 230. Farquhar, Yosemite 14a: “The original edition was
printed for the members of the party, ten in number. Professor Le Conte’s son, Joseph N. Le Conte,
tells me that he thinks twelve copies were made for each of them.... Nothing can quite equal the charm
of the original thin blue volume with its photographs.” Howes L175. Kurutz, California Books Illustrated
with Original Photographs 1856-1890 #27. Neate, Mountaineering and Its Literature 451: “The book is
regarded as one of the greatest classics of early Californian mountain travel.” Norris 2040.
Scientist and savant Le Conte (1823-1901) was one of the first important scholars of geology and
natural history in California. This 1870 excursion was actually something of a teaching trip. The party
spent some time with John Muir, whose encounter with Le Conte on this trip provided an interesting
outlet for Muir’s theory of the glacial origin of Yosemite, which Le Conte mentions several times in
this work. Le Conte and Muir became fast friends after this encounter and subsequently worked
together on many important scientific investigations. Le Conte, a founding member of the Sierra
Club, often returned to Yosemite to conduct research and was an ardent promoter of its preservation.
Appropriately, he died in Yosemite Valley. The Le Conte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite was erected by
the Sierra Club in his honor.
Eight of these marvelous photographs depict natural scenery (often including members of the excursion party). The last, however, shows Montgomery Street in San Francisco and includes an exterior view
of Bradley & Rulofson’s photographic studio. All of the photographs are by John James Reilly (Peter E.
Palmquist, editor, J.J. Reilly: A Stereoscopic Odyssey 1838-1894, Yuba City, California: Community Memorial Museum, 1989, pp. 11-12), although Le Conte did not credit Reilly in the book (a common practice
at the time). Somewhat dismissively, Le Conte recounts the taking of the frontispiece photograph:
We here had our party photographed in costume. The photographer is none of the best; but we
hope the picture will be a pleasure to our friends in Oakland.... As the most venerable of the party,
my position was in the middle, and my bald head, glistening in the sunshine, was supposed to give
dignity to the group.... Far in the background was the granite wall of Yosemite, and the wavy
white waters of the falls. The result is seen in the frontispiece.
Reilly published two other works on Yosemite that included photographs (see Currey & Kruska 281
and 282). In entry 281 they state: “John James Reilly (1838-1894) moved from Niagara Falls, New York
to California in 1870. He established the first photographic studio in Yosemite Valley which he operated seasonably from 1870 to 1876. Reilly was one of the better landscape photographers of the 1870s.
He published an extensive series of beautiful views of Yosemite based more on the romantic style of
Muybridge than the austere classicism of Watkins.” Reilly’s “stereographs of Yosemite were considered
so technically excellent that they quickly found a ready market with major stereograph publishers
around the world. He was especially praised for the verisimilitude of his cloud effects in landscape photography” (Palmquist, p. 5). In July and August, 1871, Reilly took a three-week excursion in the high
Sierra east of Yosemite Valley with John Muir and John Dennis (Palmquist, pp. 13-14). In a letter dated
August 13, 1871, written by Muir to Mrs. Ezra S. Carr, he mentions that he assisted Reilly in making
photographs in Yosemite.
In July, 1878, beleaguered by a glutted market for stereoscopic views and widespread pirating of his
images, Reilly left Yosemite and purchased a portrait studio in Marysville. Here he pursued this more
prosaic trade while continuing to market his backlog of stereo views and making occasional photographic
excursions, such as one to the Monterey peninsula. In 1886, possibly suffering from depression, Reilly
abandoned his second wife and sold his business and master set of stereo negatives to Enno Neseman,
beginning a downhill slide that ended with his 1894 suicide in San Francisco (Palmquist, pp. 3-8, 24).
($7,000-14,000)
The Saddle Blanket Edition
251. LEA, Tom. The King Ranch by Tom Lea. Drawings by the Author. Research Holland McCombs. Annotation Francis L. Fugate. Kingsville: Printed [by Carl Hertzog] for the King Ranch, 1957. Vol. I: [10], 1467 [1, blank], [2] pp; Vol. II: [10], [469] 470-838, [2] pp., text illustrations by author (some in color),
maps, facsimiles. 2 vols., square 8vo (24 × 18.5 cm), original natural linen with the King Ranch “Running W” brand in brown, maize mesquite pattern endpapers, sprinkled edges, in publisher’s original
linen case with gilt lettered tan leather label. Label on slipcase slightly damaged as usual, due to the soft
leather, otherwise very fine, in publisher’s original mailing box.
First edition, limited edition, the Saddle Blanket edition, produced exclusively for the King Ranch;
first issue (Vol. II, p. 507, first word is “Alice.”). Adams, Herd 1319. Basic Texas Books 121A: “This is the
best account of the most famous ranch in the world.” Campbell, My Favorite 101 Books about the Cattle
Industry 56. CBC 2785 (plus 3 additional entries). Dykes, Collecting Range Life Literature, p. 16; Fifty
Great Western Illustrators (Lea 65); Western High Spots, p. 79 (“A Range Man’s Library”): “Belongs in any
range man’s library”; p. 102 (“The Texas Ranch Today”). Hinshaw & Lovelace, Lea 114. King, Women on
the Cattle Trail and in the Roundup, p. 17: “This ranch history includes substantial information about
Henrietta King.” Lowman, Printing Arts in Texas, p. 54: “Tom Lea’s history of the King Ranch is one
of the most important books ever to emerge from a Texas background. Its typographical achievement
is equally distinguished.” Reese, Six Score 69: “Perhaps the most exhaustive ranch history ever written,
and a tremendous account of the cattle industry of south Texas.”
Lowman, Printer at the Pass 99n:
This book was originally planned as a 250-300 page private edition to be published on the occasion of the ranch centennial in 1953, but it grew steadily for the next four years.... The project grew
from a modest private edition to a two-volume, 838-page trade book. The physical dimensions of
the books itself, the 16-point Centaur type of the text, the ample page margins, and the expansive
chapter head designs all suggest the vastness of the ranch. Typesetting was inspected page by page
to insure that bad spacing and bad breaks were avoided. An original color technique was developed for color separation in the four, five, and seven-color illustrations.... The special edition was
printed on all rag paper made especially for this book by the Curtis Paper Company. It is bound
in heavy crush linen resembling the King Ranch saddle blanket with the running ‘W’ brand.
In 1885 Henrietta King inherited the debt-ridden, 500,000-acre ranch from her visionary but impractical husband. She ran the ranch until her death in 1925, developing important and early scientific techniques for beef production. The Santa Gertrudis breed, for which the King Ranch is now renowned,
started under her direction. At her death, the ranch had grown to well over a million acres and she had
cleared all debts, leaving an estate of over $5 million.
The book was never offered by sale by the King Ranch and was originally intended to be given away
to family and special friends. Thus, for many years this book was difficult to obtain, but shortly after the
Book Club of Texas was re-established ca. 1989, the remaining copies of the Saddle Blanket edition were
discovered at the ranch by archivist Bruce Cheeseman. Arrangements were made between the Book
Club of Texas and the King Ranch for these newly located copies to be offered to Club members.
Thereafter the Saddle Blanket edition was found more readily on the market, but in recent years, the
set has grown scarce in commerce once again. Included is a keepsake about the book, published by the
Book Club of Texas: Bruce Cheeseman & Al Lowman, “The Book of All Christendom” (Kingsville Ranch:
W. Thomas Taylor for Book Club of Texas, 1992).
($1,000-2,000)
Early Original Watercolor of Old Fort Davis by Arthur T. Lee
252. LEE, A[rthur] T[racy]. Capt. Jordan’s Quarters. Finished watercolor on paper showing a small
wooden cabin at the base of a hill with a ramshackle fence in the foreground and other buildings and
rocky hills in the background. Several figures populate the view. Signed at lower right in pencil: “A.T.
Lee.” Fort Davis, undated. 24 × 32 cm. Accompanied by a slip of paper explaining that the painting was
among General Johnston’s papers and that he apparently gave it the title quoted above. Affixed to a
nineteenth-century scrapbook leaf on the verso is pasted a contemporary oval portrait of General Joseph
E. Johnston (20.2 × 15.5 cm) with imprint and title: “Published by S.C. McIntyre. Genl. Joseph E. Johnson [sic]. C.S.A. Copy right secured” (portrait fine except for a few spots). Lower left corner chipped,
a few closed tears (no losses), some light spotting, edges slightly darkened, otherwise very good.
This painting depicts a building at the first Fort Davis, established in 1854 and in existence until 1862,
when it was occupied by Confederate forces. The original fort was an important outpost for protecting
emigrant trains on their way to California and other points west and for defending the area against hostile
Native Americans. Fort Davis fell into complete disrepair and was replaced by a second, larger Fort Davis
after the Civil War (1867). The building depicted in this painting was apparently in existence by 1857 and
was occupied by Captain Charles Downer Jordan (d. 1876), who was stationed at the post from 1860 until
it was abandoned at the beginning of the Civil War. Artist Arthur T. Lee was also stationed at Fort Davis,
which he helped found, between 1854 and September of 1858, when he left to establish Fort Quitman.
