(2) Ut Press Texas Photography Books, 1 Signed 'The Face Of Texas'

Lot description

(lot of 2) Coffee table books: Texas photography subjects, both first editions, published by University of Texas Press, including: (1) "The Face of Texas," with photographs by Michael O'Brien and text by Elizabeth O'Brien, signed with sentiment by the photographer and the author at front title page, 2014, 147 pages, approx 10 1/8"h, 10 1/8"w, 0.5"d; (1) "Bid Bend: Pictures," with photographs by James H. Evans, foreword by Robert Draper, from the Bill and Alice Wright Photography Series, 2003, 102 pages; approx 12.25"h, 12.25"w, 1"d; 6.5lbs total Provenance: From the estate of Connie Todd (Constance Clare Todd, Austin, Texas, 1941-2024). For many years, Connie Todd was the personal assistant to prominent Austin-based book publisher, photographer, and author Bill Wittliff (William Dale Wittliff, American, active in Austin, Texas, 1940-2019). Bill Wittliff wrote celebrated screenplays such as "Lonesome Dove" (1982), "Legends of the Fall" (1994), and "Barbarosa" (2000), and founded the regionally-oriented publishing company, Encino Press, with his wife Sally in 1963. Connie Todd later served as the founding director of the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University from 1997-2010, transforming it into an internationally-acclaimed collection through noteworthy acquisitions such as the Cormac McCarthy archive. After retiring from Texas State, Connie Todd spent time traveling the world with friends and family.