San Francisco: Grabhorn Press, 1937. xiv, 240pp, illus. Limited ed. of 1/500 copies, edited by Francis P. Farquhar. Shelfwear and light soiling, prev. owner's nameplate on fpd, else very good. Derby was a Topographical Engineer and a veteran of the Mexican War who was stationed in California during the later years of the gold rush. He began writing humorous pieces for local papers under the pen name John Phoenix and Squibob. His frontier satire and burlesques were immensely popular in his time, and he has been compared to Mark Twain and James Thurber. His potential was cut short by a tragically early death, and he is little known today. Too bad, there's some very funny stuff here. This is an excellent selection of work taken from his two published books. Item #11318

Price: $85.00