Arthur T. Lee (1814-1879) was a U.S. Army officer, portrait painter in oils, watercolorist, poet, musician, essayist, historian, landscape architect, engineer, and administrator. He was stationed at various
posts in Texas for about twelve years after having previously served in the Mexican-American War and
various Native American removals. He was transferred to Texas in 1848 and was captured by the Confederates in San Antonio while trying to leave Texas. He went to fight in the Civil War and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is believed that many of his watercolors were finished in
his retirement and were based on pencil sketches he made earlier on the scene. Although it is uncertain
how this watercolor ended up in the possession of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, it seems
possible that Lee might have met Johnston on the latter’s 1849 reconnaissance mission through western
Texas, which passed through old Fort Davis.
This is an excellent example of an early Texas view rendered by an accomplished, eyewitness artist
who was there when Fort Davis was founded. In 1961, the majority of Arthur T. Lee’s paintings and art
work were bequeathed by his sole descendant to three institutions in Rochester, New York: The
Rochester Historical Society, the Rush Rhees Library of the University of Rochester, and the Rochester
Museum and Science Center. Thus, Lee’s art work is not generally available on the market, except as in
this case, when it comes from a non-family source. For a good selection of Lee’s art work in the
Rochester institutions, consult: W. Stephen Thomas, Fort Davis and the Texas Frontier: Paintings by
Captain Arthur T. Lee, Eighth U.S. Infantry (College Station: Published for the Amon Carter Museum
of Western Art, Fort Worth, by the Texas A&M University Press, 1977).
For more on Lee, see: Goetzmann & Reese, Texas Images & Visions, pp. 20-22: “Captain Arthur T.
Lee...made charming watercolor sketches of the remote environs of Fort Davis in far Western Texas....
The watercolors of Captain Lee at Fort Davis have only come to light in recent years”; p. 52: “Arthur T.
Lee and Seth Eastman were sent by the United States government to Texas in the same years and for the
same purpose-charting the Texas-Mexico boundary. Lee was thirty-four years old when he arrived at this
first Texas post [and commented]: ‘the frontier was real, daily existence was precarious, Indians were a living threat.’” Sam DeShong Ratliffe, Painting Texas History to 1900 (University of Texas Press, 1992), pp. 7172: “[Lee’s] watercolors were composed as landscapes; the Fort Davis scenes are also historical narrative
paintings, depicting work and leisure activities of civilians as well as soldiers.” Lee is not listed by Taft or
Samuels, but that is probably due to Lee’s work only coming to light with the publication of the Lee
images in the Rochester Museum in the 1976 publication Fort Davis and the Texas Frontier: Paintings by
Captain Arthur T. Lee, Eighth U.S. Infantry. See Handbook of Texas Online: Arthur Tracy Lee.
($10,000-20,000)
Physician’s Quarters at Fort Davis in the 1850s
By One of the Earliest Trained Artists to Work in Texas
253. LEE, A[rthur] T[racy]. House Occupied by Dr. Sutherland at Ft. Davis. Finished watercolor on paper
showing a one-story house surrounded by a fence and outbuildings at the foot of a rocky hill, several people are visible around the house and in the yard to the right, the U.S. flag is flying in the distance, all set
in a mountainous landscape. Signed in lower right in pencil: “A.T. Lee.” Fort Davis, undated [ca. 1857].
23 × 32 cm. Accompanied by a slip of contemporary paper providing the title and stating the painting was
found among General Johnston’s papers. The painting is affixed to nineteenth-century scrap book leaf
on the verso of which are pasted newspaper articles relating to the death of General Joseph E. Johnston
and a 1912 printed invitation to the unveiling of a monument to honor Johnston. Except for small cracks
at upper right corner and a few short marginal tears (none resulting in image loss), fine condition.
See preceding entry for more details on Fort Davis, the artist, etc. The building depicted in this painting was apparently in existence by 1857 and was occupied by Army Surgeon Charles Sutherland (18291895), who was stationed at the post from 1860 until it was abandoned at the beginning of the Civil War.
Early Texas art from the 1820s through the 1850s by trained artists, is exceedingly difficult to find,
both privately and institutionally. Catlin (Item 102 herein), Peale, and Seymour made short forays into
Texas as part of larger expeditions to the West. Berlandier and Sánchez y Tapia (see Items 39-41 herein)
created images of flora, fauna, and Native Americans for an 1827 Mexican Commission. Audubon’s
incredible birds and quadrupeds offer splendid images of Texas subjects at an early stage (Item 19 et
seq). Samuel Chamberlin left some primitive and penetrating images of Texas from his drawings and
watercolor sketches based his earlier memories of the Mexican-American War campaigns in 1846. Ranney’s later art is thought to reflect in part his earlier experiences in Texas (Item 484). Following the political upheavals in Europe in the mid- to late-1840s, the Big Four of European Emigrants Artists of
Texas—Gentilz, Petri, Iwonski, and Lungkwitz (Item 197 herein)—arrived in Texas and created an
environment conducive to the creation of art in Texas.
Lee’s excellent watercolors are of a different type of early Texas art, created in conjunction with U.S.
Army and exploration expeditions, such as Edward Everett’s art work of the Alamo and San Antonio
(see Item 5 herein). Lee made the present painting and the one preceding as part of his participation in
federal fort-building activities in the remote reaches of Texas in the 1850s. As noted below, Lee was
enchanted with the Fort Davis region in the Trans-Pecos at the eastern base of the Davis Mountains
on Limpia Creek. Lee described the area as “beautiful beyond description,” and has faithfully captured
and recorded what he saw in this painting. Handbook of Texas Online:
Arthur Tracy Lee (1814–1879) painter and United States Army officer, was born in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, in 1814 and studied art in Philadelphia as a youth, reportedly under Thomas
Sully. On October 8, 1838, through the influence of Simon Cameron, later secretary of war in the
Lincoln administration, Lee was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Fifth United States
Infantry. On November 1 of the same year he transferred to the Eighth United States Infantry. He
was stationed for a time on the Saint Lawrence River but in 1840 assisted in the removal of the
Winnebago Indians from Wisconsin. He was promoted to first lieutenant on March 4, 1845, and to
captain on January 27, 1848. After service against the Seminole Indians in Florida, Lee’s regiment
was placed under the command of Gen. Zachary Taylor and transferred to Texas in September 1845
with the “Army of Occupation.” At the outbreak of the Mexican War, Lee was given command of
a company of the Eighth Infantry that he commanded at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma. After receiving a brevet promotion to captain, he was detached on recruiting duty at
Rochester, New York, from September 1846 through July 1848. During the late summer and fall of
1848 he once more was involved with Winnebago removal, this time from Minnesota.
Late in 1848 he returned to his regiment in Texas as commander of Company C. He remained in
the state for twelve years, at Fort Croghan, the building of which he supervised, and then at Fort
Martin Scott, Fort Graham, Fort Mason, Fort Chadbourne, Ringgold Barracks, and Fort Davis.
Twice during this period he was placed under arrest, presumably due to misunderstandings with his
superior officers. In October 1854 he helped to establish Fort Davis in a location in Jeff Davis county
that he described as “beautiful beyond description.” After serving as temporary commander there,
Lee was sent with two companies of the Eighth, in September 1858, to establish Fort Quitman, some
120 miles to the west. After that duty he served briefly in the so-called “Cortina War” at Fort Brown.
In addition to his capabilities as a soldier, Lee was a talented painter in oils, a poet, a musician,
an essayist, a historian, a landscape architect, an engineer, and an administrator. He is best remembered for his watercolors. Of his 154 extant paintings, all but two are in this medium, and at least
thirty are of Texas scenes. These include views of the Rio Grande, Brazos, and Guadalupe rivers;
San Antonio, Rio Grande City, and Brownsville; and forts Croghan and Davis and their environs.
Lee’s company was stationed at Fort Stockton when news of Texas secession came. Marching
for the coast by way of Fort Clark and San Antonio, Lee and his company were intercepted in San
Antonio on April 21, 1861, and Lee, although himself a slave owner, was placed under arrest and
released on parole. He was appointed major of the Second Infantry on October 26, 1861, but could
not do active duty without violating the parole that he had been given in San Antonio. Exchanged
at last, he saw service with the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War and received a promotion to brevet lieutenant colonel “for gallant and meritorious conduct” at the battle of Gettysburg
on July 2, 1863, where he was seriously wounded in the right ankle and hip. Lee retired from active
duty on January 20, 1865, but on July 28, 1866, received a retroactive promotion to the rank of
colonel. From 1867 through 1872 he served as deputy governor and then governor of the Soldiers’
Home in Washington, D.C., a position of considerable social importance. In 1871 he published
two literary works, Army Ballads and Other Poems and, in the History of the Eighth U.S. Infantry,
“Reminiscences of the Regiment.”
($10,000-20,000)
“First Known U.S. Novel with an Avowedly Homosexual Heroine”
254. [LESBIAN FICTION]. CARHART, J[ohn] W[esley]. Norma Trist; or, Pure Carbon: A Story of the
Inversion of the Sexes. By J.W. Carhart, M.D. Author of “Sunny Hours,” “Poets and Poetry of the Hebrews,”
“Four Years on Wheels,” Etc. Austin: Eugene Von Boeckmann, 1895. [1-3] 4-25 [1] pp. 12mo (17.2 × 12.4
cm), original clay-coated white paper wrappers, upper cover with photographic illustration (supposedly
of Gertrude Haynes), lettering and decoration in red. Wraps moderately stained and lightly worn, interior fine, overall very good. Very rare.
