Native American Literature, C
Scarce, Early Book by an Indian Woman, Inscribed
170. CAPPEL, Jeanne L'Strange. "Wa-be-no O-pee-chee." Chippewa Tales. (Los Angeles): (Wetzel Publishing) (1928). Chippewa stories for young people, in which the author retells stories her grandmother had told her when she was growing up in northern Minnesota. Inscribed by the author, "Sincerely yours, Wa-be-no O-pee-chee," who also seems to have written her address on the title page. Additional gift inscription below the authorial inscription, dated 1949. Offsetting to front flyleaf; small chip to spine; near fine, with a tipped-in photographic frontispiece; without dust jacket. An uncommon volume of stories by an Indian woman, from a time when few such collections had been published, at least as retold by Native authors rather than white anthropologists, historians, etc.
171. - Same title, second edition, 1930. With a lengthy inscription by the author: "Dear Mrs West:-/ May the Great Spirit send his/ choicest gifts to you./ May the Sun Father and/ the Moon Mother shed/ their softest beams upon you,/ May the Four Winds of/ Heaven blow gently on you/ & those who share your/ heart & your wigwam. -/ Sincerely/ Wabeno Opeechee." One inch chips at spine extremities; front hinge cracked and rear hinge starting. A good copy only, but a nice inscription. With a gift inscription below the author's, dated 1933.
172. CAPPEL, Jeanne L'Strange. "Wa-be-no O-pee-chee." Chippewa Tales, Vol. II. (Los Angeles): (Wetzel Publishing) (1931). A second volume of these tales, this volume with illustrations by Joe Waano-Gano, a Cherokee artist, who also did the color cover illustration. Signed by the author, "with kindest regards." Hinges starting; chipping to spine crown and one lower corner; a good copy, without dust jacket. Scarce.
173. CARDIFF, Gladys. To Frighten a Storm. Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press (1976). The first book, a collection of poems, by this writer who is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee tribe. This book won the Washington State Governor's First Book Award in 1976. Ownership name of another writer stamped on half title; small label shadow front cover; near fine in wrappers.
174. -. Another copy. Signed by the author with the added sentiment "May the dream wheel stay in motion for you." Fine in wrappers.
175. -. Another copy. Inscribed by the author to another Native American poet in 1977, "with great respect for your writing, your support of newer poets, and your inspiration as a Keeper of Tradition." Recipient's handmade bookplate on flyleaf; near fine in wrappers.
176. CARR, A.A. Eye Killers. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press (1995). A vampire novel set in contemporary New Mexico by Carr, who is of Navajo and Laguna Pueblo descent. The 13th volume in the American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series, edited by Gerald Vizenor and, at the time, Louis Owens -- both of them important Native writers in their own right. Inscribed by the author in English and Navajo, with thanks for support and encouragement on the occasion of his first reading. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
177. CARTER, Forrest. The Education of Little Tree. (n.p.): Delacorte (1976). Carter's most famous book, which its publisher originally identified as "a true story" while it identified the author as a "part-blood Cherokee who is Storyteller in Council to the Cherokee Nations." A dozen years after its initial publication, The Education of Little Tree was chosen by independent booksellers as the book they most liked to sell and it became a word-of-mouth bestseller in a paperback edition published by the University of New Mexico Press. Later, Carter was discovered to be a white man from Alabama who had worked for right-wing politician George Wallace, writing racist propaganda. Carter may have written racist tracts for George Wallace, but in The Education of Little Tree he endorsed humanist values of a high order, which he ascribed to Native American traditions -- respect for the land and one's family, honoring one's elders, promoting generosity and good faith, abhorring hypocrisy and brutality. Even as fiction, The Education of Little Tree raises serious and difficult questions, but it has been taken by many as strongly promoting a healthy sensitivity to, and respect for, Native American traditions and perspectives. In some circles, the question of the book's authenticity is today less of an issue than that of its sentimentality. Bound in the cheap "perfectbound" style, with the pages glued to the spine rather than sewn in signatures. Such bindings have proven extremely fragile over the years, which helps explain the scarcity of relatively recent titles such as this one. Spine lean; spotting to page edges; near fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with modest edge wear.
178. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. "Little Tree" handwritten on spine; paperclip imprint top edge of front cover; near fine in tall wrappers. Extremely scarce; this is the only copy of the proof we've ever seen, and it dates from an era when, first, proofs were less widely distributed than they later came to be and, second, they were less likely to be viewed as collectibles and filtered into the rare book market, and more likely to simply be discarded after use.
