Adventures from the American West from Old West Books
Army scout Frank Grouard, courtesy of Wyoming Tales and Trails.
Item 92 is a rare book from an obscure preacher-cowboy who roamed the Badlands, Montana and Wyoming: Stories and Sermons by Buckskin Brady the Cowboy Evangelist. Brady moved as a lad from his home in New York to the Badlands, where he quickly learned to herd cattle. He was, perhaps, a typical cowboy, except he read the Bible more than most. A lot more. So, in this biography you will be sermonized along with hearing of his adventures on cattle drives, a risky business in the 19th century. His book was published in Toronto in 1905. $1,250.
"Old Bill Williams" is another name not familiar to most people any more, though citizens of Williams, Arizona, still know his name. "Old Bill" was the quintessential mountain man, traversing the Rocky Mountain West alone, trapping beaver. He also spent time living with the Indians and learned several native languages. Williams started out as a preacher in Missouri, but headed off to the solitude of the West. He worked as a guide on the Sibley survey of the Santa Fe Trail in 1825 and two of John Fremont's expeditions in the 1840s. The latter of those expeditions was a disaster, many men dying when an attempt was made to cross the mountains in winter. Fremont blamed Williams for the 1848 catastrophe, but others believe the cause was Fremont's ignoring Old Bill's advice. William Sherley Williams died the following year, reportedly killed by Ute Indians, though he was friendly with them, while retracing the previous year's tragic route. Alpheus Favour recounts his life in Old Bill Williams, Mountain Man, published in 1936. Item 247. $135.
Item 212 has been described as "the rarest book about Buffalo Bill." Published in 1887, and written by Llewellyn Williams, the title is Buffalo Bill The Hon. William F. Cody Rifle and Revolver Shot, Pony Express Rider, Teamster, Buffalo Hunter Guide and Scout. Buffalo Bill was all of these, but even more he was a showman. After a few years of these western activities, he retired from the business to form his Wild West Show, where for most of his life, he portrayed an exaggerated version of the Old West to eager audiences in the East and Europe. Much of our cowboys and Indians image of the West can be attributed to the West Bill created. $1,295.
Old West Books may be reached at 817-557-4830 or oldwestbooks@earthlink.net. The website is www.oldwestbooks.com.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
