Friends of Texarkana Public Library Biography/Memoir

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Text Box: Tolstoy's Diaries, Volume 1, 1847-1894, Volume 2, 1895-1910, edited and translated by R.F. Christian, ISBN:0-684-18512-1, hardcover, Scribner, 1985, Vol.1-397 pages, Vol.2- 505 pages, notes and index; biography. In their length and scope, Tolstoy's Diaries are daily memoirs offering invaluable insight into his life and times. From the blurb: "Professor Christian has chosen passages that reflect Tolstoy's preoccupations as a writer- his views on his own work and that of other writers- as well as his development in character and as a thinker. Here also are Tolstoy's views on contemporary social problems, rural life, industrialization, education, and religious and spiritual questions." Professor R. F. Christian, at the time of publication, was head of the Department of Russian at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Condition: near fine/near fine Price: $50.00

Text Box: Letters of Walter Pater, edited by Lawrence Evans, ISBN: 019-812406-6, hardcover, Oxford University Press, 1970, 182 pages, appendices, addenda, index; personal memoir. Walter Pater (1839-1894) was an English essayist and critic. He believed that the ideal life consisted of cultivating an appreciation for the beautiful and the profound. His first work, Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873), established his reputation. Then followed his masterpiece, Marius the Epicurean (1885), a study of the intellectual and spiritual development of a young Roman in the time of Marcus Aurelius. Curiosity about the real Walter Pater is sustained by the incongruity between his vibrant philosophy of life and his own quiet, modest lifestyle. To the frustration of his biographers he did not keep a diary nor did he write many letters. Condition: near fine/ near fine, back of dust jacket slightly sunned, top edge of dust jacket very slightly scuffed. A sticker, perhaps a price sticker has been removed from the front free fly page leaving the paper "thinned" at that place. Photos on request Price: $50.00

Text Box: Jim Courtright of Fort Worth: His Life and Legend by Robert K DeArment, hardcover, TCU Press, ISBN 0875652921, 2004, 287 pages with index. This biography is of quite a character. From the book jacket: Timothy Isaiah "Longhair Jim" Courtright, operating on both sides of the law, is one of the most colorful characters from the wild and woolly days of Fort Worth's Hell's Half Acre. Courtright was at various times city marshal, deputy sheriff, deputy U.S. marshal, private detective, hired killer, and racketeer. Little is known about Courtright's early life, though he apparently served in the Union army during the Civil War. But when he arrived in the West, Courtright seemed to attract trouble. He was involved in a shootout during the 1886 railroad strikes and was accused of murder in New Mexico. Deputies were sent to Fort Worth to escort him to New Mexico to stand trial. His escape from them, complete with guns hidden under a restaurant table, is one of Fort Worth's most colorful stories. Finally, he was killed in a shootout that he apparently provoked with gambler and gunman Luke Short. To this day nobody is sure what provoked that feud, but Courtright was honored with the longest funeral procession Fort Worth had ever seen. Condition: as new/as new Price: $15.00

Text Box: My Acadians: A Grand Lady’s Love Affair with Her French-Acadian Heritage by Lorecia Daigle East, hardcover, Eakins Press, 1980, 108 pages; memoir. Inscription by the author on front flyleaf. This collection of history, legends, customs, and memoirs of the French-Acadians from Nova Scotia and their descendents who settled in Louisiana and Texas, gives us a picture of this unique culture. Condition: near fine/ near fine, inscription as noted Price: $30.00

Text Box: Klimt: Life and Work by Susanna Partsch, hardcover, ISBN: 1-57717-316-3, Todtri, 2002, 319 pages with 96 color plates and 35 black and white drawings and notes on text; biography. A tribute to Gustav Klimt by Egon Schiele “An artist of unbelievable integrity, a man of rare profundity, his work a scared shrine” From humble origins, Klimt achieved a position of great esteem in Viennese society. In this biography the author presents the complexities of his genius, provides a comprehensive study of significant background elements, and pays tribute to the exquisite rarity of his art. Condition: as new/as new Price: $15.00

Text Box: Barnett Newman Selected Writings and Interviews, by John O’Neill, ISBN: 0-394-58038-9, hardcover, Knopf, 1990, first edition, 331 pages with black and white photographs, index; memoir. Barnett Newman (1905-1970) was an artist who came to prominence during the aftermath of World War II. He, along with friends such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Clyfford Still, would collectively become known as the Abstract Expressionists. Their work was large scale, shunning traditional imagery. Many say they changed the course of modern art. Newman was also known to have a way with words, as a citizen, art critic and thinker. This biography/memoir includes every piece Newman published in his lifetime and certain pieces he wished to publish but did not. The editor John O’Neill, was at the time, Editor-in-Chief at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Out-of print book. Condition: near fine/near fine, remainder mark on top edge Price: $40.00

Text Box: A Louisiana Confederate, Diary of Felix Pierre Poché, edited by Edwin C. Bearss, hardcover, translation from the French by Eugenie Watson Somdal with an Index by Edward Bouriaque, published by Louisiana Studies Institute Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1972, 352 pages with editorial notes and index; memoir. This is the book form of a Louisiana Confederate soldier’s diary from July 1863-October 1865. The original diaries, nine small books, are in the Russell Library, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, Louisiana. Felix Pierre Poché was a was a good observer, well-read and informed. He was a beloved family member and devout Catholic. His thoroughly readable memoir is important in describing conditions in Confederate Louisiana especially in the region bounded by the Mississippi and Amite rivers and Lake Maurepas during 1864 & 1865. The memoir also records information as to the operations and activities of a brigade commissary department, heretofore little understood. Condition: near fine/near fine Price: $50.00

