Alexander Sheperd was a political leader in Washington, D.C. after the Civil War, having been appointed Governor by President Grant. He engaged in massive building projects in what was then still a backwater town, being in many ways the father of modern Washington. However, he grossly overspent his budget and targeted some projects to areas where he had a financial interest. He was fired, declared personal bankruptcy, and headed for Batopilas, Mexico, where he began filing silver claims. Shepherd achieved great success, his mines becoming some of the richest in the world. He would then invest in infrastructure for Batopilas as he did in Washington, his electric works and aqueducts still in use today. Shepherd died in 1902, and his sons operated the mines until 1920 when they were closed. In 1938, one of his sons, Grant Shepherd, wrote this book, The Silver Magnet. Thirty Years in a Mexican Silver Mine. It is a first hand account of the family's silver mines in Chihuahua State. Item 31. $375.

Here is another mining history. The title is Journeys of Observation, by T.A. Rickard, and published in 1907. It is actually two books in one, "The Mines of Mexico," describing certain Mexican mines, and "Across the San Juan Mountains," those being the mountains of southwestern Colorado. Item 30. $275.

Plaza Books is found online at www.plazabooks.com, telephone 707-546-3544.