Clear Light Publishers First Editions — A Collector's Authority Guide

When I pull a softcover from an estate library shelf in Albuquerque and see an ISBN starting with 0-940666, I know immediately what I'm holding — a Clear Light Publishers title from Santa Fe. This small independent press, founded in 1988 by Harmon Houghton and photographer Marcia Keegan, built one of the most distinctive catalogs in Southwestern publishing: Native American cultural documentation written by Native authors, Tibetan Buddhist texts featuring the Dalai Lama, photographic surveys of Pueblo life, and children's books rooted in indigenous traditions. No other regional press attempted this particular combination of subjects, and no other press brought the same combination of photographic artistry and cultural access to the work. If you have Clear Light Publishers books or any other Southwestern and Native American volumes to donate or sell, NMLP accepts any condition and any quantity through my free Albuquerque-area pickup service.

Clear Light occupies a niche that no other New Mexico publisher fills. The University of New Mexico Press produces academic monographs. The Museum of New Mexico Press publishes exhibition catalogs tied to the state museum system. Sunstone Press covers broad Southwestern trade publishing. Clear Light carved out something different — a press dedicated to amplifying indigenous voices and elder wisdom, connecting Pueblo communities in New Mexico with Tibetan Buddhist traditions half a world away, and producing the kind of books that museum shops in Santa Fe and Albuquerque kept on their shelves for years. Understanding that mission is essential to understanding what makes Clear Light titles collectible and how to identify them.

Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred

Press History: Desktop Publishing and Indigenous Voices

Founding in 1988: Houghton and Keegan

Clear Light Publishers was founded in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1988 by Harmon Houghton and Marcia Keegan. The timing was significant — the press emerged at the beginning of the desktop publishing revolution, when new technology made it possible for small publishers to produce books with production values that had previously required large-press resources. Houghton served as president and handled the business operations, while Keegan brought decades of photographic experience and, more importantly, relationships with Native American communities that no other publisher could replicate.

Keegan had been photographing throughout all nineteen New Mexico Pueblos and across Navajo country for more than two decades before founding the press. Her work had appeared in the Albuquerque Tribune and Albuquerque Journal, and her photographs were already in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe. She remains the only photographer who has been permitted to take pictures in all nineteen New Mexico Pueblos — a distinction that reflects decades of trust-building with Pueblo communities. That access shaped the press's catalog from its earliest days. Clear Light could publish photographic books about Pueblo life that no other press could produce, because no other press had a co-founder with Keegan's relationships and reputation among Pueblo peoples.

The Editorial Mission

The press described its own mission as publishing books that chronicle the legacy of the human spirit and the wisdom of the elders. That language was not marketing copy — it was a genuine editorial framework that shaped every acquisition decision. Clear Light published Native American authors writing about their own cultures, Tibetan authors and the Dalai Lama writing about Buddhist traditions, and Western authors who had been inspired by indigenous peoples and their wisdom traditions. The common thread was not geography or genre but a commitment to preserving and transmitting elder knowledge in permanent, well-produced book form.

This mission gave the catalog a coherence that distinguishes it from other small Southwestern presses. A collector who understands Clear Light's editorial framework can predict what the press would and would not publish. Political works on sovereignty and self-determination fit the mission. Commercial Southwestern fiction did not. Photographic documentation of Pueblo ceremonial life fit. Generic Santa Fe travel guides did not. That selectivity is part of what makes the catalog collectible — every title reflects a deliberate editorial choice grounded in the founders' relationships with indigenous communities.

The 2012 Bankruptcy and After

In October 2012, Houghton and Keegan filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy for Clear Light Publishing. The filing marked the end of the press's most productive era, though the company has continued to operate in some capacity, maintaining a website and catalog of titles available for purchase. The press's backlist remains in circulation through online retailers and regional bookstores throughout the Southwest.

For collectors, the 2012 filing is a meaningful inflection point. Pre-bankruptcy titles — particularly first editions from the press's most productive decades of the 1990s and early 2000s — represent the period when Houghton and Keegan were actively acquiring, editing, and producing new titles with the full force of their editorial vision and community relationships. As the institutional memory of the press's original operations fades, these earlier titles become more difficult to source and more valuable as artifacts of a particular moment in Southwestern publishing.

