Uncle Bill / A Tale of Two Kids and a Cowboy (SIGNED)

James, Will

Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York * London, 1932

Very good with no dust jacket (as usual.) 1932 date to title page matches 1932 date to copyright page. No later dates. Scribner's letter "A" and seal to copyright page -- the first edition. Cloth fraying to top of spine, and the front board corners are peeking through the cloth. The rear hinge has been competently repaired. A hard title to find signed. Signature (in blue ink) and date ('32) to 2nd blank page is in James' usual style -- the linking of the initial W to the top of the J matches the signature style shown in the frontispiece drawing -- see scans. Some report the drawing of the galloping horse at the bottom of pg. 181 identifies the "second state of the first edition," and if so this copy is a "second state," since the horse is surely there. Nevada prison records report James was born in Montana in the 1890s, arrested in the early twentieth century, and convicted of cattle rustling. While in jail, he made a commitment to devote himself to drawing, and eventually went on to marry a young Nevadan and pen much-loved books on the life of the cowboys, including his memoir, "Lone Cowboy," and the Newbery Award-winner "Smoky, the Cow Horse." But -- for whatever reason -- the prisoner lied. Will James was all of that, but he wasn't born in Montana, as he told his jailers and wrote in "Lone Cowboy." Twenty years after his death, James' biographer, Anthony Amaral, revealed the quintessential cowboy artist, affectionately known to his cronies as "Windy Bill" for his talkativeness and ability to spin a yarn, was baptized Joseph-Ernest-Nephtali Dufault in a small French-speaking town near Montreal, where his father was a merchant. Riding, roping, Western lore. 241 pp. Reduced from $1,500. Seller Inventory # 005258

Bibliographic Details

Title: Uncle Bill / A Tale of Two Kids and a Cowboy...
Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York * London
Publication Date: 1932
Binding: Hardcover
Illustrator: Illustrated by the author
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
Edition: 1st Edition