Southwestern History & Cowboy Lore – 3 Signed Books (Las Cruces & Borderlands Heritage)

An evocative trio of signed volumes celebrating the language, legacy, and landscapes of the American Southwest — each reflecting a voice rooted in the deserts and ranchlands surrounding Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley.

Wanna Be a Cowboy by “Cactus” Chris Buethe (Rainbow in a Tree Publications, El Paso, Texas, 1995; ISBN 0-944551-10-6) pairs original verse with the author’s own illustrations in a lively portrait of modern cowboy life. Buethe’s poetry moves easily between humor and reflection, capturing the enduring character of those who work the land across the Texas–New Mexico borderlands.

A History of the Mesilla Valley, 1903 by Maude Elizabeth McFie Bloom, edited by Lansing B. Bloom and annotated by Jo Tice Bloom (Yucca Tree Press, Las Cruces, 1999; ISBN 1-881325-33-4; LCCN 98-061626) offers a foundational chronicle of early settlement in southern New Mexico. Originally written as a student thesis at New Mexico A&M College in 1903, this carefully annotated modern edition — signed by Jo Tice Bloom — preserves a firsthand account of Mesilla Valley pioneers and remains a touchstone for local historians.

Judge Roy Bean Stories: Law West of the Pecos by Bill Goldwire (Old Mountain Press, Fayetteville, NC, 2001) gathers tales of the famed frontier judge whose legend reached across Texas and into New Mexico lore. Illustrated by Steven Calzada and personally inscribed by the author in 2007, the book recalls the color, humor, and contradictions of frontier justice along the Pecos corridor.

Together these three signed works illuminate the intertwined cultural geography of southern New Mexico and the greater borderlands, uniting poetry, documented history, and storytelling into a single portrait of Western identity.

Condition:

Good overall with light shelf wear. Covers clean, pages bright, and bindings firm. All three volumes signed as noted; no damage observed.

Size:

Set of (3) softback books.