129. [MUIR, JOHN - BIOGRAPHY] Fox, Stephen.
John Muir and His
Legacy: the American Conservation Movement. xii, [3], 4-436
pp. Sixteen paginated plates with black and white illustrations
from various sources. 9-1/4x6, red cloth-backed tan boards with
silver spine title, pictorial dust jacket. First edition. Boston,
Toronto: Little, Brown and Company, [1981]. * Turner, Frederick.
Rediscovering America. John Muir in His Time and Ours.
xii, [2], 417 pp. Twenty-three illustrations from various sources
on sixteen unpaginated plates. 9x6, brown cloth-backed tan boards
with gilt spine title, pictorial dust jacket. New York: Viking,
[1985].
Two excellent biographies and assesssments of John Muir from
slightly different perspectives. Together two volumes: both in
fine condition. (40/70).
130. [MUIR, JOHN - BIOGRAPHY] Jones, Holway R.
John Muir and
the Sierra Club. The Battle for Yosemite. xvi, [2], 3-307
pp. Ninety-five illustrations from various sources on 64 unpaginated
plates. 11x8-1/4, Green and gray cloth with gilt spine and cover
titles, endpaper maps, pictorial dust jacket. San Francisco: Sierra
Club, [1965].
The story of the fight to save the high country surrounding Yosemite
Valley and then the valley itself by John Muir and his support
group, the Sierra Club. The first turned out to be an easier task
than the second. Congress set aside the present area of Yosemite
National Park in 1890, just one year after John Muir and his friends
began the campaign. Getting the state to turn the valley back
to federal jurisdiction and Congress to accept it, however, was
another matter. That took 16 years to accomplish. Fine condition.
(40/70).
131. [MUIR, JOHN - BIOGRAPHY] Douglas, William O.
Muir of the
Mountains. [11], 12-183, [1] pp. Illustrations by Harve Stein.
8-1/2x5-1/2, brown cloth with spine and cover titles printed in
black; cover illustration printed in red and black, decorated
endpapers, pictorial dust jacket. First edition. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company, 1961 * Emmanuels, George. John Muir, Inventor.
[12], 15-88 pp. Eleven paginated plates including frontispiece
portrait and eight reproductions of Muir's drawings of some of
his inventions. 7x5, black and gray cloth with spine title printed
in red and blind-stamped cover ornament, pictorial dust jacket.
Limited edition of 275 copies of the first edition in deluxe binding.
Fresno: Panorama West Books, 1985. * Melham, Tom. John Muir's
Wild America. 199, [1] pp. Profusely illustrated from color
photographs, paintings and maps. 10x7, tan cloth with gilt spine
title and cover portrait of John Muir, decorated endpapers, pictorial
dust jacket. Washington: National Geographic Society, [1976].
The first volume is a succinct and simple biography of John Muir
written for youth by Supreme Court Justice and avid mountaineer,
William O. Douglas and charmingly illustrated by Harve Stein.
The second volume fills an important niche in pointing out the
mechanical-genius side of John Muir and the direction that his
life was taking until an industrial accident at age twenty-five
nearly resulted in permanent blindness and provided the pivotal
impetus for change. The third volume is a lavish photographic
and biographical essay on the life of John Muir. Together three
volumes - all in fine condition. (50/80).
132. [MUIR, JOHN] Photographic Portraits. Carte-de-visite with
portrait 4x2-1/2 , n.p. photographer not identified, n.d. c.1880
* Photograph. 6-1/2x5, laid on board without adhesive, and matted.
San Francisco: Dassonville [c.1904].
In the first portrait Muir is probably in his fifties with thick
dark hair and a bushy gray beard; this is a bit faded with vertical
crease. The second portrait by Dassonville was taken much later
in life, probably in 1912 at age 74. The portrait opposite p.
163 in Turner's biography [item #192] is attributed to Dassonville
in 1912 and although it is a full front rather than side view,
the two portraits look as if they were made at the same sitting;
this is in fine condition. (200/300).
133. MURPHY, THOMAS D.
Three Wonderlands of the American West.
