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AE Monthly

AE Reviews

 
The Final Arthur H. Clark Catalogue (To Be Continued)

The last Arthur Clark, and first Clark Rare Books, catalogue.


By Michael Stillman

Recently arrived in our mailbox was the final, sort of, catalogue in the long-running series from the Arthur H. Clark Company. Going back over a century, Arthur Clark long has been both a bookseller and book publisher. However, after all of these years as a family run business, the publishing arm of the Arthur H. Clark Company was recently sold to the University of Oklahoma Press. Third generation owner Robert Clark reports that he will be moving to Oklahoma to direct the publishing company that will still carry the family name.

For those not familiar with Arthur H. Clark Publishing, first of all, you are either not particularly up on Western Americana, or you have been missing out on something special the past 100 years. Clark has been a regular publisher of historical western books, including both new insights on old events, discoveries of unpublished histories, and reprints of older works. Many of Clark's publications, particularly the older ones, have become very collectible. You will find them not only in Clark catalogues, but many others as well.

However, that brings us to the question of what will happen to Clark's bookselling division. The good news is that it will continue. With the University of Oklahoma Press taking over the Arthur H. Clark name, the catalogues will no longer bear this imprint. The catalogues will now appear under the name Clark Rare Books. The latest, number 929, is a transition, so it bears both the old and new names.

At the moment, the Clarks are in the process of moving to Norman, Oklahoma. Once settled, Mr. Clark will be managing operations for the press during the day. However, the Clarks will continue to run the bookstore from their new location. Bob Clark will be available evenings while Sheila Clark will be running the show during the day. However, for the remainder of the year, keeping track of all of the books will be a bit of a challenge. Books must be moved all the way from their Spokane, Washington, location to the new one in Norman. Therefore, they caution it may take longer than usual to ship books, perhaps even a few weeks. Nevertheless, the business will remain open, and you can check their website for instructions on contacting the Clarks or placing orders. The site may be found at www.ahclark.com. Now, here are a few selections from the last Arthur H. Clark Company catalogue, or the first one from Clark Rare Books.

The Final Arthur H. Clark Catalogue (To Be Continued)

Washington Territorial Governor George E. Cole.


Almost every collector collects books about some event, but how about 100-year anniversaries of important events? Item 5 is the Proceedings of the Bunker Hill Monument Association...and An Account of the Centennial Celebration, June 17, 1875. The Battle of Bunker Hill occurred over a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as already independence-minded Bostonians and New Englanders were at war with the British colonialists. Bunker Hill was a bloody battle, which the British technically won, but in which they suffered great casualties. It showed that the colonists could fight, and the British could be brutal. It would become a rallying cry throughout the colonies, which would help ignite the revolution to follow. This centennial publication is now older than the battle itself was at the time it was published, the bicentennial of Bunker Hill now long since passed too. Priced at $45.

Here is another centennial: Souvenir Program: United States Flag Centennial. Published in 1946, it commemorates the capture of Monterrey by American forces during the Mexican War. Item 6. $12.50.

Alexander Barclay certainly enjoyed a variety of careers, from exciting western trailblazer to boring office worker. The title of George Hammond's biography says it all: The Adventures of Alexander Barclay, Mountain Man, from London Corsetier to Pioneer Farmer in Canada, Bookkeeper in St. Louis, Superintendent of Bent's Fort, Fur Trader and Mountain Man in Colorado and New Mexico, Builder of Barclay's Fort on the Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico in 1848: a narrative of his career, 1810 to 1855; his memorandum diary, 1845 to 1850. Corsetier to mountain man? Bookkeeper to fur trader? A strange and interesting life indeed! Item 233. Published in 1976. $75.

George Cole was one of the many who followed the Oregon Trail to a new life in the west. He was one of the more successful. He would be successful in business, serve in the Oregon legislature, and eventually become Territorial Governor of Washington from 1866-1867. However, he was technically only an acting governor, as due to political battles in the capitol, the Senate refused to ratify any of President Andrew Johnson's appointments at the time. Much later, a year before his death in 1906, Cole published this account of his early days: Early Oregon jottings of personal recollections of a pioneer of 1850. Item 348. $65.