A Sixty-Year Hitch with the Utah War: Writing At Sword's Point. An Essay Printed in an Edition of 75 Copies Upon the Occasion of the Author's Eightieth Birthday and Christmas 2018.
South Jordan, UT: William P. MacKinnon (Produced by Bear Hollow Books), 2018. Paperback. 29 pp. Introduced by Howard R. Lamar.
This essay is limited to 75 numbered copies signed by the author William P. MacKinnon (signed in blue ink). This hardbound copy is #17 and its prospectus is packaged with it.
In 1958, sophomore Bill MacKinnon was in the midst of a familiar struggle: identifying an essay topic. His advisor, young assistant professor Howard Lamar, suggested that Bill mine the Western Americana collection there at Yale and tackle the Utah War. After completing his award-winning senior essay, Bill launched into a career of a very different sort, business and management. MacKinnon continued to tinker with the topic of the Utah War, writing articles here and there and amassing a research collection. When Arthur Clark announced the prospective series on Utah and the Mormons, Bill kicked his dabbling into serious business. His two volumes on the war-At Sword's Point-enjoyed universal acclaim as highwater mark history. This essay-with introduction by Howard Lamar-tells the story of his long and dogged quest to tell the story of Utah's isolated conflict. Only 75 copies were produced and, of those only 30 were in hardback. Twenty went to MacKinnon, leaving only ten for sale. As a result, this finely crafted edition is a true modern collectible.
Copies numbered one through thirty were Smyth sewn and hardbound in cloth, by Perfect Register (Salt Lake City, Utah). The marbled endpapers for the thirty hardbound copies were custom hand marbled by Iris Nevins (Johnsonburg, NJ). The covers for the remaining forty-five copies (numbered thirty-one through seventy-five) were foil-stamped by Perfect Register....The forty-five card stock copies were hand-sewn by Hugh J. McKell. Bill MacKinnon reserved cardstock copies 31-75 and 20 of the hardbound copies for his personal use. Only 10 hardbound copies were for sale. Condition: Fine. Item #38838
Price: $500.00