179. CARTER, Forrest. Watch For Me On The Mountain. (NY): Delacorte (1978). A novel of Geronimo, reflecting the author's interest in Indians and in southwestern American history. Slight foxing to top edge; else fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket and signed by the author. A scarce signature.
180. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy, with the original title of Cry Geronimo! Sunning and creasing to spine; corner creases to covers; very good in wrappers. An uncommon advance issue.
181. CASTRO, Michael. The Kokopilau Cycle. (Marvin): Blue Cloud Quarterly, 1975. Vol. 21, No. 2 of the Blue Cloud Quarterly. A poem based on Hopi myth, believed to derive from the much earlier Anasazzi culture. Mailing address of Joseph Bruchac. Near fine in stapled wrappers.
182. -. Another copy. Inscribed by the author to Joe and Carol [Bruchac] in the year of publication, a nice association copy. Fine in stapled wrappers.
183. CHANDONNET, Ann Fox. Canoeing in the Rain. Forest Grove: Meredith Bliss/Cogito Press (1990). Poetry by a "lapsed WASP," in the author's words, written for her adopted Aleut-Athabascan son. Fine in wrappers. Uncommon.
184. (Cherokee). PIERCE, Earl Boyd and STRICKLAND, Rennard. The Cherokee People. Phoenix: Indian Tribal Series (1973). A history of the Cherokee tribe, with an emphasis on the period since they were moved to Oklahoma. Illustrated with photographs of notable leaders, and historical images. Inscribed by Cherokee artist Joan Hill, whose artwork serves as frontispiece for the book, to author Jamake Highwater. Printed in an edition of 15,000 copies, this is designated as an "Author's Copy" and is signed by W. Keeler, Principal Chief of the Cherokees. Keeler provides an introduction to the book, and there is also a capsule biography of him at the front of the book. A significant copy. Spine-sunned; near fine in wrappers.
185. CHILTOSKEY, Mary Ulmer. Cherokee Cooklore. To Make My Bread. (n.p.): Museum of the Cherokee Indian, 1951. Edited by Mary Ulmer and Samuel Beck; published by Mary and Goingback Chiltoskey. Recipes, herbs, wild food, and historical matters pertaining to Cherokee cooking. Signed by Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey. Fine in stapled wrappers.
186. CHILTOSKEY, Mary Ulmer. Cherokee Words with Pictures. Asheville: Gilbert Printing Company (1972). A small dictionary, with English words, their equivalents in the Cherokee script, and a phonetic pronunciation guide. Some of the entries are illustrated with drawings. Signed by the author. Fine in stapled wrappers.
187. CHOSA, Heart Warrior. Seven Chalk Hills. (Ely): (Bearhand), 1987. The first book in the "Heart of Turtle Island Trilogy," and probably the only volume published. The author is a woman of Chippewa heritage who was an activist in the 1960s; was reportedly the first Native American woman to graduate from the University of Minnesota; and she ran for Governor of Minnesota in 1990. Inscribed by the author. Very near fine in a wraparound stapled cover.
188. CHUTE, Robert. Thirteen Moons. (Brunswick): (Blackberry) (1978). Poetry by a Sokoki writer from Maine, a collection of poems depicting the life of a Jesuit scholar who was a priest to the Norrigwock Indians of Maine and who produced an Abenaki-French dictionary. By all appearances his first book. Mildly sunned; near fine in stapled wrappers.
189. CHUTE, Robert. When Grandmother Decides to Die. Nobleboro: Blackberry (1989). Poetry, again dealing with the encounter between Jesuits and the Native peoples of Maine, with an introduction by Joseph Bruchac. Signed by Chute. Fine in stapled wrappers.
190. CLARK, Ann. Who Wants to Be a Prairie Dog? (n.p.): Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1954. A reprint of the original 1940 edition, which was a bilingual edition, in both English and Navajo. This volume is in English only. Prepared by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a reader for Indian school children; printed at the Phoenix Indian School Print Shop and distributed via the Haskell Institute. Illustrations are by the noted Navajo artist Andrew Van Tsihnahjinnie, who studied at the Santa Fe Indian School's painting studio in the 1930s -- a studio that also produced a number of the other notable Native artists of the mid-20th century. Oblong quarto; near fine in stapled wrappers. This edition had a print run of 2500 copies.