Being the Notes of a Traveler Concerning the Yellowstone Park,
the Yosemite National Park, and the Grand Canyon of the Colorado
River, with a Chapter on Other Wonders of the American West.
xii, 180 pp. Sixteen unpaginated color plates from paintings by
Thomas Moran, thirty-two unpaginated duogravure plates and three
unpaginated maps. 9-1/4x6-1/4, green pictorial cloth with gilt
spine and cover titles. First edition. Boston: L. C. Page &
Company, 1912.
Cowan p.448. Very attractive, beautifully illustrated turn-of-the-century
volume on the three most popular National Parks in the West. A
touch of extremity rubbing, else in near fine condition. (80/120).
134. [NATIONAL PARKS]
National Parks Portfolio. Nine brochures:
[24] pp. each, plus a four page introduction by Franklin Lane,
Secretary of the Interior, and Stephen Mather, Assistant to the
Secretary of the Interior in charge of national parks. 9-1/4x6,
printed folder containing nine separate brochures. First edition?
[Washington]: Department of the Interior, n.d..
Early publication of the Department of Interior on the national
parks. Although the date of publication is not given, this was
most likely published sometime between 1915 and 1918 - derived
from the statement in the introduction that Europe was closed
to American travel [World War I, 1914-1918] and a brochure on
the Rocky Mountain National Park which was established in 1915.
These are high quality brochures with excellent photographic illustrations
published when the National Park Service was in its developmental
stage under the able leadership of Stephen Mather and Horace Albright.
Black stain streaked on front cover of the folder - otherwise
in very good or better condition. (100/150).
135. [NATIONAL PARKS] National Parks portfolio of thirteen brochures.
77; 36; 14; 66; 19; 84; 23; 62; 18; 30; 26; 42; 46 pp. Profusely
illustrated throughout from photographs. 9x6, collection of thirteen
brochures in pictorial wrappers.
[Washington]: National Park Service, 1927-1929.
The bochures are on Yosemite, Sequoia and General Grant, Lassen,
Grand Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Glacier, Hawaii,
Hot Springs Arkansas, Mount McKinley, Mount Ranier, Rocky Mountain
National Park. They make for interesting comparison with the earlier
brochures described above. Staples rusted, a few small tears but
otherwise in remarkably fine condition considering their fragile
wrappers. (70/100).
136. [NATIONAL PARKS]
Proceedings of the National Park Conference
Held at the Yosemite National Park October 14, 15, and 16, 1912.
145 pp. 9x5-3/4, printed green wrappers. Washington: Government
Printing Office, 1913. * Proceedings of the National Park Conference
Held at Berkeley, California March 11, 12, and 13, 1915. 166
pp. 9x5-3/4, printed green wrappers. Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1915.
The National Park Conferences were important instruments in formulation
of concepts and policy regarding the administration and operation
of the National Parks before a National Park Service was officially
created by Congress a year following the third conference. The
Proceedings provide lists of attendees, and records of the discussions
that took place at the conferences. Those discussions make fascinating
reading today. One of the major subjects of debate at the 1912
conference was the question of admitting automobiles to the national
parks. The Secretary of the Interior, Walter Fisher had this to
say, "It will not be necessary for any representative of
any automobile concern or of any automobile organization to argue
with me on the proposition that the machines should be admitted
if we can find a proper way; but they should not pass up to me
the question of what that proper way is. If I knew a proper way
to admit the automobiles into the Yosemite Park it would not be
necessary to discuss that question at all today. Unfortunately...there
are still a great many gentlemen who buy automobiles who have
not yet ceased to be peripatetic nuisances. We do know that some
automobiles do make a great deal of noise,...emit noxious odors...drop
their oil and gasoline all over the face of the earth....and are
operated by...a third class of gentlemen who are perfectly fearless
themselves and, liking the adventure, operate them in such a way
as to create the impression on passers-by on foot or a horse-drawn
vehicle that it is very dangerous to be on the road at the same
time." Then ex-Senator Frank Flint, representing the Automobile
Association of Southern California spoke up and said "I would
like to have placed in the record the fact that the Automobile
Club of Southern California is the largest automobile club in
the world...in the State of California we have 84,000 automobiles...We
have more automobiles to the population than any other State in
the Union...and while we have spent in Los Angeles, under bond
issue, the sum of $3,500,000 for macadam roads, when we reach
that part of the soil under the exclusive jurisdiction of the
United States Government we found the road impassable and impossible
to go over without destroying our machine...the Automobile Club
of Southern California has taken every step possible to bring
together the data to convince the Secretary of the Interior that
the automobile should be admitted to the park." Yosemite
was opened to automobiles in August of the following year. Slight
chipping of the wrappers with one small stain of the first volume
only - otherwise in fine condition. (60/90).