First edition of the “first known U.S. novel with an avowedly homosexual heroine” (Kim Emery, The
Lesbian Index: Pragmatism and Lesbian Subjectivity in the Twentieth-Century United States, Albany:
SUNY Press, 2002). Agatha, p. 134: “A psychopathic novel...a wretched attempt to write a medicated
novel.” Wright III:906. This is very unusual nineteenth-century Texana with varying significance for
different readers. Carhart’s novel written in the style of Poe’s Gold Bug is set in Fayette County and at
the State Asylum in Austin and involves buried treasure near La Grange. The main character, Norma
Trist, falls in love with the widow Marie LaMoreaux, whom Norma stabs in a fit of jealousy. After two
trials, Norma is acquitted and “cured” by hypnosis, whereupon she marries Frank Artman. The novel is
based on the true story of Alice Mitchell (1873?-1896), who slashed her female lover to death because
she had become involved with a man.
This famous novel, written by a man who by various turns was a minister and medical doctor, was
extremely controversial at the time of its publication and has remained the object of academic curiosity
ever since. Replete with suggestions but never any real answers about whether lesbianism is a product
of nature or nurture, the plot unfolds in a complex manner involving numerous side plots, such as a hunt
for lost treasure. In many ways, except for the subject, the work resembles any number of dime novels
published at the time. Despite its plot defects, the novel does seek to explore and offer explanations for
lesbianism; in the trials particularly, various witnesses all give their theories about why Norma behaved
as she did and why she is as she is. Somewhat predictably, the jury at her first trial becomes hung, she
is acquitted, and sentenced to the state asylum. In some respects, the modern reader is left as confused
as the fictional jury as to the causes of and “cures” for lesbian love. As the author says: “Should you
choose to pursue your investigations further in the direction suggested in the preceding pages, we doubt
not but you will find the subject, as we have done, one of scientific and social interest, involving far more
in its scope than you would at first be led to suppose” (p. 254).
For more discussion of this work see: Kim Emery, “Steers, Queers, and Manifest Destiny: Representing the Lesbian Subject in Turn-of-the-Century Texas,” Journal of the History of Sexuality, 5:1 ( July 1994):
26-57. Also, Kim Emery, The Lesbian Index: Pragmatism and Lesbian Subjectivity in the Twentieth-Century
United States, Albany: SUNY Press, 2002, p. 32: “Carhart’s novel points to a pivotal place and moment in
the transformation of the female inverts inherited from European sexology into the U.S. lesbians we
know today. Turn-of-the-century Texas provides a prime location for the dramatization of the American
discourse most influential in contemporary understandings of sexual deviance: the popularized versions
of evolutionary theory invoked to explain and excuse U.S. expansion and Anglo dominance.”
The author, who is credited with inventing the automobile, moved from New York to Wisconsin and
finally to Clarendon, Texas, in 1885. He practiced medicine there and later at Lampasas, Austin, and San
Antonio. For more on Carhart, see Mary Balousek, Famous Wisconsin Inventors (Oregon, Wisconsin:
Badger Books, 2003, pp 43-45) and Handbook of Texas Online.
($500-1,000)
Lesbian Pulp Fiction with Provocative Cover Art
255. [LESBIAN PULP FICTION]. Collection of twenty-seven lesbian pulp fiction titles. All are 12mo
paperbacks in good to fine condition with printed illustrated wrappers.
A well-rounded selection of lesbian fiction representing several important writers in the genre and
some of their major works, some writing at a time when the genre was first beginning to appear on the
American literary scene. Beginning after World War II, the publisher Fawcett geared up to begin issuing paperbacks, and its Gold Medal series was marketed widely. This was the first time that lesbian
fiction was promoted, and, like other pulp fiction from the period, the emphasis was often on sexual
relationships. Many of the plot lines demonstrate story development from the required unhappy endings to those that involved more satisfactory resolutions. All the novels below were written by women
rather than by men, as had been frequently the case in the past. Because pulp paperbacks were considered lowbrow fiction, the female authors themselves often used pseudonyms (but always women’s
names) to protect their identities. These authors were forerunners of the Women’s Movement and the
Gay Liberation Movement that came a decade later. Many of these books have been reprinted in trade
paperback format and are studied today for their literary merit. A few of these writers hold a high place
in the lesbian literary pantheon. In the realm of U.S. publishing history, they are important because their
first editions were pulp paperbacks rather than cheap reprints of other editions, an important innovation that made this genre possible. The pulp lesbian genre enjoyed its U.S. heyday from 1950-1965.
The wrappers are in some ways nearly as important as the text. The cover art embodied important
thematic and social commentary that could be readily decoded by a potential buyer. As Yvonne Keller,
“‘Was It Right to Love Her Brother’s Wife So Passionately?’ Lesbian Pulp Novels and U.S. Lesbian
Identity, 1950-1965,” American Quarterly, 57:2 (2005) concludes, “Since the pulps were typically not bought
by libraries, the covers were crucial markers of lesbianism—the closest thing to a Dewey decimal system
for dykes—for generations of lesbian and incipient lesbian readers” (p. 398). She also remarks that the
cover art was backed up by appropriate, suggestive language, some of which is quoted below (p. 398).
These books rarely survive in good condition because their cheap paper and flimsy bindings were meant
for mass distribution at inexpensive prices. The publisher probably, in fact, expected that the reader would
discard the book once it was read. An excellent sampling of important, early lesbian novels.
In Grier’s evaluations, cited below, A indicates “major lesbian characters and/or action”; B indicates
“minor lesbian characters and/or action”; * indicates “some interest beyond the ordinary”; ** indicates
“very substantial quality of lesbian literature”; and *** indicates “those few titles that stand out above all
the rest and must properly belong in any collection of lesbian literature.” The collection includes:
ALDRICH, Ann (i.e., Marijane Meaker). We Walk Alone. New York: Fawcett, 1956. 143 [1] pp. Second
printing, June, 1956 (first edition was 1955). Gold Medal Book 509. Grier, p. 2 (A*). This book is largely
non-fiction and one of the six controversial books she wrote under the name Ann Aldrich in which lesbians are not depicted in an especially favorable light. With contemporary 35 cents sticker on upper cover.
ALDRICH , Ann (i.e., Marijane Meaker). We, Too, Must Love. Greenwich: Fawcett, 1958. 188 [4] pp.
First edition. Gold Medal Giant s272. Grier, p. 2 (A*). This book is also largely non-fiction.
ALDRICH, Ann (editor) (i.e., Marijane Meaker). Carol in a Thousand Cities. Greenwich: Gold Medal
Books, 1960. 256 pp. First edition. Gold Medal Book d1008. Grier, p. 2 (A**). Anthology including works
by Simone de Beauvoir, Françoise Mallet, Sigmund Freud, and Claire Morgan, from whose piece the
title comes. Morgan’s final chapter of her 1953 The Price of Salt is included herein. See below.
ALDRICH, Ann (i.e., Marijane Meaker). We Two Won’t Last. Greenwich: Fawcett, 1963. 159 [1] pp. First
edition. Gold Medal k1313. Grier, p. 2 (A*). This book is also largely non-fiction. Small light stain on
outer blank margin of first few leaves.
BANNON, Ann (i.e., Ann Weldy). Odd Girl Out. Greenwich: Fawcett, 1957. 192 pp. First edition. Gold
Medal Book s653. Grier, p. 8 (A**). Bannon (b. 1932) is one of the major lesbian authors and considered
in some circles the most important of all. This novel is the first in her influential Beebo Brinker series
and is somewhat autobiographical. Slightly shelf slanted.
BANNON, Ann (i.e., Ann Weldy). Women in the Shadows. Greenwich: Fawcett, 1959. 176 pp. First edition. Gold Medal Book s919. Grier, p. 8 (A**). The third novel in the Beebo Brinker series, and one of
the few that examines interracial affairs. Signed in ink by Bannon on the title page.
BANNON, Ann (i.e., Ann Weldy). The Marriage. Greenwich: Gold Medal Books, 1960. 190 [2] pp. First
edition. Gold Medal Book s1066. Grier, p. 8 (A). “Could their love tower above society’s deepest taboos?”
The plot revolves around a married couple who discover they are brother and sister. Slightly shelf slanted.
BANNON, Ann (i.e., Ann Weldy). Beebo Brinker. Greenwich: Gold Medal Books, 1962. 208 pp. First
edition. Gold Medal d1224. Grier, p. 7 (A**). “She landed in New York, fresh off the farm, the hayseed
still showing—along with the bewilderment and desperation of a girl whose only certainty was that she
was ‘different’ from other girls with their frills and petticoats and healthy flirtations with normal young
men.” The last novel in the series by the same name, although chronologically the story is the prequel
to Odd Girl Out (see above). Slightly shelf slanted.
BRITAIN, Sloane M. First Person, 3rd Sex. Chicago: Newsstand Library, 1959. 191 pp. First edition. NL
U119. Grier, p. 18 (A**). Slightly shelf slanted.
CHRISTIAN, Paula. Edge of Twilight. Greenwich: Fawcett, 1961. 158, [2] pp. Second printing (first edition was 1959). Crest Books s495. Grier, p. 26 (A***).
CHRISTIAN, Paula. The Other Side of Desire. New York: Paperback Library, 1965. 157 [3] pp. First edition. Paperback Library 52-833. Grier, p. 26 (A*). This novel was published during the decline of the lesbian pulp fiction genre. Upper wrapper slightly nicked.
