Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana

3 volumes, 8vo (203 x 121 mm). (Light spotting.) ORIGINAL DRAB BOARDS, UNCUT, printed paper spine labels (some spitting along joints, hinges strengthened, spine label chipped on vol.3, light rubbing to boards); morocco-backed folding case. Provenance: Edwin Stanton Fickes (bookplate); Stephen Lyle Boyd collection; sold, Heritage, 8 March 2017, lot 45090.

A REMARKABLE WORK OF FRONTIER FICTION.

FIRST EDITION. Set largely in Texas during the early 1840s, this novel offers a vivid portrayal of the region's political turmoil leading up to annexation. Half of the first volume and all of the third are set in Texas, depicted as rife with corruption, lawlessness, and colorful characters. The author—whose identity remains unknown—accurately predicts the war with Mexico and appeals to Britain to oppose annexation. The narrative spans Kentucky, New Orleans, Cuba, and Wisconsin, where the protagonist finds success in mining. A substantial subplot involves early Mormonism, including an extended encounter with Joseph Smith and a return to Nauvoo amid the 1840s unrest. The depiction of Mormon life is detailed and timely, occurring just before the 1846 exodus. Likely American, the author offers a sharply critical view of frontier America—exposing greed, violence, and social decay, while also expressing sympathy for Native Americans and African Americans. The novel, never published in the U.S., was issued in London, driven by the author’s disillusionment with what he saw as a corrupted American dream.

"The story is of real Texas interest because of the unrestrained bitterness of its portrayal of Texas customs, morals, and people..." (Streeter).

EXCEEDINGLY RARE: This work did not appear in auction rooms for nearly a century—until this copy surfaced at Heritage Auctions in 2017. Coleman, Bibliography of Kentucky History 2170; Streeter, Texas 1609. Not listed in Woolf, Block, or Sabin.