Instinct Never by Bateman (2 results)
More imagesLanguage: English
Published by Ed W. Bateman, n.p., 1931
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: Boojum and Snark Books, Kanab, UT, U.S.A.Boojum and Snark Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Fine
US$ 25,000.00
US$ 8.00 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketSoft cover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First edition. Quarto, full limp cowhide. One of the finest and rarest of Texas imprints, and one that has been referred to as the 'black tulip' of western fine printing. Of legendary rarity and highlighted in Al Lowman's The Printing Arts in Texas, this copy is accompanied by a letter f…rom the author to Dudley Dobie concerning the book's origins and the great expense required to print it. The book and letter were owned by W. Thomas Taylor, author of Texfake, a book which exposed the theft and forgery of early Texas documents in the 1970s, the publisher of Bookways, a quarterly devoted to book arts, and the designer/printer of over fifty books. Printed recto only, the book was written, designed and the type set by Ed W. Bateman, a one time newspaper reporter (hence the title) and a wildcatter of great success and failure. This book was created during one of his periods of great success. The text and illustrations are printed in two colors and the subject matter ranges from a father's implacable revenge for his son's death to a Mexican marijuana party visited in the company of a Texas Ranger. A fine copy in the publisher's slipcase (with moderate wear to slipcase). The letter to Dudley Dobie is extraordinary and has become rather famous in itself; on B Bar Cattle Company letterhead, dated April 13, 1941: 'I produced this book during the Bateman Age of Extravagance, when money (for which, apparently, I have a native-born contempt) was indeed plentiful. I spent so much on it, the very sum per copy would horrify an intelligent man --- not even a Morgan or a Rockefeller could or would pay what I paid.' The letter is trifolded; uniformly browned, with mild chipping at edges. One of the ultimate prizes of Texas fine printing. One of the essays in J. Frank Dobie's book, "Out of the Old Rock" (Little Brown, 1972) is about Bateman: "A wildcatter is a person who drills for oil in a place oil is not known to exist. Bankers consider his business about as safe as buying lottery tickets. In 1930, Ed Bateman, a Texas wildcatter, brought in the biggest discovery well in the history of the oil industry." Dobie refers to "The Instinct Never Dies" as follows: "Ed Bateman is a philosopher. There are many things in his philosophy that many oil men have never dreamed of. Sometimes the old urge to write seizes him. I have a rare little book that he not only wrote but designed and set with his own hands. One sketch in it is about a hermit philosopher-geologist who claimed to know the secret of finding 'enough petroleum to endow this planet for ages.'". Dick Spencer (illustrator).
More imagesLanguage: English
Published by N.p. Privately published by the author, 1931
- Hardcover
- First Edition
Seller: Kenston Rare Books, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.Kenston Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 11,750.00
US$ 8.95 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. THE "BLACK TULIP" OF WESTERN FINE PRINTING N.d. [1931]. Unpaginated [41 pp.]. Printed on the recto only. Illustrations by Dick Spencer. Written, designed and type set by the author. Oblong quarto (approx. 12" x 7 ¾"). Full limp cowhide wraparound cover, tied with a rawhide thong. Pri…nted on Japanese handmade paper. First edition of a legendary rarity. Externally, some spotting to the covers and minor wear. Overall, very good. Internally, it exhibits only very minor wear with is amazing considering the thinness of the paper. Overall, very good or better. The author, the son of a minister, came to appreciate books and value education through the influence his family. At eighteen, he came to Texas work found work as a newspaper reporter. Post-World War I, he covered the East Texas oil boom for the Houston Post and Dallas Times Herald. Quitting the newspaper business, Bateman began leasing land and quickly established a drilling company. After forty-one dry holes, his company brought in the largest discovery in the American history. Bateman sold his interest in field for in excess of two million dollars (in 1931). Fortunately, half the money was set aside in a trust to buy a ranch and the other half was to pursue additional drilling. The wildcatting money was spent, apparently, on more dry holes and the author retired to a ranch in King County. His story has a final footnote. Per Al Lowman, "In 1943 a major oil company simply plunked down a test well on his ranch without making any instrument surveys of the subsurface. The ensuing strike made "Bateman's Luck" a household expression in west Texas." Lowman, Printing Arts in Texas p. 26 - 27: "Expense was no object for one of the rarest items printed during the depression era. The Instinct Never Dies reflects what one man can do when he has talent and a lot of money…It was issued in such limited numbers that few bibliophiles have ever seen or heard of it…Ten years after the book was produced J. Frank Dobie discovered it and requested a copy [cataloger's note: now in the Dobie Collection at UT], as did his cousin, Dudley Dobie, the doyen of Texas's antiquarian booksellers….he wrote Dudley Dobie: 'I produced this book during the Bateman Age of Extravagance, when money (for which, apparently, I have a native-born contempt) was indeed plentiful. I spent so much on it, the very sum per copy would horrify an intelligent man.' " Frank Dobie: "Ed Bateman is a philosopher. There are many things in his philosophy that many oil men have never dreamed of. Sometime the old urge to write seizes him. I have a rare little book that he not only wrote but designed and set with his own hands." It contains six vignettes of people and places he encountered in his extensive travels. As the author writes in his introduction: "…. Therefore those of you who now hold the volume in your hands have two consoling thought for the boredom you may suffer: first, that it cost you nothing, and second, that it is the concrete results of an old newshound having a hell of a good time." This newspaper man turned oilman has produced one of the finest and rarest of imprints. So much so that it has been referred to as the "black tulip" of western fine printing. You may order with confidence as any item is returnable for any reason within ten days of receipt, provided it is in the same condition as when shipped. Please notify us within ten days of receipt if an item is being returned. If you have a question about condition, please let us know and we will be happy to discuss it with you and/or send additional scans. Our number one goal is for you to be 100% satisfied with your purchase. We are members of the Texas Booksellers Association, Texas State Historical Association and The Book Club of Texas.
