Wah-To-Yah & The Taos Trail, Prairie Travel and Scalp Dances [with Map and Prospectus}; With a Look at Los Rancheros from Muleback and the Rocky Mountain Campfire by Lewis H. Garrard. A New Introduction by Carl I. Wheat and Illustrations from blocks designed and cut by Mallette Dean. Number Three of the Third Series of Rare Americana

San Francisco: The Grabhorn Press, 1936. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Very Good. Dean, Mallette. One of 550 copies, large octavo size, 309 pp., with folding map and prospectus. This diary, written by the young Lewis H. Garrard, includes contemporary descriptions of Native Americans, traders, mountain men, with their dress, behavior, and speech, and also includes legendary characters such as Kit Carson. Garrard attended the trial of some of the Mexicans and Pueblos who had revolted against U.S. rule of New Mexico, newly captured in the Mexican-American War, and wrote the only eye-witness account of the trial and hanging of six convicted men (n. b., (truncated) info from Wiki).

This edition of his diary was published by the Grabhorn Press, one of the most highly renowned private presses in America in the twentieth century, run by brothers Edwin and Robert Grabhorn; with woodcuts by Mallette Dean, well-known for the beauty and elegance of his work. This book took the Grabhorns seven months to make, it was the third volume of "the Third and last series of Rare Americana".

___DESCRIPTION: Bound in dark grey decorated paper over boards, natural linen cloth spine, cream paper spine label with black lettering and decorative rules, fore- and bottom edges uncut, title page printed in black, brown, and grey, chapter headings in brown, twenty-five linocut chapter headpieces in colour designed and cut by Mallette Dean; hand-set in Garamond on machine-made paper, binding large octavo size (9 3/4" by 6 3/4"), pagination: [i-xviii], [1]-289 [1, blank], [1,colophon], Third Series of Rare Americana, No. 3, limited edition of 550 copies, unnumbered. Loosely laid in is the blue map printed with the book, being a facsimile of "A Map of the Indian Territory, Northern Texas and New Mexico, Showing the Great Western Prairies, by Josiah Gregg" (often lacking) and the publisher's prospectus, a single sheet printed on one side only, with a plain grey paper dust jacket.

___CONDITION: Volume fine overall, with clean binding, all corners unrubbed, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, the colours in the illustrations deep, and entirely free of prior owner markings; the bottom corners gently bumped, else fine. The map is near fine with some light edgewear to the bottom edge and two corners creased (none affecting the map), the prospectus also near fine with edgewear to the bottom edge. The dust jacket very good, with ligher overall wear, two closed tears, and sunning to the spine.

___CITATIONS: Grabhorn Press Bibliography, no. 245; Hawk, no. 165; Wright-Howes G70.

___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the Abe standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.

___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help. (Inventory #: 18082733)