The purpose of the 2nd edition was to meet the need for a 2nd printing, since only a few of the 1st edition remained unsold; and to add important new information on the final years and death of Joseph Foucart, pioneer Guthrie architect. Three new pages and several new pictures were added to the chapter on Foucart.
Difference in the two editions is described inside the front cover of the 2nd edition, along with more on how and why the 2nd edition came about and credits to Don Odom and Dorothy Mann for the new breakthrough on Foucart research.
The 2nd edition includes everything that was in the original one plus the new information and pictures.
Birth of Guthrie, 2nd edition, is a 364 page complete and fully documented history of Oklahoma's Run of 1889 and life in early Guthrie. Its pictorial cover and glossy pages lend it also to use as a coffee table type book; with its 180 photographs, including 88 Then and Now photos. The focus of the book is as stated in the title and sub-title. The table of contents gives a clear survey of various special features, as well as content.
The book is well-documented with footnotes and bibliography; and is researched from nearly all available sources from 1889 to the present, including both primary and secondary sources. It is factually accurate, written from a variety of perspectives, and offers a large number of pictures, maps, and special features. It also gives follow-up through the 20th century on many places and events in the earlier period.
In the Introduction the author notes "Stories of 1889 have been told and heard many times. The intent here is t0 sort them out; add to them a great many new stories, personal accounts, maps, and pictures; clarify who did what when; and give it all a new perspective."
Birth of Guthrie gives both specifics and a good overview; thus it serves as a source book with easily accessed details needed for understanding, and at the same time tells a story. Response to it has been very favorable. The book is written to appeal to both those already knowledgeable of Guthrie and those learning of it for the first time. It should be enjoyed by both.
