ON THE OLD WEST COAST: Being Further Reminiscences of a Ranger, Major Horace Bell. Edited by Lanier Bartlett.
New York: William Morrow, 1930. First Edition. Hardcover. This is Number 119 of 210 copies printed in twelve point Scotch on Aurelian rag paper and signed by the editor. To read his account, one would think that Bell (1830-1918) was never more than a jump away from peril, mining gold in Hangtown, pursuing Joaquin Murrietta, or escaping bands of hostile Indians. Compiled from notes made before his death, this volume, together with his Reminiscences of a Ranger (1881), are a valuable chronicle of the seamier side of frontier California. From the James S. Copley Library, with the San Diego newspaper publisher and philanthropist's bookplate to the verso of the front flyleaf and the verso of the limitation leaf. Octavo: xiv, [2], 336 pp. Illustrated with 32 pages in half-tone, and many facsimiles and line engravings. Original decorative red paper-covered boards over a natural cloth spine with a printed paper spine label. Period ink gift inscription to the verso of the front flyleaf. Some minor rubbing along the extremities of the boards, with a bit of toning to the spine. Housed in the publisher's slipcase, which is moderately edgeworn and split along a lower seam. Very Good. Item #80483
Price: $125.00