New Mexico History Books Lot of 6 — Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Place Names

This lot of six books functions as a cohesive starter library on New Mexico history, with a strong center of gravity around Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley. Three titles were published by New Mexico-based presses, one was produced right here in Las Cruces by a local archaeologist through his own imprint, and three of the six deal directly and exclusively with Las Cruces — making this a purposeful collection rather than a random accumulation.

BOOK SUMMARIES

Cricket in the Web — Paula Moore (UNM Press, 2008) On March 31, 1949, 18-year-old Las Cruces waitress Ovida "Cricket" Coogler disappeared after leaving a dance. Her body was found days later in the desert. No one was ever convicted. Moore, a former NMSU vice president, spent years reconstructing the case — documenting how the investigation was botched or deliberately buried, how the scandal brought down a sitting governor, and how the affair permanently altered New Mexico's political landscape. Winner of four regional awards and the definitive account of a case that happened right here in Las Cruces.

Las Cruces — Hunner, Kord, Lachica & Spence (Arcadia Publishing, 2003) Part of Arcadia's nationally distributed Images of America series, this volume uses historic photographs drawn from institutional archives and local collections to trace Las Cruces from its frontier origins through the mid-20th century. Accessible and visually rich — the essential photographic record of the community before the interstate and the sprawl.

Las Cruces, New Mexico 1881: As Seen by Her Newspapers — Patrick H. Beckett (COAS Publishing, 2003) Beckett was a Las Cruces-based archaeologist who produced regionally focused reference works through his own local COAS imprint. This cloth-bound hardcover reconstructs a single year of frontier Las Cruces entirely through contemporary newspaper accounts — advertisements, crime reports, social notices, and editorials. Primary-source history in the most direct sense, and genuinely useful to genealogists and local historians. Not widely distributed outside the region.

Las Vegas New Mexico — Joseph A. Lordi (Cartolina Press, 2011) Las Vegas, New Mexico is one of the most historically underappreciated towns in the Southwest — a major Santa Fe Trail stop, a territorial railhead, and a boomtown that predates its Nevada namesake by 70 years. Lordi draws entirely on postcards and photographs from his personal collection to document the town's architecture, street life, and commercial history. Independently produced and filling a gap no major press had addressed.

The Place Names of New Mexico, Revised Edition — Robert Julyan (UNM Press, 1998) The standard reference on New Mexico toponymy, named Best Book on New Mexico by Crosswinds magazine. Julyan documents over 7,000 place names statewide — tracing their Spanish, Native American, and Anglo origins with historical and geographic context. Indispensable for writers, historians, hikers, and anyone doing genealogical or land-records research in the state. The taped binding on this copy is a fair indicator of how hard these get used.

Off the Beaten Path: New Mexico — Morris Book Publishing (2010) A long-running Globe Pequot travel guide now in its ninth revised edition, covering New Mexico's lesser-known museums, natural sites, historic towns, and regional curiosities. Organized by region and practical in orientation — good supplementary context for anyone using the historical titles in this lot to plan actual visits to the places they're reading about.

CONDITION Good. Books show noticeable wear consistent with prior use and remain complete and readable throughout. The binding on The Place Names of New Mexico is torn and has been taped for repair.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Lot of 6 books — 4 softcover, 2 hardcover
• Las Vegas New Mexico — softcover, Cartolina Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9755718-1-1
• Las Cruces (Images of America) — softcover, Arcadia Publishing, 2003, ISBN 0-7385-2097-7
• Las Cruces, New Mexico 1881 — hardcover, COAS Publishing, Las Cruces NM, ©2003
• Cricket in the Web — softcover, UNM Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-8263-4341-3
• The Place Names of New Mexico, Revised Ed. — softcover, UNM Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8263-1689-1
• Off the Beaten Path: New Mexico — hardcover, Morris Book Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-0-7627-5049-8