Controversial James: An Essay on the life and work of George Wharton James

Hard cover, small folio, in red cloth covered boards with "Indian basket" illustration blocked to top board (the image reproduced the subjects's 1902 title of the same name--see our item no. 8950). Taupe endpapers, xii, 98 [2] pp. Limited edition of 400 copies, first edition, stated colophon. CONDITION: Fine, but lacking slipcase. **A short yet revealing biography of the California-transplanted Englishman George Wharton James (1858-1923), a misunderstood eccentric genius who led a colorful, rather bohemian life. Author and photographer of books on such various topics on western lore and history, ethnography, as well as a self-help manual and guide to after-dinner speaking, he was also a one-time Methodist minister who once worked a circuit in the rough western mining towns of Nevada, in a career beset by small-town scandal and re-invention. Includes a bibliographical checklist for the Author's 78 books and other publications, as well as a secondary bibliography for the researcher or collector of this interesting gentleman. PROVENANCE: Ex-libris Joseph C. Houghteling, California newspaper publisher and political activist. Book Club of California Publication, No.195. Limited Edition of 400 copies, First Edition.