Crabb, Richard; with research by Burt Sell
Empire on the Platte
World Publishing Co, Cleveland and New York: 1967
"An official publication of the Nebraska Centennial. This is number 180 of a special edition of 250 copies SIGNED by the author". 8vo. x, 373 pp. Index. Illustrated by Ernest L. Reedstrom and with photographic plates and portraits throughout, map endpapers. Two original paper "Nebraska Centennial" blue promotional wrap-around bands laid in (one in fine condition, see image). Decorated tan cloth spine, rust paper covered boards in publisher's pictorial dustjacket. Housed in publisher's box with jacket image applied to top. A fine copy; minor rubbing to box corners else fine. A trade edition was also issued in pictorial cloth. Ramon Adams in his Six-guns mentions the trade edition but apparently was unaware of this scarce special edition. We find only one copy of this special edition in online institutions. A rousing adventure in a fascinating history of the Great Plains from the Civil War until the 1880's. The book was supressed (and copies ordered destroyed) by the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, as a result of a suit by Alan Swallow (publisher of titles by Sage Books) which proved plagerism from Harry Christman's "Ladder of Rivers" published by Swallow. This copy is certainly from the few copies that were surrendered to Alan Swallow. How many copies Swallow had is not known. In any case, this is one of the best books on the constant fight of I. P. Olive and his cowboys in Texas and Nebraska and their fight with the homesteaders and the rustlers. It is "one of the most nearly complete histories of the feud between the Olives and Luther Mitchell and Ami Ketchum" (Adams). Also includes material on Doc Middleton, Jesse James, and Johnny Ringo.
More from Carpe Diem Fine Books
Mission San Antonio da Padua (SIGNED Original Etching)
Etching (6 3/4" x 12 3/4") on Japanese paper (12 3/4 x 17 3/4"), SIGNED in pencil and annotated '14'; signed, titled and dated in the plate; from the edition of 50 sets on Japanese paper. This etching is from the larger portfolio of 17 etchings originally published in 1883 titled "Etchings of the Franciscan Missions of California". Fine condition. Henry Chapman Ford (1828 - 1894) is the earliest significan etcher in Southern California. His etchings are among the earliest published views of the missions and they are highly sophisticated technically for the period and place in which they were created. Ford's depictions of the missions were (in part) responsible for the revival of interest in the state's Spanish heritage, and indirectly for the restoration of the missions themselves. The hallmarks of his images are exquisite brushwork and tonal mastery in all mediums, which make his works highly prized. Souvenir of Mount Lowe, California
Stiff gray folder (9" x 6") with brief history of the Mount Lowe Railway with sea level elevations, maximum grades and inclines with illustrations of the railway. Original photograph showing 46 passengers at the Echo Mountain Terminal. The photo is mounted on the inside right panel and text printed on the folder under the photograph indicates that duplicates of the photograph could be obtained from photographer C.S. Lawrence, Mount Lowe, California, using the number written on the back of the image - in this case, 6034. Slight tanning to covers else a fine copy. The Mount Lowe Railway was the third in a series of scenic mountain railroads in the United States created as a tourist attraction on Echo Mountain and Mount Lowe, north of Los Angeles, California. The railway, originally incorporated by Thaddeus S. C. Lowe as the Pasadena and Mt. Wilson Railroad Co.,[1] existed from 1893 until its official abandonment in 1938, and was the only scenic mountain, electric traction (overhead electric trolley) railroad ever built in the United States. Proceedings of Bicentennial Celebration of the First Congregational Church Pomfret, Connecticut
8vo. 52 pp. Dark grey staplebound wrappers in very good condition. The Congregational Church in Pomfret Center was organized in 1715 and its first meeting house was erected on White's Plains, located on Pomfret Hill, just north of Needle's Eye Road. The Vanished Ruin Era; San Francisco’s Classic Artistry of Ruin in Picture and Song
Quarto; [2], viii, 53 pages. 26 tipped-in sepia photogravure plates from Stellmann photographs ('Portal of Towne Mansion' reproduced on cover) on rectos, verse on verso of pages. Bound in original 1/2 coarse tan burlap and brown paper-covered boards with gilt lettering to front board. Light wear, mainly to burlap on spine; a near fine copy. During the years 1903-1911 almost all of Paul Elder's memorable and collectable works were designed and typeset by John Henry Nash. The Downing Street Years (INSCRIBED by Margaret and Denis Thatcher)