FREDERICKS, Diana. Diana: The Story of a Strange Love. New York: Berkley, 1955. 188, [2] pp. Second
edition (first edition was 1939). Berkley Books G-11. Grier, p. 48 (B***). An autobiographical work.
JOSEPHS, Carla. The Off-Limits World. New York: Domino, 1965. 144 pp. First edition. Domino Books
72-902. Not in Grier. “‘Normal’ men and women were not permitted to enter their realm of lust and
passion gone wild.”
LEE, Marjorie. The Lion House. Greenwich: Fawcett, 1960. 160 pp. Reprint edition (first edition was
1959). Crest Book s413. Grier, p. 93 (A***). “A shockingly candid tale of misbegotten sexuality among
upper-crust bohemians.” Slightly shelf slanted.
MARCHAL, Lucie. The Mesh. New York: Bantam, 1951. 198, [4] pp. Reprint edition. Originally published in French as La Meche (1948). Bantam Books 862. Grier, p. 103 (A**).
MARTIN, Della. Twilight Girl. Beacon Books, 1961. 156, [4] pp. First edition. Beacon B 390. Grier, p.
104 (A**). “The savage story of a pretty teen-ager enticed into forbidden practices by older girls!”
MARTIN, Kay. The Divorcees. New York: Pyramid, 1962. 158, [2] pp. First edition. Pyramid Books F750. Grier, p. 104 (B**). “Three mixed-up, sex-starved women on the loose in Reno.”
MORGAN, Claire (i.e., Patricia Highsmith, née Mary Patricia Plangman). The Price of Salt. New York:
Bantam, 1953. 249 pp. Second paperback edition (first edition was 1952). Bantam Books 1148. Grier, p.
111 (A***). This important novel was the first lesbian pulp to have a potentially happy ending for the
couple and sold more than one million copies. Morgan (1921-1995) was a writer in many genres but
worked primarily in psychological thrillers. Spine slightly rubbed, light creases to upper wrap, and small
spots on lower wrap.
OLIVIA (i.e., Dorothy Strachey Bussy). Olivia. New York: Berkley, 1949. 127 [1] pp. First U.S. paperback edition (same year as first). Berkley Books G-74. Grier, p. 117 (A***). Bussy (1865-1960) was a
prominent English bi-sexual author. This, her only novel, has been translated and adapted many times.
Slightly shelf slanted.
PACKER, Vin (i.e., Marijane Meaker). Spring Fire. New York: Fawcett, 1952. 177 [7] pp. First edition.
Gold Medal Book 222. Grier, p. 118 (A**). This is the book that launched lesbian pulp fiction and was
commissioned as a follow-on to Torres’ immensely popular Women’s Barracks (see below). Packer (b.
1927) also wrote widely on other topics and under other pseudonyms and was a major influence on Ann
Bannon. Signed in ink by the author on the title page using both her real name and her pseudonym.
Front hinge split but holding.
PACKER, Vin (i.e., Marijane Meaker). The Evil Friendship. Greenwich: Gold Medal, 1958. 192 pp. First
edition. Gold Medal Book s979. Grier, p. 118. “This is the horrifying yet fascinating novel of two teenage girls whose unnatural love for each other led to an even greater crime—the crime of matricide.”
This novel is based on the Parker-Hulme murder in New Zealand, and Grier rates it as “trash.”
TAYLOR, Valerie (i.e., Velma Nacella Young). Whisper Their Love. Greenwich: Fawcett, 1957. 176 pp.
First edition. Crest Books 187. Grier, p. 151 (A**). Taylor (1913-1997) was one of the early authentic lesbian novelists and an activist. Slightly shelf slanted.
TAYLOR, Valerie (i.e., Velma Nacella Young). The Girls in 3-B. Greenwich: Gold Medal Books, 1959.
159 [1] pp. First edition. Gold Medal Book k1545. Grier, p. 151 (A***). Remainder mark on top edge.
TAYLOR, Valerie (i.e., Velma Nacella Young). Stranger on Lesbos. Greenwich: Fawcett, 1960. 144 pp.
First edition. Crest Books s355. Grier, p. 151 (A***). “Frances had been left alone too often. Bill’s occupation with business, his insensitivity, his indifference had drained their marriage of meaning and warmth.”
TAYLOR, Valerie (i.e., Velma Nacella Young). Unlike Others. New York: Midwood-Tower, 1963. 187 [4]
pp. First edition. Midwood Tower F311. Grier, p. 151 (A*). The cover photograph on this volume is so 60s,
right down to the large, black, plastic ashtray on the floor.
TORRES, Tereska (i.e., Tereska Szwarc). Women’s Barracks. New York: Fawcett, 1950. First edition. Gold
Medal Book 132. Grier, p. 154 (A***). This quasi-autobiographical work, the first genuine paperback
best-seller that proved that there was market interest in lesbian fiction, selling four million copies, is
based on her WW II experiences with the Free French. “This is the story of what happens when scores
of young girls live intimately together in a French military barracks.... So, this book, with all its revealment and tenderness, is an important book because it tells a story that had never been truly told—the
story of women in war.” The cover illustration is a classic of lesbian pulp fiction. In 1952 the House
Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials cited the book as an example of paperback books
that were causing moral degeneracy.
TORRES, Tereska (i.e., Tereska Szwarc). The Golden Cage. New York: Hearst, 1959. 175 [1] pp. Reprint
edition (first edition was same year). Avon T-448. Grier, p. 154 (B***). Translated from the French by her
husband, Meyer Levin. “She tasted every wanton pleasure and left nothing new beneath that burning
sun.” This book may be autobiographical.
($800-1,200)
Important San Antonio Merchant, Developer & Cattleman
Tejano Families in San Antonio & Manuscript Maps
256. LEWIS, Nathaniel C. Archive of manuscript materials by and about Lewis, his business activities,
and land transactions, mostly around the San Antonio area in the nineteenth century. Includes autograph letters, documents, deeds, and several original manuscript survey maps. All documents are creased
where formerly folded.
The subject of this collection, Nathaniel C. Lewis (1806-1872), came to Texas around 1830 under somewhat mysterious circumstances that have never been satisfactorily explained. Once in San Antonio, he
soon rose to be a prominent merchant in the region as part of the firm Lewis and Groesbeck. He also
became the first Anglo cattleman to operate in the region on a large scale. After serving in the Texas Revolution, he returned to San Antonio and was elected to various political offices. Lewis has a slight Alamo
connection. “Another reputed courier, Nathaniel C. Lewis, was reported as having slipped into the Alamo
with supplies and is said to have ‘probably’ been the last to leave before the fall. However, both Sutherland
and Menchaca....had him heading out of town on foot when the Mexican Army arrived, and therefore the
report is highly unlikely” (Todd Hansen, The Alamo Reader, Stackpole Books, 2003, p. 244).
The archive offers interesting insight to changes around San Antonio involving the gradual displacement of Tejanos by Anglos.
The collection includes:
SUTHERLAND, George. Document signed, July 2, 1836. 1 p. Small 12mo (9.5 × 20 cm) on wove paper.
Five-day furlough issued to Lewis, after which he is “to report himself at head quarters Texian Army.”
Creased where formerly folded, some edge wear. Sutherland (1787?-1855) was a prominent Texas patriot,
soldier, and politician who fought at San Jacinto and against Adrian Woll. Here he signs as Captain of
his company. See Handbook of Texas Online.
LYONS, James H. Document signed, San Antonio, November 5, 1857. 4 pp. Folio (31.5 × 20 cm) on lined
blue paper. This is the original deed by which Lyons sells to Lewis the building in which he operated his
drug store. Lyons (1805-1888) was a prominent San Antonio doctor, soldier, and legislator who once served
as the city’s mayor. He opened this drugstore on Main Street in 1852. Handbook of Texas Online. Very good.
LOCKWOOD, A.A. Document signed, San Antonio, November 26, 1857. 2½ pp. Folio (31.5 × 20 cm)
on parchment paper. This is the original deed for Lewis’ plot in the San Antonio cemetery. Slightly
wrinkled, otherwise good. Lockwood was mayor of San Antonio at the time.
LEWIS, Nathaniel C. Autograph letter signed to “Dear Hank,” San Antonio, August 19, 1869. 12 pp.
4to (26.8 × 21 cm) on blue, wove paper with stationer’s mark reading “Correspondencia particular.”
An extremely important, unpublished letter from the leading stock raiser in the area written in
response to Hank’s July 27 letter in which he made “inquiries about ranches, ranching, stock, etc.,” to
which Lewis promises to give him “my experiences, results, and present ideas.” The letter covers the
entire history of Lewis’ activities as a stock grower, analyzes past and present financial considerations,
and even correctly predicts that eventually the ranges will all be fenced in. Lewis was the first substantial cattleman in the San Antonio area, and any analysis of that business by him would be of great interest to understanding the era. An unusual analysis of a vital industry, written when the Civil War in Texas
had ended only a few weeks prior with Kirby Smith’s surrender on June 2, 1865 (see Item 120 herein).
ZAMBRANO, Juan Manuel. Document in secretarial hand, San Antonio, April 5, 1824 [but ca. 1850?].
4 pp. 4to (24.8 × 19.7 cm) on wove paper. A later copy and translation into English of documents in
which Zambrano says he cannot successfully carry on his ranching business at Laguna de las Ánimas
because of disruptions caused by the 1812-1813 Gutiérrez-Magee expedition and Native American raids.