Subject Areas in Depth

Native American Cultural Documentation

The core of the Clear Light catalog is Native American cultural documentation, with particular depth in Pueblo and Navajo subjects. What distinguishes the press's approach is that many of its most important titles were written by Native authors — not outside anthropologists or journalists, but Pueblo historians, Haudenosaunee leaders, and Native scholars writing about their own communities and traditions. This editorial decision was deliberate and gives the catalog a perspective that academic presses of the same era often lacked.

Joe S. Sando's Pueblo Nations: Eight Centuries of Pueblo Indian History, published in 1992, is the press's most significant contribution to this area. Sando, a Jemez Pueblo historian who served as Director of Archives at the Pueblo Indian Cultural Center in Albuquerque, wrote the first comprehensive history of the Pueblo peoples from a Pueblo perspective. The book covers eight centuries of history across all the Pueblo communities, with a foreword by Regis Pecos. Sando also published Pueblo Recollections through Clear Light, documenting his own life as a bridge between traditional Pueblo culture and the modern world. These titles are essential references for anyone collecting in the Pueblo pottery or broader Native American literature areas.

Oren Lyons, the Onondaga Faithkeeper and renowned advocate for indigenous rights, published through Clear Light. John Mohawk, the Seneca scholar and activist, also appeared in the catalog. These Haudenosaunee voices alongside the Pueblo material gave the press a pan-Indian scope unusual for a small Santa Fe publisher.

Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama

The second major pillar of the Clear Light catalog is Tibetan Buddhism. The press published multiple titles featuring the Dalai Lama, most notably Ocean of Wisdom: Guidelines for Living (1989), which pairs the Dalai Lama's words with Marcia Keegan's photographs of Tibet and includes a foreword by Richard Gere. Ancient Wisdom, Living Tradition: The Spirit of Tibet in the Himalayas, also featuring Keegan's photography, documents Tibetan culture and Buddhist practice in the Himalayan region.

Glenn H. Mullin, the Tibetologist and translator, published The Fourteen Dalai Lamas and The Female Buddhas through Clear Light. Huston Smith, the eminent scholar of world religions, co-edited One Nation Under God: The Triumph of the Native American Church (1996) with Reuben Snake — a title that sits at the intersection of the press's Native American and spirituality publishing lanes. The connection between Native American wisdom traditions and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy was not accidental but reflected the founders' conviction that indigenous wisdom traditions worldwide share common ground.

Southwest Photography

Marcia Keegan's own photographic work forms a substantial portion of the catalog. Pueblo People: Ancient Traditions, Modern Lives (1999) takes readers inside each of the nineteen New Mexico Pueblos and documents traditional Southwestern Indian lives, culture, and landscapes. The book includes contributions from Regis Pecos and Joe S. Sando. Taos Pueblo and Its Sacred Blue Lake documents the celebration in 1971 when the sacred Blue Lake was returned to Taos Pueblo after a sixty-year struggle with the federal government. Enduring Culture (1991) surveys Keegan's decades of documentary work across the Pueblos. Mother Earth, Father Sky (1974), originally published before Clear Light's founding, was brought into the press's catalog and remains one of Keegan's most recognized photographic collections.

These photography titles occupy a distinctive collecting niche. They are not art photography in the gallery sense — they are documentary photography produced with the cooperation and permission of the communities depicted. That collaborative relationship between photographer and subject gives them an authority that staged or unauthorized photographs of Pueblo life cannot claim. For collectors interested in photographing New Mexico, the Keegan titles represent a particular tradition of respectful, community-sanctioned documentary work.

Children's Books with Native American Themes

Clear Light published a notable line of children's books rooted in Native American traditions. N. Scott Momaday's Circle of Wonder: A Native American Christmas Story (1994) is the most prominent title in this area — Momaday, the Kiowa Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote a story that weaves Pueblo Christmas Eve traditions with themes of wonder and spiritual connection. Emory Sekaquaptewa, the Hopi scholar and linguist at the University of Arizona, published Coyote and the Winnowing Birds (1994) and Coyote and Little Turtle through Clear Light, presenting traditional Hopi tales in formats accessible to young readers while maintaining cultural authenticity.

These children's titles are collected both as first editions in their own right and as part of the broader New Mexico children's literature collecting area. The Momaday title carries particular interest because it connects one of the most important Native American literary figures with Clear Light's community-centered publishing model.

Spirituality, Healing, and Political Sovereignty

The press published across a range of spirituality and political subjects that extended its core mission. Vine Deloria Jr., the Standing Rock Sioux scholar whose Custer Died for Your Sins transformed Native American intellectual discourse, published Singing for a Spirit through Clear Light in 1999. The catalog includes titles on Native American sovereignty, self-determination, environmental stewardship, and the intersection of traditional knowledge with contemporary political advocacy. Southwest cookbooks and folklore collections round out the catalog's breadth, though these ancillary titles are less central to the press's collecting identity than the core Native American and Tibetan material.

