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  • Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction November 24th
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: M. Waldseemüller, Ptolemaeus auctus restitutus, 1520. Est: € 250,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: I. Newton, Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica, 1687. Est: € 100,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: L. Feininger, Collection of 33 comic strips, 1906-1907. Est: € 8,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction November 24th
    Ketterer, Nov. 24:H. Schedel, Liber chronicarum, 1493. Est: € 30,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: K. Bodmer, Personal Sketchbook with ca. 80 pencil drawings. Est: € 25,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: Collection of 18 postcards “Bauhaus-Ausstellung Weimar 1923.“ Est: € 40,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction November 24th
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: Latin Book of hours on vellum, 1505. Est: € 12,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: G. Shaw & F. P. Nodder, Vivarium naturae, 1789-1813. Est: € 10,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943. First American edition. Est: € 6,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction November 24th
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: Ibn Butlan, Tacuini sanitatis, 1531. Est: € 8,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: Hermann Hesse, Casa Camuzzi in Montagnola, 1927. Est: € 12,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 24: Pop Art portfolio Reality & Paradoxes, 1973. Est: € 12,000
  • Doyle
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    November 25
    Doyle
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    November 25
    Doyle
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    November 25
    Doyle
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    November 25
    Doyle
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    November 25
    Doyle
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    November 25
    Doyle
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    November 25
    Doyle
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    November 25
  • Pandolfini Casa d’Aste
    Books, Manuscripts, Autographs and Prints
    18 November 2025
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Dante. De la volgare eloquenzia. Vicenza, Janiculo, 1529. € 1.500 / 2.000
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: San Tommaso d’Aquino. Scriptum secundum luculentissimum angelico. Legato con Problemata. Lione, Jacques Myt e Francesco Giunta, 1520. € 2.500 / €3.500
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Palladio, Andrea. I quattro libri dell'architettura. Venezia, de' Franceschi, 1570. € 13.000 / 15.000
    Pandolfini Casa d’Aste
    Books, Manuscripts, Autographs and Prints
    18 November 2025
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: De Saint Amant, Pierre Charles. Voyages en Californie et dans l'Orégon. Parigi, Maison, 1854. € 400 / 500
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Description de l’Égypte, ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’armée française. Parigi, 1820-1829. € 35.000 / 40.000
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Allioni, Carlo. Flora Pedemontana sive enumeratio methodica stirpium indigenarum Pedemontii. Torino, Briolo, 1785. € 6.000 / 8.000
    Pandolfini Casa d’Aste
    Books, Manuscripts, Autographs and Prints
    18 November 2025
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: First edition of John Gould's first work with uncolored backgrounds. € 5.000 / 7.000
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Rossini, Luigi. Le Antichità dei contorni di Roma. Roma, presso l'autore e Scudellari, 1824-26. € 2.500 / 3.500
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. New York, Appleton & Co., 1866. € 6.000 / 8.000
    Pandolfini Casa d’Aste
    Books, Manuscripts, Autographs and Prints
    18 November 2025
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. Monaco, Franz Eher, 1925-27. € 15.000 / 20.000
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Interesting autograph from Proust to his dear little Daudet. € 3.000 / 4.000
    Pandolfini, Nov. 18: Beautiful and rare poetic manuscript, first draft, of an airy lightness by De Saint-Exupéry. € 4.000 / 5.000

Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - December - 2006 Issue

Custer and the Old West from Old West Books

The Old West from Old West Books.

The Old West from Old West Books.


By Michael Stillman

We recently received our first catalogue from Old West Books of Arlington, Texas. For those not up on Texas geography, Arlington is a compromise between Dallas and Fort Worth, home of the Arlington Rangers baseball team, and future home of the Arlington Cowboys football team (though Arlington does not receive proper credit). Anyway, if Arlington today typifies the new west, it was once in the heart of the old, and a most logical place to look for memoirs of the time. Old West's Catalog 17 offers 336 books, some as old as the Old West, others of a more recent vintage but still about days past. All pertain to the era of Cowboys and Indians.

The catalogue is broken into three sections. The first is Custer, that unfortunate warrior who is remembered almost entirely for dying. The second is headed Native Americans, Indian Wars, Military. The final section is Lewis and Clark. For those who collect, or with an interest in America left of the Mississippi, this catalogue will lead you down many happy trails. Here are a few samples.

It has long been said that no one from the 7th Cavalry escaped Custer's Last Stand, but that is not true. Surviving to bear witness to this terrible massacre was Comanche, the horse of Captain Myles Keogh, one of the many cavalry humans who did not survive. Comanche had proven his mettle under battle numerous times before, withstanding arrows and other injuries to lead his rider into combat again and again. This time, Keogh didn't make it, but the badly wounded Comanche was found wandering the battlefield two days later by army troops. He was nursed back to health and became a symbol to both the army and the non-native population of America in general, seeking heroes for its wars against the Indians. Comanche was retired, never to be ridden into battle again. He would lead an occasional parade, was given the honorary title of "Second Commanding Officer" of the 7th Cavalry, and reportedly developed a fondness for beer, in which his fellow soldiers indulged him. Comanche lived another 14 years, dying at the ripe old age (for horses) of 29 in 1890. His body was stuffed and displayed at the famous Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. His preserved remains were then returned to the University of Kansas museum where they are still on display today. In fairness to accuracy, it should be noted that Comanche was not the only cavalry horse to survive the battle. Others who survived in better shape were taken by the Indians. Item 6 is the biography of this once famous horse, Comanche The Horse That Survived The Custer Massacre, by Anthony Amaral, published in 1961. This copy is a first edition, signed by the author. Priced at $140.

