Rare Books
Why things go wrong, or, The Peter principle revisited
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Peter Fraser
Rare Books
"In the illuminating essay he has written to accompany this new work by Peter Fraser, Gerry Badger tells of the mix of feelings he had on first seeing one of Fraser's photographs. Moving from surprise, bafflement and incomprehension to admiration and pleasure, he experienced the 'flame of recognition' when, to quote James Joyce, the 'whatness' of a thing is revealed. Fraser himself has described his pictures of static, seemingly mundane objects as 'trying to understand what the world around me is made of.' The results of this quest, which is at once delightfully simple and highly sophisticated, are visually stunning images that, best of all, become more rewarding every time you look at them. Since his work was first exhibited in the early 1980s, Peter Fraser has established himself as one of the most important photographers working in the UK. Drawing inspiration from the work of William Eggleston, with whom he spent a formative two months in 1984, he has become a master in the poetic use of color in his art. In 2004 Fraser was shortlisted for the prestigious Citigroup Photography Prize. An internationally acclaimed photographer, his work has been widely exhibited and is included in many collections in Europe and the United States"--Publisher's description.
653245
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The mirror & the light
Rare Books
""If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?" England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith's son from Putney emerges from the spring's bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen before Jane dies giving birth to the male heir he most craves. Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry's regime to the breaking point, Cromwell's robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. But can a nation, or a person, shed the past like a skin? Do the dead continually unbury themselves? What will you do, the Spanish ambassador asks Cromwell, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him? With The Mirror & the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man's vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion, and courage"--
653024
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The mirror & the light
Rare Books
If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it? England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith's son from Putney emerges from the spring's bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, before Jane dies giving birth to the male heir he most craves. Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry's regime to breaking point, Cromwell's robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. But can a nation, or a person, shed the past like a skin? Do the dead continually unbury themselves? What will you do, the Spanish ambassador asks Cromwell, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him? With The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man's vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage.
653495
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James W. Pope journal
Manuscripts
Indian War journal kept by James Worden Pope, who with a wagon train of supplies accompanied Major Eugene A. Carr's 5th Cavalry expedition to locate and bring provisions to Captain William H. Penrose's cavalry. The 5th Cavalry departed from Fort Lyon, Colorado, in November 1868 and spent the next month in Indian Territory in search of Penrose. Pope's journal provides a detailed account of the 5th Cavalry's movements and their initially futile attempts to locate Penrose. He recounts the many difficulties of the expedition, from cold weather and inadequate provisions to drunkenness among some of its men. Pope also writes of encountering dead horses that had belonged to Penrose's cavalry and of the starving conditions of Penrose's men (when the 5th Cavalry finally caught up to Penrose on December 19, Pope writes that their men had just received their last rations, although they did have a supply of buffalo meat). He writes of encounters with Mexican buffalo hunters and Buffalo Soldiers, although not Indians (Pope's party discovered only "deserted Indian wigwams"). He also gives detailed descriptions of terrain, mainly around Purgatory River, Cimarron River, and Two Buttes Creek, as well as writing of the large numbers of buffalo and of buffalo hunts. The last entries of the journal, made in January 1869, recount camp life after the 5th Cavalry had joined Penrose's party, including the story of a man killed by Indians. Most of Pope's entries recount facts and do not have much personal reflection, although in an entry from New Year's Eve 1868 he writes of staying up until midnight, when the old year "gave up the ghost; burying with him many pleasant associations and hopes and fear. How little did I expect at this time last year to be out in this desolate region with only a tent for shelter...an episode in the life of [a] soldier." Some mentions are made of Carr, Penrose, Wild Bill Hickok, and General Philip Sheridan. The last page has a light sketch of unidentified terrain and what appears to be a list of Pope's provisions.