137. [NATURAL HISTORY] Peattie, Donald Culross.
A Natural History
of Western Trees. [8], ix-xiv, [2], 751 pp. Illustrations
from wood engravings by Paul Landacre. 9x6, orange cloth with
spine title printed in black, pictorial dust jacket. New York:
Bonanza Books, n.d. * Schoenherr, Allan A. California Natural
History Guides: 56. A Natural History of California. [6],
vii-xi, [1], 772 pp. Numerous illustrations from photographs by
the author and other photographers. 9x6, tan linen with spine
title printed in blue, pictorial dust jacket. Berkeley Los Angeles:
University of California Press, [1992].
Together two volumes. The first is a Bonanza Books reprint of
the 1953 edition. It is distinguished by its lucid verbal vignettes
by the author and the visual vignettes as well as plates made
from handsome wood engravings by Paul Landacre. The second volume
is a recent work on the mammoth subject of California natural
history distinguished by the fact that it is a one-author work
rather than a compilation of writings by specialists as most comprehensive
works are today. Both in fine condition.
(40/70).
138. [NELSON, T.]
Nelson's Pictorial Guide-Books. The Yosemite
Valley and the Mammoth Trees and Geysers of California. [3],
4-40 pp. Twelve chromolithographed plates and one map. 4x6-1/2,
brown cloth with gilt and black cover titles and ornamentation.
New York: T. Nelson and Sons, n.d. [c. 1871?].
Currey and Kruska 263. Although no date is printed in this book,
Currey and Kruska make a strong case for it being published in
or before 1871 because one copy was found with a name and that
date inscribed in the book. New York is printed on the title page
as the place of publication, but the footnote on p. 32 indicates
that Thomas Nelson and Sons was a British publishing company headquartered
in Edinburgh. The charming chromolithographs are a very attractive
feature of this book. In this copy the plates are interspersed
between pages of text but in another copy I have observed the
plates are all at the back of the book following the text. Front
hinge cracking - otherwise in near fine condition. (100/150).
139. OLMSTED, FREDERICK LAW.
Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove:
A Preliminary Report, 1865. Introduced by Victoria Post Ranney.
xx, [2], 32, [1] pp. Three illustrations in monochrome by Wayne
Thiebaud. 9x5, cloth-backed boards with paper spine label. First
edition limited to 100 signed and 350 unsigned copies. This is
copy #38 of the signed edition. Yosemite National Park: Yosemite
Association, [1993].
Signed on the colophon page by the introducer and the illustrator.
Prospectus laid in. This is the first reprint of the historic
first report of the first commission on the status of the first
grant of public land for a park by the U.S. Government. Frederick
Law Olmsted was a brilliant and principled man with a remarkably
broad experience as farmer, seaman, author, correspondent for
the New York Times, superintendent and architect of Central Park
in New York, administrator of the U.S. Sanitary Commission during
the Civil War, and manager of the Mariposa Estate before his appointment
as chairman of the Yosemite Commission. This report is a landmark
in the history of the reservation of public lands for the public
welfare and is masterfully written by a man with unusual experience
and remarkable long-term vision. Fine condition. (60/90).
140. ORLAND, TED.
Man & Yosemite. A Photographer's View
of the Early Years. 95, [1] pp. Profusely illustrated from
old photographs and other sources. One photograph of Yosemite
Valley [taken from the old stage coach road near Inspiration Point
and printed by the author from the original negative] is tipped
onto the half-title page. 8-1/2x10, brown linen with gilt spine
and cover titles, pictorial dust jacket. First limited edition
of 250 copies with a tipped-in photograph and signed by the author.
Santa Cruz: The Image Continuum Press, n.d. [1986].
Photocopy of a letter from the author to RKL, a prospectus for
this book and a brochure announcing the Ansel Adams Gallery 1986
Photography Workshop in Yosemite laid in [Ted Orland was one of
the instructors for the Workshop]. Outstanding review of the history
of Yosemite with the illustrations painstakingly selected and
reproduced by one of Ansel Adam's finest Yosemite-period professional
proteges. Fine condition. (60/90).
