THE XIT RANCH OF TEXAS AND THE EARLY DAYS OF THE LLANO ESTACADO.

Chicago:  Lakeside Press, 1929.  xvi,261pp.  Frontis.   Photographs.  Folding Map.  Index.  Appendices.  Original green cloth. t.e.g. First edition.  Externally, two faint, thin stripes (paint?) run down the back cover. Internally, the front hinge has been repaired. Overall, a good+ copy.  Reese, Six Score 54:  “A foundation work on ranching in the Panhandle, and an important ranch history.”  Chandler Robinson, Haley’s bibliographer, said it best:  “This epic account of the largest and most famous ranching operation of the early West is a landmark in the literature of the cattle country.  Monumental in scope, infinitely detailed, the book presents the history of the Llano Estacado and traces the development and operation of a 3,000,000-acre ranch.  It is one volume that, more than any other, portrays the early-day cattle business of the West.”  This is Mr. Haley’s first book and is typical of his fine research and writing.  The book was withdrawn from the market when a lawsuit was filed; and, as a result, the first edition is a rarity. . An expurgated edition was issued by the O. U. Press in 1953. Merrill Aristocrat.  Jenkins, Basic Texas Books 83.  Graff 1718.  Adams, Six-Guns 894.  Adams, Herd, 969.  Dobie, Life & Lit. p. 104.  Howes H39.