Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - February - 2007 Issue
Texana from Maggie Lambeth Rare Books
Alleged Alamo survivor Madame Candelaria, looking every bit of 113 years old.
Item 126 is a very complete work about a fairly small area: Refugio, A Comprehensive History of Refugio County from Aboriginal Times to 1953. This book will be of interest to anyone who knows how to pronounce "Refugio." It is located in Texas' Coastal Bend, a couple hundred miles southeast of Houston. It was originally inhabited by the Karankawa Indians, later by the Spanish who opened a mission. It was the scene of a battle during the Texas Revolution, with most residents fleeing for safety. It's had its ups and downs since, booming for a while when oil was discovered. This is probably one of the few things missed in this two-volume compilation, since the man was only six-years-old in 1953, but Refugio is the birthplace of all-time strikeout leading pitcher Nolan Ryan. Oh, to speak like a native, replace the "g" with the sound of another "r." $1,750.
For Sam Houston collectors (and doesn't this include every Texas collector?) item 140 is the book Wright Howes described as, the "most exhaustive biography of the great Texan and of paramount interest to all students of the Republic and early Statehood." It includes not only a biography, but a second volume of 400 pages of Houston's state papers, letters, speeches, etc. This is a copy of the first edition of Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston, of Texas, published in Dallas in 1884. $200.
Pedro Jaramillo, or Don Pedrito as the faithful knew him, was a healer at the turn of the century. He developed a wide following in the border area of Texas near Falfurrias. Apparently he cured many, or at least they believed he did. Item 453 is Healer of Los Olmos and other Mexican Lore by Wilson Hudson, published in 1951. It contains testimonials from those who believed in Jaramillo's remedies and passed them down to their descendants. $120.
Item 271 is Paul Lester's The Great Galveston Disaster. Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times. If the title isn't clear about which disaster is the book's subject, the publishing date of 1900 is a giveaway. That was the year of the great Galveston hurricane. The storm surge overran the entire island city, killing around 8,000 of its residents. It remains the deadliest hurricane ever to hit North America. This contemporary book includes many photographs taken shortly after the disaster. $50.
You may reach Maggie Lambeth Rare Books at 830-833-5252, or visit them online at www.texanbooks.com, email Maggie@moment.net.
