Search Results: Titles starting with V from McBride Rare Books

Valley Ranch, N.M., 1920. Near fine.. 31,[1]pp. Original brown pictorial printed wrappers, stapled. Very minor wear and soiling. Promotional work for the Valley Ranch, a dude ranch on the Pecos River, near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The work is illustrated throughout with handsome gravure illustrations, the whole printed in sepia ink. Situated in the midst of the Pecos National Forest, the ranch boasted extensive fishing and trail riding, as well as sweeping vistas. It also had a swimming pool, tennis courts, a post office, telephone and telegraph, and electricity. "The Valley Ranch has a well-earned reputation for setting a splendid table. The cooking is done by Americans, in American style, but the bill of fare often includes some appetizing Mexican dishes -- frijoles, tortillas, chili con carni, etc. -- for those of cosmopolitan tastes." A high-quality piece of printing and promotion. We locate four copies in OCLC, at Princeton, the University of Arizona, Arizona Historical, and New Mexico State University.

[New Orleans], 1864. Very good.. Broadside, 21 x 6 inches, on thin paper. Old folds, moderate toning, occasional small marginal chipping, tip of lower left corner chipped, light offsetting to itself while folded. A scarce Civil War-era broadside from Union-occupied New Orleans. The Varieties Theatre on Gravier Street in New Orleans was established by the Variete Association Theatre Club of New Orleans, a stockholder association of individuals committed to producing local theatre and who oversaw hiring a manager, building a repertory company, and attending performances. The Varieties Theatre was built and re-built three times between 1849 and 1871 at two different addresses in the Big Easy. The theater manager also changed during this time period. The present broadside advertises a performance of "A Great Moral Drama" called The Ticket of Leave Man. The play was a stage melodrama by the British writer Tom Taylor, and was based on a French drama titled, Le Retour de Melun. The English title takes its… Read More

[Various locations in Texas Or Oklahoma, Arizona, and Nevada, 1940. Near fine.. [25] leaves, illustrated with eighty-eight black-and-white photographs in corner mounts, about 3 x 4 inches or slightly larger. Contemporary brown cloth photograph album, title stamped in silver on front cover, reading, "Snaps." Minor wear at spine ends and corners. Two empty mounts, but internally very clean. An evocative mid-century vernacular photograph album comprised of clear, artfully-composed, and well-developed photographs documenting a road trip which appears to begin in Texas or Oklahoma and head west to Nevada, at least in part along U.S. Route 66. The first shot in the album is a single oil derrick. Thereafter, the images capture the sparseness of the western landscape through numerous images of the Grand Canyon and other vistas, along with early shots of the Hoover Dam, various motels and missions, a single shot of downtown Reno, and ending with several pictures of the travelers on a ski or mountain lift,… Read More

[Most likely the Western United States, 1959. Very good.. [39] leaves, illustrated with 155 mounted photographs, almost all black-and-white, but a handful in color, ranging from thumbnails to 5.75 x 3.5 inches. Oblong folio. Contemporary black cloth, gilt title on front cover, string tied. Edges and joints somewhat frayed. Some leaves detached, some abrasions to album leaves from removed photos. Images in generally nice condition. An interesting collection of images memorializing an unidentified African American family, including their family gatherings, travel, horsing around, driving or riding in cars, attending a christening, and more. Most of the images capture men, women, and children in their Sunday best, often in very flat, rural settings. As such, it is likely that the family lived and predominantly traveled in the Middle West (Kansas or Nebraska) or some point south or westward (Oklahoma, Texas, or New Mexico). A single image carries an identifiable processing location, from a Fox Company… Read More

[Various locations including the Southwest, California, Mexico, and Colorado, 1900. Very good plus.. Forty silver gelatin photographs on thirty-eight leaves. Images 3 x 4 inches (all but three), one per page and captioned. Oblong 12mo album. Original black cloth with black paper leaves. Internally clean, most images with good definition and contrast. A charming little photograph album documenting a holiday vacation across the country. The trip begins on a steamer off the Florida Coast, with stops at New Orleans, Arizona, Texas, Mexico, and on to California. Images in the Southwest include Native American street vendors in Yuma, adobe houses in El Paso, and the prison and post office in Juarez. In California, where the bulk of the images were taken, the group visits Los Angeles, Ocean Beach, the ostrich farm at Pasadena, Long Beach, Catalina Island, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Berkeley. From San Francisco they board a train, snapping photos from the railway car. In Colorado they visit Pueblo,… Read More