He asks for replacement lands on the Guadalupe River, which are granted. A very good example of the
issues facing early Mexican ranchers in the San Antonio area. Important documentation on an outstanding Tejano and his vicissitudes. See Handbook of Texas Online.
[MAP]. LEWIS, Nathaniel C. Survey map signed “N. Lewis” and priced “$1.00” along bottom. N.d.
[ca. 1859?] 20.7 × 16.3 cm, ink and watercolor on cartographic linen. This exquisite and professionally
drawn map shows an area then in western Blanco county along the then-eastern Kerr County line on
the Guadalupe River, Sister Creek, and Comfort/Sisterdale and Old Fredericksburg Roads. The county
line is indicated in pink and labelled “New County Line of Kerr Co” (the county was formed January
26, 1856, but Blanco County was not founded until 1858). The county lines shown were rendered obsolete by the establishment in 1862 of Kendall County, which removed any abutment of Blanco and Kerr
counties. The area shown is in the vicinity of present-day Sisterdale, Texas, which because of various
county boundary realignments is now in Kendall County. Some of the land owners shown are Lewis
himself, George Sutherland, P. McGreal, G. Morales, and S. del Bosque. Very fine.
[MAP]. SCHLEICHER, Gustav. “Map of Lands on Cibola Creek patented to Nat. Lewis of San
Antonio made from the Records.” Survey map in ink. [San Antonio, ca. 1858?]. 30.9 × 22.2 cm on wove
paper. Some later pencil or ink notations and marks. Signed in ink by Schleicher at lower right. This
professional drawing shows twelve tracts, numbered 347-358, of various sizes, all watered by Cibola
Creek. Judging from the configuration of the watershed, the area shown seems to be along the presentday Bexar-Comal County line formed by the creek just south of Road 1863. Schleicher (1823-1879) settled on the banks of the Llano River in 1847 with other German idealists in the commune of Bettina
von Arnim. After moving to San Antonio in 1850, he was influential in bridge and railroad building,
worked as a restaurateur, soldier, surveyor, politician, and lawyer. See Handbook of Texas Online. Some
small losses at folds not affecting image and light overall toning, otherwise very good.
[MAP]. Manuscript survey map [pencil title reads in part “in Montes tract”]. N.p., [ca. 1855?]. 22 × 28
cm on wove paper, in ink. The city of “Golead” is shown at the lower right, and the tracts outlined are
all north of the San Antonio River. Lewis has noted his own holdings in pencil, and the name of present landowners of other tracts are given (e.g., M.J. Ybarra, R. Músquiz, M.J. Monchola). Stamped 700
at lower right. Separated at folds with some pieces loose; losses to paper affecting image area, some
caused by ink corrosion. Overall, good.
[MAP]. Manuscript survey map. N.p., [ca. 1855?]. 20.7 × 23 cm on cartographic linen, in ink. This map
shows basically the same survey as above but without the Goliad area. Moderate damage from ink deterioration. Fair only.
[MAP]. “Plat and Field Notes of a River Lot, situated in the Potrero, on the West Side of the San
Antonio River, belonging to Nath. Lewis.” San Antonio, May 13, 1848. 1 pp. on a docketed bifolium, in
ink and watercolor. 31.7 × 20.2 cm on wove paper. Original survey map with text description. The lot
shown is between that belonging to B. Callaghan and the entrance to the river ford. Light waterstaining and a few tiny losses at folds not affecting image. The area is in the vicinity of present-day Commerce Street in San Antonio. Very good.
[MAP]. “Plat and Field Notes of a Suerte of land in the Labor de Abajo, about one mile South of the
Plaza de Armas of Bexar....” San Antonio, February 11, 1850. 2 pp. on a docketed bifolium, in ink. 31 ×
20 cm, on blue wove paper. Original survey map with text description of property belonging to José
Berban. The lot shown is between the San Antonio River and the Arroyo San Pedro in San Antonio.
Stained and holed from rodent damage, slightly affecting both map and text. Fair.
ZAMBRANO FAMILY. Group of seven folio manuscript documents, 1789-1841, in ink, most multipaged, including originals and copies, related to this San Antonio Tejano family. In Spanish and English. Some of the documents concern land transactions but others relate to the death and estates of Juan
Manuel Zambrano and of José Macario Zambrano, the latter represented by a 1791 copy of his will, and
the former by an 1839 probate document signed by prominent San Antonio attorney Cornelius Van
Ness (1803-1842). Another document is a copy of 1824 records concerning José María Zambrano’s efforts
to acquire lands. Superb documentation on an outstanding Tejano family. Overall very good.
LEWIS LAND TRANSACTIONS. Twenty-two originals and copies of deeds and other legal instruments concerning Lewis’ land acquisitions in San Antonio, mostly dating from the mid-nineteenth century. In Spanish and English. Most multi-paged. Among residents with whom he dealt are the Toros,
Pérez, Domínguez, Romero, and Verafuentas families. Overall very good.
LEWIS BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS. Five manuscript documents and autograph letters signed
concerning Lewis’ business transactions, 1857-1872. Included is an original signed agreement between
Lewis and Isaiah Addison Paschal, April 9, 1857, settling property divisions between them in San Antonio, and a brief statement of Lewis’ land holdings in Atascosa County, completed as part of his probate
process. Paschal (1808-1868) was another prominent San Antonio resident who had a career as a lawyer,
politician, and judge. See Handbook of Texas Online.
($1,000-2,000)
For Sale: Santa-Anna’s Extravagant Property in Veracruz
Signed by the Debt-Ridden “Napoleon of the West”
257. LÓPEZ DE SANTA-ANNA, Antonio. Ornate engraved pictorial mortgage bond on bank note
paper within ornate border, decorative monetary designation of $500 in oversize green plaid lettering
across center. Text commences: United States of America. No. [1041] First Mortgage Bonds $500. Know all
Men by these Presents that I Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at Present in the City of New York, am Indebted
to.... [above border at lower left] Nathan Lane 69 Wall & 91 Beaver Sts. N.Y.; [top center illustration of
landscape featuring Santa-Anna’s estate in Veracruz with title beneath] Land and Property in the State
of Vera Cruz; [three pictorial vignettes within ornate borders at left] Palace of Turbaco; [untitled bust portrait of Santa-Anna]; Palace of St. Thomas [signed certification with green seal within ornate border at
right]; verso with official deep purple ink stamp and ink ms. number “1041.” New York, 1866. Signed in
ink with paraph by Santa-Anna and orange seal to right of signature; signed by two others, plus a signature in red at left. Very fine.
After Santa-Anna’s (1794-1876) final ouster in 1855, his life became, perhaps deservedly, an unending
series of frustrations and disappointments. He attempted to return to Mexico several times but was
promptly deported on each occasion. In the U.S., he was swindled out of most of his savings by persons
who claimed to have influence with the U.S. State Department. Virtually broke, he resorted to issuing
mortgage bonds like this one on his properties to raise capital. Only after the death of Benito Juárez in
1872 was Santa-Anna permitted to return home. Even then, he was treated as an embarrassment by the
government, and he died ignored and almost penniless in 1876.
This very crisp, highly accomplished engraving is the work of the firm of Nathan Hale, newspaper publisher of Boston, who also created maps (Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers, revised edition, Vol. II, p. 248).
($750-1,500)
Signed by Two Staunch Enemies of Texas
258. LÓPEZ DE SANTA-ANNA, Antonio & José María Tornel y Mendívil. Signed manuscript (15
lines) regarding the military services of Agustín Iglesias, autographed and with rubrics of Santa-Anna
and Tornel, on paper engraved at top with large, dramatic Mexican eagle and elaborate lettering: Años de
mil ochocientos cuarenta y dos y cuarenta y tres sello sesto dos pesos. Antonio López de Santa-Anna. Benemérito
de la Patria, General de División, Presidente Provisional de la República Mexicana, dated at Palacio del Gobierno Nacional en Tacubaya, October 3, 1843. 4 pp., folio folder (42.8 × 27.6 cm) on pale blue paper, written on p. [1], brief manuscript file note and ink-stamped seal with Mexican eagle on p. [4]. Creased where
formerly folded, one tiny hole at center (not affecting any letters), minor chip at right blank margin, overall a fine document, signed in full and with rubrics by two important players in Texas and Mexican history. With the document is an excellent nineteenth-century print of a young, dynamic General SantaAnna in full military uniform riding a dashing steed against the backdrop of a vast, mountainous landscape. A handsome document and portrait worthy of Santa-Anna’s highest pretensions.
Antonio López de Santa-Anna Pérez de Lebrón (1794-1876), soldier and five-time president of Mexico, served in Texas against the Gutiérrez-Magee expedition and at the battle of Medina in 1813, against
the filibustering expedition of Francisco Xavier Mina in 1817, and most notably in 1836 in his controversial
role in the Texas Revolution and defeat at San Jacinto. José María Tornel y Mendívil (1789-1853)—a man
reputed to be more like Santa-Anna than even the dictator himself—acted as minister to the United States
from 1829 to 1831, published a work on relations of Texas and the U.S. with Mexico in 1837 (Fifty Texas
Rarities 18 & Streeter 932), and served as minister of War and Navy during all administrations of SantaAnna. Tornel was firmly convinced that the United States would, in all probability and under whatever
pretext, attempt to take not only Texas but also other Mexican territories, such as California and New
Mexico. He believed so deeply that Anglos should be kept from Mexican possessions that at one point in
the early 1830s he even stopped issuing permits for new colonists in Texas. After the decisive battle of San
Jacinto and Santa-Anna’s admission of defeat and recognition of Texas, Tornel refused to recognize Texas’ independence and organized an army to reinvade Texas.
