Eugene Manlove Rhodes Room & Southwest Collection

The Eugene Manlove Rhodes room is named for the Western writer who loved the Tularosa Basin so intensely,Eugene Manlove Rhodes portrait he was able to write vivid prose about the region in a way that has inspired a generation. Rhodes' work continues to inspire writers today, particularly those working in the Western genre. Alamogordo and the surrounding area feature prominently in Rhodes' work.

The Eugene Manlove Rhodes Room houses the library's most treasured collections. The shelves are filled with local history books and papers, biographies of New Mexico's finest and most notorious citizens, and hundreds of volumes of celebrated New Mexico fiction.

For Scholars & Historians

  1. Rhodes Memorial Case collection bibliography (PDF)
Rhodes display case and pictures
1925 photograph of Rhodes, Turner, and Walters

Additional Rhodes Archives 

Michael McGarrity books on display in the library.Michael McGarrity Collection on Display

The Alamogordo Public Library is proud to display a permanent collection of Michael McGarrity’s books. The books and papers in the display were generously donated by Dr. David Townsend. Along with signed copies of all of McGarrity’s books, the display also features a unique typed manuscript of the first chapter of Hard Country. Mr. McGarrity read from this manuscript on a visit to the Alamogordo Public Library in October of 2011. He signed the manuscript and gifted it to Dr. Townsend, who donated it to the library in 2017.

McGarrity is one of New Mexico’s favorite authors. His books, modern police procedurals and family history novels, are mostly set in Southern New Mexico. The American West trilogy, Hard Country, Backlands, and Last Ranch, is a fictionalized history of the Tularosa Basin and the people who settled the region. The books are impeccably researched and feature some recognizable historical figures. Anyone who has lived in or visited Otero County will find the books’ settings enchanting and familiar.

All 17 of Michael McGarrity’s books are available for check out from the library. Titles are available in multiple formats including large print and audio. Ask the reference librarian to help you find the right title and format for you.