Welcome to Back of Beyond Books' recent acquisitions list. While we specialize in books of the American West, these listings will run the gamut of genres. You're receiving this list because you've either purchased from us or are a friend in the business. If you prefer not to see these monthly postings you may easily unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the page.
If you haven't already checked out our most recent catalogue follow this link to view it! Catalogue No. 23
We buy collections and maintain want lists. Books are subject to prior sale and may be held for one week. Any item is returnable within two weeks for a full refund. Dealer discounts and institutional billing are available for all books we offer.
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Thank you,
Andy Nettell
Back of Beyond Books
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Photo of the Angelus Hotel, El Paso, Texas in 1915 |
Very Good. Mounted silver gel photo depicting the owner of the Angelus Hotel in El Paso, Texas standing at the front desk of the hotel. Dated to March 25th, 1915. Contemporary annotations on verso. Photographer is possibly Margaret Hood (the sister of the man in the photo). Mount measures 7 ½" x 10" and photograph measures 5" x 7". Mount has moderate soiling and light wear to edges; photo has light soiling and yellowing.
The contemporary annotations on verso read "Samuel W. Hood, owner & operator (behind the desk) by Baby Sister Margaret. Angelus Hotel, March 25th, 1915, El Paso, Tex. Samie's writing." The detail of the front desk is great: you can see everything from the spittoon to the El Paso Church directory, from advertisements for lectures to the ornate cash register. 022798. $30
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Wash Day in Africa
Beinhorn, Elly
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Good. B&W photo measures 5" x 7" and depicts seven women doing washing. The manuscript writing on the photo reads "Dear [? ] it took 7 women to clean my pants in Africa. El[? ]." We believe this manuscript writing to be that of Elly Beinhorn the famous German pilot. Copyright stamp of Elly Beinhorn and Ullstein Fotografisches Atelier on verso. Also on verso are a handwritten "x" and "36". Likely taken in the 1930s. Photo has 7 pin holes along edges and a ½" tear on the lower right corner.
Elly Beinhorn (1907-2007) was a German aviator who was the second woman to fly solo from Europe to Australia, and was awarded the Hidenburg Cup (at that time Germany's highest civilian aviation award). She began her aviation career in 1928 after attending a lecture by the famed aviator Hermann Kohl and took her first solo flight in 1931. She traveled to Africa numerous times in the 1930s. Beinhorn's first solo flight to Africa is one of her most memorable: she crash-landed in the Sahara. With the help of the nomadic Tuareg she was able to safely return to Timbuktu and then onto Germany. Beinhorn flew along the east and west coasts of Africa (in 1933 or 34) , and also went to Africa on her honeymoon with famous race car driver Bernd Rosemeyer. It is likely that this photo was taken from one of these trips to Africa. The photo shows seven women wading in ankle deep water; almost all of the women wear only skirts and head wraps, and numerous wash buckets float in the water. We believe the manuscript annotation on the photo ("it took 7 women to clean my pants in Africa") to be the writing of Beinhorn and has a humorous tone. Why did it take seven women to wash her pants? Long flight? We like the content of the photo as well. We don't handle material from Africa often but it seems like a commonplace scene that is not often photographed. 022715. $750
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Stagecoach and Wagon at Fort Lewis, Washington [2 Gelatin Silver Photos]
Boland, Marvin
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Very Good. Set of two gelatin silver photos by Marvin Boland taken in the early 20th century. Each photo measures 2 ½" x 7" and has Boland's name and catalog number in the negative. Photos have modern pencil annotations on verso reading "Marvin D. Boland Photo." Photos have minor fading, else very good.
These two photos depict a mule-drawn stagecoach and a wagon, likely at Fort Lewis. In the background of both images one can see barracks, mounted cavalry, and bystanders or soldiers. Marvin Boland was an active photographer in Tacoma, Washington from 1915 to 1949. He was the official photographer for Fort Lewis during and after World War I. Boland was a prolific photographer taking photos of varying subjects from navy ships to football games, and his specialty was the panorama print. Washington State Historical Society and the LOC have Boland collections. 022718. $65
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San Luis Valley Ski-Hi Stampede |
Monte Vista, Colorado: Monte Vista Commercial Club. Good. 1931. Pamphlet. Bright green wraps with black and red lettering, border and illustration. Wraps have moderate sunning and creasing along spine and corners; title page and last leaf have moderate foxing.
