The American Southwest and More from Back of Beyond Books
- By Michael Stillman
The American Southwest is featured by Back of Beyond Books.
Back of Beyond Books recently published their Rare Book Catalogue #4. Back of Beyond specializes in books relating to the American Southwest. There are works of nonfiction, including natural history, explorations, human history, geology and geography. Then there are books pertaining to the region's art and photography, fiction, and poetry. There are specialized sections, such as books relating to the Mormon settlement of the area. Finally, there is an occasional item that doesn't have much of anything to do with the area, such as an account of the earthquake in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1886. We will take a look at a few entries from this catalogue focused on one of the most spectacular regions on the continent.
Item 11 is the Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado and Portions of Adjacent Territory by Ferdinand V. Hayden. Hayden was a surveyor and geologist who was involved in several missions to the West from the 1850s to the 1870s. He was one of the first to survey Yellowstone and was an important proponent of making it a national park. This report, which contains 18 maps and charts and two panoramic views, came about from his fieldwork in Colorado from 1873-76. It covers the entire state of Colorado along with adjacent portions of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Priced at $5,000.
Item 21 is Report Upon the Colorado River of the West, by Lieutenant Joseph C. Ives, published in 1861. Ives was one of the earliest white Americans to explore the area, a decade before Powell. His review provides an early look at the Grand Canyon as well as describing the area's Indian natives. The book includes engravings, Indian portraits, and fold-out panoramic views. However, Ives did not believe the land had much practical use. $1,200.
Item 29 is This is Dinosaur: Echo Park Country and Its Magic Rivers, by Wallace Stegner, published in 1955. Stegner was one of the most important of writers, historians, and environmentalists of the West in the 20th century. Here he writes about Dinosaur National Monument, in northwestern Colorado and adjacent Utah. His book contains his own essay and those of others pertaining to the region. Dinosaur is named for the quarry filled with dinosaur bones found in the monument, but Dinosaur is also a spectacularly beautiful area, with deep, colorful canyons leading down to the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. The timing of this book is notable, as is the folded insert within titled What is Your Stake in Dinosaur. As part of the Colorado River Storage Project, which eventually led to the massive Glen Canyon Dam farther downstream, was a plan to dam Echo Park at the canyons' base, and flood them as was done at Glen Canyon. The project led to large protests from the environmental community, and eventually, a decision to abandon this part of it, instead protecting all of the nation's parks and monuments from such massive environmental reconstruction. This copy of the book has been signed by Stegner. $550.
|
The American Southwest and More from Back of Beyond Books
- By Michael Stillman
Wallace Stegner on Dinosaur National Monument.
Item 70 is a look back at the institution that made Mormonism so controversial in the 19th century - polygamy. The title is Why We Practice Plural Marriage by a "Mormon" Wife and Mother - Helen Mar Whitney, published in 1884. Whitney was a daughter of Heber Kimball, one of the early followers of Church founder Joseph Smith. At the age of 14, she, like many other women, was married to Smith. Her father encouraged the marriage as he believed it would connect their families and provide all of his family with eternal salvation. Young Helen was at first shocked and displeased with the idea, but as this book confirms, she came to be a strong supporter. Smith was murdered just a year later, and Helen was then married "for time" to Horace Whitney (meaning she would return to Smith for eternity). Ms. Whitney provides strong condemnation for those who attack plural marriage, a spirited defense of the institution, and bolsters her argument by maintaining that greater suffering on earth leads to greater rewards in the world to come. That was an argument used on slaves as well. Ms. Whitney's arguments were of little avail, as just 6 years later, the Mormon Church outlawed the practice. $350.
Item 72 is one of those non-Southwestern items: The Complete Herbal, to Which is Now Added Upwards of One Hundred Additional Herbs, with a Display of Their Medicinal and Occult Qualities Physically Applied to the Cure of All Disorders Incident to Mankind… Those are some rather bold promises, on which I am quite sure author Nicholas Culpepper could not deliver. Culpepper attempted to use reason in determining his "cures," but in his day (17th century), reason involved such things as the influence of the planets on your health. At least he did not recommend terrible surgeries or the use of horrible poisons as would more likely have been the advice of his day. Offered is one of the later editions of a book that was in vogue for two centuries, published in 1835. $700.
Back of Beyond Books may be reached at 435-259-5154 or andy@backofbeyondbooks.com. Their website is found at www.backofbeyondbooks.com.
|