The Annals of Elder Horn
New York: Richard R. Smith, Inc, 1930. Thurman, Claude & Bowyer, John (Editors). 1st Edition. 8vo. Very Good / Good. Item #14758
An incredible memoir of 19th-century post Civil War Texas, with a laid-in handwritten signed letter from the subject as well as a typed letter signed by legendary 20th-century Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn, both addressed to Claude Thurman, one of the two editors of the work.
This particular piece is also a nice association copy, gifted to Thurman's mother-in-law at Christmas, 1930, with a gift inscription on the front end paper from Thurman and his wife, Della.
Horn migrated from Tennessee to Texas with his parents and family in 1857, fought with the 5th Texas regiment during the Civil War and settled in Collin County, just north of Dallas. His accounts are a fascinating glimpse into everyday Texas during and after the Civil War, when the state was still sparsely settled and life was difficult for most.
The letter from Horn is written in a shaky hand, when Horn would have been 86 years old and when originally mailed, included a signed contract for the book, with Horn estimating that "if price is reasonable, Collin County ought to use 1000 copies." It is signed "R.C. Horn' at the bottom.
The letter from Rayburn to Thurman is on his official 'Speaker's' stationary and enclosed in an official Congressional envelope. Rayburn, a fellow Texan, thanks both Thurman and co-editor Bowyer for gifting a copy to the Speaker and is boldly signed in thick blue fountain-pen ink.
Black cloth with mild rubbing and edge wear. A touch of fraying at corners and spine ends. A very slight slant to spine.
Dust jacket with mild rubbing and moderate edge wear, including two larger chips at spine ends. Presents handsomely in archival mylar.
Overall a handsome and important work on 19th-century Texas, with fantastic provenance connecting the 19th and 20th centuries in the Lone Star State.
Price: $450.00