($600-1,200)
Choice Americana: A Masterpiece of Mexican Colonial Printing by Hogal
Superb Maps of Texas & California
259. LORENZANA [Y BUITRÓN], Francisco Antonio de. Historia de Nueva-España, escrita por su
esclarecido conquistador Hernan Cortés, aumentada con otros documentos, y notas, por el ilustrissimo señor Don
Francisco Antonio Lorenzana, Arzobispo de Mexico. Con las Licencias Necesarias. Mexico: En la Imprenta
del Superior Gobierno, del Br. D. Joseph Antonio de Hogal en Calle de Tiburcio, Año de 1770. [18], ixvi, 1-175, 175 bis, [2], 177-400, [18, contents] pp., title printed in red and black and with allegorical copper-engraving of America; 34 copper-engraved plates (including frontispiece of Cortés allegorically presenting the New World to Carlos V, Great Temple of Mexico, codices, such as Veytia Calendar Wheel
no. 5 & Codex Matrícula de Tributos), copper-engraved initial in prelims, a few wood-engraved ornaments; plus 2 folding maps (see below). Folio (27 × 18.5 cm), full nineteenth-century brown sheep, spine
gilt rolled and stamped with floral motif, brown leather spine label lettered in gilt, grey marbled endpapers, edges tinted red. Expertly re-backed, original spine and leather label preserved, missing sections
of corners and head cap sympathetically applied. Nine leaves at end (contents) supplied from another
copy and remargined to size. Occasional minor foxing, small fox mark on title, minor repairs to one
archaeological plate and the large map (no losses), 2K1 with old paper repairs in margins, small intermittent worm holes in blank gutter margins of some leaves and plates (not affecting text or images), overall
a fine, complete copy (seldom found thus), with excellent impressions of the maps and engravings.
maps
[Title within ornate cartouche at right center] Plano de la Nueva España en que se señalan los Viages que hizo
el Capitán Hernan Cortés assi antes como despues de conquistado el Imperio Mexicano: dispuesto por Dn. Jph.
Ant o. de Alzate y Ramírez año de 1769 [text at upper left discussing locations of Native American tribes,
commencing] Los Moquis están al Poniente.... [lower left within scroll-like device with charts and books]
Ruta Que Llebõ Hernan Cortés quando fue la primera vez a México. [lower right within image] Navarro delin
i sculpio en México año 1770. Neat line to neat line: 31.2 × 40.5 cm; overall sheet size: 36 × 42.2 cm.
[Title in winged cartouche at top right] Domingo del Castillo. Pilota me Fecit en México año del
Nacimiento de N.S. Jesu Chisto [sic] de MDXLI. [text below map] Este Mapa esta sacado de el original que
para en el Estado de el Marqués de el Valle. En lo alto pone una Ciudad, que entonzes o por Relaciones se creio
cierta i la llamaron Quivira. En la desembocadura del Rio Colorado en el Golfo de Californias pone Dos Rios
el uno se llama de Buena Guia, i puede ser el Colorado el otro de Miraflores, y puede ser el Gila que incorporados en una Madre entrán en el Seno de Californias. Navarro Sc. Mexo. año 1769. Compass rose at lower left
and two small depictions of “La Ciudad de Cibora” and “La Ciudad de México.” Plate mark (map and
text below): 21.3 × 25.5 cm; overall sheet size: 23.6 × 35.1 cm.
First edition of a masterpiece of Mexican colonial printing, with important historical content and
superb maps and plates; first American edition of Cortés second, third, and fourth letters. Barrett, Baja
California 3960. JCB(3)I:1750. Cowan II, p. 396. García Icazbalceta 123, 230. Hill I, pp. 66-69. Hill II
#1039: “Included is the voyage of Cortés to Baja California and a report of all of the expeditions to California to the year 1769, the year of the Portolá-Serra expedition to found San Diego and Monterey.”
Mayer, Poblaciones mexicanas, planos y panoramas, siglos XVI al XIX, p. 10 (illustrated). Medina, Ensayo
bio-bibliográfico sobre Hernán Cortés 73. Medina, México 5380. Museo Amparo, Imprentas, ediciones, y
grabados de México barroco 77. Palau 142408. Sabin 42065. Valle, Cortés 29. Vindel, pp. 267-268. Wagner,
Spanish Southwest 152. See map citations below.
Lorenzana, archbishop of Mexico from 1766-1772, displayed great energy and capability and succeeded
in advancing the religious, social, and educational interests and printing arts of Mexico during his bishopric. Recalled to Spain in 1772 he became archbishop of Toledo and was made a cardinal in 1789. Lorenzana here presents the second, third, and fourth letters of Cortés to Charles V documenting the conquest
of Mexico. (Cortés’ first letter is still lost; the fifth was not discovered until 1777 and remained unpublished until 1844). Cortés’ letters are made all the more valuable by Lorenzana’s copious commentary and
research, such as his attempt—the first—to identify Cortés’ route to Mexico City. Lorenzana’s edition of
Cortés’ letters was the primary source used by most subsequent English and French writers (see Henry
R. Wagner, The Rise of Fernando Cortés, Berkeley: The Cortés Society, 1944, pp. xv, 141).
Pre-Cortesian interest includes text and illustrations of materials such as the Veytia Calendar Wheel
no. 5 and a suite of thirty-one engraved leaves of glyphs from Matrícula de Tributos (first appearance in
print). These glyphs, which are accompanied by Spanish translations, are an itemized list of tribute paid
to the ruling cities of the Valley of Mexico before the conquest by the different provinces and villages
of the Aztec empire. These glyphs constitute a major source for the study of tribute, place glyphs, political economy, and geography of pre-Cortesian Mexico. These copper-engraved plates are among the
most beautiful and elegantly presented reproductions from the original Mesoamerican pictorial codices.
Glass et al., Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources Part Four of Handbook of Middle American Indians, edited by
Robert Wauchope, p. 645.
The book includes a wealth of historical material on colonial Mexico, such as a list of viceroys from
Cortés to the Marquis de Croix (taken from a manuscript of Betancurt’s work). There is also an account
of Cortés’ voyage to Baja California, and a report of all subsequent expeditions to California to 1769 (the
year of the Portolá-Serra expedition to found San Diego and Monterey). Lorenzana notes in the text
that the map of California published with his book was copied from the original in the Archives of the
Cortés family (apparently now lost). This map (here in its first printing) has been cited as the first map
to bear the name California (Burrus, Kino and the Cartography of Northwestern New Spain, p. 30; Wheat,
Mapping the Transmississippi West #3 & Vol. I, p. 19). However, Wagner (Cartography of the Northwest
Coast 2) points out that it is not known whether Castillo or Lorenzana applied the name “California”
which appears on the map.
The general map of New Spain which accompanies this work was created by José Antonio de Alzate
y Ramírez (1737-1799), a Mexican-born cleric and leading figure of the Enlightenment in colonial Mexico (see Dicc. Porrúa and Elías Trabulse, Historia de la ciencia in México and arte y ciencia en la historia de
México). Alzate’s map, as it appears in Lorenzana’s book, was reworked from Alzate’s original manuscript maps and a printed version (Nuevo Mapa Geográfico de la América Septentrional, Paris, 1768), the
latter almost impossible to obtain. The present map, besides its intrinsic interest for the cartography of
Mexico, is important for Texas and the Transmississippi West. Martin and Martin (20) state that the
prototype 1768 printed map is “the only printed Spanish map of the area [Texas and the Spanish Southwest] produced in the eighteenth century.” See also: Jack Jackson’s, Shooting the Sun, I, pp. 131-139. Lowery 515 & 516; Wagner, Cartography of the Northwest Coast 612. Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West
#149n & Vol. I, p. 87). Alzate’s maps were the first to apply the name Texas to the entire geographical
region. (Delisle’s Carte de la Louisiane was the first printed map to include the name Texas, by locating
the ‘Mission de los Teijas, établie in 1716,’ referring to the earliest of the Spanish missions in East Texas;
see Item 288 herein). Wheat (Mapping the Transmississippi West Vol. I, p. 134) discusses the sources of
Humboldt’s celebrated map of New Spain (see Item 315 herein) and specifically cites Alzate as one of
Humboldt’s major sources, indicating the importance of Alzate’s cartographic work.
This cornerstone history is a milestone in American printing, being the most lavishly illustrated book
with engravings to have been printed in the New World up to that time. The book was printed on the
illustrious press of Hogal, considered the Ibarra of Mexico. José Mariano Navarro engraved the allegorical frontispiece and the two maps. (See: Mathes, Illustration in Colonial Mexico, Woodcuts and Copper
Engravings in New Spain 1539-1821; Romero de Terreros, Grabados y grabadores de Nueva España, pp. 126127). The remainder of the engravings are the work Manuel de Villavicencio. (See: Mathes, La Ilustración
en México colonial, pp. 129; Romero de Terreros, Grabados y grabadores de Nueva España, pp. 549-555).