191. CLARK, LaVerne Harrell. They Sang for Horses. (Tucson): University of Arizona Press (1966). A study of the impact of the horse on Navajo and Apache folklore, illustrated with black-and-white drawings by Ted DeGrazia, a student of both Jose Orosco and Diego Rivera, and with color illustrations of horses by four Native artists -- Adee Dodge, Andy Tsinajinie, Harrison Begay and Beatien Yazz. This is a complimentary copy with a slip from the publisher laid in, inscribed by the author for Edward Tripp, the longtime editor-in-chief of the Yale University Press: "This copy is for/ Edward Tripp,/ And it is inscribed on the happy birthday/ of the horse - October 23, 1966 - at DeGrazia's/ Gallery of the Sun, Tucson, Arizona,/ With my best wishes/ LaVerne Harrell Clark." Large quarto. Foxing to top edge; else fine in an all-but-edge sunned dust jacket with a couple small tears; about near fine. An interesting volume, heavily illustrated and with images of horses from some of the highly regarded Native artists of the 20th century.
192. CLEMENTS, Susan. The Broken Hoop. Marvin: Blue Cloud Quarterly (1988). Issued as Blue Cloud Quarterly Vol. 34, No. 3. Poetry by a writer of Blackfoot/Seneca heritage. Mailing address of Joseph Bruchac. Fine in stapled wrappers.
193. CLEMENTS, Susan. In the Moon When the Deer Lose Their Horns. (Midland Park): (Chantry Press) (1993). A review copy (stamped as such) of this collection of poems. Slight lower corner bump; still very near fine in wrappers.
194. CODY, Iron Eyes. The Fable of the Snake. Chamberlain: St. Joseph's Indian School, 1988. A broadside, with text reprinted from Guideposts magazine. A snake fable used as an anti-drug message, by the movie actor who was, over the course of a long career in more than 200 films and innumerable television appearances, probably the most recognizable face of the American Indian for a generation. 8 3/4" x 12". Folded in thirds; near fine.
195. COEL, Margaret. Chief Left Hand, Southern Arapaho. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press (1981). Her first book, nonfiction, a biography of the Arapaho leader that also provides new scholarly information on the Sand Creek Massacre. The author is a non-Native writer who has written both nonfiction and fiction about the Arapaho. Fine in a near fine dust jacket lightly rubbed at the folds.
196. COEL, Margaret. The Eagle Catcher. (Niwot): University Press of Colorado (1995). Her first novel, a mystery set among the Arapahos of Wyoming's Wind River Reservation. Coel's novels have been praised for the authenticity of their depiction of contemporary Arapaho life in much the same way Tony Hillerman's have been praised for their depiction of Navajo life. Small first printing, reportedly 2000 copies, typical of a university press's fiction offerings. Fine in a fine dust jacket with dust jacket blurbs by Tony Hillerman and John Dunning, among others.
197. COEL, Margaret. The Ghost Walker. NY: Berkley Prime Crime (1996). The second of the author's well-received mysteries set in the contemporary West among the Arapaho Indians, and featuring Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley, a Jesuit priest at a mission on the reservation. Signed by the author and dated two months prior to publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
198. COEL, Margaret. The Dream Stalker. NY: Berkley Prime Crime (1997). Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with promotional bookmark laid in and "Autographed Copy" sticker on jacket.
199. COEL, Margaret. The Spirit Woman. NY: Berkley Prime Crime (2000). Another book in her well-received mystery series set on the Wind River Arapaho reservation. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with a promotional bookmark laid in.
200. COEL, Margaret. The Shadow Dancer. NY: Berkley Prime Crime (2002). Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with "Autographed Copy" sticker on front panel.
201. COLE, Beatrice Phillips and Wa-Be-No O-Pee-Chee. The Mother You Gave Me. (Los Angeles): (n.p.) (1940). A novel, co-written by a Chippewa author, that attempts to "depict the life of the Chippewa Indian of many years ago." The preface goes on to say that, "although the story itself is fictional, some of its incidents are actual happenings." Signed by both authors. Bookplate front pastedown; small hole front flyleaf; thin cracking to joint; still a near fine copy, without dust jacket.
202. -. Another copy. Signed by both authors. Small label partially removed from front flyleaf; splaying to boards; thin cracking to joint and a bit of insect nibbling to front board edge.
Early Book of Music by an American Indian
203. COMMUCK, Thomas. Indian Melodies. NY: Lane & Tippett, 1845. An early, perhaps the first, book of music by an American Indian -- the author being a Narragansett Indian who had converted to Methodism some years prior to assembling this compilation of his original songs, most of which carry as titles the names of various Indian tribes, although the lyrics are generally straightforwardly Christian. The harmonies for the music were done by Thomas Hastings, the noted composer who wrote the "Rock of Ages" hymn, among many others. Publications by American Indians from this period are scarce, and we know of no other published music by an Indian writer/composer prior to this date. Pencilled notes to the pages and endpapers. Two pages have corners inexpertly repaired, not affecting text. Front hinge cracked. Original three quarter leather and printed boards. Wear and staining to the boards and leather corners. A good copy of an extremely uncommon and historically noteworthy volume. Sabin 14999.
