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1. [ADAMS, JAMES CAPEN] Hittell, Theodore.
The Adventures of
James Capen Adams, Mountaineer and Grizzly Bear Hunter of California.
vi, [3], 10-378 pp. Twelve unpaginated plates [wood engravings
by Charles Nahl] with tissue guards. 7-1/2x4-3/4, brown pebbled
cloth with gilt spine title and blind-stamped cover decorations.
First edition.
San Francisco: Towne and Bacon, Printers and Publishers, 1860.
Bookplate of Robert Ernest Cowan on front pastedown. Cowan p.284;
Currey and Kruska 147; Howes H543; Zamorano 80 #42. The San Francisco
printing of the first edition which according to Farquhar [see
item #3 below] is the first issue. Hittel first encountered Adams
in 1856 when Adams had an exhibit of wild California animals including
grizzly bears in a San Francisco basement. Fascinated by the animals
and even more by their captor, he later interviewed Adams extensively
and wrote this book mostly from Adams' own accounts. Charles Nahl
was then engaged to illustrate it. The book is not only a Sierra
classic but also a classic example of a popular genre of American
literature: the adventures of an eccentric - especially those
courageous enough to seriously risk their lives in pursuit of
fame, fortune or just excitement. It is not surprising that the
book was a popular success and went through several editions described
in Farquhar's essay below [see item #3]. Expertly repaired tear
of front free endpaper - otherwise in near fine condition. (250/400).
2. [ADAMS, JAMES CAPEN] Dillon, Richard.
The Legend of Grizzly
Adams: California's Greatest Mountain Man. 223 pp. Twenty-one
illustrations on 16 unpaginated plates. 8x5-1/2, orange cloth
with black spine title and cover ornament, pictorial dust jacket.
First edition.
New York: Coward-McCann, Inc. [1966].
Inscribed by the author to RKL on half-title page. In this engaging
biography of James Capen Adams [aka John Adams] the author attempts
to separate as much fact as possible from fiction in the colorful
life of the "greatest individualist that California ever
produced" but caps his efforts by the title The Legends
of Grizzly Adams in recognition of the many missing links
to reality. Despite the legendary nature of many of James Capen
Adams' adventures, there is enough fact to fully support his sobriquet
of "Grizzly Adams" and Dillon's claim for him as "California's
greatest mountain man" [in his time and genre, I would hastily
add - to avoid meaningless comparisons with the like of Galen
Clark, John Muir and Norman Clyde]. There is little doubt, however
that he possessed more reckless courage than any of those mentioned
and in fact died at a rather young age of meningitis [inflammation
of the covering of the brain] resulting from a skull-penetrating
blow to the head by one of his "pet" grizzlies. One
tiny chip missing from top edge of dust jacket - otherwise in
fine condition. (50/80).
3. [ADAMS, JAMES CAPEN] Farquhar, Francis.
The Grizzly Bear
Hunter of California: A Bibliographical Essay. 16 pp. 11-1/2x8-3/4,
green printed wrappers. Limited edition of 200 copies. San Francisco:
The Grabhorn Press, 1948.
A reprint of one of the "Essays for Henry R. Wagner"
by Francis Farquhar. Among other questions in this essay, Farquhar
tackles the various editions and printings of Hittel's biography
and comes to the conclusion that of the two issues of the 1860
edition [one from Boston and one from San Francisco] that the
San Francisco issue probably has priority. Fine condition. (80/120).
With T.L.s. of Horace Albright
4. ALBRIGHT, HORACE AND FRANK J. TAYLOR.
"Oh Ranger!"
A Book about the National Parks. xii, 178 pp. Frontispiece
portrait of the first national park ranger, thirty-two illustrations
from photographs on 24 unpaginated plates, and numerous, humorous
drawings by Ruth Taylor White included in the text. 8-3/4x6, green
cloth with black spine and cover title and ornamentation, decorated
endpapers. First edition, first printing. Stanford: Stanford University
Press, 1928. * Albright, Horace and Robert Cahn. The Birth
of the National Park Service. The Founding Years, 1913 - 1933.
xii, 340 pp. Numerous illustrations from various sources. 9x6,
blue cloth with silver spine title and cover decoration, pictorial
dust jacket. First edition. Salt Lake City, Chicago: Howe Brothers,
1985.