A promotional booklet for the thirteenth annual San Luis Valley Ski-Hi Stampede that ran July 29th, 30th, 31st, 1931. The booklet contains a history of the stampede, a list of events, and promotional essays on Monte Vista, agriculture and livestock industries in the area, and the surrounding Rio Grande National Forest. There is a b&w map of the San Luis Valley and b&w illustrations and photos on almost every page. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 72 pp. 022693. $85
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Alpine Public Schools - Annual Announcement 1915-1916 - Alpine, Texas [with Vol. 1, No. 1 of The Alpiner Newspaper] |
Good. Includes a copy of the Alpine Public School Annual Announcement for 1915-1916 booklet and Vol. 1, No. 1 of the Alpine School newspaper "The Alpiner" dated to March 7, 1916. As far as we can tell, the booklet and the newspaper are unrecorded. Booklet has brown wraps with black lettering and is staple bound; 35pp; includes b&w plates. Moderate soiling and wear to wraps; front endpaper is missing 1" of top right corner; 2 pages of text block have heavy toning where the newspaper was laid in. Newspaper 4pp and measures 8" x 10". Heavy toning with a ½" tear along the fold and light soiling.
Alpine, Texas is located in Brewster County in southwest Texas. The Annual Announcement lists the faculty at the school and gives details about courses. The Alpiner was published bimonthly by the High School printing class, and has short articles with headlines reading "Playground Well Equipped," "Base Ball is Popular," and "New Teacher at the Mexican School." No copies found on OCLC or in commerce as of April 2021. 022691. $225
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Girls in Front of a Round Adobe Structure RPPC |
Good. Real photo postcard depicting three young girls in front of a round adobe structure. RPPC dates between 1904-1918 and measures 3 ½" x 5 ½". No correspondence written on verso. Minor chipping to bottom right corner and photo has moderate soiling.
This image was likely taken in Taos, New Mexico and shows a round adobe structure, possibly a granary, with newer fencing and buildings behind it. Three young white girls in dresses (and one dog) pose in front of the structure. 022652. $50
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Early Texas Deed for Cattle and Hogs
Broadway, Josephine
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Very Good. Travis County, Texas deed dated to October 14th, 1853. The deed is 2pp and is docketed on verso. The deed was handwritten on blue paper and measures 8" x 12 ½". Deed has light toning and minor wear along folds, else very good.
This document states that 20 head of cattle and 20 hogs were deeded to Josephine Broadway by her husband Nicholas Broadway. It is signed by Josephine Broadway, John B. Costa (Chief Justice of Travis County, Texas) and Josephine Schneider (witness). A very Texan document indeed. 022684. $150
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Collection of Papers from the Estate of John Warner [1815-1840]
Warner, John
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Good. Autograph Letters Signed. Small collection of documents from the estate of John Warner, a farmer and merchant of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Collection consists of 10 separate papers, including business letters and accounting sheets. Papers are all folded and exhibit foxing and toning. Many have tears and chipping along the folds. The script on most of the documents is fairly challenging to read, though all are still legible.
The documents mostly concern the sale and shipping of onions. Collection includes 5 business letters and 5 sheets of accounts. The account sheets have dates ranging from 1815 to 1840 and contain lists of names and figures with arithmetic done on the margins. The letters also contain a range of dates, with one from 1818, two from 1819, one from 1823, and another from 1833. The letters appear to be from business partners and largely discuss the transportation of onions and prices in various cities in the eastern United States. This collection of 10 documents gives a glimpse into an agricultural business operating in the first half of the 19th century. 022664. $325
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Stampless Letters from Captain to Famed Ship Builder Thatcher Magoun [1834]
Winsor, Daniel L
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Good. 1834. Autograph Letter Signed. Stampless letters written to Thatcher Magoun of Medford, MA by Captain Daniel L. Winsor while aboard a ship sailing in the Baltic Sea that are dated August 14th and 17th, 1834. Letters are both written on a single sheet measuring approximately 15 ½ x 9 ¾ inches, which is then folded in half. Writing on recto and verso in condensed script that is somewhat difficult to parse, which is not aided by the ink bleeding through the paper. Chipping and tearing along edges. Only the largest tear disrupts the content, measuring about one inch wide and cutting about an inch into the sheet and obscuring a couple words. There are some large spots of foxing that do not impact content.
