How to Get Rich Buying Books
Rich in enjoyment, that is.
Categories: Collecting the West , Photo Gallery
By: Frederick Nolan 07/01/2008
Me and Bobby McC
Back in 1986, while participating in an “archaeological dig” at the site of the McSween house in Lincoln, New Mexico, I first met Bob McCubbin. To my amazement—for I had just embarked upon a comprehensive study of the Lincoln County War—he produced the family photo album of Jimmy Dolan, a leading figure in that conflict. I was astonished—first, that the album existed, and second, because it was packed with original, unpublished photographs. When I asked Bob whether I might use some of them in my book, he agreed without hesitation. A short while later, a sort of unofficial collaboration began.
From then on, we corresponded regularly, me telling him about my findings (mostly, but not always, biographical) and he about his (mostly, but not always, photographic). The high point of our “collaboration” came in 1999 when he acquired (through me) the butcher knife Billy the Kid was carrying the night he was killed. Over the years, I’ve contributed one or two other treasures for his collection, including a thriller I wrote called Rat Run, which features a courageous, young, U.S. Navy lieutenant named—you guessed it—Bob McCubbin.
Today, the McCubbin collection houses first editions of virtually every book touching on outlaw-gunfighter history, together with a multitude of photographs, artifacts and documents unsurpassed by any private archive in the world. Many of these have appeared in the books of the many other writers he has as generously supported as he first supported me. I can’t recall how many road miles we’ve traveled together, but he’s a good man to ride the river with and I’m proud to call him my friend. I just wish he’d talk faster.
FN: How many books are in your collection?
RGM: Precisely 7,266, counting the one that came today. Every one of those books is there for a reason, because it complements the collection. The figure does not include the books in the garage, of course, as they are not a part of my collection.
Can you remember the first book you ever bought and how much it was?
The first book I bought on the subject I eventually collected was The Saga of Billy the Kid by Walter Noble Burns. It was a Grosset and Dunlap reprint that sold for $1.49. I still have it, or a copy exactly like it.
When did you begin seriously collecting outlaw-gunfighter books?
I began reading such books when I was 15 years old. From the beginning I wanted to own the book I read, and have it close by, rather than borrow from the library. I started searching for the books I found listed in the bibliographies of my books. I suppose I have a born collector’s instinct, as it wasn’t long before I wanted “first editions.” That is when I became a true collector. But it was not a specific decision; it just evolved.
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