An explosion of local books

If anything measures the growth in affluence during my lifetime, it must be the availability of Things of the Mind: music ... art ... education ... publications. The number, the variety, especially the quality of what I can enjoy today in a smallish Arizona city would absolutely astound the girl who began coming of age intellectually in the early 40s in a much larger Florida city which was not big enough to keep her.

Right now, I'm thinking about just the wealth of books focused on our little world in Central Arizona. I've pulled these books, pamphlets and monographs from my own shelves.

Geology, wild flowers, critters, history, railroads, archeology, trails -- each subject is covered in one or more of these publications. My most recent addition (a week ago) was Stories of Early Prescott. A chapter on major snow storms piqued my interest -- I wanted to know more about the famous Winter of 19-aught-67.

I realized, in staging the pictures, that there's a good reason the Prescott region in its many manifestations keeps my interest: the whole is not too big to wrap my mind around. Our history here does not have deep roots in time; the population is not large and the number of old families is limited. A good subject for amateur contemplation, in other words. (A side note here -- just for the helluvit, I popped a another local sort of publication, the guidebook to the DeAnza-Borrego area in the picture immediately above just for Gadget and Foolsewoode, who recently returned from a grand adventure over in the California desert; do read about it in their blogs & be sure to scroll down!)

The next three pictures, taken at the Sharlot Hall Museum gift shop, give an idea of the shelf space dedicated to local/Western topics. The Worm on Whiskey Row showcases Prescott and Arizona books at the front of the store. Periodically, the Book Nook will display one or two recently published local items; however, Marilyn also has an excellent section of used books on Indians, the West and its history.

BTW, the museum operates a small press with a handful of titles, all of local interest.

At times, you have to go to a very special event to locate a local book. Here, at a big signing sponsored by the Ash Fork AZ Historical Society, I bought both Marshall Trimble's new book and a previous publication prepared by members of the society. My Paulden Pioneers came from an outdoor event in that Big Chino Valley settlement last September. Of interest is Arcadia Publishing, which lists some 5000 local historic books, from Bangor, Maine, to Ash Fork and Prescott.

In previous years, the Annual Book Festival at the Sharlot Hall Museum grounds was a great place to buy books of the west, though the festival may not be held in 2008. This picture was taken at the Primrose Press display; the press is owned by the ladies Ruffner (Elisabeth and Melissa), who have most recently published Chris Hoy's The Elk in the Attic to benefit the ongoing renovation of the Elks Opera House. The Ruffners have been very active in Prescott historic activities, writing books as well as conducting tours.

Another author/publisher, Agnes Franz here at the Book Festival, also wrote a Prescott history.

At the annual barbecue of the Yavapai Cattle Growers Association, the Yavapai Cowbelles sell copies of their collected tales of ranch life, now grown into a 3-volume set. Other important venues for local books are the outfitter shops, where trail books, maps and even booklets detailing best climbs in the Dells are stocked. It is, indeed, a wealth of information -- and detail about Everybody's Home Town, as the Chamber of Commerce styles us.