First Edition Identification

The ISBN Prefixes: 978-0-940666 and 978-1-57416

The most reliable way to confirm a Clear Light Publishers title is the ISBN prefix. The press uses two prefixes: 978-0-940666 (or the older ten-digit form, 0-940666), which was the original prefix used from the press's founding, and 978-1-57416 (or 1-57416), which was adopted as the catalog expanded in the late 1990s. When I'm examining a book from an estate library and the dust jacket is missing or the title page doesn't clearly state the publisher, the ISBN is decisive. These prefixes distinguish Clear Light from other Santa Fe publishers — Sunstone Press (978-0-86534), Museum of New Mexico Press (978-0-89013), and the University of New Mexico Press (978-0-8263).

Copyright Page Conventions

Clear Light Publishers follows standard small-press copyright page conventions for first edition identification. The press does not consistently use an explicit "First Edition" statement. Instead, identification relies on the absence of reprint language and, when present, the number line.

The Small-Press Advantage

Because Clear Light is a small independent press, print runs were modest by industry standards. Many titles in the catalog received only a single printing. When a book sold through its initial run and demand did not justify a reprint, the title simply went out of print. This dynamic means that a significant portion of the Clear Light catalog exists only in first edition, first printing — there is no second printing to distinguish from. For collectors, this simplifies identification considerably. If the copyright page shows no reprint language and the ISBN matches a Clear Light prefix, you are almost certainly holding the only printing that was ever produced.

The exceptions are the press's most successful titles — Sando's Pueblo Nations, Keegan's major photography books, and the Dalai Lama titles — which sold well enough to warrant additional printings. For these titles, careful attention to the copyright page conventions described above is necessary. Sando's Pueblo Nations exists in both hardcover (ISBN 0-940666-07-3) and a later trade paperback edition (ISBN 0-940666-17-0), and collectors should note that these carry different ISBNs — the hardcover first edition is the more collected format.

Physical Production Details

Clear Light books vary in production quality depending on the era and the nature of the title. The photography books — particularly Keegan's large-format volumes — feature high-quality paper stock with full-color reproductions. The press invested in color reproduction for the photographic titles because the photographs were central to the editorial mission. Text-heavy titles like Sando's histories and the spirituality books are typically produced in standard trade formats with text-weight paper and perfect binding or, in hardcover editions, case binding with dust jackets.

Children's titles tend to be in larger formats with heavier paper stock appropriate for young readers. The Tibetan titles sometimes feature distinctive cover designs incorporating Buddhist imagery and Himalayan color palettes that make them immediately recognizable on a shelf. Across the catalog, Clear Light's production values were solid if not luxurious — appropriate for a small press that invested its resources in editorial content and community relationships rather than in the kind of museum-quality production that characterizes Museum of New Mexico Press titles.

Most Collected Titles by Tier

Top Tier: Highest Collector Demand

The top tier of Clear Light collectibility belongs to a small group of titles that combine scholarly significance, cultural importance, and limited availability. Joe S. Sando's Pueblo Nations: Eight Centuries of Pueblo Indian History (1992) in first edition hardcover with dust jacket leads this tier — it remains the definitive Pueblo history written from a Pueblo perspective, and first printings in fine condition are increasingly scarce. Signed copies of any Sando title command particular attention because Sando, who passed away in 2011, signed selectively.

The Dalai Lama titles occupy this tier as well. Ocean of Wisdom (1989), with its combination of the Dalai Lama's teachings, Marcia Keegan's Tibet photographs, and a Richard Gere foreword, has crossover appeal to Dalai Lama collectors, photography collectors, and Southwestern publishing specialists. N. Scott Momaday's Circle of Wonder (1994) attracts Momaday completists who seek every title by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author regardless of publisher. Signed copies of Marcia Keegan's major photography books — particularly Pueblo People and Taos Pueblo and Its Sacred Blue Lake — belong here when in fine condition with dust jackets intact.