INSCRIBED "To Ann James, Margaret Thatcher. With Special Wishes to You, Denis Thatcher." A note, laid in, details the provenance from Ann James to the last owner of the book. Large 8vo. xiv, 914 pp. Photographic reproductions. Blue cloth in color printed dustjacket. Slight bumping and scraping at spine end else a fine copy, uncommon with both Margaret and Denis Thatcher signatures. ".a brilliant first-hand portrayal of the events and personalities of her years in power. She gives riveting accounts of the great and critical moments of her premiership." Escape to Alcatraz: A Farewell to the Rock (SIGNED)
SIGNED by the author. 8vo. 248 pp. Blue and grey cloth covered boards in publisher's illustrated dustjacket. Age toning around page edges else fine in near fine dustjacket. Based on the true story of Frank Lee Morris, whose escape from the "impregnable" Rock in 1962 made world headlines. The escape, plus Alcatraz's bad reputation, helped it close less than a year later. The book was made into a film starring Clint Eastwood as Morris, and Patrick McGoohan as the cruel warden. The movie gives a good idea of the horrors of prison life, and particularly the horrors of Alcatraz. Innocence of Vision: Mississippi after the Freedom Marches
SIGNED presentation on the title page "To Marion with congratulations on so many years of good work. Love, Catherine J. Webb". 4to. viii, 252 pp. Black & white illustrations by Cathy Harder; cover illustration by Kaethe Zemach. Printed by Type-Ink. Original stiff printed wrappers with original black-tape spine. A fine copy. The author grew up in Nevada City, CA and wrote two memoirs of her family history in California and growing up in Nevada City. As a young woman, she became involved with the Berkeley Arts and Crafts Co-op leading to her trip to Mississippi in 1966-1967 to start a co-op among the southern blacks. The West Point Woodcraft Co-op was begun in 1966, in a period without violence but still carrying the emotional and physical scars of what hadpreviously taken place. Ms. Webb's goal in starting the co-op was to demonstrate what untrained people can do when given the opportunity to be themselves. In this work, she gives a detailed narration of the people she engaged with and of their struggles and dreams to become self-sufficient with the skills learned through the co-op. San Francisco City Hall Competition
4to. 48 pp. 18 illustrated plates presenting various designs. Business advertisements. Two black & white photographs of the existing city hall laid in. Yellow staplebound wrapers. A scarce edition of the "Building and Industrial News weekly publication devoted to the building and industrial activities of the Pacifc Coast; only 1 copy located at Stanford University Library. This issue contains complete drawings of the accepted design for the San Francisco City Hall, the winning Architects Bakewell & Brown, together with twenty other half tones of the elevations submitted by the architect, awarded prizes of one thousand dollars each. The competition was the most noteworhy architectural one ever held on the Pacific Coast. One hundred and odd applications were received, and seventy-three sets of finished plans were submitted. [Collection of 10 FEMA documents pertaining to fallout shelter consruction]
All issues are letter sized except for "Protection in the Nuclear Age" which is 8 1/2 x 5 /12". Staplebound illustrated wrappers in fine condition. All the information you need to construct your own fallout shelter. Of special interest is the snack bar fallout shelter with a smart illustration of a cocktail party in progress: it's the end of the world as we know it, party on! The 10 FEMA brochures in the collection are: Protection in the Nuclear Age. H-20, June 1985. 38 pp Home Blast Shelter. H-12-3, November 1983. 8 pp Home Fallout Shelter modified ceiling shelter - basement location plan a. H-12-A, April 1980. 8 pp Home Fallout Shelter modified ceiling shelter - basement location plan b. H-12-B, May 1980. 8 pp Home Fallout Shelter concrete block shelter - basement location plan c. H-12-C, May 1980. 4 pp Home Fallout Shelter snack bar - basement location plan d. H-12-D, April 1980. 4 pp Home Fallout Shelter tilt-up storage unit shelter - basement location plan e. H-12-E, April 1980. 4 pp Home Fallout Shelter lean-to-shelter - basement location plan f, H-12-F, April 1980. 4 pp Aboveground Home Fallout Shelter. H-12-2, November 1983. 8 pp Belowground Home Fallout Shelter. H-12-1, November 1983. 8 pp. Beatitude Number 3
4to. [22] mimeographed leaves stapled with an illustrated cover on blue paper (with no rear cover, as issued). Cover pulled away from lower staple, general wear; a very good copy of a rare early issue of this Beat scene periodical; with contributions by Jack Spicer, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, and others. Beatitude was a poetry magazine of the Beat Generation that was published in San Francisco between 1959 and sometime in the 1970s. It was first conceived of by Allen Ginsberg, Bob Kaufman, and John Kelly (the publisher). Few local poets were considered acceptable by the established publishers of that time, and many had their first appearances in Beatitude. Although the first incarnation of the magazine only published 17 issues, it has had a lasting impact on the Beat literary movement. Art of Clay: Timeless Pottery of the Southwest (SIGNED by 13 living artists)
