Hard-to-find 1939 Tucson-printed booklet by pioneer historian Merrill Pingree Freeman, focusing on the early history of Tucson and the origin of the city’s name. Issued by Acme Printing Company, Tucson, Arizona, this slim pamphlet is a reprint of Freeman’s 1912 study and has become a standard reference in local-history bibliographies.

The booklet features blue paper wraps with black titling, a frontis illustration opposite the title page, and attractive desert-themed vignette drawings within the text. Inside, Freeman traces Spanish exploration, mission-era development, and the transformation of the “Old Pueblo,” providing firsthand early-20th-century perspective on Tucson’s past.

Your copy shows honest vintage wear but remains complete and very readable: light edge wear and small chips/roughness along the fore-edge of the wraps, a little soiling/spotting to the blue cover, and mild age-toning to pages. The interior pages appear clean, with no writing or underlining seen in the provided images, and the staple binding is holding securely.

This is an excellent piece for Tucson/Arizona collectors, local historians, genealogists, or anyone building a library of Southwestern Americana. Nicely suited for display in a study, office, or Arizona-themed collection, and a great companion to works on the Old Pueblo, Spanish missions, and regional place-name history.

Item specifics (bullet style with emojis):

  • 🏢 Publisher: Acme Printing Company, Tucson, Arizona

  • 📍 Place of publication: Tucson, AZ, USA

  • 📚 Format: Stapled softcover pamphlet / booklet in blue paper wraps

  • 📄 Pagination: Approx. 6 leaves (~12 pages), including illustrations

  • 🖼️ Illustrations: Frontispiece image plus interior desert/cactus vignette art

  • 🏜️ Subject: Tucson founding, Arizona local history, Southwestern United States

  • 🌐 Language: English

  • 📏 Approx. size: About 9.75 in (25 cm) tall (standard pamphlet format noted in catalog records)

  • 🧾 Edition: 1939 Tucson Acme reprint of Freeman’s 1912 study

  • 🧱 Binding condition: Staple binding intact; some wear and roughness to wrap edges/spine fold

  • 🎨 Cover details: Plain blue wraps with black letterpress title; mild spots/handling marks visible

  • 🧹 Interior condition: Pages generally clean; no writing/marking observed in listing photos

  • 🧭 Provenance/interest: Frequently cited in Tucson historical and preservation studies, and held in rare-book collections

    • Condition:
    Good vintage condition for age: complete and intact with moderate external wear (edge wear, small chips and light soiling to blue wraps, slight spine/fore-edge roughness) and clean, legible interior pages with normal age-toning.

    Additional details:
    Ships bagged and boarded in a rigid mailer for protection. All photos are of the actual item you will receive—no stock images.

    Seller’s note (standard): We describe vintage books and ephemera as accurately as possible, but minor color variation or small flaws may not be visible in photos. Please review all images and details before purchasing and feel free to ask if you need any additional information about this item.

    Keywords:
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