The American Southwest and More from Back of Beyond Books

Back of Beyond Books recently published their Rare Book Catalogue #4. Back of Beyond specializes in books relating to the American Southwest. There are works of nonfiction, including natural history, explorations, human history, geology and geography. Then there are books pertaining to the region's art and photography, fiction, and poetry. There are specialized sections, such as books relating to the Mormon settlement of the area. Finally, there is an occasional item that doesn't have much of anything to do with the area, such as an account of the earthquake in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1886. We will take a look at a few entries from this catalogue focused on one of the most spectacular regions on the continent.

Item 11 is the Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado and Portions of Adjacent Territory by Ferdinand V. Hayden. Hayden was a surveyor and geologist who was involved in several missions to the West from the 1850s to the 1870s. He was one of the first to survey Yellowstone and was an important proponent of making it a national park. This report, which contains 18 maps and charts and two panoramic views, came about from his fieldwork in Colorado from 1873-76. It covers the entire state of Colorado along with adjacent portions of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Priced at $5,000.

Item 21 is Report Upon the Colorado River of the West, by Lieutenant Joseph C. Ives, published in 1861. Ives was one of the earliest white Americans to explore the area, a decade before Powell. His review provides an early look at the Grand Canyon as well as describing the area's Indian natives. The book includes engravings, Indian portraits, and fold-out panoramic views. However, Ives did not believe the land had much practical use. $1,200.

Item 29 is This is Dinosaur: Echo Park Country and Its Magic Rivers, by Wallace Stegner, published in 1955. Stegner was one of the most important of writers, historians, and environmentalists of the West in the 20th century. Here he writes about Dinosaur National Monument, in northwestern Colorado and adjacent Utah. His book contains his own essay and those of others pertaining to the region. Dinosaur is named for the quarry filled with dinosaur bones found in the monument, but Dinosaur is also a spectacularly beautiful area, with deep, colorful canyons leading down to the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. The timing of this book is notable, as is the folded insert within titled What is Your Stake in Dinosaur. As part of the Colorado River Storage Project, which eventually led to the massive Glen Canyon Dam farther downstream, was a plan to dam Echo Park at the canyons' base, and flood them as was done at Glen Canyon. The project led to large protests from the environmental community, and eventually, a decision to abandon this part of it, instead protecting all of the nation's parks and monuments from such massive environmental reconstruction. This copy of the book has been signed by Stegner. $550.