Thatcher Magoun established the first shipyard in Medford, MA and earned a reputation that maritime historian Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison called, "second to none among American shipbuilders." Daniel L. Winsor served as captain of the ship Timoleon as part of Magoun's mercantile firm. In the first of the two letters included on the sheet, Winsor reports on the ship's arrival to St. Petersburg, Russia. He refers to "the miserable state of business there and elsewhere" and discusses the ship's cargo of flax and sugar. The second letter was penned when the ship was 10 miles from Elsinore, Denmark three days later. Winsor references the multitude of other ships in the vicinity and describes the many troubles the crew encountered on their journey. "I almost dread to go on shore at Elsinore," he writes. This intriguing pair of letters offers insight into the operations of a highly successful mercantile firm. 022666. $100
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Judgment of a Petition in the State of Texas, County of Galveston [1847] |
Good. Legal document dating within Texas' first year of statehood. 8" x 13". 2pp with content on recto, except for docketing on the second page. Folded twice and two ½" post holes at the top of each leaf. Document has light soiling, toning and creasing; page 2 has a total of ½" critter damage along one fold; minor fold tears 1/2" or less. Written in a clear hand.
This legal document contains a judgment on a petition made in regards to the collection of duties on imported goods. What makes this legal document special is that the judgment was determined by Texas' admittance to the United States. It seems the petition was in the District Court of Galveston in the Fall Term of 1846 and this document, the judgment, was dated January 5th, 1847; this meaning that Texas had only become a state in the Union within the last year. The legality of the collection of duties was in question due to Texas' status. The beginning of the document reads: "The State of Texas, County of Galveston, January 5th, 1847… E. P. Calkin & Co vs. James H. Cocke. This day thus came on for hearing on the petition, answer, statement of facts and exhibits filed - and the court being now sufficiently advised in the premises, is of opinion that Texas on the 29th day of December 1845, was admitted, and on that day became one of the States of the United States of North America, and as a consequence was entitled to all the rights and privileges belonging to any member of the Union, and from that time was subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the United States, and its laws in the collection of duties on imports and the Merchandize[sic] upon which the Defendant claimed duties…" 022694. $150
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Official Guide and Timetable of the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad September 1876 |
Chicago, IL: RAND, McNally & Co.. Very Good with no dust jacket. 1876. Railroad Timetable. Railroad timetable unfolds into a 23 1/2 x 35 inch map of two-thirds of the United States. Light soiling and chipping to edges, slight separation at one or two folds.
Contains a very pleasing hand-colored map showing the myriad of short line railroads throughout the eastern two-thirds of the United States. Includes timetables for the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis RR, the Chicago, Kansas City & Denver RR, various Texas Short Lines and the Chicago, Memphis, mobile & New Orleans line. Also has striking vignettes of Pullman Palace Sleeping Cars and the Reclining Chairs in said cars, the Great Steel Bridge and Great Iron Bridge across the Mississippi River in two locales. This particular timetable not found in OCLC as of April 2021. A wonderful example of an ephemeral railroad artifact. 022682. $475
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Red Men's Hall. Programme for this Evening...Mr. William Arlington's (Billy) Humorous Lecture "Life's Problem" Dispersed with Anecdotes & Songs, accompanied by the Banjo. By Particular Desire, Mr. Arlington will give his Lecture on "Female Suffrage"... |
Very Good. Likely published in San Francisco, California with no publication information or date. One sheet folded with two pages of content. Light foxing and soiling, else very good.
A program for humorous lectures and entertainment, with San Francisco advertisements and public notices. The events took place at Red Men's Hall given by the fraternal organization, the Improved Order of Red Men. The program reads: "Red Men's Hall - Programme for this Evening. Overture…By the Pianist. Mr. William Arlington's (Billy) Humorous Lecture 'Life's Problem' Dispersed with Anecdotes & Songs, accompanied by the Banjo. By Particular Desire, Mr. Arlington will give his Lecture on 'Female Suffrage,' which will conclude the entertainment. Programme perfumed by John Calvert, Druggist…" On verso the program reads: "Important Public Notice. In consequence of the very dull times and general stagnation of business I have decided to clear out my overstock, amounting to $40,000 worth of the finest and best made white shirts and underwear…" William Arlington participated in minstrel shows throughout the country in the 1860s and 70s, and one wonders what his lecture on "female suffrage" was really about. No copies found on OCLC or in commerce as of April 2021. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 2 pp. 022695. $125
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Cities of the American West - A History of Frontier Urban Planning
Reps, John W
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Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Fine. 1979. Hardcover. Tan buckram boards with black cloth and gilt lettering on spine; housed in the original pictorial slipcase. Slipcase has moderate soiling and wear.