141. PADEN, IRENE D. AND MARGARET B. SCHLICHTMANN.
The Big
Oak Flat Road, an Account of Freighting from Stockton to Yosemite
Valley. [4], vi, 356 pp. Five unpaginated plates on three
leaves and seven unpaginated maps [two folded maps - one in back
pocket]. 9-1/4x6-1/4, blue cloth with cover ornament and gilt
spine title. Limited edition of 1,000 copies designed and printed
by Lawton Kennedy. San Francisco: Privately published, 1955.
For many years in the first half of this century, Mrs. Schlichtmann
collected stories from old-timers and their descendants who had
lived on the course of the Big Oak Flat Road. She then engaged
Irene Paden, author of In the Wake of the Prairie Schooner
and Prairie Schooner Detours [item #630 in catalog 2] to
put this material together in a book that would encompass the
history of this communication link of early California. Her work
is included in this section because this link was of vital significance
to the development of Yosemite as a major tourist attraction.
Included with this book is a modern sepia-tone print made from
an original 1903 Boysen negative of a team of horses and a wagon
on the Big Oak Flat Road switchback at the entrance to Yosemite
Valley. The print is 7-1/2x9-1/2 in and is double-matted, glazed
and framed. Together two items: both in fine condition. (100/150).
142. PEATTIE, RODERICK [EDITOR].
The Pacific Coast Ranges.
Twenty-nine black and white illustrations from photographs on
16 unpaginated plates. 9x6, beige cloth with red and green spine
and cover titles, decorations. New York: The Vanguard Press, [1946].
Contrary to the implications of the title, this is not primarily
a physical description of the mountain ranges of the Pacific coast;
it is a compilation of essays by various writers on every conceivable
aspect of this geographical feature, including the physical and
geologic features, but dwelling more extensively on the human
side of that region. The contributors include the editor's brother,
Donald Culross Peattie, Aubrey Drury, Idwal Jones, Archie Binns
and John Walton Caughey among others. Written before or at the
threshold of massive economic and population growth following
World War II, the essays reflect the contemporary suffusion of
California contentment without premonition of the darker side
of growth that we recognize all too well today. Fine condition.
(30/40).
143. ROTH, HAL.
Pathway in the Sky. The Story of the John Muir
Trail. vii, [1], 9-231 pp. Profusely illustrated from photographs
by the author in color and black and white and one double page
elevation of the John Muir Trail. 11x8-1/2, blue cloth with black
spine and cover titles, endpaper maps and pictorial dust jacket.
San Francisco: Howell-North Books, [1965].
Nominated by John W. Robinson as one of the High Sierra classics
in his article by that name in the Quarterly Newsletter of The
Book Club of California [Winter 1976]. A charming and delightfully
illustrated contemporary saga of travel from Yosemite to the peak
of Mt. Whitney on the John Muir Trail. Fine condition. (50/80).
144. ROWELL, GALEN A. [EDITOR].
The Vertical World of Yosemite.
A Collection of Writings and Photographs on Rock Climbing in Yosemite.
xiii, [1], 207, [1] pp. Numerous black and white and color illustrations
from photographs. 11x8-1/2, light blue linen with gilt spine and
cover titles, pictorial dust jacket. Berkeley: Wilderness Press,
[1974].
Rock climbing as pure sport is a relatively new arrival in the
Sierra. It is not surprising, however, that once it was born,
Yosemite with its glacier-scoured vertical cliffs of several thousand
vertical feet would serve as an irresistible incubator for the
sport. Galen Rowell, well known for his photography of the Sierra,
is also a premier climber. In this book he combines both interests
in one magnificent volume not recommended for the altiphobic.
Fine condition. (50/80).
145. ROWELL, GALEN AND JOHN MUIR.
The Yosemite. The Original
John Muir Text Illustrated with Photographs by Galen Rowell, each
photograph accompanied with an Excerpt from the Works of John
Muir and an Annotation by Galen Rowell. [17], 18-218, [5]
pp. Profusely illustrated from color photographs of Galen Rowell.
12x10, black linen with gilt spine title, pictorial dust jacket.