A messy scandal in Washington almost saved Custer's life, and would have but for his protests. War Secretary William Belknap was one of the most egregious violators of the public trust during President Ulysses Grant's scandal-ridden administration. Belknap traded appointments in the West for cash. The luxurious lifestyle of his wives (he had two while in office, but don't worry, they were not his wives at the same time) led to great suspicions.

Rare Book Monthly

  • University Archives
    Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books
    Now through Nov. 19
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 308 - Bob Dylan Handwritten & Signed Lyrics to "Just Like a Woman" With Jeff Rosen & JSA Authentication
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 455 - Isaac Newton Admiration For Judaism & Moral Continuity With Christianity! 350+ Words in his Hand - Extraordinary Content!
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 219 - 371g Moon Meteorite, Incredible Find - Laâyoune 002
    University Archives
    Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books
    Now through Nov. 19
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 448 - Scarce Einstein AM on Unified Field Theory, 180+ Words & 11 Equations in His Hand! From His Published Article, "A Generalization of the Relativistic Theory of Gravitation"
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 159 - Woodrow Wilson Baseball Signed for WWI Red Cross Fundraiser, Ex. Forbes & PSA Authentic - Finest Known!
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 84 - Lee Harvey Oswald ALS to Brother, Trying Desperately to Get out of Russia! Highly Important
    University Archives
    Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books
    Now through Nov. 19
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 152 - George Washington Signed Discharge for MA Soldier Whose Regiment Was at Bunker Hill!
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 88 - Abraham Lincoln Fully Signed Military Appointment for Mexican War Vet & Respected Cavalryman
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 188 - Apollo XI Astronauts & Their Wives Signed Photo, Plus Crew Signed Cover, From Apollo XI Presidential Goodwill Tour Era, Pre-Cert Zarelli
    University Archives
    Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books
    Now through Nov. 19
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 265 - Martin Luther King, Jr. TLS Re: "Stride Toward Freedom" Film Rights To Literary Agent Marie Rodell
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 324 - John Lennon Signed Apple Records Check, PSA GEM MT 10! Possibly Finest Known
    University Archives, Nov. 19:
    Lot 79 - John & Jacqueline Kennedy Signed WH 1963 Christmas Gift Inscribed to Close Friend Joan Braden, PSA Authentic
  • Sotheby’s
    Book Week
    November & December
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 6-20: Audebert, Jean-Baptiste — Louis-Pierre Vieillot. Oiseaux dorés ou à reflets métalliques, Paris, 1801-1802. €40,000 to €60,000.
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 6-20: [Hugo, Victor] — Charles Hugo, François-Victor Hugo ou Auguste Vacquerie. Portrait de Victor Hugo. Daguerréotype réalisé à Jersey vers 1852-1853. €20,000 to €30,000.
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 6-20: Orbigny, Alcide d'. Voyage dans l'Amérique méridionale... Paris, Pitois-Levrault et Cie et Strasbourg, Levrault, 1834-1847. €10,000 to €15,000.
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 6-20: Chelidonius, Benedictus. Passio Jesu Chriti. [1526?]. Maroquin bleu de Niédrée. 37 bois inspirés par Dürer. €3,000 to €5,000.
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 6-20: Cassini de Thury, César-François. Carte générale de la France faite en 1744. Paris, 1756-1788. 178 cartes entoilées, réunies dans 28 emboîtages. €15,000 to €20,000.
  • Swann
    Printed & Manuscript Americana
    November 20, 2025
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 9
    George Catlin. O-Kee-Pa: A Religious Ceremony; and other Customs of the Mandans. London, 1867.
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 17
    Benjamin Beal, Unpublished diary of a lieutenant serving in the Invasion of Quebec, 1776.
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 23
    George Washington, Autograph Letter Signed anticipating the coming British campaign against Philadelphia, 1777.
    Swann
    Printed & Manuscript Americana
    November 20, 2025
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 35
    Matthias C. Sprengel, Allgemeines historisches Taschenbuch, the first published appearance of the American flag, [1784].
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 120
    Portfolio of lithograph Civil War portraits by Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. and others. Cincinnati, OH, circa 1863.
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 130
    Eleazar Huntington, engraver. Early broadside engraving of the Declaration of Independence, circa 1820-24.
    Swann
    Printed & Manuscript Americana
    November 20, 2025
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 175
    Jeremiah B. Taylor, Letterbook of a frontier Baptist missionary in Kansas with tales of friendly Indians and unfriendly Confederate raiders, 1839-1887.
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 188
    Jonas Rishel, The Indian Physician, Containing a New System of Practice, Founded on Medical Plants, 1828.
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 201
    Brigham Young and the First Presidency of the LDS, Commission issued to two Church representatives, 1849.
    Swann
    Printed & Manuscript Americana
    November 20, 2025
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 293
    Kuonraden's Vart (Kuonrad's Travels), an illustrated western travel memoir set to verse, circa 1914.
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 311
    Hermann Stieffel, Early watercolor view of the ruins of a Spanish mission in the Manzano Grant. Manzano, NM, circa 1860-67.
    Swann, Nov. 20: Lot 343
    Vida de San Felipe de Jesus, protomartir del Japon, y patron de su patria Mexico.

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