Fiction and the American Southwest from Back of Beyond Books

Ely Sims' recounts the story of the Holy Grail of treasure seekers in this 1953 book: The Lost Dutchman Mine: The Fabulous Story of the Seven-Decade Search for the Hidden Treasure in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. If it was seven decades in 1953, then it is 13 decades now. The Lost Dutchman is still lost. German immigrant Jacob Walzer supposedly found a mine of untold riches in the late 19^th century, but took its exact whereabouts with him to the grave in 1891. However, he was said to have left a not easily decipherable map behind. Again supposedly, someone found where this map leads in the 1940's but was murdered. This only increased the interest. Wealth seekers make the trek to Arizona to this day in hopes of finding the mine, which likely never existed, only to be disappointed like all of their predecessors. However, if you dream, maybe this book will help lead you to the end of the rainbow. Item 116. $165.

We conclude with an item that brings us back to Edward Abbey's causes, notably opposition to the Glen Canyon Dam. The picture you see on this page is Dugald Bremner's photograph of David Brower. Brower was a mountain climber turned environmentalist, associated for much of his life with the Sierra Club. He was active in the movement that had stopped an earlier attempt to dam the Colorado in Dinosaur National Monument. However, the attempt at Glen Canyon was unsuccessful. This photograph shows Brower holding a plug, a symbolic plug for Lake Powell, the creation of the Glen Canyon Dam. Brower is pulling the plug. He has signed the photo. Item 129. $400.

Back of Beyond Books may be reached at 435-259-5154 or andy@backofbeyondbooks.com. Their website is www.backofbeyondbooks.com