My one effort at a collector edition had its beginning when I was telephoned by David Stark, a local photographer and restorer of vintage homes. He and his partner, Patricia Brown, who was a specialist in interior restorations, were also the proprietors of a sometime press, called Duncan & Gladstone, of finely bound limited editions. They had done two absolutely lovely books, one about frontier homespun, with actual swatches, and one featuring David's photographs of Enchanted Rock. They suggested that we meet, and see if we might enjoy working together. That nearly killed the deal, when I saw that David is a huge man who bears an uncanny resemblance to Grigoriy Rasputin; he scared me half to death.
But, I had just begun work on Sam Houston, and knew that the state archives, after years of conservation, had just opened to the public the Andrew Jackson Houston Collection of Sam Houston papers, many of which had never been published before. We settled on a volume to reproduce and annotate a representative sample of Houston's incoming mail during perhaps the most interesting and controversial period of his life, his first term as Texas president. Hence the full title of the book, in its 19th-century style ramble: MOST EXCELLENT SIR: Letters Received by Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas, at Columbia, 1836-1837.
The regular limited edition consisted of 575 copies, plus a deluxe edition of 75 with title pages hand-pressed from antique 1837 Texas newstype, and bound with imported Belgian endpapers. Dr. Dorman Winfrey, the retired director of the Texas State Library and Archives, kindly agreed to provide an introduction. I don't know if David and Pat ever recouped their investment, but we had enormous fun doing it and the finished piece was a sight to behold.
And an interesting lagniappe: when we took the book down to Liberty, Texas, to present a copy to the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, I met the director, Robert Schaadt, who has become a valuable friend and resource, and the late Jean Houston Daniel, Sam Houston's great-great granddaughter and widow of Texas governor Price Daniel. In our brief talk, she provided research tips to the Houston biography that made her, really, much of the reason for that book's success.
I think the book was well received; I know I signed numerous copies for well-known bibliophiles and politicos. That year one of them tracked me down at the Southwest Book and Paper Show, gave me the book back and said, "What do you mean to just sign your name in here? WRITE me something!" It was Texası retired senior senator, Ralph Yarborough.
Copies can be ordered from the publisher, Duncan & Gladstone, at PO Box 50355, Austin, TX 78763, or e-mail david@precisiondesigners.net