mssHM 74606
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Wallace Stevens Oral History Collection
Manuscripts
The 137 oral history tapes and 105 transcriptions, together with 363 pieces of correspondence, that make up this collection were created by Peter A. Brazeau during the course of his research for his oral history biography of Wallace Stevens: Parts of a World: Wallace Stevens Remembered (New York: Random House, 1983). Brazeau, a member of the English Department faculty of St. Joseph College, wrote to and interviewed dozens of Stevens' relatives, friends, neighbors, employees, business colleagues, and literary associates and acquaintances in order to elicit their recollections about the poet. While Brazeau mined the material fairly thoroughly, the mass of information was too great for it all to be used in the book, and there yet remains a good deal of unused data. Therefore, this collection is an excellent research tool for Stevens scholarship. Researchers are advised to use Brazeau's Parts of a World: Wallace Stevens Remembered as a reference source for the collection, to identify the people whose interviews and correspondence are contained in the collection. Note: In no instance will the master tapes or the originals of the transcriptions be provided for research. Physical Description There are three formats of material: 1. Tapes. Duplicate cassette tapes have been made from the master tapes (which are in both cassette and reel-to-reel formats). A fairly substantial number of the master tapes are of markedly inferior sound quality, and, while the copies are no worse in quality, it has not been possible to improve or enhance the quality of the copies. The most frequent problem is either very low volume or loud background noise, or a combination of the two. Researchers are cautioned that there is almost certainly some duplication in the tapes for some individuals. This is often due to Brazeau's inconsistent practice of making a second master of a given interview (in either the same or a different format), whose contents may or may not exactly match those of the first master. In almost every instance, the task of exhaustively comparing the contents of two masters proved too unwieldy and time-consuming and had to be abandoned; all that could be done was to copy each master tape unless duplicate masters could be readily identified. Moreover, Brazeau would group interviews on tapes in the most economical manner possible, and these would not be grouped similarly for duplicate master tapes, e.g., groups of interviews on a reel-to-reel tape would not then be retained as a group on Brazeau's own second (cassette) master but would be dispersed to several cassette tapes. This made the identification of duplicate interviews especially difficult. A third difficulty was Brazeau's frequent habit of beginning an interview too early on the tape (with far too little leader tape) or with the volume initially too low, so that his verbal identification of the interviewee and date of the interview are unintelligible. In short, the tapes were made, not by a professional oral historian, but by a Stevens scholar who used the craft as a means to pursue his own research, so the quality of recordings is highly uneven. 2. Transcriptions. The transcriptions have been xeroxed, and the xeroxes will be used for research purposes. Both the originals and the xeroxes are difficult to read, for Brazeau wrote the transcriptions by hand, often in pencil. Moreover, his transcriptions are not complete but are selective; he omitted segments that were not of interest for his own research. 3. Correspondence. The correspondence consists of originals, most in good condition.
mssHM 53675-54279
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Johnson County War Collection
Manuscripts
The collection consists of primary and secondary source material on the Johnson County War of 1892, focusing on and around the town of Buffalo, Wyoming. It includes manuscripts related to the Johnson County invasion, alleged cattle rustling, the death of George Wellman and the case against Thomas Hathaway, the 1892 fire at Fort McKinney, and various financial and social issues facing Johnson County in the 1890s. The original material includes correspondence, legal papers, Pinkerton's National Detective Agency reports, newspaper clippings, and some photographs. The secondary material consists of essays, articles, and ephemera relating to Wyoming history. Charles H. Burritt Correspondence Box 1 contains the correspondence of Charles H. Burritt, including 47 letters to Fred G.S. Hesse dated January 1892 to February 1893; 6 letters