Included with this is a one-page T.L.s. [with cover] by Horace
Albright to RKL dated June 15, 1985. A pioneer in the National
Park Service, Horace Albright was a major influence in the selection
and protection of uncommon land for the common good. Together
two volumes and one letter - all in fine condition. (50/80).
5. BATES, CRAIG D. AND MARTHA J. LEE.
Tradition and Innovation.
A Basket History of the Indians of the Yosemite-Mono Lake Region.
[3], iv-xxiii, [1], 225 pp. Three hundred sixty-three duotone
illustrations from various sources. 10-1/4x11, charcoal linen
with spine and cover titles in silver, pictorial dust jacket.
Limited edition of 2,000 copies printed by Phelps/Schaefer Litho-Graphics
of San Francisco.
Yosemite National Park: Yosemite Association, [1990].
Superb synergism in the arts of basketry, research, photography
and the book has created a real Yosemite treasure in this volume.
Prospectus laid in. One small defect in dust jacket - otherwise
in fine condition. (50/80).
6. BICKNELL, RALPH EDMUND.
Ralph's Scrap Book, Containing His
Writings and Illustrated Stories of Travel. Published in Memory
of Ralph Edmund Bicknell. 453 pp. Numerous illustrations from
photographs taken by the author. 9x6-3/4, black morocco with raised
spine bands, gilt spine and cover titles, satin endpapers, and
all gilt edges. Limited edition printed by the Andover Press.
Lawrence [Massachusetts] Privately published, 1905.
Not in any of the standard bibliographies or famous catalogs
[including Eberstadt]. This is perhaps one of the most unusual
and poignant books relating to California and Yosemite. Ralph
Bicknell, born into a loving, well-to-do, and cultured Eastern
family in 1881, was fifteen when he developed a serious illness.
The family doctor diagnosed tuberculosis and referred the family
to a Boston lung specialist [which in those days meant a tuberculosis
specialist]. The latter confirmed the diagnosis, rendered a grave
prognosis, and recommended an outdoor life in the California mountains
as the only hope. [Fresh mountain air was felt to have a salutory
effect on pulmonary tuberculosis after Dr. Edward Trudeau recovered
from tuberculosis after in the Adirondacks and then established
an open air sanitarium for tubercular patients there in 1884].
The family promptly moved to Altadena and camped in the Sierra
Madre above the Mount Lowe railway. While there in 1897 the father
and son planned and then carried out a trip to Yosemite in a horse-drawn
prairie schooner with a young gentleman from the staff of the
Pasadena Daily Star. They covered 1170 miles in fifty days
and recorded their experience in letters published in the friend's
paper. These letters comprising some 75 pages are reprinted as
part of this memorial volume to Ralph. Their journey was not a
direct one but along the coast through Santa Barbara, Paso Robles,
San Jose, etc. Almost a century later this makes fascinating reading
for anyone interested in a picture of turn-of-the-century Yosemite
and California. Ralph lived for another six years but eventually
succumbed to the dreaded "white plague" for which there
really was no adequate treatment in that day. [Streptomycin, the
first agent to be effective against the tubercle bacillus was
not introduced until 1944.] Fine condition. (300/400).
7. BREWER, WILLIAM H.
Up and Down California in 1860-1864.
The Journal of William H. Brewer. Professor of Agriculture in
the Sheffields Scientific School from 1864 to 1903. Edited
by Francis P. Farquhar. Preface by Russell H. Chittenden. xxx,
[2], 3-601 pp. Sixty-two illustrations on thirty-two unpaginated
plates. 9x6, black cloth with gilt spine title, uncut, original
pictorial dust jacket. First edition. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1930 .
Included with this copy are 1) a carte-de-visite portrait of
William Brewer, 2) an A.L.S. of William Brewer written to Whitney
five years after Brewer completed work in California and a letter
of Farquhar to Alfred Sutro dated Jan. 22, 1931 and 3) an initialed
carbon copy of a letter from Farquhar to Judge Cosgrave. Farquhar
comments that he acquired a number of these letters while editing
this book. He gave one of them to Judge Cosgrave at the suggestion
of Alfred Sutro and then sent another to Alfred Sutro along with
a copy of his letter to the Judge. Although Farquhar comments
that Brewer's letter has nothing to do with the California survey
other than the relationship of two of the principals, he fails
to mention that in this letter Brewer talks about joining Whitney
in Cambridge in April as soon as his academic term ended. That
summer Brewer and Whitney were reunited in another mountain exploration:
this time to determine if the rumor of peaks in the Rocky Mountains
that were higher than Mount Whitney were really true [Powell,
California Classics].
