Reference Books on the American West

[ General | Maps | Texas | American Indians ]

General References

Alan Axelrod, ed. American Frontier Life. Early Western Painting and Prints. New York, 1987. Cloth. Out of print. A copiously illustrated selection of articles on the topic. $39.95
William Goetzmann. New Lands, New Men. America and the Second Great Age of Discovery. New York, 1986. Cloth. Out of print. An excellent volume on the exploration of the American West and the Pacific. $24.95
William H. Goetzmann and Joseph C. Porter. The West as Romantic Horizon. Omaha, 1981. Out of Print. A superior catalogue of an exhibit of western art from the collection of the Joslyn Art Museum. It contains two fine articles analyzing western art from Karl Bodmer to Arthur Tait, and also includes artist biographies by David C. Hunt. Paper. $18.95 Cloth. $40.00
John Neal Hoover, ed. St. Louis and the Art of the Frontier. St. Louis, 2000. Cloth. The proceedings of St. Louis Mercantile Library's symposium: "St. Louis: Cradle of Western American Art, 1830-1900," this volume is a collection of essays on the art and artists of that timespan: Karl Bodmer, George Catlin, Charles M. Russell and George Caleb Bingham, as well as early photography. An interesting overview. $39.95
Alice C. Hudson and Barbara Cohen-Stratyner. Heading West, Touring West. Mapmakers, Performing Artists, and the American Frontier. New York, 2001. Paper. Based on two exhibitions at The New York Public Library, this volume addresses two narratives of Western settlement; the maps which charted the new territory, and the ephemera of the touring performers who entertained the settlers. The book is illustrated with many contemporary maps, prints, and photographs. $22.50
Joni L. Kinsey. Thomas Moran’s West: Chromolithography, High Art, and Popular Taste. Lawrence (KS), 2006. Cloth. Although Moran is best known today for his dramatic oil paintings, the author argues that Moran’s chromolithographs – including his Yellowstone National Park portfolio - had an important place in American visual culture and were a vital part of the artist’s career. Richly illustrated with 54 color and 113 black & white photographs. $45.00
John W. Reps. Cities on Stone. Nineteenth Century Lithograph Images of the Urban West. Fort Worth, 1979. Cloth. Attractive Amon Carter Museum exhibition catalogue, complete with color plates and a fine introductory essay. $35.00
Peggy and Harold Samuels. Remington. The Complete Prints. New York, 1990. Cloth. Out of print. Compiled by the preeminent biographers of Remington, this attractive volume provides a pictorial biography of the artist, reproducing 148 prints published during the artist’s lifetime. $55.00
Robert Taft. Artists and Illustrators of the Old West: 1850-1900. Princeton, 1982. Paper. Out of print. A detailed and informative compendium covering many Western topics. First published in 1953, this volume is especially valuable for its treatment of lesser-known artists not often included in such surveys. Many black & white illustrations. $25.00
Ron Tyler. Prints of the West. Golden, Colorado, 1994. Cloth. An excellent general reference based on prints in the Library of Congress. This well-written and copiously illustrated work locates the prints of the American frontier in a fascinating historical context. $39.95

Map References

Paul E. Cohen. Mapping the West. America's Westward Movement 1524-1890. New York, 2002. Cloth. Sixty-five maps, many from private collections, illustrate the progression and history of European settlement and expansion in the American West. With an introduction by David Rumsey. $50.00
James C. Martin and Robert Sidney Martin. Maps of Texas and the Southwest, 1513 - 1900. Austin, 1999. Cloth. Originally published in 1984 and long out of print, this volume describes and illustrates 50 of the most historically significant maps of the American Southwest. $39.95

References related to Texas

Jack Jackson, Robert S. Weddle, and Winston DeVille. Mapping Texas and the Gulf Coast. The Contributions of Saint-Denis, Olivan, and Le Maire. College Station, 1990. Cloth. A careful study of eighteenth-century Gulf Coast cartography, exploring the complexities of the relationship between France and Spain. $29.95
John H. Jenkins. Basic Texas Books. An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Works for a Research Library. Austin, 1988. Cloth. The author reviews the 224 essential Texas books published between 1542 and 1982, with an additional 1017 books discussed and appraised. An essential reference for every collector of Texiana. $39.95
James C. Martin and Robert Sidney Martin. Maps of Texas and the Southwest, 1513 - 1900. Austin, 1999. Cloth. Originally published in 1984 and long out of print, this volume describes and illustrates 50 of the most historically significant maps of the American Southwest. $39.95
Ron Tyler, ed. Prints and Printmakers of Texas. Proceedings of the Twentieth Annual North American Print Conference. Austin, 1997. Cloth. This eclectic collection of essays provides fascinating glimpses of Texas iconography, from early lithography and homeography to Dust Bowl printmaking and 1960's popular arts. Illustrated. $39.95

References related to American Indians

James Gilreath, ed. The North American Indian Portfolios from The Library of Congress. New York, 1993. Paper. A small book with color reproductions of all the plates from Catlin's "North American Indian Portfolio", Bodmer's "Travels in the Interior of North America Between 1832 and 1834", and McKenney and Hall's "History of the Indian Tribes of North America". A handy reference. $11.95
James D. Horan. The McKenney-Hall Portrait Gallery of American Indians. New York, 1972 or 1986 reprint. Cloth. Out of print. Contains color reproductions of the portraits, biographical sketches of its subjects, and an historical account of its author and publication. $150.00
Christopher W. Lane. "A History of McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America." From Imprint. Volume 27, Number 2; Autumn 2002. Paper. The complete issue of Imprint, featuring the 15 page illustrated article on the publication history McKenney and Hall's American Indian portrait prints. $15.00
Robert J. Moore, Jr. Native Americans. A Portrait. The Art and Travels of Charles Bird King, George Catlin, and Karl Bodmer. New York, 1997. Cloth. This large-format book reproduces over 300 drawings, paintings, and lithographs by these artist-ethnographers who recorded a way of life that had all but vanished by 1891, less than 50 years after the completion of these documentary works of art. $60.00
Davis Thomas and Karin Ronnefeldt. People of the First Man: Life Among the Plains Indians in Their Final Days of Glory. New York, 1976. Out of print. “The firsthand account of Prince Maximilian’s expedition up the Missouri River, 1833 - 34. Watercolors by Karl Bodmer.” An edited version of Maximilian’s narrative, enhanced with entries from his original field journal, and plentifully illustrated with Bodmer’s glorious watercolors. $75.00