The Oak's Long Shadow: A Story of the Basque Sheepherders in Idaho 1952 Olive Burt ~ First Edition ~ Illustrations by Frederick T. Chapman

Title: The Oak's Long Shadow: A Story of the Basque Sheepherders in Idaho
Author: Olive Burt / Illustrations by Frederick T. Chapman
Publication: Philadelphia | Toronto: The John C. Winston Company, 1952

Description: Stated First Edition. Brown cloth boards stamped in black on spine and front cover. Woodgrain ''Land of the Free'' endpapers. Previous owner's name rubber-stamped on half title page, else interior is clean and crisp. Illustrations at the head of each chapter. Dust jacket is chipped at spine ends and corners; price clipped with new price written in pen on front flap; in an archival mylar sleeve. 240 pages.

From the front flap: "This is the rousing tale of Pascual, a young Basque lad who fled the tyranny of Europe to breathe the free air of America. But he left the strife of his homeland high in the French Pyrenees only to find a storm of Indian treachery ready to break over the sheep-grazing land of his adopted state, Idaho. A series of raids on Pascual's flock pointed too clearly to Indian thievery. How he set out to solve the riddle despite threats of his harsh foreman, how he coped with ruthless cowboys, bitter rivals of the sheepherders, spice this tale with danger and suspense.

Rich with details of the colorful Basque tradition, crammed with fast-moving action, this yarn is a tribute to the proud and independent people who brought with them to the Land of the Free their ancient knowledge of sheep and wool to make it an important facet of American industry."

Olive Woolley Burt (1894-1981) was a prolific author, novelist, journalist, and teacher, also known as a folklorist for her collection of murder ballads. Her research for The Oak's Long Shadow included several trips to Boise, the Basque capital of the United States, and correspondence with Basques all over the Rocky Mountain West.

Frederick Trench Chapman (1887-1983) illustrated prolifically for periodicals in the early and mid-20th century, and illustrated dozens of books between the 1940s and 1960s.

Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Jacket Condition: Very Good

Keywords: fiction, novel, young adult,