Cowan p.70; Howes B754; Zamorano 80 #9. William Brewer was born
and raised on a farm in New York but educated at Yale University
under the tutelage of Benjamin Silliman. Later he was conferred
the first Bachelor of Philosophy degree awarded by the newly-formed
Sheffield School of Science of Yale University. Not satisfied
with the extent of his education after teaching for a few years,
he went to Europe for further studies and experience. In 1858
he married and took a position as professor of chemistry at Washington
and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. Two years later his wife
and infant son died and he received an invitation to join Whitney
in the California geological survey. This turned out to be the
best possible therapy for his grief. Appointed field leader for
the survey, he traveled extensively throughout the state and conducted
his work with skill and whole-hearted enthusiasm. He participated
in much of the high Sierra survey and climbed many of the peaks,
one of which bears his name today. Like so many scientists of
his day he was a person of much broader interests than the mere
technology of his science. This is reflected in the letters he
wrote to his brother during his entire time with the geological
survey. Fortunately these letters were saved by his family, admirably
edited by Farquhar and published in this volume for the first
time, twenty years after his death. Following his California experience,
Brewer joined the faculty of the Sheffield School of Science of
Yale University where he remained for the rest of his career.
One vertical crease in dust jacket spine - otherwise in fine condition.
(300/400).
8. BREWER, WILLIAM HENRY AND WILLIAM ALSUP.
Such a Landscape!
A Narrative of the 1864 California Geological Survey Exploration
of Yosemite, Sequoia & King's Canyon from the Diary, Fieldnotes,
Letters and Reports of Willam Henry Brewer. Foreword by Catherine
Douglas Stone. [9], 12-119, [2] pp. Thirty-nine paginated plates
from photographs by William Alsup. 11-1/4x10-1/4, linen-backed
pictorial boards with gilt spine title. Limited edition of 500
copies printed at the Feathered Serpent Press.
Yosemite: Yosemite Association, Sequoia Natural History Association,
1987.
Up and Down California edited by Farquhar was taken from
Brewer's letters to his brother. William Alsup went back to Brewer's
original diary and field notebooks for the text of this book and
spent his vacations over a period of twelve years retracing Brewer's
journeys and photographing the scenery. Printed in a superb format
by the Feathered Serpent Press, this is an essential companion
to Up and Down California for any student of the Sierra.
Fine condition. (70/100).
9. BUNNELL, LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON, M.D.
Discovery of the Yosemite
and the Indian War of 1851, Which Led to That Event. [4] 331
pp. Frontispiece portrait, map of Yosemite Valley, six unpaginated
plates, and 13 illustrations in the text. 7-3/4x5-1/4, dark green
cloth with front cover ornamentation stamped in black, gilt spine
title and slanted gilt cover title. First edition. Chicago: Fleming
H. Revell, [1880].
Publisher's folded broadside consisting of four panels folded
to the size of one [5-1/2x3-1/2] advertising this book laid in.
Currey and Kruska 27; Farquhar 15a. This copy meets Farquhar's
and Currey and Kruska's criteria for the first edition. There
is no date on the title page and the following is printed on the
verso: "Stereotyped and printed by the Chicago Legal News
Company." Bunnell was a member of the Mariposa battalion
when it became the first caucasian party to enter Yosemite valley
[in the course of its pursuit of "hostile" Indians in
1851]. As one of the more erudite members of the battalion, Bunnell
was responsible for selecting the name by which the valley is
known today and many other place names. Although the valley had
more than likely been seen briefly from the rim by others, the
credit for its first meaningful discovery belongs to the participants
in the Mariposa battalion. This volume and the diary of Robert
Eccleston [see item #54] have become important primary source
documents in the human history of Yosemite. Light cover wear at
extremities, hinges beginning to crack, and two stamps of E. S.
Denison, General News Agent, San Francisco on front blank end
paper - otherwise in very good condition. The broadside is lightly
waterstained with few small marginal tears and tears at folds
almost invisibly repaired with transparent archival tape. (250/400).
10. BUNNELL, LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON, M.D.
Discovery of the Yosemite
and the Indian War of 1851, Which Led to That Event. [4],
349, [1 blank], [4 adv.] pp. Frontispiece portrait, map of Yosemite
Valley, six unpaginated plates, and 13 illustrations in the text.