to attorneys John Lacey and Willis Van Devanter dated June 1892; 11 letters to Van Devanter dated July 1892; 2 letters to W.R. Stoll (1892); and a 79-page typescript of letters to various correspondents including C.N. Potter, H.R. Mann, M.C. Brown, J.W. Blake, S.M. Allen, and Henry B. Blair (1892). The letters focus on the Johnson County invasion and subsequent trial; the fire and alleged theft of weapons by rustlers at Fort McKinney; the death of George Wellman and the investigation of Thomas Hathaway; the financial situation in Buffalo; the elections of 1892; and various criminal trials, including those for cattle theft. Some of the letters are facsimiles (see the container list for more information). Some notable items include: A letter to Hesse mentioning the illness of Frank M. Canton's wife and the death of his daughter (1892, Jan.26). Photocopies of letters to Hesse describing the boycott of Burritt's businesses and his fear of assassination (1892, May). A letter describing the upcoming trial of Frank Canton and other Johnson County defendants, including an "attempt made to avoid the provisions of the constitution of the State of Wyoming" in illegally calling in debts and a certificate of indebtedness for $12,000.00 that was to be transferred to Robert Foote "as security for expenses incurred in the case" as soon as "it shall be decided what Co. the case of the State against Canton and the others is to be tried in" (1892, July 18) A letter describing the trial of Robert C. Dalton and Moise Ganyon, who were accused of killing a T.A. Ranch steer. Burritt writes that "I never wanted to go into the trial of a case so badly in my life," but as an election was approached he was advised to "stay in the background and instruct the officers…as to what they should do…In the circle of parties where the knowledge as to the real author of the case will do the most good, the facts are sufficiently known." He writes that the "plan worked better than I anticipated" because of the "bungling" of the prosecution and the defense, and that "it made [Sheriff William "Red"] Angus so mad to see the poor work that [Johnson County attorney Alvin] Bennett was doing" that he vowed to work against him in the next election. "I have had hard work to keep Angus in line," concludes Burritt, "and I believe that the money I have expended in this case has been well spent" (1892, Nov.2). A letter to Hesse in which Burritt laments his circumstances, wondering "what I shall do to be saved." He writes that he can no longer live in Buffalo "unless there is a change," and that the "blasted jury are now going in the opposite extreme – are convicting everyone whether there is evidence or not." The recent elections had caused Burritt to be appointed as a criminal defense attorney, which he said he would not do except in the case of "a soldier for shooting a nigger Barney" and Ira E. Walker for killing the desperado Hank Lovett (1892, Nov.17). A letter to Hesse in which Burritt records that he has almost "gone broke," and that "it is enough to break a man's heart to see the places of so many good men filled by the 'scum of the Earth' and pure 'dead-beats' after the election. "We must have a 'snich' when we go down after a man for stealing cattle," Burritt writes, "a case where the jury are obliged to convict even against their will" (1892, Dec.22). A letter to Hesse in which he describes discussions with John Nolan, who wished to bring charges against the "stock men" for the "destruction" of the T.A. Ranch during the Johnson County invasion. Burritt refused to take the case and hoped that with Hesse "some steps might be taken to prevent the bringing of this suit." He warned Hesse to "head Nolan off" as soon as possible since some in Johnson County were willing to support the suit "for the purpose of keeping alive the recent troubles in this vicinity" (1893, Feb.25). A letter to John Lacey and Willis Van Devanter noting that a mass meeting did not materialize and that any resolutions supposedly coming from Johnson County citizens were "Bogus" (1892, June 24). A letter to Lacey and Van Devanter noting that indictments had been brought against Dr. Charles Penrose for first degree murder and against Frederick W. Coats for burglary with intent to commit a felony, although "there are no informations against any of the stockmen for arson" (1892, June 27). A letter to W.R. Stoll reporting that Burritt had been receiving death threats (1892, Sep.14). A series of letters to Willis Van Devanter describing the fire and alleged weapon theft at Fort McKinney, beginning with Burritt sending Lieutenant Gray to Fort Russell to