204. (COMMUCK, Thomas). First Annual Report and Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin for the Year 1854, Vol. I. Madison: Beriah Brown, 1855. The majority of the text is given over to appendices, most of which recount Indian activity and encounters with the Native population or matters of Indian names and language. One of the Appendices is a Sketch of Calumet County, by Thomas Cammuck [sic], one of the Brothertown Indians. Commuck was a Narragansett who, together with a handful of families from several other eastern tribes, had moved west into New York state to found the new community of Brothertown. From there, under pressure to move farther west, they moved to Wisconsin, first to Kaukauna and then to Calumet County, where the Brothertown Indian Nation exists today, with the largest concentration in the Fond du Lac area. Front cover detached, but present; thus only a good copy in wrappers. A fragile and rare item.
205. CONCHA, Joseph L. Lonely Deer. Poems by a Pueblo Boy. Taos: Red Willow Society (1969). Second printing of this collection of poems by a 15 year-old Pueblo boy, with illustrations by the author. Previous owner's gift inscription inside front cover. Near fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
206. CONCHA, Joseph L. Chokecherry Hunters and Other Poems. Santa Fe: Sunstone (1976). A collection of poems with an introduction by Frank Waters. Fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
207. CONLEY, Robert J. The Rattlesnake Band and Other Poems. Muskogee: Indian University Press, 1984. A bilingual (Cherokee/English) collection, with illustrations by the author. An uncommon early book by this writer who has since published numerous books of fiction. One of 500 numbered copies, this copy being inscribed by the author to Joe Bruchac. Spine and edge-sunned; near fine in wrappers. A wonderful association copy of a scarce book by an important Native author.
208. CONLEY, Robert J. Killing Time. NY: Evans (1988). A Western by this prolific Cherokee author. Signed by Conley. Small label removal shadow front flyleaf; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
209. CONLEY, Robert J. Colfax. NY: Evans (1989). Again, a Western. Signed by the author. Tiny tear to the upper joint; still fine in a fine dust jacket.
210. CONLEY, Robert J. Quitting Time. NY: Evans (1989). A novel of the West featuring Colfax, a hired killer who is a Shakespeare enthusiast. Inscribed by the author in 1993. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
211. CONLEY, Robert J. Mountain Windsong. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press (1992). Later printing, in wrappers, of this novel of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, glowingly praised by Tony Hillerman, Wilma Mankiller (then-Chief of the Cherokee Nation) and Max Evans. Inscribed by Conley to a Native American poet, and with the poet's ownership signature. Fine in wrappers.
212. CONLEY, Robert J. Crazy Snake. NY: Pocket Books (1994). Paperback original. A novel of the Creek tribe during the years of the Civil War and in its aftermath. Fine in wrappers.
213. CONLEY, Robert J. War Woman. NY: St. Martin's Press (1997). A novel in his "Real People" series, which tells stories of the Cherokees, reimagining their history. This book takes place in the late 1500s to the mid-1600s. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
214. CONLEY, Robert J. The Peace Chief. NY: St. Martin's Press (1998). Another "Real People" novel, this one set in the sixteenth century. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
215. (Cook Book). Students of the Shishmaref Day School. Eskimo Cook Book. Anchorage: Alaska Crippled Children's Association (1952). A small cookbook of recipes contributed by the students, and issued as a fund-raiser for the school. The recipes, usually short, provide a glimpse of the students' lives, and are often considerably closer to the source of their nourishment than a comparable cookbook from the "lower 48" would be. Example: the recipe for "Squirrels," in its entirety: "Take fur off from squirrels and take out the small intestines. Put squirrels in cooking pot. Add salt as much as you want. Let them boil until done." Edge-sunned; near fine in stapled wrappers.
Uncommon First Book
216. COOK-LYNN, Elizabeth. Then Badger Said This. NY: Vantage Press (1977). The first book by this important author who is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux. A collection of stories and poems published by a so-called "vanity press." Illustrations by two Native American artists, Sam Leader Charge and his wife, Sonny Tuttle. Cook-Lynn is the author of The Power of Horses and From the River's Edge, among others, and is one of the most highly praised and frequently anthologized Native American writers working today. She has co-authored The Politics of Hallowed Ground: Wounded Knee and the Struggle for Indian Sovereignty and a novel, Aurelia: A Crow Creek Trilogy. Fine in a fine dust jacket with slight rubbing at the crown. Scarce: vanity press books from this era often received no distribution from their publishers at all, and were eventually pulped; often the only copies that circulated were the ones the author distributed.