7-1/2x5-1/4, brown cloth with front cover ornamentation stamped
in black, gilt spine title and horizontal gilt cover title. Second
edition, first printing. Chicago: Fleming H. Revell, [1880].
Currey and Kruska 27; Farquhar 15b. This copy meets Farquhar's
criteria for the first issue of the second edition. The title
page is the same as the previous one but "J. L. Regan &
Co., Printers and Binders, 226 & 228 Lake Street, Chicago"
is printed on the verso and there are four pages of advertising
at the rear of the book. The text has also been modified in several
places. The introduction is different and there are 22 chapters
instead of 20 [the table of contents and the list of illustrations
do not reflect these changes, however - a fact not commented on
by either Farquhar or Currey and Kruska]. The author inserted
an interesting new chapter [numbered 20] on the subject of the
origin of Sierra gold and the geologic formation of Yosemite.
He quotes liberally from both Whitney and Muir with regard to
the role of glaciers and then sides predominantly with Muir [with
full attribution - unlike Hutchings - see item #71]. The former
chapter 20 has been expanded and split into two [chapters 21 and
22]. Page 318 is extensively rewritten to correct the author's
statement in the first edition that the peak of the "Holy
Cross" was found by actual measurement to be higher than
Mt. Whitney. Spine faded, modest fraying of the top and bottom
of the spine and staining of rear cover - otherwise in very good
condition. (150/250).
11. BUNNELL, LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON, M.D.
Discovery of the Yosemite
and the Indian War of 1851, Which Led to That Event. [4],
349, [1 blank], [3 adv.], [1 blank], [8 adv.] pp. Frontispiece
portrait, map of Yosemite Valley, six unpaginated plates, and
13 illustrations in the text. 7-1/2x5-1/4, gray cloth with front
cover ornamentation stamped in black, gilt spine title and horizontal
gilt cover title. Second edition, second printing.
New York and Chicago: Fleming H. Revell, [1880].
Currey and Kruska 27; Farquhar 15b. This copy meets Farquhar's
criteria for the second issue of the second edition: namely a
slightly expanded address of J. L. Regan & Co. on verso of
title page, thinner paper, and more advertising pages in the back
[as described above]. Otherwise the book is identical to the first
issue of the second edition [the table of contents still not changed
to reflect the new chapter arrangement]. Light wear to cover extremities,
bookplates of Gary Charles Balliett and George Munro, as well
as pencilled name, address and date of George Munro on verso of
frontispiece - otherwise in fine condition. (150/250).
12. BUNNELL, LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON, M.D.
Discovery of the Yosemite
and the Indian War of 1851, Which Led to That Event. [4],
5-12, 1, 2-11 [each of pp. 2-11 are double with the extra pages
labeled either a or b] 12-349 pp. Frontispiece portrait, double
page map of Yosemite Valley, seven unpaginated plates, and 14
illustrations in the text. 7-3/4x5-1/4, green cloth with gilt
spine title and gilt cover title. Third edition, revised and corrected.
New York and Chicago: Fleming H. Revell, [1892].
Currey and Kruska 27; Farquhar 15c. This copy meets Farquhar's
criteria for the third edition. The differences are the statement
on the title page "third edition, revised and corrected,"
a more up-to-date frontispiece portrait of Bunnell, improved double-page
map of Yosemite Valley, correction of the table of contents and
list of illustrations to reflect the change in chapters and two
additional illustrations. The latter are added to the list of
illustrations in the front of the book but are unnumbered and
the old illustration which was listed at p. 325 still has not
been changed to p. 333 where it was moved with the second edition.
There are many corrections and additions to the text resulting
in the rather curious repagination described above. Unobtrusive
waterstaining of front cover, hinges cracking with evidence of
repair, - otherwise in very good condition. (100/150).
13. BUNNELL, LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON, M.D.
Discovery of the Yosemite
and the Indian War of 1851, Which Led to That Event. [v],
vi-xii, 1-355 pp. Frontispiece portrait, folded map of Yosemite
Valley, and thirty-two unpaginated plates. 7-3/4x5-1/4, red cloth
with gilt spine and cover titles. Fourth edition. Los Angeles:
G. W. Gerlicher, Publisher, 1911.
Bookplate of Cecil B. DeMille Library. Currey and Kruska 27;
Farquhar 15d. The fourth edition was reprinted from the third
with correction of the awkward pagination, a new map of Yosemite
Valley and an entirely new set of illustrations from photographs
by J. T. Boysen. Fine condition. (100/150).