report the fire at Fort McKinney (1892, July 22). Burritt writes of getting a confession from Private Andrew Keiser, a blacksmith in Troop H, 6th Cavalry, "which implicates a large number of soldiers and also a large number of citizens" in the alleged theft of weapons from the Fort (1892, July 23). After visiting Fort McKinney, Burritt writes "it looks now as if we had unearthed the most diabolical plot that was ever conceived by mortals," and that he hoped to convict Robert Foote and Henry Smith for supposedly engineering a plot to "blow up a building at Fort McKinney," and "in that way make away with all the stockmen at once." Burritt claims Smith paid Keiser $500 to blow up the Fort's bath house with dynamite (1892, July 24). Further investigations into the incident yielded "disclosures" that "bring out some irregularities also in the Q.M. Department and place the A.A.G.M. in a rather critical light and incidentally involves some of our best friends. There is nothing so far actually criminal but they are very unpleasant irregularities and I am mich afraid that these things are helping to shield Robert Foote so that we can not make a case against the old scamp" (1892, July 26). A 79-page typescript of letters to W.R. Stoll and others include frequent references to Burritt's desire to "start an undercurrent of opposition to cattle thieves and so far as possible…divert public opinion from the recent invasion" (1892, May 8). General CorrespondenceBox 2 contains general correspondence related to the Johnson County invasion, the death of George Wellman, the financial situation in Buffalo, and various political and social events. There are also several threatening notes allegedly sent by cattle rustlers, as well as 20th century correspondence regarding Wyoming history. Correspondents include Frank Canton, Joseph M. Carey, Fred G.S. Hesse, Frank A. Kemp, G.W. Munkres, and O.P. Witt. Some notable items include: 8 letters from Senator Joseph M. Carey to Louis Kirk dated 1892, and which include questions on the origins of the Johnson County invasion ("Nobody understands the purpose and object of the Cattlemen…Why did they go to Buffalo or start there?....What were they trying to do?...How could the people of Johnson County feel otherwise than they did?...Everybody got crazy. Such conditions always suit men like Angus and Kimball. They prefer anarchy to law and order"); the potential implementation of martial law ("I had made it as plain as I possibly could in my previous letters. The government of the United States has nothing to do with martial law in the State…"); and his annoyance that his suggestions were not being carried out in Wyoming and that he was being blamed for the lack of action ("I understand…that I receive lots of abuse from [the cattlemen] confined at Ft. Russell, as if it were in my power to do anything except upon an actual statement of facts"). A letter from W.H. Haynes to Fred G.S. Hesse in which in write of Buffalo: "I tell you…that this country is in a hell of a fix. A man is not safe to spit" (May 20, 1892). 7 letters from Fred W. Hesse (son of Fred G.S. Hesse) to Jena Carey (widow of Joseph M. Carey) dated 1965-1967, in which Hesse criticizes the books on Johnson County written by Marie Sandoz and Helen Huntington Smith, which he describes as "disgusting to me because I put in so much time trying to get a little sense into her ignorant idea of what this country was like" (June 1, 1966). 7 letters from Frank A. Kemp to Fred G.S. Hesse dated 1892. Kemp laments the lack of action in Buffalo ("I don't see how the hell we can do anything, as…the opinion is so strong against violent measures…I don't see the…use in declaring martial law, or calling out the troops, without they are willing to do what the late expedition failed in doing…exterminate the rusters" (May 24, 1892) and the handling of the cattle situation ("we have been fooled by a lot of politicians…I have been furious at the way in which this cattle trouble has been handled. The childishness and duplicity displayed by our great men makes me so mad that I hate to speak, think, or write about it…" (June 30, 1892). Notes from alleged cattle rustlers, including those to William Irvine ("We will give you 30 days to leave this country and if you don't we will get you") and the "hired girl at Whitcomb's place" ("You are warned and will not be notified again…warn them at your peril!"). A letter from Frank M. Canton from his father-in-law W.H. Wilkerson, in which he writes of "the indignities the people that have taken no part in this affair have been subjected to [for being related to the invaders]. Women have