Zamorano 80/23 Robert Cowan's Bibliography

                                

As a new resident of California, a reader, a book collector, and a history buff, It was inevitable that the Zamorano 80 would draw me in like a moth to a flame. The question is, where do I start? Now the experienced collector of western literature is laughing or looking down his nose at me for my naivety. How dare me to assume I can find all of these great books. Well then, there in lies the rub. How fun would it be to collect something pedestrian. 

According to rare book dealer Dorothy Sloan,  “Acquiring all eighty first editions of The Zamorano 80 is a major achievement. Only one institution (the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut) holds all eighty of the first editions. The Bancroft Library at the University of California at Berkeley and the Huntington Library at San Marino, California, lack only the Yellow Bird (Zamorano 80 #64). Daniel G. Volkmann Jr., Henry H. Clifford, Thomas W. Streeter, and Frederick W. Beinecke are the only confirmed private collectors who achieved the distinction of acquiring all eighty first editions of The Zamorano 80.” (http://www.dsloan.com/Auctions/A12/DSIntro.htm)

So, my goal is to find each of these books in, first edition OR fine press edition OR early edition OR........you get the gist of it. I want nice books and will get what I can afford and keep looking for the rest. 

So let me tell you about one of the first books I found. As a collector, I was fascinated by the fact that a bibliography was included in the 80 books. I mean at first glance you have to ask why. Why would you pick a book that list books when there are so many books to choose from? Did I say that right? Also, why include a book that was written by a member of the club that created the list? Sounds narcissistic. The Zamorano book club website stated that it was a tribute to Cowan as a scholar.    (http://www.zamoranoclubla.org/zam80/) 

Ok, that seems odd. However, I found a copy of Robert Cowan’s “A bibliography of the History of California and the Pacific West 1510-1906” . printed by Long’s College Book Co. in 1952. It is a reprint of the original 1914 edition that includes Cowans annotations. I found it on ebay and paid $35.00 for it. Wow, what a bargain!  

Is is weird that I went title by title and did eBay and ABE searches for each title listed? Probably but wow, what a resource. I am learning a lot just reading the annotations and the chronological order list in the back of the book really helps a neophyte like me get a sense of the order of things. 

I understand that there is a 1933 edition in two volumes........umm.......I wonder if Barry Cassidy has a copy?