First edition printed by the Yolla Bolly Press.
San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1989.
1989 news-clipping from the San Francisco Chronicle about Galen
Rowell laid in. Not only is Galen Rowell a superb photographer
and an expert rock climber, he is also a writer of no mean talent.
In this magnificently illustrated book his prose matches his photography
in attractive and accurate expression. Printed by the Yolla Bolly
Press, one of the premier private presses of the present in California.
Fine condition. (40/70).
146. SARGENT, SHIRLEY.
The Ahwahnee Hotel. [10], 10-63,
[2] pp. Numerous illustrations in black and white and in color
from various sources. 12x9, maroon linen with gilt spine and cover
titles, pictorial dust jacket. First edition.
[Yosemite: Yosemite Park and Curry Company, 1990] .
Signed by Shirley Sargent with inscription to the Larsons. The
story behind Yosemite's grandest hotel built at the instigation
of Stephen Mather and Horace Albright who, like Muir, felt that
increased utilization of the national parks would develop the
constituency necessary for the park's survival in the brutal world
of American politics.
Included with this volume is an earlier work of Shirley Sargent
on the same subject in a much less elegant format but considerably
rarer. It is entitled, The Ahwahnee, Yosemite's Classic Hotel
and was also published by the Yosemite Park and Curry Co. It is
a first edition, in pictorial wrappers, dated July 14, 1977, 56
pp. with numerous black and white illustrations. Together two
items - both in fine condition.
(50/80).
147. SARGENT, SHIRLEY. [Childhood in Yosemite]
Enchanted Childhoods.
Growing Up in Yosemite, 1864-1945. [8], ix, [1], 114, [4]
pp. Numerous illustrations from various sources and two maps.
11x8-1/2, stiff pictorial wrappers with spine and cover titles.
First edition. Yosemite: Flying Spur Press, [1993]. * Keepsake.
Yosemite Elementary School Classes of 1920-1969. [7], viii,
[1], 2-70 pp. Numerous illustrations from various sources. 11x8-1/2,
stiff pictorial wrappers with cover title. Mariposa: Ponderosa
Press, [1994].
Together two volumes: both first editions and both signed by
the author on the half-title. These are nostalgic glances at childhood
in nature's paradise - even for those who never lived there. Shirley
was introduced to life in Yosemite in her youth when her father
was an engineer on the construction of state highway 120 through
the Park [Tioga Pass road]. Fine condition. (30/50).
148. SARGENT, SHIRLEY. [Miscellany].
Pictures from Yosemite's
Past. Galen Clark's Photograph Album. 12 pp. Fourteen portraits
and two scenes on four pages reproduced from Galen Clark's album
by Mary V. and A. W. Hood. 10x6-3/4, disbound author's separate
from the California Historical Society Quarterly, March 1966.
* Seven Tours in Colorful Butterfly Country. Mariposa County
Guidebook. [6], 7-37, [4] pp. Map of Mariposa County, and
numerous illustrations from various sources. 9x6, stapled pictorial
wrappers with printed cover title. Yosemite: Flying Spur Press
[1967]. * Six Historical Tours in Mother Lode Country. Mariposa
County Guidebook. [4], 5-48 pp. Map of Mariposa County, street
map of the town of Mariposa and numerous illustrations from various
sources. 9x5-3/4, stapled pictorial wrappers with printed cover
title. Yosemite: Flying Spur Press, [1984]. * The Yosemite
Chapel, 1879-1979. Postscript by Rev. John Davis. [4], 20
pp. Eight paginated plates from photographs. 8-1/2x5-1/2, stapled
pictorial wrappers with printed cover title. Yosemite: Yosemite
Community Church, 1979. * Yosemite's High Sierra Camps.
[2],16, [2] pp. Map showing the location of the Yosemite High
Sierra camps and numerous illustrations from photographs. 9x6,
stapled pictorial wrappers with printed cover title. Yosemite:
Flying Spur Press, [1977].
Together five items: all signed and all in fine condition. (50/80).
149. SARGENT, SHIRLEY [EDITOR]. Fremont, Jessie Benton.
Mother
Lode Narratives. [9], 10-156, [4] pp. Numerous illustrations
from old woodcuts and engravings. 7-1/4x5, dark blue cloth and
white boards with gilt spine title and cover decorations, endpaper
maps, printed dust jacket. Limited edition of 650 copies. Ashland:
Lewis Osborn, 1970.