This massive volume "virtually constitutes a historical atlas of western cities and provides a vivid picture of urban planning and development beyond the Mississippi." The timeline of book spans from the creation of the first Spanish settlement to the closing of the frontier in 1890. There are 500 illustrations which depict plans, surveys and maps of towns and cities of the West. Shipping may cost extra due to weight of book. ; B&W Illustrations; Large 8vo 9" - 11" tall; 827 pp. 022792. $45
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C. N. Cotton and His Navajo Blankets
Williams, Lester L
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Albuquerque, New Mexico: Avanyu Publishing Inc.. Good. 1989. Softcover. White wraps with black lettering on spine; b&w illustration on front and rear wraps. Wraps have moderate soiling and shelfwear; text block has light toning.
The C. N. Cotton Company of Gallup, New Mexico was the largest handler of Navajo blankets in the country, and the proprietor of this company, Clinton Neal Cotton (1854-1936), was the author's great uncle. This biography contains photos and facsimiles of C. N. Cotton Company catalogs from the author's private collection. ; B & W and Color Illustrations ; 4to 11" - 13" tall; 102 pp. 022780. $48
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Maps of the Oregon Trail [Signed]
Franzwa, Gregory M
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Gerald, Missouri: Patrice Press. Fine. 1982. Second Edition. Binder. Signed and inscribed by the author on the title page. Bound in a black binder; errata sheet included.
This is the second edition showing 133 maps of sites along the Oregon National Historic Trail. ; Maps; 4to 11" - 13" tall; 292 pp; Signed by Author. 022830. $55
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Winfield Scott - A Biography of Scottsdale's Founder [Artist Proof Copy]
Lynch, Richard E
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City of Scottsdale, Arizona. Fine. 1978. First Edition. Hardcover. Limited to 50 copies this numbered "AP" (artist proof) and signed by the author on the limitation page. Quarter leather over brown paper boards; housed in a matching brown paper slipcase. Slipcase has light wear, else fine.
A nice biography of Chaplain Winfield Scott, founder and promoter of Scottsdale, Arizona. ; B&W Illustrations; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 206 pp; Signed by Author. 022811. $80
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Arizona - The History of the Frontier State [Signed]
Wyllys, Rufus K
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Phoenix, Arizona: Hobson & Herr. Very Good. 1950. First Edition. Hardcover. Limited to 406 copies. This copy is signed by the author, Rufus K. Wyllys, the artist of the chapter headings, Tom J. Harter, and the mapmaker, George Avey. Red cloth boards have gilt lettering on spine and top edge is dyed magenta. Housed in a matching red cloth slipcase. Slipcase has moderate wear; boards have light sunning and wear to spine, and a small impact mark at the head of the spine.
"It is the hope of this book's author to cover the annals of Arizona in a reasonable adequate but condensed fashion, with a preliminary survey of its physical and ethnological background." The book covers Native American history, the coming of Spain, missionaries and settlers, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Indian Wars, cattle, agriculture, and politics. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 408 pp; Signed by Author. 022814. $45
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Inventory of the Personal Estate of Mr. Zebadiah Lothrop of Providence, Rhode Island [Manuscript Document] |
Good. The title of the document reads: "Inventory of the Personal Estate of Mr. Zebadiah Lothrop late of Providence Decs. Apprised by the Subscribers as Set Forth by the Administrator on Said Estate". Likely written in 1818 after Lothrop's death. Document measures 8" x 13". 4pp. Moderate toning, foxing and tearing (two 1" tears and one 2 ¼" tear).
Zebadiah Lothrop (1769-1818) was a Providence merchant who partnered with his father-in-law, Jonathan Adams, in business in the early 1800s. The inventory of his estate presents a detailed account of household furnishing, decorative items, books, bedding, cloth, and investments. Some of the most pricey items on this list include his collection of silver spoons ($34.87) , "1 pew No. 33 in Benevolent Society's Meeting House $500" and "16 shares in Prov. Bank @ 400 $6400." 022828. $100
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Two Autograph Letters Signed--Benjamin Perley Poore 1880 and 1885
Poore, Benjamin Perley
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Washington, D. C. 1880. Manuscript Letters. Two manuscript letters from the desk of Benjamin Perley Poore (1820-1887) written in 1880 and 1885.