Mid Tier: Consistent Secondary-Market Interest

The mid tier includes the press's strong reference works and subject-specific titles that serve collectors within particular areas. Vine Deloria Jr.'s Singing for a Spirit (1999) carries interest among Deloria collectors and scholars of Native American intellectual history. Huston Smith and Reuben Snake's One Nation Under God: The Triumph of the Native American Church (1996) appeals to collectors of Native American religious and legal history. Glenn H. Mullin's Tibetan titles — The Fourteen Dalai Lamas and The Female Buddhas — serve the Tibetan studies collecting area.

Marcia Keegan's secondary photography titles, the Sekaquaptewa children's books, and the press's folklore and cookbook titles occupy this tier. First editions are available on the secondary market with some patience, and condition expectations are moderate. The Navajo weaving and Pueblo pottery subject areas overlap with Clear Light titles that address material culture alongside broader cultural documentation.

Entry Tier: Accessible and Broadly Available

The entry tier includes the press's more recent titles, paperback editions of titles originally issued in hardcover, and the ancillary cookbook, environmental, and general spirituality titles that broadened the catalog beyond its core mission. These titles are readily available through online booksellers and regional used-book shops throughout the Southwest. Condition expectations are high at this tier because many copies saw limited use. For collectors building a comprehensive Clear Light shelf, the entry tier offers affordable access to the press's range, and any title in this tier could appreciate as the press's output becomes better understood and more systematically collected.

Condition and Grading Considerations

Clear Light Publishers titles present specific condition challenges that differ from both major trade publishers and institutional presses.

Dust jacket survival. Many Clear Light hardcovers were sold through museum shops and specialty bookstores where they sat on display shelves for extended periods. Dust jackets on these copies may show fading along the spine from sustained light exposure — a common condition in the high-altitude, sun-intense retail environments of Santa Fe and Albuquerque museum shops. Jackets that survived in private collections without prolonged shelf display are more desirable.

Photography book handling. The Keegan photography volumes were frequently handled as reference and display books. Check for fingerprints on coated plates, stress marks along the spine from repeated opening to favorite images, and edge wear consistent with coffee-table use. A Keegan photography book in genuinely fine condition — one that was purchased and shelved without being used as a display piece — is uncommon.

Perfect binding concerns. Many Clear Light paperbacks and some hardcovers use perfect binding (adhesive binding rather than sewn signatures). Perfect-bound books from the late 1980s and 1990s can develop spine cracking and page loosening as the adhesive ages, particularly in the dry climate of the Southwest. Check the binding carefully on any Clear Light paperback that is more than twenty years old. Copies with intact, tight perfect binding are more valuable than copies with cracked or loosening spines.

Inscriptions and provenance. Because many Clear Light titles were sold at author events in Santa Fe gallery and museum settings, inscribed copies surface regularly. Author signatures and brief inscriptions generally add value, particularly for Sando, Momaday, and Keegan titles. Lengthy personal inscriptions that fill the half-title page reduce the book's appeal to subsequent collectors. Museum-shop price stickers on dust jackets are common and can usually be removed without damage, though residue may remain.

The Collecting Market: Where to Find Clear Light Titles

Regional distribution channels. Clear Light's primary retail channels were Santa Fe museum shops, galleries along Canyon Road, the Wheelwright Museum shop, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, and independent bookstores throughout the Southwest. These venues stocked Clear Light titles alongside Museum of New Mexico Press and University of New Mexico Press books, and estate libraries from collectors who frequented these shops often contain all three publishers' titles. When I pick up a collection from a Santa Fe or Albuquerque estate, I expect to find Clear Light titles mixed in with the institutional press material.

Estate libraries. The richest source of Clear Light first editions is estate libraries from collectors, scholars, and residents of northern New Mexico who accumulated Southwestern and Native American material over decades. These collections sometimes contain signed copies acquired at Santa Fe readings and gallery events. The authentication methodology I use for evaluating estate collections applies fully to Clear Light titles — examining the copyright page for edition points, checking the ISBN prefix, assessing condition, and noting any signatures or inscriptions.

Online secondary market. Clear Light titles are well-represented on the major online used-book platforms. Because the press's catalog is relatively small and well-defined, collectors can systematically search both ISBN prefixes to identify available inventory. The collector's glossary on this site defines the condition terms and grading conventions used in online listings.

Cross-collecting potential. Clear Light titles intersect with multiple collecting areas covered elsewhere on this site. The Pueblo material connects to pottery collecting and Pueblo ceremonial documentation. The Navajo material connects to weaving and textile collecting. The photography titles connect to the broader photographing New Mexico area. And the children's titles connect to New Mexico children's literature. A collector working in any of these areas will encounter Clear Light titles and should understand the press's conventions.