With typed inscription signed by the author tipped in and a prospectus
laid in. In this volume, Shirley Sargent has collected the stories
related to the Fremont's stay in Bear Valley that were first published
in Wide Awake magazine and later in Jessie's book Far
West Sketches. Shirley has added previously unpublished letters
of Jessie Benton Fremont regarding some of the same events, many
old illustrations and an informative foreword with the historical
background. Fine condition. (50/80).
150. SARGENT, SHIRLEY. [John Muir].
John Muir in Yosemite.
Foreword by John Muir's granddaughter. 48 pp. Numerous illustrations
fom various sources. 11x8-1/2, pictorial wrappers with printed
cover title. Second edition (revised). Yosemite: Flying Spur Press,
[1971]. * Dear Papa. Letters between John Muir and his Daughter
Wanda. Edited and documented by Jean Hanna Clark and Shirley
Sargent. [7], viii- xviii, 100, [2] pp. Frontispiece portrait
drawn by Sam Wilson and several illustrations from Muir family
photographs. 9x6, green cloth with gilt spine and cover titles,
pictorial dust jacket. Fresno: Panorama West Books, [1985].
Both Shirley's biographical sketch and Dear Papa bring
out the human side of Muir who has been so often eulogized as
to seem more of a legend than a real person. With all of Muir's
strong love for his daughters, he was still bitterly disappointed
when his oldest daughter went to college rather than assuming
a domestic role in the home while waiting for an appropriate suitor.
Together two items: both in fine condition with inscriptions signed
by the author. (50/80).
151. SARGENT, SHIRLEY.
Pioneers in Petticoats. Yosemite's Early
Women, 1856-1900. Introduced by Francis Farquhar. [10], 11-80
pp. Numerous illustrations from various sources. 11x8-1/2, black
paper-covered boards with silver spine title, pictorial endpapers,
pictorial dust jacket. First edition. Los Angeles: Trans-Anglo
Books, [1966].
Signed, typed, presentation inscription by the author. Typed
postcard signed by the author, article by Shirley Sargent removed
from the May 1977 issue of Westways, an article on the
first girl born in Yosemite [Florence Hutchings] removed from
the June 1962 issue of National Parks Magazine, and a xerox copy
of a biographical sketch of Shirley from the paper-back edition
[with an additional paragraph and slightly different picture]
laid in. Shirley Sargent has filled an important but neglected
niche in the history of Yosemite with her engaging story of the
women of Yosemite Valley, well illustrated with a choice selection
of historic photographs. Fine condition.
(60/90).
152. SARGENT, SHIRLEY [EDITOR].
Seeking the Elephant, 1849.
James Mason Hutchings' Journal of his Overland Trek to California
Including his Voyage to America, 1848 and Letters from the Mother
Lode. Edited and introduced by Shirley Sargent. [11], 12-209,
[1] pp. Frontispiece portrait and one full-page illustration.
9-1/4x6-1/4, red cloth with gilt spine and cover titles, uncut,
plain dust jacket. First edition limited to 750 copies printed
at the Castle Press. Glendale: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1980.
Signed inscription by the editor. Historians have tended to concentrate
on Hutchings prominent role in Yosemite and have neglected his
initial journey to California and prospecting for gold. This is
the first publication of Hutchings' journal and letters ably edited
and introduced by Yosemite's resident historian. Fine condition.
(60/90).
153. SARGENT, SHIRLEY.
Solomons of the Sierra. The Pioneer
of the John Muir Trail. Foreword by Richard Dillon. x, 132
pp. Numerous illustrations from various sources. 11x8-1/2, pictorial
boards with printed spine and cover titles. First edition.
Yosemite: Flying Spur Press, 1989.