First letter written to John S. Cunningham on a single 8 x 5 inch sheet on letter-head for the Joint Committee on Printing for the Forty-Eighth Congress. Dated January 1885. Very good condition and very legible. Of note, Poore refers to their mutual friend Horatio King, likely U. S. Postmaster General for a very short period in 1861 and served as a notable attorney in Washington D. C. For many years. The letterhead use was legitimate as Poore served as clerk of the committee of the United States Senate on printing records, where he edited the Congressional Directory beginning in 1867 and the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (Wikipedia). In the margin Poore notes that he sent Cunningham the latest Congressional Directory. Letter number two (8 x 5 inch bifolium) is addressed to George Alfred Townsend (1841-1914) and dated March 1880. The letter is also very legible but the verso has paper remnants as if it were removed from a scrapbook. No text on the back. Light splitting at fold. Townsend was a noted war correspondent during the American Civil War, and a later novelist. Townsend wrote under the pen name "Gath", which was derived by adding an "H" to his initials, and inspired by the biblical passage II Samuel 1: 20, "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askalon (Wikipedia)." The letter is a delightful account of the Poore family reading a book which Townsend had sent the Poores. Later Poore tells Townsend, "take the advice of one twenty years your senior, and don't wear your brain out writing for the newspapers...writing for newspapers is like drinking champagne--pleasant, exhilarating, and leaving no trace save a headache and and [sic] empty purse. " The letter also refers to Senator Charles Sumner reflecting on Townsend's account of the opening of the Paris Exhibition as "the best words painting of an important scene ever printed in America." Not quite sure which Paris Exhibition Poore is referring to as the 1844 Exhibition is too early and the 1889 Fair is too late for this to make sense. Regardless, Poore writes a good turn of phrase. 022832. $95
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Penmanship Class Sign Up Sheet, 1879
Chambers, J. J
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Good. A beautifully written advertisement for a course in penmanship to be given in November of 1879. Document measures 7 ¾" x 12 ½". 1pp folded multiple times. Docketed on verso, content reads: "Writing Article - Class will meet at the Bethel School Course Nov. 8 1879." Document has moderate soiling and a 1" tear along a fold.
The word "Penmanship" is written at the top of the document and is adorned with flourishes, leaves, and flowers. The lessons were to be held at the Bethel School; we were not able to determine which state the class was located in. The instructor writes in pretty purple ink: "J. J. Chambers announces to the ladies and gentlemen of this community that he will give a thorough course of instruction in penmanship provided sufficient encouragement be given. Time, sin evenings. Terms $1.00 in advance. No. of lessons 12." This announcement is followed by more flourishes and a list of names written by eager students. 022831. $45
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Commonplace Book of John L. Hirsch, Sacramento, California [Late 19th Century]
Hirsch, John L
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Good. This commonplace book has tan cloth wraps and blue lettering and flourishes; manuscript entries were written in a clear hand. "Memorandum" is printed on the front wrap. "John L. Hirsch, Sacramento, Cal." is written on the front pastedown. Written in the 1890s. Booklet measures 3 ½" x 6". Two newspaper clippings are laid in. Wraps have heavy soiling and moderate wear; leaves are heavily toned and have moderate soiling.
The commonplace book recorded a hodgepodge of subjects, whatever the compiler was interested in. Here Mr. Hirsch records a miscellany of observations, witticisms, quotes from periodicals and news of the day. Entries include: "The flavor of an ostrich egg is excellent and one egg makes an ordinary meal", "Lord Spencer's library, which is said to be unrivaled among the private collections of books in England, and which contains a matchless set of Caxton publications is to be sold at auction next year. Rec Union 29.8.92", "'Stop working that free lunch counter' shouted the bartender. 'It isn't work, it's a pleasure' replied Weary Willie. Chicago Times Herald" and "Mark Twain in South Africa. M. Twain had been telling the South African pressmen some yarns and cracking some jokes at his own expense. One of the latter is related by a Johannesburg paper. Mark was talking about South Africa's numerous recent afflictions. 'Yes' he said 'you have had a fearful time here lately - what with wars, revolutions, rinderpest, locusts, drought - and me. I guess you can go no further with plagues. Now that I've come you must take a change for the better." An interesting perspective of the happenings of the day. 022833. $100
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Dry-Fly Fisherman's Entomology
Mosely, Martin
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London: George Routeledge and Sons, Limited. Very Good with no dust jacket. 1921. First Edition. Flex-cloth wallet style. Dark green fabrikoid flexible-board wallet style, with title in gilt on front and spine. Minimal rubbing to spine. Flap inserts into front board. Interior very clean.
All 16 plates present with hand colored flies and tissue guards included with printed key. Printed facsimile letter from Frederic Halford to Martin Mosely. Marbled endpapers. A pleasantly clean copy of this classic British treatise on the entomology of the dry fly. ; 16mo 6" - 7" tall; 109 pp. 022829. $140
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Contact
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Andy Nettell, Proprietor
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800.700.2859
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.
Edward Abbey
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