A Log Of The Texas-California Cattle Trail, 1854.

JAMES G. AND J. EVETTS HALEY (EDITED BY) BELL

Publication: Reprinted from the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 1932, Austin

First book edition of only 100 copies. 8vo. Inscribed by Haley on the title page, "To a member of the 'gun wad' club, from J. Evetts Haley." Original blue printed wrappers, 78 [1] pp., introduction, footnotes, tables, index. This rare book published in an edition of 100 copies, has long been sought by cattle and Haley collectors. Herd 235 says "Scarce." Bell was a young Texas cattleman who, in 1854, joined a cattle drive from Texas to California. Rather than writing ordinary letters home, he kept a contemporaneous diary of the journey, documenting the route, cattle driving, camps, landscape, Native Americans, Mexican settlements, hardships, and everyday experiences on this little-known trail. This rare book, one of Haley's earliest titles, contains a fine introduction by Haley, including an account of his efforts to locate the diaries that make up this book. The existence of a major cattle trail from California to Texas and several major drives over this trail seven years before the Civil War is little known and this work is a major source on the subject. Minor wear to the extended edges of the front and rear covers, else a near fine, clean copy.