William Sanders Oury--History-Maker of the Southwest (Carbon Copy of Early Manuscript plus Holograph and Typed Notes) with 1st Edition of Same

Very Good/Very Good. William Sanders Oury--History-Maker of the Southwest (Carbon Copy of Early Manuscript plus Holograph and Typed Notes) with 1st Edition of Same, Cornelius C. Smith, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona, 1967. 298pp. 6.5 x 9.25 inches.

Typed carbon copy in red binder with manuscript working title in black ink on front and spine. Original title was "A Place of Liberty--A Biography of William Sanders Oury", 496 numbered pages with minimal edge wear and soiling. Plus 23 pages of holograph and typed material all contained in sleeves, in very good condition.

Book and dust jacket in very good condition.

Early carbon copy draft of Cornelius C Smith's classic biography of his great-grandfather, William Sanders Oury, published by University of Arizona Press in 1967. In addition to having a famous forebearer, Smith was a writer and illustrator on western themes.

William Sanders Oury (1817-1887) came to Texas from Missouri in 1833 and was in the Alamo Brigade, only surviving because he was needed as a courier, leaving before the fighting began. He later served as a soldier with Sam Houston in the Battle of San Jacinto. He served with the Texas Rangers in the 1840's and in the Mexican War as an interpreter for Gen. Zachary Taylor during the battle of Monterrey. In 1856 Oury moved to Arizona and soon was elected as the mayor of Tucson and was involved in many formative events for Arizona Territory.

A comparison of the carbon manuscript with the finished book finds wholesale changes. Unfortunately, the manuscript is not dated (it was gifted in 1966) nor are there holographic notes, so we are at a loss in knowing how early of a draft this copy is. It is instructive however of the many changes, including whole chapters, which did not make the final cut. We will include scans of both Table of Contents as a comparison. An important document for Southwest historians. The Arizona Historical Society holds two boxes of Smith papers, but no mention is made of another manuscript of this book.

This manuscript was presented to John D. Gilchriese, Field Historian, University of Arizona in 1966 at the request of the author. Gilchriese wrote the Foreword for the book.