Over the Santa Fe Trail 1857. From the Original 1905 Edition by William B. Napton. Introduction by Donald C. Cutter.
1964650 · Santa Fe
by Napton, William B.
Santa Fe: Stagecoach Press, 1964. This first regular edition is limited to 650 copies, designed and printed by Jack D. Rittenhouse at his Stagecoach Press in Santa Fe. Body text was set in Linotype Caledonia, with chapter headings handset in old French Ionic. Printed on a hand operated press, using Hamilton Kilmory paper. Small octavo, brown cloth (hardcover), gilt letters (hardcover), 73 pp. Fine (As New), in a Near-Fine dust jacket. From dust jacket: One of the last paragraphs of an important chapter in American history, says the introduction by Dr. Donald C. Cutter, of the Department of History at the University of New Mexico. This reprint of a scarce book tells a first hand account of one man’s personal experiences while traveling over the Santa Fe Trail in 1857. William B. Napton was a young Missourian who joined a wagon train when he was eighteen. Forty years later he wrote of his experiences and the book was published at Kansas City in 1905... Napton preserved sharp, indelible images of the nation’s enchanted Trail: the crack of bullwhips, the threats of Indians, long days of endless plodding broken by a wild dash for buffalo or elk, the practical jokes of the rough teamasters, and the iron rule of the wagonmaster. This book is relatively unknown to most historians and bibliographers. It iwas listed as Item N-9 by Wright Howes in his bibliography of US-iana. This 1964 reprint omits a brief seci\on of the original on Napton’s experiences other than his Trail days. (Inventory #: 3365gl)