The author, writing from Victoria Texas, represented himself to be “an actor in most of the events portrayed [in the book], and, in addition thereto, [wrote that he] had the fraternal cooperation of his old comrades—from the commanders down—in the prosecution of this ‘labor of love’.” A BASIC TEXAS BOOK.

Louisville, Ky: Courier-Journal Company, 1881. 1^st edition. 185 pages. Original embossed boards in custom slipcase. Book shows wear to the board edges and to all four corners. The gilt lettering on the front board and the spine remains clearly legible; in fact, it remains bright. There is a small bookplate affixed to the front pastedown and, also on the front pastedown, a small ink imprint of a prior owner’s name (same last name as shown on the bookplate). There is a pencil notation on the front free endpaper, “Read Nov 1880” and otherwise general signs of age and wear as one would expect on a book first read 138 years ago (assuming the date in the inscription is accurate). Overall VERY GOOD condition and perhaps a bit better; the clamshell is like new.