been insulted [and] men have been slapped in the face…" (Apr.17, 1892). A letter from an unknown correspondent to Frank Canton informing him of the death of George Wellman and the story of Tom Hathaway (May 10, 1892). Legal Statements and Documents Box 3 consists of witness statements, legal documents, and other papers related to events in Johnson County in 1892. Notable items include statements made by Henry E. Johnson and Andrew Keiser at Fort McKinney regarding their participation in the alleged dynamite plot (1892); various statements made by invasion participants Ben Jones and William Walker, including affidavits taken after their arrival in Rhode Island (1892); statements in the death of George Wellman made by Mary Linville, William Linville, Austin B. Read, Ed Morse, and W.P. Ricketts, as well as maps and testimony by Thomas Hathaway; and various witness lists for the prosecution in the dynamite plot, Wellman murder trial, and cases vs. Robert Foote, John Hill, and Frank Smith. Pinkerton Reports Box 4 contains reports from Pinkerton National Detective Agency field agents sent to W.R. Stoll between June and November of 1892. All of the reports are signed by William A. Pinkerton. The reports include: 38 reports from agent M.E. Cox, who posed as a physician in Buffalo while gathering information on the cattle invasion. Cox noted that "my bearing served as a guarantee of friendship to rustlers," while his position as a physician made him privy to a variety of personal information on the private lives of Buffalo's citizens. He reports on public opinion (including a great deal of information gleaned from local prostitutes), summarizes newspaper reports, reports on a recent railroad survey, and writes of the uneasiness in Buffalo caused by the presence of U.S. Marshals. Cox also reports from Portland, Custer, and Sheridan, Wyoming. 5 reports from agent J.C. Frazer, who gathered information on various individuals and proceedings regarding Johnson County in Denver, Las Vegas, and Clayton, New Mexico. 51 reports from agent T.H. Hale, a deputy U.S. Marshal working in Buffalo and Suggs, Wyoming. Hale reports on getting acquainted with alleged rustlers at roundups, staking out John A. Tisdale's ranch for "armed men," and tracking outlaws Frank Smith, Charles Taylor, and Ed Starr (who were suspects in the murder of Marshal George Wellman), including a near shootout with Long and Starr and the capture of their accomplice Jack Long, who escaped from jail a few days later (July 23, 1892). Hale writes that despite such setbacks the Marshals would "devise some means of getting at the men we want," and to "try and not get murdered" in the process. Notes, Essays, and Miscellaneous Manuscripts Box 5 contains miscellaneous notes and essays on Fred G.S. Hesse, John A. Tisdale, the Fetterman Massacre, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Hole-in-the-Wall, and general Wyoming history; a bound copy of Asa Mercer's "The Banditti of the Plains" (1894); a resolution in the Wyoming Derrick Extra (May 3, 1892) by the people of Natrona County condemning the invasion of Johnson County and calling Governor Amos W. Barber's apparent knowledge of the act "treasonous;" a photograph of Fred W. Hesse at a rodeo in Buffalo (1913) and a reproduction of a photograph of the T.A. Ranch; and various research notes, ephemera, and photographs of "Uncle Jim" and Johnson County in a binder belonging to Jena Carey, among other items. Publications and Printed Ephemera Box 6 contains copies of various Western history and news magazines (c.1960s-1970s), 14 copies of The Westerners Brand Book (1948-1952), pamphlets by Herbert O. Brayer and Charles B. Penrose, and various other pamphlets related to Wyoming travel and history. Newspapers and Newspaper ClippingsBox 7 contains newspapers and newspaper clippings on Johnson County history, and primarily date from the 1940s-1960s. Included is a 1960s series of articles on 1890s Buffalo from the Buffalo Bulletin. Photocopies of Articles Box 8 contains photocopies of essays and articles on Johnson County and Wyoming history by Herbert O. Brayer, J. Elmer Brock, Frank Canton, Arthur Chapman, Jack Flagg, and others. Subjects include the death of George Wellman, the Johnson County war, and cattleman Moreton Frewen. Tape Recordings Box 9 contains cassette and reel to reel tapes recordings of interviews with Garvin Taylor, Fred Hesse, Bill Brock, Kay Hibdon, and J.L. Night. These items may be inaccessible. Please contact the appropriate curator. Oversize The collection includes one oversize roll containing photostats of the Cheyenne Weekly Sun from 1892.
mssJohnsonCountyWar