CORE WORKS - HIGHAM



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Higham, Charles Frederick. True Story of Jacob Walzer... 1946. I really like this work, at least from an aesthetic point of view. Higham's artistic flair shows up in this pamphlet's paintings, maps, and nice graphics. There is a chronology up to 1946, a photograph of the author, a nice map by Higham on the front endpaper, and more. The content is another story. It is not always accurate nor useful and not that well written - but it is always entertaining. Higham later sold first one half and then full ownership of this publication to Barney Barnard to settle a dispute over eating Barnard's chickens! See the note under Barnard for more details. Still, it is Higham's work that provides the core content as well as the look of all the subsequent editions Barnard published.

Oddly, Higham's and some of Barnard's editions contain two title pages: the actual one and one that looks like a prototype. The first and official title page reads: "True Story of Jacob Walzer A Fascinating and Romantic Tale of an old German prospector known to fame as the Old Dutchman and whose famous Gold Mine is still a mystery of the Superstition Mountains." The prototype on page 19 reads: "True Story of Jacob Walzer And his Famous Hidden Mine (The Lost Dutchman) Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction And The Legendary And Romantic Tale Of The Old Dutchman Is Enhanced By The Facts Of Record That Are Contained Herein." It looks like there was going to be a small pamphlet on "Jacob Walzer" that grew in scope and length until a different title page was needed -- but Higham never went back to remove the title page found at the start of what became the Jacob Walzer section (see Barnard for more on this). A neat little pamphlet from a collector's point of view, nicely turned out in an idiosyncratic sort of way. More satisfying than Barnard's versions.

Note: the reprint of this work sold by the SMHS is a cut and paste job that does not follow the original paging. They did not do this one, rather took it over and continue to print it. Very misleading if you haven't seen the original.

Higham, Charles Frederick and Barney Barnard. True Story of Jacob Walzer... 1954. This is the second edition of Higham's book, displaying both Higham's and Barney Barnard's names across the bottom of the cover and on the title page, at the top of the cover it adds, "New Edition", and there is a new painting by Higham on the cover. This was their joint work published in 1953 or 1954, before Barnard gained sole ownership. In later editions Barnard says "John Lindley Higham, artist and author (pen name Charles Fredrick (sic) Higham) whose sketches are reproduced herein, who was also co-author with this writer of the recent book, 'True Story of Jacob Walzer and Famous Hidden Gold Mine' first published in 1946, revised by him and this writer November, 1953." Again, see the entry on Barnard for more on this story. On the copyright page: "Copyrighted / by / Rancho Del Superstition / Home of the B bar B / Apache Junction, Arizona. / All rights to this publication reserved by the Authors."

There are more significant differences between these two publications than just Barnard's name suddenly appearing on both the cover and on the title page. One paragraph is added at the end of the Foreword and here and there new paragraphs are added to the Jacob Walzer chapter. So mote it be - Authors Notes becomes Authors Notes and gets a few additional lines, also the Chronology of Contents is greatly extended, now going all the way to 1952. A photograph and some biographical information on Barnard are added. Note: there seem to be at least three printings. In one, just Higham's photograph is used, the biographical information disappearing. In another, both photograph and biographical information are present, (as they are in Higham's first edition and in Barnard's first edition), but in another printing I have seen, though it has both photograph and bio, it is missing some text; pages 18-19, 22-23, 42-43, and 46-47 are blank. Otherwise, all printings are the same. The B bar B, Rancho del Superstitions drawing of Barnard's ranch makes its first appearance but gone are two excellent maps, Ancient Canals and Ruins of Gila and Salt River Valleys and Lost Gold and Silver Mines of Arizona, as is the Jacob Waltz and his Burro in Needle Canyon illustration, the latter replaced by the often repeated The Dutchman drawing. Also making its first appearance is Higham's nice Map of the Lost Dutchman Mine Area. Accompanying the map is a brief introduction that is not carried over to Barney's later editions. It reads: "This is not a mystery map showing crosses and arrows or the number of steps from a certain landmark, but a map that does show all of the known trails and water holes in the area of the Lost Dutchman Mine tradition, along with all important canyons and mountains that enter into this romantic story. The authors of this book have spent years of actual travel and research into this area. They are very much indebted to William (Bill) Barkley of the First Water Ranch and the well-known ranch of the Quarter Circle U., for information and courtesy during these trips."

One further addition is worthy of mention, The Miners Ten Commandments, "First published Sept. 10, 1853, by J. W. Hutchings." There are ten of them, plus an additional one. The extra commandment ends with the miner far from home thinking of his family: "...I have enough, God bless them...I will return. Then as thou journeyst towards thy much beloved home, with open arms they shall come forth to welcome thee, and falling upon thy neck, weep tears of unutterable joy that thou art come. Then in the fullness of thy heart's gratitude, thou shalt kneel together before thy heavenly Father to thank Him for thy safe return. Amen ... SO MOTE IT BE..." Until I saw this little section I had been puzzled by the chapter title So mote it be - Authors Notes in Higham's first edition, at least now I know where it comes from. In this joint edition it has the more prosaic title Authors Notes.

I couldn't help but notice that Darrell Duppa's name tends to pop up at several points in this edition. It comes up when the "and most probably from Darrell Duppa in New Zealand, where the two meet" line is inserted into a sentence on page 25-26, (referring to the story that Walzer(sic) knew Duppa and had been to New Zealand!) and in the note to the Miners Ten Commandments, "The above Ten Commandments have been printed several times since their original appearance in 1853. That they were composed by a Mason is not hard for a Craftsman to determine. Jacob von Walzer, the man known as the Lost Dutchman was a Mason as was Darrell Duppa, the Englishman, who named the city of Phoenix."

Higham's first edition