14. [CALAVERAS SKULL] Holmes, William H.
Review of the Evidence
Relating to Auriferous Gravel Man in California. 419-472 pp.
Sixteen unpaginated plates and five figures in the text. 9x5-1/2,
removed from Smithsonian Report, 1899. * Merriam, John C. The
True Story of the Calaveras Skull. 153-158 pp. Seven illustrations.
9-3/4x6-1/4, removed from Sunset Magazine, February, 1910. * Sinclair,
Wm. J. Recent Investigations Bearing on the Question of the
Occurrence of Neocene Man in the Auriferous Gravels of the Sierra
Nevada. 107-131 pp. Two unpaginated plates. 10-1/2x6-1/2,
removed from University of California Publications in American
Archaeology and Ethnology. Vol 7, No. 2. 1908. * Merriam, John
C. Recent Cave Explorations in California. 221-228 pp.
9-3/4x6, reprinted from American Anthropologist, Vol. 8, No. 2,
1906. * Putnam, F. W. Evidence of the Work of Man on Objects
from Quarternary Caves in California. 229-235 pp. Three unpaginated
plates. 9-3/4x6, reprinted from American Anthropologist, Vol.
8, No. 2, 1906. * Two one-page T.L.S. of John C. Merriam, president
of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, to Francis Farquhar,
dated Oct. 31, 1927 and January 12, 1928. All bound together in
red cloth with gilt spine title.
Signed by Francis Farquhar on front flyleaf. Highlights the second
major error of J. D. Whitney who thought that the finding of the
Calaveras skull was evidence that man was present in California
in ancient geological time - long before other evidence indicated
that man was present on this continent [see Whitney, J. D. Contributions
to American Geology, item #194]. This collection documents
the careful research of Francis Farquhar into just one small aspect
of the history of the Sierra Nevada [see item #62]. Few small
tears of page edges, otherwise in fine condition. (150/250).
15. CAMERON, ROBERT AND HAROLD GILLIAM.
Above Yosemite. A New
Collection of Aerial Photographs of Yosemite National Park, California.
[6], 7-144, [1] pp. Extensively illustrated from color aerial
photographs by Robert Cameron and illustrations from other sources.
11x13-3/4, white linen with printed spine title, pictorial dust
jacket. Second printing.
San Francisco: Cameron and Company, 1984.
A perspective on Yosemite Valley and the surrounding landscape
that enhances one's appreciation, understanding and enjoyment
of this ancient ice-polished gem of the Sierra. Fine condition.
(40/70).
16. CAMP, CHARLES L.
Earth Song. A Prologue to History.
[1 adv.], [10], 127 pp. Numerous illustrations, maps, charts and
figures. 8-1/2x10-1/4, brown cloth-backed tan boards with gilt
spine title, pictorial dust jacket. First edition.
Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1952.
A beautifully illustrated primer of geological and archaeological
information about California with a bit of history thrown in.
Fine condition. (40/70).
17. CASSIN, JOHN.
Illustrations of the Birds of California,
Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America. Introduced by
Robert McCracken Peck. 42, viii, 298, [3] pp. Fifty-one unpaginated
color plates reproduced from the original edition. Numerous black
and white illustrations in the introduction. 10-1/2x7, three-quarter
brown leatherette and marbled boards with gilt spine title, matching
marbled slipcase. Special limited edition of 250 copies printed
by the Wind River Press. Austin: Texas State Historical Association,
[1991].
Plate II from the 1856 edition is included with this copy. The
plate is labeled Californian Woodpecker but, by current terminology,
it is known as the acorn woodpecker [Melanerpes formicivorus].
Comparison with the facsimile reprint demonstrates how closely
the publishers were able to duplicate the original plates. Prospectus
for this new edition is also laid in. Originally published by
John Cassin in 1856 in a rather small edition, this is the first
facsimile reprint. Naturalist and historian Robert McCracken Peck
gives an excellent historical introduction and with it a list
of the plates with current common and scientific names. "At
the height of his career, John Cassin was the most knowledgeable,
influential and widely published ornithologist in North America"
[Robert Peck]. Lacking the flamboyant personality and self-promotion
of James Audubon, however, his name lapsed into obscurity after
his death until revived with this quality reproduction. Fine condition.
(100/150).