($10,000-20,000)
Texas History between the Lines
260. LUBBOCK, Francis Richard. Six Decades in Texas, or Memoirs of Francis Richard Lubbock, Governor of Texas in War-Time, 1861-63, a Personal Experience in Business, War, and Politics. Edited by C.W.
Raines...Illustrated with Full Page Engravings and Etchings. Austin: Ben C. Jones & Co. Printers, 1900.
[i-vi] vii-xvi, [1] 2-685 [1, blank] pp., 20 plates (portraits and scenes), numerous text illustrations. 8vo
(23.7 × 16 cm), original three-quarter maroon sheep over green cloth, title and lone star in gilt on upper
cover, spine gilt lettered, edges sprinkled, floral endpapers. Moderate shelf wear and spinal extremities
slightly chipped, one small stain on upper cover, otherwise fine with contemporary ownership inscription.
First edition, deluxe edition in the special binding with gilt star on upper cover. Basic Texas Books 130.
Bradford 3088. Dobie, p. 52. Howes L542. Nevins, Civil War Books II:196. Parrish, Civil War Texana 59.
Rader 2259. Raines, p. 141.
Lubbock arrived in Texas in 1836 and was one of Houston’s first residents. He was narrowly defeated
in the first mayoral election, served as lieutenant governor of Texas in 1857, and became the first Texas
governor elected under the Confederacy. He served on the staff of Gen. John B. Magruder, and later as
Jefferson Davis’ aide, to whom he supplied firsthand information on the Trans-Mississippi Department.
At the end of the war Lubbock fled Richmond with Davis and was captured by federal authorities in
Georgia. He was imprisoned in Fort Delaware and kept in solitary confinement for eight months before
being paroled. He was elected state treasurer in 1878 and served six terms. Chapter 7 is largely devoted to
ranching, describing Lubbock’s ranch and cowboys before the Civil War. Chapter 14 revisits the ranch
and also discusses the camel experiment. Galveston and the “Beef Packery” are covered in Chapter 33.
Z.T. Fulmore wrote an excellent review of Lubbock’s book, bringing out little-known aspects of the man
(Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, Vol. III, No. 4, pp. 283-284), including this assessment: “Its
value, as a contribution to the history of Texas, consists mainly in the elaborate background to the bare
historical picture furnished by others, yet there is enough new historic material to make it exceedingly
valuable for that alone.” The prospectus for this book sums up the work pretty well: “A wonderful book,
and indespensable [sic] to all who would read between the [l]ines of Texas history.”
($250-500)
The Texas Revolution Viewed as a Conspiracy to Expand Slavery
261. [LUNDY, Benjamin]. The War in Texas; A Review of Facts and Circumstances, Showing that this Contest is the Result of a Long Premeditated Crusade Against the Government, Set on Foot by Slaveholders, Land
Speculators, &c. With the View of Re-Establishing, Extending, and Perpetuating the System of Slavery and
the Slave Trade in the Republic of Mexico. By a Citizen of the United States. Philadelphia: Printed for the
Author, by Merrihew and Gunn, No. 7, Carters’ Alley, 1836. [1-3] 4-56, [2] pp., printed in double column. 8vo, disbound. Lightly foxed, otherwise fine.
First edition (this work was expanded from Lundy’s 32-page pamphlet Origin and True Causes of the
Texas Insurrection printed in Philadelphia earlier the same year; see Streeter 1216). American Imprints
(1836) 38603. Bradford 3092. Eberstadt, Texas 162:503: “Copies with the wrappers are the exception....
Much on empresario grants, one of which Lundy himself endeavored to secure. While entirely innocent of the slightest impartiality, Lundy’s dialectics are fortified with careful personal observations
gleaned from three trips to Texas in 1832, 1833, and 1834.” Howes L569: “First to ascribe this war to a
slave-holding conspiracy.” Rader 2266. Sabin 95134. Streeter 1217.
Lundy (1789-1839), a Quaker abolitionist, wanted to establish free black colonies in Texas, a desire that,
when frustrated, caused Lundy to embark on a campaign to block Texas admission to the Union. See
Handbook of Texas Online: Benjamin Lundy. See also DNB and Item 262, following.
($400-800)
“Anything but Favorable to Texas”—With the Gorostiza Map
262. [LUNDY, Benjamin]. The War in Texas; A Review of Facts and Circumstances, Showing that this Contest is a Crusade against Mexico, Set on Foot and Supported by Slaveholders, Land-Speculators, &c. in Order
to Re-Establish, Extend, and Perpetuate the System of Slavery and the Slave Trade. [Second Edition, Revised,
and Enlarged.] By a Citizen of the United States. Philadelphia: Printed for the Publishers, by Merrihew
and Gunn, No. 7, Carter’s Alley, 1837. [1-3] 4-64 pp., printed in double column, text map of Texas, after
Gorostiza on p. 49. 8vo (21.2 × 13.2 cm), disbound and lacking stitching. Lightly foxed, otherwise fine.
Second edition enlarged and revised, with the added map (see preceding Item 261). American Imprints
(1837) 45278. Eberstadt, Texas 162:504. Howes L569. Raines, p. 141: “Anything but favorable to Texas.” Sabin
95134n. Streeter 1217A: “This enlarged work first appeared in several successive numbers of the National
Enquirer, a weekly anti-slavery paper referred to in the note to entry No. 1217.” In this edition, the type has
been entirely reset, and numerous changes and revisions occur after p. 31. The revisions incorporate new
material that had come to the author’s attention since the 1836 edition, e.g., a John Quincy Adams’ speech,
abolition speeches, essays from contemporary newspapers, the Gorostiza pamphlet, official Mexican
protest against U.S. recognition of Texas independence, President Jackson’s speech, etc.
The crude little map on p. 49 is apparently reproduced from an article by Gorostiza about the boundary dispute that appeared in the National Enquirer, December 3 & 10, 1836. The map shows the so-called
conventional boundary that starts at the Mermento River and runs north to the Red River and the
“Boundary with U.S. by Treaty Feb. 1819” that follows the Sabine River and then north to the Red River.
Lundy raises this point to show how Texas was scheming to expand its eastern boundary.
($400-800)
First-Hand Account of Life & Death on the Texas Frontier in 1859
“But Few Better Men Are Left Behind”
263. MACBRIDE, Thomas, Jr. Autograph letter in ink signed to William W. Leibert, Philadelphia.
Meridian, Bosque County, Texas, June 17, 1859. 6 pp. including address panel. Folio (32 × 19.5 cm).
Creased where formerly folded, address panel slightly soiled, minor splits at folds (no losses), overall
wrinkling. Highly legible. Overall, fine.
MacBride writes to inform Leibert that his brother, Charlie J. Leibert, died on June 12, 1859. (Leibert is apparently MacBride’s uncle.) After remarking that it may come as news that MacBride moved
to Texas about five months prior and persuaded Charlie to join him, he reviews the persistent troubles
with Native Americans, who “had scattered over & were murdering, plundering & Scalping in every
quarter.” Included in the destruction was his own ranch, which he found “broken up, stock destroyed
and several of my neighbors murdered & Scalped.” He joined his neighbors to form a ranging company,
but dissuaded Charlie from joining them and persuaded him instead to stay behind to tend the mill.
After trying to contact Charlie, he discovered that he was missing, only to be found dead by his companions, apparently having drowned after striking his head while diving into water. Although MacBride
is only partially satisfied with this explanation, it strikes him as reasonable enough, despite some inconsistencies, such as the victim’s empty pockets. He reassures Leibert that whatever the case, Charlie
surely was not drunk: “I don’t believe there was a drop of liquor within fifty miles of him.” MacBride
then describes the interment, at which “The neighborhood for 20 miles around turned out to escort the
body to its final resting place. Though but two months has elapsed since he started to this place, he had
gained the goodwill and affection of the community for twenty miles around; a number of old Texans
accustomed to hard scenes, could not refrain from tears as we laid him in the grave.” Finally, he offers
to secure a coffin and send the body back to Philadelphia; otherwise, he plans to get a proper headstone
for the grave, which is in Bosque Valley opposite Honey Bee Bluff at Mount Meridian.
MacBride closes with something of a hopeful sigh: “I have neither time nor heart at present to go into
details of our frontier difficulties. A more delightful country & nobler hearted people cannot be found.”
A moving, detailed letter describing what must have been a common scene for many aspiring Texans who
came to the country in its early, wilder days. Meridian was established in 1854 as the county seat of
Bosque County. The town was a log cabin town until after the Civil War.
($2,000-3,000)
Uncommon, Large & Handsome 1892 Pocket Map of California
264. [MAP]. AMERINE, [C.H.] & [F.E.] Willson. Amerine & Willson’s Indexed Township & County
Map of California Compiled and Published by Amerine and Willson, Map Publishers and Mounters 815 Montgomery St. San Francisco Cal 1892. Copyrighted by Amerine & Willson 1892. [below neat line at lower right]
Photo. Lith. Britton & Rey, S.F. [top right in map proper, five columns of text] Index of Towns and Post
Offices Population According to Latest Census [key slightly right of center, with symbols] Explanation Capital... County Seats... Towns & P.O.... Railroads... R.R. under Const.... Proposed R.R.... Wagon Roads...
