Synopsis
Ambitious and only twenty-four years old, Arthur Manby arrived from England to the Territory of New Mexico in 1883 and saw in its wilderness an empire that he believed himself destined to rule. For his kingdom, he chose a vast Spanish land grant near Taos, a wild 100,000 acres whose title was beyond question. Obsessed, he poured more than twenty years into his dream of glory, and schemed, stole, lied, cajoled, begged, and bribed to take the vast grant from its rightful owners. With great mastery, Waters draws us into this obsession, and the intense drama of these years is at once psychological and historical. In May 1913, Manby came at last to possess the grant, but within three years it had slipped again from his grasp.
The story does not end there, and perhaps only Frank Waters could have portrayed the strange disintegration of Manby's personality as he aged, his frantic but ingenious efforts to regain "his" land. Among these was the creation of a secret society which terrorized whole towns and villages, becoming so powerful that even Manby no longer knew all its members and workings. At the same time he turned deeper inward, locked and bolted his gates against the outside world which hated and feared him more than ever. On July 3, 1929, a swollen, headless body was discovered in Manby's Taos home. Some said it was murder; others swore the body was not Manby's; still others reported seeing him alive afterward. The story blazed into national headlines and an official inquiry followed. Step by step, Waters takes us into the web of strange clues, evidence, more murders and complications―an investigation which the New Mexican government inexplicably called to a halt. The case remains one of the West's greatest unsolved mysteries.
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About the Author
Frank Waters (1902–1995), one of the finest chroniclers of the American Southwest, wrote twenty-eight works of fiction and nonfiction.
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To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby
Seller: Don's Book Store, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 287 pages indexed. Book has a square, tight binding and white pages. Ambitious and only twenty-four years old, Arthur Manby arrived from England to the Territory of New Mexico in 1883 and saw in its wilderness an empire that he believed himself destined to rule. For his kingdom, he chose a vast Spanish land grant near Taos, a wild 100,000 acres whose title was beyond question. Obsessed, he poured more than twenty years into his dream of glory, and schemed, stole, lied, cajoled, begged, and bribed to take the vast grant from its rightful owners. With great mastery, Waters draws us into this obsession, and the intense drama of these years is at once psychological and historical. In May 1913, Manby came at last to possess the grant, but within three years it had slipped again from his grasp. The story does not end there, and perhaps only Frank Waters could have portrayed the strange disintegration of Manby's personality as he aged, his frantic but ingenious efforts to regain "his" land. Among these was the creation of a secret society which terrorized whole towns and villages, becoming so powerful that even Manby no longer knew all its members and workings. At the same time he turned deeper inward, locked and bolted his gates against the outside world which hated and feared him more than ever. On July 3, 1929, a swollen, headless body was discovered in Manby's Taos home. Some said it was murder; others swore the body was not Manby's; still others reported seeing him alive afterward. The story blazed into national headlines and an official inquiry followed. Step by step, Waters takes us into the web of strange clues, evidence, more murders and complications?an investigation which the New Mexican government inexplicably called to a halt. The case remains one of the West's greatest unsolved mysteries. Seller Inventory # 024291
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To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby
Seller: HPB-Diamond, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_465202622
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To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby
Seller: Coas Books, Las Cruces, NM, U.S.A.
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Condition: acceptable. Cover is worn. Pages are sunned. Item has staining and water damage. Paperback. Seller Inventory # COBV.0804009805.A
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To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
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Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0804009805I3N00
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To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
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Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0804009805I5N00
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To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby
Seller: -OnTimeBooks-, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
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Condition: very_good. Gently read. May have name of previous ownership, or ex-library edition. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth, with no creasing; covers clean and crisp. Minimal signs of handling or shelving. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships USPS Media Mail. Seller Inventory # OTV.0804009805.VG
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To Possess the Land: A Biography of Arthur Rochford Manby
Published by
Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, Athens, OH, 1993
ISBN 10: 0804009805
ISBN 13: 9780804009805
Used
Soft cover
First Edition
Seller: Books by White/Walnut Valley Books, Winfield, KS, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, Athens, OH. 1993. Softcover/Trade Wraps. First Printing by Line Number. Book is tight, square, and unmarked but for F/O name on the FFFP. Book Condition: Very Good+; light bumping to front tip area; scant edge wear. No DJ. Pictorial card stock wraps. Wraps are not bent or folded; spine is not creased or split; text is secure in binding. Maps as endpapers. 287 pp 8vo. This book is about one of the West's greatest unsolved mysteries. Arthur Manby came from England to NM in 1883 and set his sights of empire on a Spanish land grant near Taos which through scheming, bribing, and stealing managed to acquire in 1913. As Manby disintegrated in to mental illness, he formed a secret society to help reacquire "his" land through terrorizing nearby towns and villages. His illness forced him to turn inward and he barricaded his home from the outside world only to apparently be killed in it in 1929. The identity of the headless body is in question as is the what really happened to Manby. It remains unsolved and the NM authorities will not reopen the case. A clean very presentable copy. Seller Inventory # 012439
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To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby
Seller: Sparrow Reads, Edgewood, NM, U.S.A.
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Soft cover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 002766
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To Possess The Land: A Biography of Arthur Rochford Manby
Seller: Boot Hill Books, Sierra Vista, AZ, U.S.A.
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Paperback. Condition: NEW IN WRAP. Book may have light wear and tear due to storage and age. May have old price on inside cover. May be price clipped. Spine is intact, in good condition, clean. Pages are intact, in good condition, clean. No other marks or writing noted unless specified. None of the defects detract from the readability! From a non-smoking environment. Seller Inventory # 276454659
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To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby
Published by
Ohio University Press, 1993
ISBN 10: 0804009805
ISBN 13: 9780804009805
Used
Paperback / softback
Seller: THE SAINT BOOKSTORE, Southport, United Kingdom
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Paperback / softback. Condition: Good. Used copy in good condition - Usually dispatched within 3 working days. Seller Inventory # D9780804009805
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