Shirley's Yosemite home is built on the site of Theodore Solomons'
cabin which was destroyed by fire in 1936. This stimulated her
interest in the mountaineer who loved the mountains with almost
as much passion as Shirley, and her hero, John Muir. Although
it was really Solomons who first explored and described the route
along the crest of the Sierra from Yosemite to Mount Whitney,
it is known today as the John Muir Trail [as much a rejection
of the fractious Solomons as an honor to the friendly Muir]. In
this book Shirley successfully rescues Solomons from undeserved
obscurity. A mountain peak and an alternative trail to the John
Muir Trail also preserve his name. Inscribed and signed by the
author with a 1989 mimeographed letter of Shirley to her friends
and a broadside advertising a lecture by Shirley Sargent on the
subject of Theodore Solomons: High Sierra Explorer at the
Sierra Club on Oct. 16, 1982 laid in. Fine condition. (40/70).
154. SARGENT, SHIRLEY.
Theodore Parker Lukens, Father of Forestry.
x, 91, [1] pp. Twenty-two illustrations from various sources on
eighteen paginated plates. 9x6, dark blue-green cloth with gilt
spine title. First edition printed by Grant Dahlstrom.
Los Angeles: Dawson's Book Shop, 1969.
Typed inscription signed by the author on front free endpaper.
Theodore Lukens was a versatile man who moved to Pasadena in 1880
at the age of 32, $1500 in debt and by 1886 was able to afford
to semi-retire, build a large home and travel around the world
from his real estate earnings during the boom of the eighties.
With an intense interest in trees and a practical background in
horticulture he became a passionate advocate of reforestation
and conservation in the mountains. He met John Muir and the two
became lifelong friends and allies in the conservation movement.
Shirley Sargent has woven the myriad bits and pieces from family
papers at the Huntington Library into a coherent and poignant
story of his life, his friendship with Muir and his contribution
to conservation in California. Fine condition. (50/80).
155. SARGENT, SHIRLEY. [Wawona].
Wawona's Yesterdays. Yosemite
Vol 40, Number 4. [3], 64-104 pp. Numerous illustrations from
various sources, one double-page map of Wawona and vicinity. 9-1/2x6,
pictorial wrappers with gilt cover title. First edition. Yosemite:
Yosemite Natural History Association, 1961. * Yosemite's Historic
Wawona. [3], 4-80 pp. Numerous illustrations from various
sources. 11x8-1/2, stiff pictorial wrappers. First edition. Yosemite:
Flying Spur Press, [1979].
Together two items on the history of Wawona showcasing the evolution
of Shirley Sargent as a writer and publisher. The first is one
of Shirley Sargent's earliest Yosemite writings published by the
Yosemite Natural History Association. The second one is not just
a revised version of the first but a completely rewritten history
published by her own publishing agency 18 years later. Prospectus
for the second item with an invitation to a reception for the
author at a Fresno bookstore laid in. Both items are first editions
in fine condition. (30/50).
156. SARGENT, SHIRLEY.
Yosemite, the First 100 Years, 1890-1990.
97 pp. Profusely illustrated in color and black and white. 11-3/4x8-3/4,
green linen with gilt spine title, pictorial dust jacket. First
edition, first printing. Yosemite: Yosemite Park and Curry Co.,
[1988].
Inscription signed by Shirley on rear free endpaper. A sumptuously
illustrated volume issued by the Yosemite Park and Curry Co. to
celebrate the centennial of the establishment of the greater Yosemite
National Park by Congress in 1890 [although it would take another
16 years for the State to be persuaded to return Yosemite Valley
to federal jurisdiction and create the park as we know it today].
John Muir played a leading role in its accomplishments.
Included with this volume are 1) a Yosemite National Park Centennial
Celebration Envelope with four 6 cent Theodore Roosevelt stamps
and one 1 cent Yosemite stamp and Yosemite cancellation of Oct.
1990, 2) a one-ounce pure silver Yosemite centennial commemorative
coin in hinged cloth-covered case, 3) another Shirley Sargent
publication on Yosemite: Yosemite's Famous Guests 48 pp.
with numerous illustrations from old photographs. 11x8-1/2, in
pictorial wrappers, published by the Flying Spur Press [1970].
Inscribed and signed by Shirley Sargent with an April-May 1972
issue of Yosemite Guide with a picture of Shirley Sargent.
Together two volumes and two Yosemite centennial keepsakes: all
in fine condition. (100/150).