[Kolkata, 1945. Very good.. 248 original photographs, most approximately 3 x 4.5 inches. Oblong folio album, string tied; red paper boards, printed in gilt. Light wear at edges of boards and album leaves. Photos in corner mounts. Minor fading and mirroring to a few images. An extensive album of vernacular photographs compiled by an American G.I. stationed in India during or just after World War II. Calcutta (now Kolkata) was the main base of operations for British and American forces against the Japanese in Burma and further into southeast Asia during the war. Kolkata itself was host to over 150,000 American soldiers from the beginning of the India-Burma campaign in Spring 1942 until the end of the war. This album contains nearly 250 images that depict how U.S. soldiers experienced life in the capital of Bengal. The first series of photographs comprises a lengthy group of street scenes that depict local children swimming and playing; snake charmers, fire eaters, and other street performers plying… Read More

[Various locations, 1970. Good plus.. [48] leaves, illustrated with 260 mounted photographs, most black-and-white but some in color, between 1.5 x 1.5 to 8 x 10 inches, and a few ephemeral items. Full brown pebbled leather photograph album, screw-bound. Moderate edge wear and some chipping, front joint split but holding. First leaf detached, moderate wear throughout. An absorbing collection of vernacular photographs documenting multiple generations of the Piper family, an African-American family from New York City. This family album captures Piper family members from babies to grandparents over the course of about forty years. Numerous images show family and friends, with the men posed in fine suits and fedoras, and the women in dresses and gloves. Several pictures feature African American men in military uniforms, both Army and Navy, including an image of a World War II soldier signed "Sincerely Kenny 1942." There are also numerous shots of the family hamming it up for the camera in various houses… Read More

[Various locations in Iowa], 1895. Very good.. 149 albumen photographs on twenty cardstock leaves, images measuring 4 x 5 inches. Oblong quarto. Original black cloth, cover gilt; leaves laid in, formerly string-tied. Light wear and soiling to cloth, evidence of slight dampstaining to lower edge of binding and later leaves. Internal numbering sequence indicates first sixteen images lacking. Images generally clean, some minor fading; one photograph partially removed and effaced. Wonderful photo album of images documenting late-19th century Iowa, assembled by an unidentified young man with a clear passion for both amateur photography and the area's rivers. Internal evidence suggests he was a student at the University of Iowa, possibly pursuing a course of study in the geological sciences. Each image is numbered, captioned, and dated in a tidy hand, usually identifying location and any interesting features. The images span a full year, from April 1894 to July 1895, ending with a self portrait. There… Read More

Albuquerque, 1952. Very good.. Thirty-six leaves, illustrated with 133 black-and-white photographs between 2.75 x 3.75 inches and 3.25 x 5 inches, all in corner mounts, plus seven loose photographs laid in. Oblong folio. Contemporary red leatherette with inset design on front cover, string tied. Minor edge wear, corners bumped, front cover detached but present. Photos in excellent condition. A unique collection of vernacular photographs memorializing the construction of Person Station, designed and built by Howard Person. The power plant was built as a semi-outdoor 70,000 kilowatt power station in Albuquerque in the early 1950s. The present collection of photographs document the construction from the excavation and grading of the site, the laying of the foundation, and through the installation of the turbine generator. The images also capture the laying of the water lines, construction of internal framing, installation of the evaporators and heater, as well as featuring both exterior and interior… Read More

[Elk City, Ok., and various locations in California, 1919. Good plus.. [46] leaves, illustrated with 103 photographs, mostly black and white or sepia-toned, but also including twelve cyanotypes and some photo postcards, almost all mounted but with a few detached or loose, measuring between 1.25 x 1.25 and 7 x 5 inches. A handful with manuscript annotations, and some manuscript text on verso of detached photographs. Oblong small octavo. Contemporary patterned faux-alligator skin gray paper over boards. Moderate scuffing to edges, some rubbing to boards, spine a bit frayed and torn. Front hinge and a couple of leaves detached. Minor occasional wear to photos. A rare photographic record of the life of a family living on the frontier in Elk City, Oklahoma during the first two decades of the 20th century. The majority of the photographs depict the Harris family and their friends on the homestead in rural Oklahoma, with numerous portraits of children and babies, some of children at play or perched atop… Read More