18. CHASE, J. SMEATON.
Yosemite Trails. Camp and Pack-train
in the Yosemite Region of the Sierra Nevada. xii, 354, [2]
pp. Sixteen plates from photographs by the Pillsbury Studio or
the author and one two-page map of the Yosemite region. 8x5-1/4,
blue cloth with gilt spine and cover titles and ornamentation,
top edges gilt. First edition, second printing.
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1911.
"Francis P. Farquhar, San Francisco, October, 1911"
written in ink on front free endpaper and marginal notes written
in pencil on several pages by Farquhar, primarily flagging important
paragraphs or correcting errors of the author. A.L.S. of J. Smeaton
Chase to Ernest Dawson dated Jan. 15, 1928 with cover, laid in.
This is J. Smeaton Chase's first book. Lawrence Clark Powell selected
Chase's later work entitled California Coast Trails for
his Hall-of-California-Classics-Fame but in his description he
paid an exceptional tribute to Yosemite Trails by ranking
it "not too far below" The Mountains of California
by John Muir. He further stated that it "shows the author
in possession of a mature and fluent style, and also to be a botanist
of considerable learning." As did Muir and George Wharton
James in their books, Chase enlivened his descriptive text with
personal tales from his three trips through Yosemite and the adjacent
high country. Near fine condition. (100/150).
19. CHASE, J. SMEATON.
Cone-Bearing Trees of the California
Mountains. ix, [3], 99 pp. Twenty-one paginated plates from
photographs of various cone-bearing trees and twenty-one line
drawings of the foliage and cones drawn by Carl Eytel. 7x4-1/2,
orange pictorial cloth with spine and cover titles. First edition.
Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1911.
This is the second book written by Chase. Although Chase was
not a professional botanist [he was a social worker in Los Angeles
for many years] he was exceptionally knowledgeable in the field
and competent enough to write an excellent practical guide for
the nonbotanist tourist or resident. Twenty-one different mountain
conifers are described with a photograph of each tree and a line
drawing of the foliage and cone of each. Still a very useful book.
Fine condition. (40/70).
20. CLARK, GALEN.
Indians of the Yosemite Valley and Vicinity:
Their History, Customs and Traditions. xviii, [2], 110, [8
adv.] pp. Frontispiece portrait and twenty-five paginated illustrations
from photographs or from paintings by Jorgensen. 6-3/4x4-3/4,
tan pictorial cloth with spine and cover titles. First edition.
Yosemite Valley: Galen Clark, 1904.
Signed by Galen Clark with original silver photograph of Galen
Clark tipped on to dedication page and A.L.S. of Galen Clark with
cover laid in. The letter is addressed to "Mr. T. G. Pool,
son of my dear old friend, D. M. Pool" and is written on
Camp Yosemite stationery with an illustration of the campground
on the letterhead and envelope. A clipping from a Stockton newspaper
of March 29, 1949 accompanying the letter identifies the senior
and junior Pools and describes this book and letter from Galen
Clark as one of the family treasures. The condition of the book
reflects the family's reverence - the book is almost pristine.
Camp Yosemite was established near the base of Yosemite Falls
by Henry Washburn and associates in 1901. Galen Clark was given
the title of manager of Camp Yosemite in deference to his devotion
to the valley, his lovable persona and his desperate financial
need. This device made it possible for the Washburns to aid the
elderly Clark without extending charity to a man who took great
pride in self-reliance. This is the first in a series of three
books written by Galen Clark on the subject of Yosemite - all
just before or after he had achieved the age of 90 years. Fine
condition. (200/300).
21. CLARK, GALEN.
Big Trees of California: Their History and
Characteristics. 104 pp. Frontispiece portrait and nineteen
paginated plates from photographs. 6-3/4x4-3/4, green pictorial
wrappers with printed cover title. Second edition.
Yosemite Valley: Galen Clark, 1910.
This is the second book by Galen Clark - first published in 1907.
Galen Clark was the first to discover the Mariposa Grove of giant
sequoias. He was 93 at the time that he wrote this account. Consistent
with his great sense of modesty and reluctance to engage in any
self-promotion, he regretably omitted an account of his discovery
of the Mariposa Grove. Front free endpaper removed, former owner's
name and date of purchase on verso of frontispiece - otherwise
in near fine condition. (100/150).
22. CLARK, GALEN.
The Yosemite Valley: Its History, Characteristic
Features, and Theories Regarding its Origin. Introduction
and biographical sketch of Galen Clark by Ben C. Truman. xii,
108 pp. 21 paginated plates from photographs by George Fiske.