217. -. Same title, second edition. Fairfield: Ye Galleon Press (1983). Signed by the author and dated in 1984.
218. COOK-LYNN, Elizabeth. Seek the House of Relatives. Marvin: Blue Cloud Quarterly, 1983. Her scarce second book, poetry and one story, published in the series of chapbooks issued by the Blue Cloud Abbey, which, along with Joseph Bruchac's Greenfield Review Press, was one of the most important programs in the development of Native American literature in the latter part of the 20th century. Fine in stapled wrappers.
219. -. Same title. Issued as Blue Cloud Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 4. Mailing address of Joseph Bruchac. Fine in stapled wrappers.
220. -. Another copy. Mailing address of another Native American poet. Fine in stapled wrappers.
221. COOK-LYNN, Elizabeth. The Power of Horses. NY: Arcade (1990). A collection of stories. Inscribed by the author in 1992 to another Native American writer, "a teller of stories whose work I much admire & respect." Recipient's handmade bookplate front flyleaf; fine in a fine dust jacket.
222. COOK-LYNN, Elizabeth. From the River's Edge. NY: Arcade (1991). Her first novel. Inscribed by the author to Joe [Bruchac] in 1992 "...in West Virginia of all places, Joe! We go anywhere for the stories, eh?..." A nice inscription and a nice association. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
223. COPWAY, George. "Kah-Ge-Ga-Gah-Bowh." The Life, History, and Travels of Kah-Ge-Ga-Gah-Bowh (George Copway) A Young Indian Chief of the Ojebwa Nation... Albany: Weed and Parsons, 1847. The autobiography of a chief of the Ojibway Nation. Copway, who was born in 1818, received a traditional education and then, in 1838-39, attended Ebenezer Academy in Illinois and became the assistant to a Methodist missionary before becoming a missionary himself. Name on title page; foxing to text block; rebound in brown cloth, lacking the frontispiece portrait. Apart from the foxing; near fine.
224. CORNPLANTER, Jesse. Legends of the Longhouse. Philadelphia: Lippincott (1938). A retelling of ancient Seneca legends, with illustrations by the author. Inscribed by Cornplanter and Sah-Nee-Weh (Mrs. Walter E. Hendricks), the "white sister" the legends were told to. Sah-Nee-Weh is also the dedicatee. Additional inscription to front flyleaf ("with regards of the editor/ Howard[?] W. Thompson/ haunter of bookshops"). Cornplanter, like his father, was a Faithkeeper of the Longhouse religion of the Iroquois and thus a repository of the tribal tales. Near fine in a fair dust jacket, torn along the folds and chipped along the top edge and spine base, but restored to wholeness by an ambitious amateur.
225. -. Another copy. Spine slant; darkening to joints; near fine, lacking the dust jacket.
226. -. Another copy. Mottling to cloth, wormhole to foredge; very good, lacking the dust jacket.
227. CUELHO, Art. Charley Buffalo Moon. (Big Timber): Seven Buffaloes Press (1978). Northern Plains Indian stories. Published in an edition of 250 copies. Inscribed by the author to a Native American poet: "For _____/ One reviewer said these were not bedtime stories. But to those who know why revenge is sweet they may give some consolation. 2/9/82. Art Cuelho." Fine in stapled wrappers. Laid in is a dual prospectus for two Seven Buffaloes titles with introductions by Cuelho: Home Valley and 99 Vintage.
228. CUSICK, David. Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations. Lockport: Turner & McCollum, 1848. Third edition of this collection of tribal history and myth by a Tuscarora writer, one of the first to record tribal tales in the written language of the Western civilization. The full title of this short pamphlet is "David Cusick's Sketches of the Ancient History of the Six Nations - Comprising - First -- A Tale of the Foundation of the Great Island (Now North America), The Two Infants Born, and the Creation of the Universe. Second -- A Real Account of the Early Settlers of North America and Their Dissensions. Third -- Origin of the Kingdom of the Five Nations, Which Was Called A Long House: The Wars, Fierce Animals, &c." The first edition was published in 1827 and is exceedingly rare. The second edition was the first to have illustrations, four plates depicting events in tribal history or legend, which are included in this edition as well. Front cover chipped and detached (but present); rear cover tenuous, internal contents very good. An extremely scarce and important early tribal history by a Native American, and truly rare in the original wrappers.