THE MORMON COLONIES IN MEXICO de Romney, Thomas Cottam - 1938

Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1938. First edition. Romney provides a history of the colonies with a chapter on "Mormonism" for those unfamiliar with church history and doctrines. "Some years ago, when captivated by Dr. Romney's tales of pioneer days on the vast Plains of Chihuahua, in the semi-tropical valleys of Sonora, and in the formidable Sierra Madre that lies between .... I urged him to write his personal experiences during that life, so full of adventure and of human significance. Now in this book, he has fulfilled my wish, and in it has gone beyond to write a full-length account of the migration and settlement in which he took part." - Dr. Herbet E. Bolton, foreword. The colonies were first established by Mormons fleeing from U.S. authorities for the practice of polygamy; and for a time flourished there -- until the Mexican Revolution in 1910, when anti-foreign sentiment resulted in threats to their lives and property. 8vo gilt-stamped brown pebbled-grain cloth boards; 338 pages including index. Illustrated with 13 pages of photographs and a folding map showing the general location of the colonies. Spine shows a few scuffs, spine ends softened and a bit rubbed, spine lettering slightly dulled otherwise very good or better. Relatively uncommon in the first edition.