Santa Barbara: Fithian Press, 1999. 1^st thus. 295 pages. Hardcover with dustjacket, both in FINE condition.

An often overlooked but very important first-hand account of life on the Texas frontier when Indian attack was a constant concern, this book relates the recollections of Fanny Davis Veale Beck. Mrs. Beck was born 1861 and moved with her family to the Palo Pinto, Texas vicinity which was then on the state’s extreme western frontier. They were frequently attacked by Indians and, in this book, Mrs. Beck recalls the thirteen fearful years before Indian settlement on the reservations in 1875. Mrs. Beck also recalls “thousands of longhorn cattle roaming the countryside free for the taking…” (an excerpt from Trailing the Herd by Larry E. Myers and William S. Reese). In connection with an exhibit at SMU’s DeGolyer Library, for which Trailing the Herd was written, the late famed book collector Larry Myers, posited the first edition of this titled (published in 1937) was limited to 50 copies thus explaining why it is not widely known. This reprint edition was produced in larger numbers, although the print run was still small. According to one reputable Texana dealer, this edition was limited to 250 copies.