Cohen, Lee M., editor Quarto; 19pp. Foreword by Roger G. Kennedy. Bibliography. A Fine copy in publisher's black cloth lettered in silver in matching slipcase (silver on front slightly rubbed). Strikingly illustrated throughout with 96 color photographs; portrays the lives and works of eighteen ceramic artists including Maria Martinez, Grace Medicine Flower, Popovi Da, Nampeyo, Russell Sanchez, Nathan and Nancy Youngblood and many more. Archive of Van Voorhies-Phinney Company, including a history, company catalogs and two Vanco printers blocks
The Gold Rush made Sacramento a major commercial center and distribution point for Northern California, serving as the terminus for the Pony Express and the First Transcontinental Railroad. Founded in 1850 (as R. Stone and Co.), by the late 1800s Alexander Van Voorhies and son-in-law George Phinney, now the Van Voorhies-Phinney Co., had established a reputation as one of the premier saddle and harness firms in California, rivaling the best San Francisco had to offer. Over time, and with the arrival of the automobile age, the company diversified its product line to include industrial supplies, mechanical rubber goods, boots and shoes and rubber footwear. By 1920 the company (now known as 'Vanco)' had become the sole western representative for the iconic Converse Rubber Shoe Company. The firm, family-operated for over 130 years, was one of the oldest in California when it closed its doors in 1986. Included in this rare collection of an early California saddle and harness firm: 'Threescore Years and Ten' (a string-tied history published in 1920 on the 70th anniversary of the firm); Six scarce trade catalogs c. 1920s-1940 that illustrate the firm's successful transition from saddles to shoes; Two printing blocks, one for 'Vanco Shoes' and one for 'Vanco Cowboy Outfits'. America with Those Known Parts in that Unknowne Worlde Both People and Manner of Buildings Described and Inlarged by I.S. Ano 1626
Speed, John JohnSpeed's celebrated map of theAmericas, "the first published in an atlas to depict California as an island, and an accurate east coast of NorthAmerica, particularly between Chesapeake Bay and Cape Cod." - Burden p. 269. London: George Humble, 1626 [1627]. Archivally framed (23 1/4" x 27 1/4") to allow exposure of the English text on the verso. This first state map, pre-dating the addition of Boston and Long Island, is from the 1626-1627 edition of Speed's "Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World". The map was engraved by Abraham Goos. It is decorated in the popular carte-a-figures style with panels of costumed native figures at each side and vignettes of major cities at top. The figures at left represent the native people of NorthAmerica, and at right the major SouthAmerican tribes. The cities illustrated include Havana, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Cusco, and other important SouthAmerican settlements. A number of sea monsters, flying fish and sailing ships also decorate the map. Burden 217; McLaughlin 3; Tooley pg. 113. Narrative of Edward Mcgowan
McGowan, Edward Small 8vo. Illustrated plates. Publisher's brown paper covered boards with cream title label on spine. Previous owner blindstamp at top of title page; previous owner name in pencil; else a fine copy. Including a Full Account of the Author's Adventures and Perils While Persecuted by the San Francisco Vigilance Committee of 1856 - Together with a Report of His Trial Which Resulted in His Acquittal. First published in 1857, described in The Zamorano 80 as "one of the rare pieces of Californiana.published in pamphlet form by `Ned' McGowan, one-time justice of the peace in San Francisco, and an ex-convict from Pennsylvania, as a vindication of his conduct in absconding after being accused of complicity in the murder of James King of William." (Adams Six-Guns 1408; Cowan p.407; Howes M103; Zamorano 80 #54). Limited Edition to 200 numbered copies, this copy not numbered. San Francisco Telephone Directory
Tall 8vo. xii, 8, 284 pp. With five pages of the "Chinese Exchange" in English, followed by 8 pages in Chinese. Includes business and residential listings. Business advertisements, including four leaves of advertisements printed on colored paper. Brown wrappers. Light foxing; general wear; hole punched in top left corner; a good copy. OCLC/World Cat lists only one copy of the 1905 first edition (October, 1905) and three listings of the 1905-1907 series that may or may not have included the 1905 issue; a scarce issue of dthe pre-1906 earthquake directory. The Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Company directories began in 1905 and ceased in 1907. This copy being the first directory published in January 1905. 