One of the many pleasing things about collecting the fine presses is discovering the lines of connection that spread throughout these very specialized and skilled craftsmen. A good example is the link between the Book Club of Texas and that of California!
Stanley Marcus first instituted the Book Club, directly inspired by the work of the Book Club of California - seeing how a small group of influential bibliophiles managed to reinvigorate the literary life of San Francisco and California as a whole. When he came back to Dallas, he sought out fellow like-minded bibliophiles, and performed the same - almost exclusively using The Wind River Press of Austin. Marcus set about producing select collectible items for their subscription-members, at much reduced rates. Unhappily, it was the arrival of the Great Depression in 1938 which saw the end of this 'first era' of the
Book Club of Texas, only revived many decades later by Tom Taylor in 1988/9. One of the coups for the Texas Bibliophiles was their production of William Faulkner's Miss Zilphia Grant (1932) a very early Faulkner story that hadn't been included in his canon for some years, until relatively recently. A signed copy of Miss Zilphia by Faulkner would be worth somewhere in the region of $3000, where an unsigned, good condition hardcover of the same would still be worth in the region of $1000. One of the wonderful stories associated with this particular volume, is the fact that the man who wrote the original introduction (Henry Nash Smith) was almost fired from his teaching position at the Southern Methodist University merely for being associated with it!
For the collector, the Bok Club of Texas will pose a special interest to fans and followers of the Lone Star State. Much of its limited output over the years (save the Faulkner, of course) has been devoted to monographs, stories, biographies and histories of various characters and events of Texas. As such, the Club offers a wonderful glimpse into the spread of the early Book Club/Arts and Craft Movement in America, as well as a more thorough analysis of Texan literary achievement.
Faulkner, William. Miss Zilphia Gant.. Book Club of Texas (1932). 300 Numbered copies; designed and printed by J. M. Colville and Son Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Ratchford, Fannie. The Story Of Champ Dasile. Book Club of Texas (1937). 300 copies printed by the Rydal Press; Translated from the French by Donald Joseph Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Mcmurtry, Larry. Cowboys.. Book Club of Texas (1988). Designed by William Holman; drawing and hand coloring by Barbara Holman and printed at Wind River Press by David Holman Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Graves, John. Goodbye To A River.. Book Club of Texas (1989). 550 copies; collaboration by Tom Taylor, Bill Wittliff, David Holman and Barbara Whitehead Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Beasley, Gertrude. My First Thrity Years. Book Club of Texas (1989). 500 copies; designed and illustrated by Claire Van Vliet; printed at the Press of W. Thomas Taylor, with a new afterword by Larry McMurtry Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Book Club of Texas. Big Bend.. Book Club of Texas (1991). designed by David Holman and printed by Wind River Press for the
Biggers, Don Hampton. Buffalo Guns and Barbed Wire. Book Club of Texas (1991). Two Frontier Accounts By Don Hampton Biggers; 260 copies; Introduction by A. C. Greene; Biography by Seymour V. Connor and Designed by W. Thomas Taylor; SIGNED by Greene and Taylor. Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Powers, Stephen. Afoot And Alone. Book Club of Texas (1995). A Walk From Sea To Sea By The Southern Route Adventures And Observations In S. California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Etc.; Edited and with an introduction by Hardwood P. Hinton; Illustrated with engravings by True W. Williams and others including a fold-out map Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Jackson, Jack. Recollections Of Western Texas. Book Club of Texas (1995). Robert Wooster (Editor); Flags Along The Coast; Charting The Gulf Of Mexico, 1519-1759: A Reappraisal.; 350 numbered copies; Part I:A Tale of Two Maps: The Impact of the Enriquez Barroto/Bisente Maps of the Gulf of Mexico on European Cartography in the Early Eighteenth Century; Part II:Living at Mobile is beginning to be more disagreeable than ever. The Gulf Coast Maps of Engineer Valentin Devin. Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Jackson, Jack. Shooting The Sun. Book Club of Texas (1998). Cartographic Results Of Military Activities In Texas, 1689-1829; Two Volumes; 325 numbered copies Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.
Ainsworth, Len. How They Learned About Texas. Book Club of Texas (2001). Selections From The Texan Rifle-Hunter; Or, Field Sports On The Prairie; 274 numbered copies Founded in 1929 by Stanley Marcus. Now part of the Special Collections division of the Texas Tech University Library.