[Various locations in Mexico, 1915. About good.. 196 photographs on forty-nine leaves. Sixteen photographs loose on remnant leaves. Oblong octavo. Covers lacking. Several leaves loose, some chipped. Images mostly clean, some lightly faded. An interesting vernacular photograph album of what appear to be vacation photographs taken at the turn of the century. The initial images depict a family at a farm, several of them scenes of working life, including digging ditches and men on horseback; further on in the album there are more scenes of locals in the countryside documenting daily life. There are also numerous scenes in Mexico City and beyond, including bull fights, the cathedral, street scenes, and some images of railway lines. There are a few images of white folks on a beach, followed by several photographs of soldiers, both American and Mexican. Though a bit battered, the album provides a glimpse into rural life in Mexico in the early 20th century, and provides insight as to what tourists were… Read More

[Various locations in Louisiana, 1903. About very good.. Twelve leaves, illustrated with twenty silver gelatin photographs. Contemporary gray cloth photograph album, string-tied, front cover stamped in gilt, "The Kodak Book." Noticeable soiling and rubbing to boards, edges worn. Two photographs detached, mild wear to a few pictures, but overall nice condition. A charming collection of vernacular images of southern Louisiana in the first few years of the 20th century, taken by local resident May Hill Wilkinson. Wilkinson has signed the inside front cover in pencil, "Mrs. C A Wilkinson May Hill Lake Charles and Jennings." Additionally, manuscript notes on the inside front cover, a couple of slips inside the album, and on the verso of one of the loose photographs also indicate Wilkinson's authorship of the pictures, per her daughter Lyllis (who indicates the pictures were taken before she was born in Jennings in 1904). Wilkinson's photographs mostly depict scenes on the waters of Lake Charles and Lake… Read More

[Various locations in British Columbia and Alaska, 1900. Very good.. [14] leaves, illustrated with 111 vernacular sepia-toned photographs, between 2.5 x 4.5 inches and 3.5 x 5.5 inches. Mostly mounted four per page. Oblong folio. Contemporary black cloth, gilt, string tied. Minor edge wear and rubbing. Some edge chipping to a handful of album leaves, occasional dust-soiling. With [5]pp. typed and numbered list laid in, keyed to manuscript numbering beneath each photograph. A phenomenal collection of vernacular photographs taken by an unidentified traveler on a voyage to British Columbia and Alaska around the turn of the 20th century. Most of the photographs were taken from aboard a steamship or from a railroad car when they venture inland, but occasionally the compiler includes shots from the ground. The photographs begin with numerous scenic landscapes in and around Nelson, Rossland, and Victoria, British Columbia, picturing landmarks such as Kootenay Lake, Bonnington Falls, the Cascade Mountains,… Read More

[Sacramento, Ca. and other locations, 1952. Very good plus.. [48] leaves, illustrated with 162 photographs, ranging from thumbnail portraits to about 3.5 x 3 inches, in mounting corners. 12mo. Contemporary red patterned cloth, with "SNAPS" stamped in silver on front cover and spine. Minor wear and dust-soiling to covers. Internally clean. A unique assemblage of vernacular photographs documenting the midcentury life, family, friends, and classmates of a young Japanese-American woman identified only as "Annie." Many of the images are portraits, with a great deal of them inscribed to Annie in the image area, including other Japanese-American men and women, as well as some white women. A series of about twenty portraits of Annie's friends and classmates also include printed name cards mounted with the portraits; searches of some of the names indicate the subjects in the present album most likely emanate from in and around Sacramento, California, though there is some indication here that Annie may have… Read More

[Various places], 1930. Very good.. Ninety-nine photographs on fifty leaves, various sizes but many approximately 7 x 6 inches. Oblong octavo. Original brown covers, typed paper label; black paper leaves. Covers a bit worn, corners heavily so. Minor soiling to contents, a few photos with some light silver mirroring. Images each with typed captions in the negative. A handsome vernacular vacation album with images taken by a skilled photographer with a keen eye for composition and lighting. Each image has a typed caption printed in the negative, and most photos are one per page and quite large. The cover label indicates trips to Chicago, Virginia Beach, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, Tucson, and Phoenix over the course of three years. The album opens with several handsome panoramic shots of the Chicago skyline and Grant Park, before moving on to scenes of sand dunes at Virginia Beach. The remaining forty leaves, however, show images of New Orleans and the Southwest, all captured in artistic… Read More