7x5, gray pictorial cloth with printed cover title. Second edition.
Yosemite Valley: Nelson L. Salter, 1911.
Galen Clark's third book written at age 96 and published posthumously.
Unlike James Mason Hutchings, the shrewd, self-proclaimed publicist
of Yosemite Valley, who profited extensively from his association
with Yosemite, Clark shunned fame and fortune to pursue a simple
and spartan life. After his death his daughter had to sell his
meager personal effects in order to finance the publication of
this book. He was buried in a grave in Yosemite Valley that he
had prepared himself and marked by a granite headstone in which
he had carved his own name.
It is puzzling that in his chapter discussing the formation
of the valley, Clark credits Whitney with the water erosion and
cataclysmic subsidence theories and mentions Clarence King and
Joseph Le Conte in relation to the glacier theory but fails completely
to credit his friend and ally John Muir. Perhaps he projected
his own abhorence of self-glorification onto Muir's persona. Covers
lightly soiled and worn, water stain to inner margins of six leaves
- otherwise in very good condition.
(100/150).
23. CLARK, GALEN.
Early Days in Yosemite Valley. Introduced
by Richard and Shirley Docter. [2], vii-ix, [1], 10, [2] pp. 7-1/4x5,
cloth spine and marbled boards with printed spine label. Limited
edition: No. 63 of 79 copies. Los Angeles: The Docter Press, 1964.
A brief but important piece printed from an unpublished manuscript
in the Yosemite Museum written by Galen Clark [circa 1907 according
to the estimate of the Docters]. In this essay, Clark addresses
three environmental problems created by public use of the valley
since 1855: 1. atmospheric dust from wagon traffic on the dirt
roads, 2. overgrowth of the tree population in the valley without
the Indians' continued control by the judicious use of fire, and
3. destruction of some river banks. The last item is an example
of how the solution of one perceived environmental problem can
produce another. The flow of the Merced River through the valley
was partially obstructed by some very large boulders [a terminal
moraine] often resulting in flooding of parts of the valley in
the spring when runoff was high. To eliminate flooding, the obstructing
boulders were removed by blasting. The resulting high flow downstream
to the previous obstruction was then dangerously undermining the
banks of the river. Fine condition with slight wear to spine label.
(80/120).
24. [CLARK, GALEN]
Sierra Club Bulletin. Vol VII, No. 4.
[4 adv.], 215-274, [6 adv.] pp. Numerous unpaginated plates from
photographs. 9-1/2x6, tan printed wrappers.
San Francisco: The Sierra Club, June 1910.
The lead article of this issue is about Galen Clark written by
John Muir following Clark's death in March of that year. Muir's
opening words are the finest accolade that anyone could hope for
from John Muir: "Galen Clark was the best mountaineer I ever
met in the Sierra, and one of the kindest and the most amiable."
Other articles in this issue include one by Francois E. Matthes
entitled Little Studies in the Yosemite Valley, reprint
of a speech by Senator Carter of Montana in urging the establishment
of Glacier National Park which had succeeded and one by Enos A.
Mills proposing an Estes National Park. Fine condition. (50/80).
25. [CLARK, GALEN] Taber studio. Photographic portrait. 7-3/4x5-1/4,
on 10x7-1/2 mounting board with the Taber studio logo and address.
San Francsico: Taber Studio, [1904].
Signed "Galen Clark, Yosemite Valley," on verso. Written
in another hand underneath Clark's signature is "Father of
Yosemite January 21st, 1904." Very dramatic portrait of Clark
at the age of 90. Fine condition. (100/150).
26. [CLARK, GALEN] Sargent Shirley.
Galen Clark, Yosemite Guardian.
176 pp. Numerous illustrations from various sources. 8-1/2x5-1/2,
gray cloth-backed decorated boards with gilt spine title and printed
cover title. First edition. San Francisco: Sierra Club, [1964].
* Galen Clark, Yosemite Guardian. 88 pp. Numerous illustrations
from various sources. 11x8-1/2, orange cloth with gilt cover title,
pictorial dust jacket. Second edition, considerably revised and
enlarged. Yosemite: Flying Spur Press, [1981].
