Manuscript of John Hilton's book Hardly Any Fences: Baja California in 1933-1959 (1977), published as volume 38 of the Baja California Travel Series. Included are edited typescripts of individual chapters, some of which were omitted from the published version, correspondence, examples of illustrations and miscellaneous production materials. The collection is arranged in two series: 1) MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION MATERIALS and 2) TYPESCRIPTS.
John W. Hilton, Hardly Any Fences: Baja California in 1933-1959, Typescript, 1958 - 1979 (MSS 25)
Extent: 0.4 Linear feet (1 archives box)
John Hilton, desert painter and author, attended school and worked in the Los Angeles area until the Depression when he moved to the desert a few miles south of Indio. There he painted desert landscapes, wrote magazine articles and travelled extensively in Sonora, Mexico. In 1950, he moved to Twentynine Palms where he continued to paint and write, often teaching art to supplement his income.
Hilton's paintings soon gained popularity and he exhibited in the Grand Central Galleries in New York. During the 1950s he had seven one-man exhibits and his work is included in many public and private collections.
John Hilton lived occasionally in the fishing village of Bahia de los Angeles, Baja California Norte, before the advent of the paved highway, and wrote about its people and the nearby places he visited. Although his stays extended over a period from 1933 to 1959, his accounts were written between 1958 and 1959.
The collection contains the manuscript for John Hilton's book Hardly Any Fences: Baja California in 1933-1959 (1977) which was published by Dawson's Bookshop as volume 38 of their Baja California Travel Series. Included are original typescripts for individual chapters, many of which were omitted from the published version. Also included in the collection is correspondence regarding publication, some reproductions of Hilton's paintings used as illustrations in the book and miscellaneous production materials.
The collection is arranged in two series: 1) MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION MATERIALS and 2) TYPESCRIPTS.