[Various locations in South Dakota], 1904. About very good.. Twenty-seven silver gelatin photographs and six postcards on eighteen leaves; photos 4 x 5 inches. Small album. Original black cloth, manuscript label on cover. Light wear and soiling. Some images lightly faded; most captioned in ink. Postcards a bit worn and soiled. A short but interesting album of photographs documenting life on the rural South Dakota prairie in 1904. A later caption reveals a bit of the backstory for the album: "Edward Merritt and ranch in S.D. when he and Rev. E.C. Smith had a week's vacation, 1904. Carson's Ranch," and the first images in the album are of Carson's Ranch, located about eight miles from Bradley, South Dakota. Photos include shots of the house, the family, outbuildings, and agricultural work. One photo shows two wagons back to back on an open prairie, one of them stuck in a rut. Two mules stand patiently attached to the wagon in the foreground, and the caption reads, "Wagon with 80 bu wheat in the mire… Read More

[Various locations in Hawaii, 1951. Very good.. [43] leaves, illustrated with approximately 235 photographs either mounted or placed in mounting corners, generally between 3 x 4.25 inches or slightly smaller and 6 x 9 inches. Some of the larger images are produced by photographic studios. Oblong quarto. Contemporary brown textured cloth with pictorial vignette titled "Aloha Hawaii" on front cover, string tied. Minor wear and dust-soiling. A few detached leaves but contents generally in excellent condition. An attractive vernacular photograph album recording the life and activities of the family and friends of Walter Shigeru Tanabe (1906-1958) and his wife Ethel Misao Tanabe (1913-?) in Hawaii following the Second World War. Both Walter and Ethel were born in Hawaii from first-generation Japanese families; Walter's father, Shotaro, was born in Japan but emigrated to the Hawaiian Territory in 1898 where he worked as a field clerk on a sugar plantation. Many of the photographs emanate from the 1940s… Read More

[Various locations including Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico, 1920. Very good.. [40] leaves, illustrated with 256 black-and-white, sepia-toned images, cyanotypes, real photo postcards, cabinet cards, and other photographic formats, both studio-produced and vernacular, ranging from 1.75 x 2.75 inches to 8.5 x 6.5 inches, pasted in or mounted in corners, many with manuscript captions. Oblong quarto. Contemporary black cloth photograph album, string-tied. Modest edge wear and dust-soiling to the album. A few leaves detached, two leaves cut in half, one leaf partially torn costing part of a caption, minor wear to some photos, but overall a very nice group. A fascinating collection of photographs likely compiled by a soldier identified only as "Jack," possibly a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1905 and 1920. Many of the images emanate from military camps in Texas and New Mexico during the time of the Mexican Revolution and the border war activities such as the Punitive Expedition, with… Read More

[Ohio, 1960. Good.. [18] leaves, illustrated with 123 photographs mounted at corners with cello tape, plus twenty-seven loose photographs. Contemporary tan scrapbook album, string tied. Many leaves detached, photographs occasionally worn but overall in nice shape. A wonderful collection of vernacular photographs documenting the rural family life of Lee and Anjelita Cuevas of Ohio following World War II. The photographs capture the Cuevas parents at work and play, the children at school, Lee and fellow servicemen posed outside a theater and participating in an American GI Forum, other shots of Lee posed in his military uniform, the family on their farm as well as swimming at a lake, and more. The attribution to Lee and Anjelita Cuevas emanates from the handwritten captions on a few of the photographs, inscribed to them. A recent online obituary from the Port Clinton News Herald notes that Librado "Lee" Cuevas passed away in January 2022 in Oak Harbor, Ohio. He was born in Alamo, Texas in 1925, and… Read More

[Various locations in Alaska, 1943. About very good.. 117 original photographs, measuring from 2.25 x 2.5 to 4 x 5 inches. Oblong quarto album with limp suede pictorial covers. Light chipping and wear at edges of covers and album leaves. Photos in corner mounts; minor dampstaining at margins of a few images; several photographs loose. With [8]pp. of "Memory Leaves" partially completed in manuscript at front of album. An excellent vernacular photograph album of nearly 120 original images compiled by Army veteran Raymond Cesena of Visalia, California, that depicts his experience in the military logging camps on Kodiak Island and surrounding smaller islands while World War II was still ongoing. Cesena had been serving overseas before being returned to the United States and sent to Alaska in 1942, where he and his colleagues at the logging sites and mill at Kodiak produced lumber for the construction needs of the U.S. Army during the war. The men lived in tent camps and lived a fairly hard-scrabble life… Read More