Books published by publisher Messner

When Mexico gained her independence from Spain in 1821, she extended an invitation to Americans to settle in her northern province of Texas. By 1830 with more than 20,000 Americans there, friction arose when the Mexicans attempted to halt further immigration, free the Negro slaves, and refuse self-government to the province. The Texans rebelled in 1836 and the Mexicans marched in and won a bloody victory at the Alamo. What happened after the Alamo when the United States declared war on Mexico is one of the most significant chapters in the story of the growth of the American nation. The author has captured the color, vitality and lusty frontier spirit which gave shape and sustenance to the men, the ideas and the deeds of that era and that war.

SUBJECT: "The first complete biography of the man who invented the Braille system of reading for the blind. In 1812 in France, Louis Braille was blinded at the age of 3. Through the devotion of his parents and kindness of friends, he was encouraged to become an accomplished organist and share the wealth of literature that was closed to the blind. With his father's help at cutting an alphabet from odds and ends of leather in his workshop, Louis experimented with a system of punched dots on stiff paper that enabled him to 'feel' word for word what he had written in code. But because of resistance to this revolutionary innovation, his method remained unrecognized until two years after his death."

First edition. The second of two children's books based on the famous cat mascot of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. The original image, which appears as the front pastedown and part of the cover art for this book plus the addition of two kittens, was derived from an etching by Viennese artist Guido Gruenwald. The image first appeared in an advertisement in the September 1933 issue of Fortune magazine with the slogan "Sleep Like a Kitten and Wake Up Fresh as a Daisy in Air-Conditioned Comfort". The advertisement caught on and many Chessie items became available, including this book. This story continues from Chessie. She lives with her boy and his family, she is all grown up and has two kittens of her own named Nip and Tuck. Naturally Chessie and the kitten have a railroad adventure! Pictorial endpapers and illustrations on nearly every page. Boards are very slightly soiled and faded with a spot on the rear lower edge. Previous owner's name on the free front endpaper. The endpapers are scuffed near the foredge. Text pages nice and bright. The dust jacket is worn with tattered edges, lower half of rear panel missing, worn through at front flap edge about halfway up from the bottom. not paginated. cloth with front pastedown, dust jacket. large 8vo.