Text Box: The Case of John C. Watrous, United States Judge For Texas, A Political Story of High Crimes and Misdemeanors by Walace Hawkins, hardcover, University Press, Dallas, 1950, Southern Methodist University, designed by Carl Hertzog, 1,200 copies of this book printed, 109 pages with sepia-toned illustrations, fold-out facsimiles, illustrated endpapers, deckled edge, quality paper, appendices, notes, index; biography. This is the interesting history of the first appointed judge of the Federal District Court in Texas in 1846. He was highly controversial, and waged a 14-year legal battle through courts and congress after being accused of wrongdoing in public office, having to do with land speculation and land companies in Texas during the 1840’s and 1850’s. Condition: very good +/ very good +, one bumped corner, clipped dust jacket, no writing, no tears Price: $12.00

Text Box: Same Song Separate Voices, The Collective Memoirs of The Lennon Sisters, hardcover, dated (1996) and inscribed, signed by all of the Lennon sisters, first revised edition 1995, original copyright 1985, Lennon Publishing, 367 pages with black and white photographs; biography, memoir. From the foreword: “This book serves as a testament to our parents and our families. It is intended for our audiences, those who have watched us growing up before their eyes on their television screens. We tell as much as we are able. We are great talkers, and admittedly we’ve written as we speak.” Condition: near fine/near fine Price: $20.00

Text Box: Richard Halliburton’s Complete Book of Marvels, hardcover, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, reprint, 1960, 637 pages with black and white photographs; travel memoirs. Most readers fall in love with this book. During the time between the two world wars, Princeton-educated Richard Halliburton pursued the life of an explorer-adventurer-writer and became famous as such. His books achieved enormous popularity and propelled him to personal celebrity and acquaintance with other celebrities of the time. His last adventure, sailing a Chinese junk across the Pacific Ocean, took him and his crew to their deaths, lost at sea. This book is a reprint of the Book of Marvels that was published after his death in 1939. The last chapter is entitled “Richard Halliburton’s Last Adventure” giving readers the story. Condition: very good/no dust jacket; two slightly bumped corners, previous owner’s bookplate on front pastedown Price: $20.00

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Text Box: Pietro Annigoni, An Artist’s Life, As told to Robert Wraight, ISBN: 0-491-01948-3, hardcover, W.H. Allen, London, 1977, 224 pages with numerous black and white photos, appendices, index; biography. This is the autobiography of an artist who came to London in 1949, hawked his work around the Bond Street art galleries and was rejected by everyone; but before he went home to Florence, he submitted a self portrait to the Royal Academy for its Summer Exhibition. It became the “Picture of the Year” and he became famous overnight. After he painted his first portrait of the queen in 1954, he painted Prince Phillip, Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, President Kennedy, the Shah of Persia, Pope John, Sir Winston Churchill, Margot Fonteyn and others. The autobiography is honest, frank, revealing and riveting! Out-of-pint book. Condition: very good plus/ very good plus; pages toned, slight foxing on inside of dust jacket, name on front fly leaf Price: $30.00

Text Box: Southern Timberman, The Legacy of William Buchanan by Archer H. Mayor, hardcover, ISBN:0-8203-0999-0, 1988, University of Georgia Press, 263 pages with over fifty black and white photographs, notes, bibliography, index; biography. “This book is the story of a shrewd entrepreneur who rose out of the chaos of the Civil War to build his fortune in the backwoods. It is also the story of a strong, volatile family who fought – sometimes among themselves- to preserve that fortune.” Condition: near fine/near fine Price: $40.00

Text Box: Chronicles Of The Big Bend, a Photographic Memoir of Life on the Border, by W.D. Smithers, ISBN: 0-89052-016-x, fourth printing, 1985, Madrona Press, Inc., Rotan, Tx, 144 pages, replete with black and white photographs, map endpapers, index; memoir. This book is a photographic record of the lifestyle of the rugged Big Bend country, back in the day of the twentieth century’s teens, twenties, and thirties. Those were the violent years of Pancho Villa, Chico Cano, and “Gacho”, and smuggling and liquor-running happened in the Bend. This era passed into history in 1944 when the area became a national park. The author, born in 1895, began taking photographs at age fifteen; so you can imagine what a wealth of history the reader will see here. Condition: near fine/very good plus; slightest rubbing to dust jacket Price: $12.00

Text Box: John Wayne, An American Legend, by Roger M. Crowley, inscribed by the author, ISBN:1-928988-02-4, hardcover, 1999, Old West Shop Printing, 160 pages and over 200 black and white photographs; photographic memoir. This book is a photographic tribute which includes location photos and photos of old movie posters from many private collections. The book is organized by movie title, with photos, a short summary of the plot, interesting notes and personal stories from the location of each shoot. Condition: as new/no dust jacket; personal inscription by author on fly leaf. Price: $30.00

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