Trails... Indian Res.... [lower right] Counties [inset portions of map at right center] Eastern Part of San
Bernadino & San Diego Counties. San Francisco, 1892. Lithograph map on thin, strong paper, each county
in full color (pastel shades of blue, green, yellow, and pink); neat line to neat line: 86.7 × 66.4 cm, folded
into original stiff beige paper pocket folder (16.3 × 10.1 cm), title on upper cover: Amerine & Willson’s New
Township, County and Indexed Pocket Map of the State of California Showing the entire Railroad System and
Accurately Locating All Cities, Towns, Post Offices, Railroad Stations, Villages, Counties, Islands, Lakes, Rivers,
etc. Population is Given according to the Latest Official Census... [inside upper pocket folder] Explanation,
Towns on Railroads marked thus... [lower cover] Amerine & Willson’s Series of Indexed Maps of Pacific Coast
Sent by mail post paid on receipt of following prices.... Contemporary purple rubber ink stamp of C.H.
Beach, Bookseller & Stationer, 107 Mt’g St. S.F. (repeated once in margin on verso of map). Pocket folder
slightly worn and with a few minor spots, overall, very fine. The map is superb, leaving nothing to be
desired. OCLC locates copies at Yale and Bancroft. We trace no sales records of this map.
First edition of an uncommon California pocket map. Not in Phillips(America), Rumsey, or other
standard sources. Publishers’ ad on the lower pocket cover indicates there were two versions of this map
offered, this one at $2.50, and a wall map version for $6.50 and measuring approximately 162.5 × 121.5 cm.
In this highly detailed map, relief is shown by hachure and spot heights; located are drainage areas,
wagon roads, railroads, Native American reservations, etc.
Amerine concentrated on western maps, some with an emphasis on mining, such as Map of Washington With Adjacent Parts of British Columbia, Montana and Idaho (1888 pocket map published at
Spokane Falls; see Streeter Sale 3338 where that map fetched $80 in 1969). He also created some maps
for Rand, McNally. Amerine’s publishing partner, F.E. Willson published an Indexed Guide Map of San
Francisco and the California Midwinter International Exposition (1894).
($750-1,500)
Valuable Cartographic Spoils of War
265. [MAP]. ARISTA, Mariano (as re-interpreted by Joseph Goldsborough Bruff). A Correct Map of the
Seat of War in Mexico. Being a Copy of Genl. Arista’s Map, taken at Resaca de la Palma, with Additions and
Corrections; Embellished with Diagrams of the Battles of the 8 th. & 9th. May, and Capture of Monterey, with
a Memorandum of Forces Engaged, Results, &c. and Plan of Vera Cruz and Castle of San Juan de Ulua. New
York; Published by J. Disturnell. 102, Broadway, 1847. Designed by J.G. Bruff Washington D.C.; [lower left
above neat line] On Stone by J. Probst Entered according to Act of Congress, in the Year 1847, by J.G. Bruff,
in the Clerk’s Office of the Dis t. Court of the Southern Dis t. of New York.; [lower right above neat line] Lith.
of E. Jones & G.W. Newman, 128 Fulton S t.; [top center: large American eagle with flag, banners, shield,
rays of light above, clouds below]; [beneath eagle, on scroll] Table of Distances; [left center: U.S. Cavalryman riding full speed over two Mexicans as smoke and dust fly through the air]; [below Cavalryman,
key to map, including flag marker symbol for towns “having been taken possession of by the Am.
forces”]; Explanation...; [five insets at right] [1] Plan of Monterey; [2] Map Showing the Battle Grounds of
the 8 th. and 9th. May 1846 by J.H. Eaton, 3d Inf.; [3] Memorandum of the Battles of 8 th. & 9th. May Palo
Alto...Resaca de la Palma...; [4] Tampico and Its Environs; [5] Chart of the Bay of Vera Cruz. Drawn by
Order of V Admiral Baudin; [table at lower center] Heights of Towns & Mountains. New York: John Disturnell, 1847 (copyright 1847 by J.G. Bruff). Lithograph map within line border with ornamental corners, original bright outline coloring in rose, green, blue, yellow, and orange, border to border: 62.7 ×
49.2 cm. Professionally restored and laid down on archival tissue. Generally bright and clean with a few
repairs and minor voids restored, mild to moderate browning at a few folds.
First edition of the second most important map of the Mexican-American War, the foremost being John
Disturnell’s so-called “Treaty Map” (see Item 379 herein; Disturnell also published the present map).
The present map is an early issue, without features added as the war progressed (e.g., Diagram of the
Battle Ground February 22d. and 23d. 1847, and the view Vera Cruz and Castle of San Juan de Ulua). We
have seen three versions of this map, all with the same title and dated 1847. The present issue was preceded by a version without the table Heights of Towns & Mountains at lower center. Garrett & Goodwin (The Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, pp. 413-414) note other variations; for example, sometimes
the map is found uncolored, rather than colored (as here). The map was also available as a sheet map or
in pocket map format. Jones, Adventures in Americana 1156. Phillips, America, p. 410. Rumsey 97: “Scarce
map with Drawings by Bruff. According to Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers (revised edition, Vol. II, p.
199), Bruff created other maps, e.g.: State of Florida, 1846; Tehuantepec maps, 1851; Seat of War in Virginia, 1861. From the introduction to his travel diary, it is clear that Bruff drew for the Topographical
Engineers and other government departments for over fifty years. Many of his productions may not
have his name on them—he is quoted in the introduction (p. xxx) saying that he drew duplicates of the
Frémont maps and plates for both houses of Congress.” Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West, men-
tions the map in the note to entry #583: “In 1847 Bruff had made a Mexican War map which, though it
is without the bounds of the present study, is worth citing.”
Visually, this map is among the liveliest Mexican-American War images, depicting Manifest Destiny in full-tilt cartographical mode. The map was created by talented artist, draftsman, historian, and
topographer J. Goldsborough Bruff (1804-1889), “author of an unusually full, precise, and carefully documented gold rush journal. It is a fine example of Bruff’s maturity, his precision as a West Point graduate, and his skill as an artist and observer cultivated as a draftsman in the U.S. Bureau of Topographical Engineers” (Hart, Companion to California, p. 54). See Item 84 herein.
This map is most interesting for its impact on the course of the war and how it came into the hands
of the U.S. Army and thence to J. Goldsborough Bruff and the U.S. Topographical Engineers. For a discussion of the evolution of this rare printed map, see Jack Jackson’s article “General Taylor’s ‘Astonishing’ Map of Northeastern Mexico” (Southwestern Historical Quarterly CI:2, October, 1997, pp. 143-173;
map illustrated). As the title of the map indicates, the map is “a copy of Genl. Arista’s map, taken at
Resaca de la Palma, with additions and corrections.” Jackson asserts that the success of General Zachary
Taylor’s Army of Occupation in the Lower Rio Grande and Northern Mexico was due to two factors:
Arista’s map and the services of the spy companies of Texas Rangers. Quoting Jackson:
[Arista’s] map...offered an incredibly detailed picture of the states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León,
and Coahuila—far superior to Austin’s published map of 1830 or anything available to Americans
in the meantime.... It incorporated all the latest topographical information available by 1840. In
addition to the most current understanding of these three states, their rivers, roads, settlements,
and other features as seen on the map, a table of distances from place to place...was also included
in the margin. In short, Arista’s map proved more valuable to General Taylor’s campaign than any
of the other loot captured on the Resaca de la Palma battlefield. It gave Taylor the knowledge he
needed to penetrate southward, and the scouting expeditions of the Rangers resolved any doubt
on questionable points.... Bruff and Disturnell’s printed version of Arista’s manuscript map was
not the first printed map based on Arista’s captured map, but it was perhaps the most impressive
version of the Arista map to be published.... Not only did [the Arista map] play a decisive role in
General Taylor’s military campaign and go on to influence the maps of commercial producers like
Disturnell, but it gave Mexican officials a better understanding of their own frontier as the nation
struggled to face the immense territorial loss occasioned by the war with the United States.
Texas is shown as far east as Corpus Christi Bay (marking General Taylor’s march from that point
to Resaca de la Palma and Palo Alto) and west to Presidio del Rio Grande (showing Wool’s crossing at
the Rio Grande into Mexico).
($2,500-5,000)
Prince of Wales Issue of Arrowsmith’s Cornerstone Map
266. [MAP]. ARROWSMITH, Aaron. A New Map of Mexico and Adjacent Provinces Compiled from
Original Documents by A. Arrowsmith 1810. Additions to 1815. London. Published 5 th. October 1810. by A.
Arrowsmith 10 Soho Squ e. Hydrographer to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. E. Jones; [inset map below title on
lower left sheet] Valley of Mexico, from M r. Humboldt’s Map [neat line to neat line: 36.5 × 43 cm]; [inset
map on lower right sheet] Veracruz [neat line to neat line: 27 × 16.5 cm]; [inset map on lower right sheet]
Acapulco [neat line to neat line: 15.5 × 16 cm]; [key at lower left on lower left sheet] Explication des Signes;
[bottom center on three of the four sheets] London. Published 5 th. October 1810. by A. Arrowsmith 10 Soho
Square. [London, 1815]. Copper-engraved map on four sheets, original outline color of Mexican national
and international boundaries, neat line to neat line (approximately): 120.8 × 157 cm; dimensions of each
quadrant: upper left quadrant: 60.4 × 78.5 cm; upper right quadrant: 60.4 × 78.5 cm; lower left quadrant:
60.4 × 79 cm (m