157. SARGENT, SHIRLEY.
Yosemite and Its Innkeepers. The Story
of a Great Park and Its Concessionaires. Foreword by Horace
Albright. viii, [2], 11-176 pp. Numerous illustrations from various
sources. 11x8-1/2, red cloth with gilt spine title, endpaper maps,
pictorial dust jacket. First edition. Yosemite: Flying Spur Press,
[1975].
Here is the absorbing story behind Yosemite's tourist facilities
from the earliest log shelters to the grand Ahwahnee Hotel brilliantly
sketched by Yosemite's resident historian. Fine condition. (50/80).
158. SARGENT, SHIRLEY.
Yosemite's Rustic Outpost: Foresta,
Big Meadow. 100 pp. Numerous illustrations from various sources.
11x8-1/2, green cloth with gilt spine and cover titles and cover
ornament. First edition. Yosemite: Flying Spur Press, 1983.
Inscribed and signed by Shirley Sargent. This is Shirley's history
of the place near the home where she has lived for the past 34
years. I first became interested in Foresta when I was researching
the life of George Wharton James. James was hired by the owners
and developers of Foresta in 1914 to organize cultural events
for the summers and to help with the promotion of lots as sites
for vacation cabins or permanent homes. James then used his position
as editor of Out West to write and publish a glowing article
about Foresta in that periodical. This was just one of the many
commercial ventures with which James became associated that diminished
his reputation among intellectuals of the day. Shirley still spends
her summers [defined as when the snow melts enough in the spring
to allow access and until major snows are threatened in the Fall]
at her beloved Flying Spur home promptly rebuilt after the disastrous
1990 forest fire destroyed it, just as fire destroyed Solomons
in 1936. Fine condition. (40/60).
159. SAUNDERS, CHARLES FRANCIS.
The Southern Sierras of California.
xii, 367 pp. Thirty-two unpaginated plates from photographs by
the author. 8x5-1/4, olive-green cloth with gilt spine title and
elaborate gilt cover title and ornamentation. First edition.
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1923.
Compared to the Sierra Nevada, the mountains of Southern California
received scant attention from early writers of descriptive literature
of California yet they were often the California mountains first
encountered by the visitor to this State. Even John Muir ignored
them in his Mountains of California. Saunders' book helped
to fill that niche admirably. Like James in The Wonders of
the Colorado Desert he wrote from personal experience and
with genuine affection for his subject as well as from good research;
and he did it in prose that rivals the best in California descriptive
writing. This is a book that has been as much neglected by the
experts as the subject about which it is written. Spine faded,
inscription on front free endpaper, else near fine.
(40/60).
160. SAUNDERS, CHARLES FRANCIS.
Under the Sky in California.
[14], 299 pp. Fifty-one illustrations on 48 unpaginated plates
taken mostly from photographs by the author and his wife. 8x5-1/2,
olive-green pictorial cloth with gilt spine and cover titles.
First edition.
New York: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913.
This was a book written for the unconventional traveler or reader
who wished to experience something more than the usual tourist
attractions in California or as he stated it "for travelers
who may desire with comfort and safety to taste something of California's
wilder side." Most of the book is devoted to sites of interest
in southern California but in the section on mountains, one chapter
is devoted to camping at Crocker's Station [on the Big Oak Flat
Road] and another to camping in Yosemite. It is ironic that in
this book published in 1913 the author extolls the beauty of Hetch
Hetchy Valley and highly recommends it for a camping trip from
Crocker's station. That same year San Francisco won the battle
to convert Hetch Hetchy into a reservoir. Near fine condition.
(40/60).
161. SCOTT, E. B.
The Saga of Lake Tahoe. A Complete Documentation
of Lake Tahoe's Development Over the Last One Hundred Years.
xii, [2], 519 pp. Profusely illustrated from various sources.
10-3/4x9-1/2, black paper-covered boards with gilt spine and cover
titles, pictorial endpapers, pictorial dust jacket. Revised first
edition.
[Lake Tahoe, Nevada: Sierra-Tahoe Publishing Co., 1957].
Lively human history of Lake Tahoe complete with facts, statistics,
legends, folk-tales and interesting anecdotes. This is more a
paean of praise to the pioneers of Lake Tahoe than to the natural
beauty of the region. It is also an enjoyable archive of historic
photographs of the Lake Tahoe area. Very slight wear to dust jacket
- otherwise in near fine condition. (60/90).
