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EGAN, Howard. PIONEERING THE WEST 1846 to 1878. Major Howard Egan's Diary. Also, Thrilling Experiences of Pre-Frontier Life Among Indians; Their Traits, Civil and Savage, and Part of Autobiography, Inter-Related to His Father's, by Howard R. Egan. Edited, Compiled, and Connected in Nearly Chronological Order by Wm. M. Egan. Illustrated. Richmond, Utah: Published by Howard R. Egan Estate [Press of Skelton Publishing Co., Salt Lake City, Utah], 1917.

20 cm. (= 8 inches tall). 302, [1] pp. Collated complete. Numerous black and white illustrations. Grey cloth decorated in black. Nearly fine; a nice copy.

$250**SOLD**

 


FIRST EDITION. Flake 3121; Howes E76; Graff 1221; Eberstadt Catalog 123:64 (1947), noting: "Major Egan was one of the original band which trekked the plains from Nauvoo to Salt Lake in 1847; a special messenger of the Mormon Battalion; a Pony Express and Overland Mail agent; and discoverer of new routes westward from Utah to the Pacific."

 

Choice reminiscences which cannot be had anywhere else. This is great stuff. You will marvel, then chuckle, perhaps shake your head. The homely anecdotes of this home-spun production enliven our history, and cast fresh light on everything from the 1847 trek and later Pony Express exploits, to a pioneer Mom's observation that the boys might as well have left her possessions in the burning barn as to rush them out carelessly and damage them so! Here is how Egan remembers an event elsewhere portrayed in more grandiose verbage . . .

It was while we lived here that I witnessed the first breaking of ground for the foundation of the [Salt Lake] Temple (February 14, 1853), and a few months after, the laying of the cornerstone (April 6, 1853), when there seemed to be thousands of people there to witness it. There was an immense mound of earth near the southwest corner of where the Temple was to be built. This earth was what had been dug out of the place for the foundation. The day was set for the laying of the cornerstone. This mound as well as the whole surrounding space was covered by a very large number of very happy people. Some had come many miles to witness the ceremony. With some of my boy friends I stood on the northeast side near the top of the mound, and had a good view of the southeast corner, where the stone was laid. And since that time I have seen the gradual growth of those heavy walls up to the capstone, being about forty years . . . [p. 149]

 

OVERLAND NARRATIVES - including many published as late as this example, command surprising prices once they are noticed for what they truly are. This example is even more remarkable for notes in the preface explaining the choice of paper and format! "'Multum in Parvo' suits the intelligent person best," concluded Howard R. Egan about this book just before his death (the year preceding this publication) . . .

We are offering a book that contains valuable information not printed in any other book or form. We are offering a book that contains no fiction, but is the actual experiences and personal views of the writers. . . . We are offering a book that will become more valuable as time passes, for a reminder of frontier life. We are offering a book that takes less space than most books on the market, yet with good readable type. [p.6]

 

 

 

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