First volume signed by the author. First and second editions
of Shirley Sargent's fascinating biography of one of Yosemite's
most dedicated and selfless servants. Galen Clark was a victim
of tuberculosis when he came to California in 1853 in search of
health. He visited Yosemite Valley probably after reading the
July 1855 Mariposa Gazette account of Hutching's sight-seeing
expedition there and soon homesteaded near the south fork of the
Merced River in the Yosemite area now known as Wawona. From then
on he lived either there or in the valley for most of his long
life. Probably no one was more personally dedicated to preserving
Yosemite for the benefit of present and future generations than
Galen Clark, but his self effacement and his failure to publish
his views, experiences and activities resulted in his eclipse
by the self-promoting Hutchings and the highly visible, scholarly,
and productive John Muir. His important role was nevertheless
recognized by his contemporaries and is called to the attention
of all current Yosemite devotees by Shirley's sympathetic account
and analysis of his accomplishments. Together two volumes - both
in fine condition. (60/90).
27. CLYDE, NORMAN.
Norman Clyde of the Sierra Nevada. Rambles
through the Range of Light. 29 Essays on the Mountains by Norman
Clyde. Foreword by Francis Farquhar & Prologue by Jules
Eichorn. [16], 17-172, [3] pp. Frontispiece portrait and 16 paginated
plates from photographs. 9x6, linen-backed pictorial boards with
paper spine label and printed cover title. Limited edition. San
Francisco: Scrimshaw Press, 1971.
A mountain man who truly became a legend in his own time, Clyde
was a hiker, a climber [he climbed many of the important peaks
of the Sierra solo and is credited woth over one hundred first
ascents], photographer [he often carried five cameras with him],
scholar [he read many classics of literature in their original
language] and writer. He was a man who was as much at home in
the mountain wilderness as was John Muir although he never publicly
took up the cause of conservation of those wild places as Muir
did [and he didn't travel light like Muir either - the weight
of his pack has become part of his legend]. This book is a compilation
of some of Clyde's many articles published originally in the 1930s
to 1950s with a brief biographical sketch by Dave Bohn and appreciation
notes of Francis Farquhar and Jules Eichorn. Fine condition. (40/70).
28. [CROCKER, HENRY J.]
Yosemite Illustrated in Colors.
[42] leaves [printed on rectos only]. Thirteen full page chromolithographs,
thirteen reproductions of original drawings with initials and
thirteen as tailpieces. 13-1/4x10-3/4, three-quarter chamois and
boards with gilt cover title and illustration. San Francisco:
H. S. Crocker & Co., 1890.
Currey and Kruska 97. Highly sought Yosemite item for the thirteen
attractive chromolithographs. Eleven of these are from watercolors
by H[erman] W[endelborg] Hansen and two are from oil sketches
by Carl Dahlgren. H. W. Hansen has been referred to as the "Frederick
Remington of the West Coast." He was a contemporary and friend
of William Keith and Maynard Dixon. Two of the chromolithographs
are by Carl Dahlgren who was an illustrator for the Californian
Magazine as well as a prominent landscape painter. The format
for this volume consists of a poem by Harry Dix on tissue, a chromolithograph
on board, a tissue guard, a leaf of text by Warren Cheney with
an initial drawing and a tailpiece drawing [mostly by Hansen]
repeated thirteen times [with the exception of the last chromolithograph
which is not introduced with a poem]. The covers are worn and
soiled with some chipping of the paper covering the boards, several
tissues are wrinkled with a few tears but all present - otherwise
in good condition, chromos bright. (300/500).
Fine copy of Cronise's Natural Wealth of California
with plates
29. CRONISE, TITUS FEY.
The Natural Wealth of California Comprising
Early History; Geography, Topography, and Scenery; Climate; Agriculture
and Commercial Products; Geology, Zoology, and Botany; Minerology,
Mines and Mining Processes; Manufactures; Steamship Lines, Railroads,
and Commerce; Immigration, Population and Society; Educational
Institutions and Literature; together with a Detailed Description
of Each County; its Topography, Scenery, Cities and Towns, Agricultural
Advantages, Mineral Resources and Varied Productions. [5],
vi-xvi, 696, [2] pp. Frontispiece and fifteen unpaginated plates
with wood engravings. 10x6-3/4, pebbled green cloth with gilt
spine title. First edition.
San Francisco: H. H. Bancroft & Company, 1868.
Cowan p.150; Norris 898. "The best and most reliable work
of the time. Many copies were issued without plates" [Cowan].
A remarkably comprehensive volume on the state of California in
1868. Fine condition. (150/250).