www.RRAuction.com
FEBRUARY 18, 2016
The collection of Everett Fisher, consisting of the finest presidential material we have ever had the privilege of offering. Included are dozens of autograph letters signed as president—most with historically significant content—as well as rare signed photos and documents. Most of these autographs have been off the market for decades and are sure to disappear into private hands once again.
1976
Literary Rarities Bidding begins February 11, 2016 Bidding closes February 18, 2016 Bid online: www.RRAuction.com | Bid by phone: (603) 732-4280
Contributors Bob Eaton CEO, Acquisitions bob.eaton@rrauction.com
Ernesto Gonzalez Inventory Executive shipping@rrauction.com
Carla Eaton Owner, Auctioneer carla.eaton@rrauction.com
Erika Rosenfeld Managing Editor erika.rosenfeld@rrauction.com
Bobby Livingston Executive Vice President, Public Relations bobby.livingston@rrauction.com
Tricia Eaton Specialty Editor, Handwriting Expert tricia.eaton@rrauction.com
Bobby Eaton Vice President of Operations Auctioneer, MA/Lic. #3214 bobby.eaton@rrauction.com
Bill White Handwriting Expert bill.white@rrauction.com
Mandy Eaton-Casey Finance Manager amanda.casey@rrauction.com Elizebeth Otto Consignment Director elizebeth.otto@rrauction.com Jon Siefken Consignment Director jon.siefken@RRAuction.com Kelly Daniell Consignment Director kelly.daniell@rrauction.com Linda Hernandez Quality Control, Consignor Services Manager linda.hernandez@rrauction.com Joe Doucette Lead Inventory Executive joe.doucette@rrauction.com
Dan McCarthy Writer, Researcher dan.mccarthy@rrauction.com Evan Mugford Writer evan.mugford@rrauction.com Sue Recks Customer Service Executive sue.recks@rrauction.com Sarina Carlo Creative Director sarina.carlo@rrauction.com Cameron Johnson Photographer, Media Specialist cameron.johnson@rrauction.com
Robert S. Eaton Sr. 1940–2001
Contents 02 Literature & Fiction 58 Spy Fiction & Mysteries 67 Mario Puzo Archive 70 Poetry 88 Drama 93 Children’s Literature 97 Conditions of Sale 102 Glossary of Condition Terms
Literature & Fiction To his Parisian publisher on “the fourth and fifth canto of the Henriade”
4001 Voltaire Estimate $6,000-8,000
ALS in English, signed “Volt,” one page, 5.25 x 7.25, no date but circa early 1740s. Letter to Prault, a printer and bookseller. In full: “I have receiv’d madam a parcel of sheets taken from the fourth and fifth canto of the Henriade. You and yr husband have both thought the little marqs signified some new alterations, made in these places, and lost by negligence and oversight. No. These little marques were only memorandum for me. I designed to alter these passages but upon better thoughts I wav’d it, therefore go on without any scruple. I wish that work would be left unworthy of the trouble you take.” Apparently affixed to a slightly larger sheet and displayed within a rotating wooden frame with an engraved portrait on the opposite side to an overall size of 10 x 12. In fine condition. Inspired by Virgil Aeneid and first published in 1723, La Henriade was one of Voltaire’s two epic poems. It follows Henry IV of Navarre on his personal journey to take back the French throne, thereby achieving his destiny. Written in ten cantos, the first half of the work maintains historical accuracy while the second half transitions into a more imaginary tale—the fourth and fifth cantos mentioned in this letter represent this turning point in plot and style. Voltaire intended La Henriade to be his masterpiece, but despite enjoying commercial success—it was reprinted several times throughout his life—it met with lukewarm reception by critics. The Prault edition was published in 1746 and featured a new preface written by Jean Francois Marmontel as well as notes on the text. Related to the editing and publication of what Voltaire considered his magnum opus, this is a significant letter of the utmost desirability.
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4002 Victor Hugo Estimate $1,000-1,500 Desirable 4.25 x 5.75 cabinet photo of Hugo sitting in a chair, his right hand within his vest, the left resting on his head in a wonderfully contemplative pose, signed and inscribed in the lower border in black ink, “A Mademoiselle, Victor Hugo.” Published by Ad. Braun & Cie of Alsace. Bears an ink notation on the reverse. In very good condition, with slight surface loss from a partially removed inscription; the signature and photo remain crisp and clear.
The 20-year-old Hugo intercedes for a bookselling friend 4003 Victor Hugo Estimate $3,500-4,000 Very early ALS in French, signed “Victor M. Hugo,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, October 16, 1822. Letter to a French official. In part (translated): “Mr. Lebarbier, bookseller in Blois, not licensed, was recently deprived as several others of the right to continue his business, he is a former serviceman, decorated, a good mind, wife and family and backed by very respectable referrals. The good man is ruined if his license cannot be granted to him. He came to me, imagining that I had credit, and I, I am turning to you, sir, hoping that you have some credit for a man who deserves your interest in so many regards. Please, sir, be so kind to let me know if I should send Mr. Lebarbier to you and believe in my sincere affection, esteem and high regard.” Professionally inlaid into a slightly larger sheet. In fine condition. Though he was only twenty years old at the time of this letter, Hugo was already recognized as an up-and-coming writer. He had won the highest prize at the 1818 Academy of the Floral Games, one of the most esteemed literary institutions in France, and King Louis XVIII was a vocal admirer of his work. In this letter, Hugo references a policy that had been instituted by Napoleon requiring any would-be bookseller to obtain an official license and swear loyalty to the regime, in an effort to suppress the printing and distribution of rebellious material. Various incarnations of these censorship programs remained in place until 1881, and would affect the publication of several of Hugo’s later works. At this time, however, he was a friend of the regime and hoped his growing reputation could earn the bookseller Lebarbier one of these sought-after licenses. In addition to its fantastic book-related content, letters by Hugo from such an early date are extremely scarce.
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“An outrageous war is brewing. This war is not a war of liberty, nor a war of duty, it is a war of caprice” 4004 Victor Hugo Estimate $2,000-3,000 LS in French, one page, 8.5 x 13.5, July 22, 1870. Hugo’s open letter entitled “To the Women of Guernsey,” written from his home at Hauteville House on the eve of the Franco-Prussian War. In part (translated): “It has pleased to a few men to sentence to death part of mankind, and an outrageous war is brewing. This war is not a war of liberty, nor a war of duty, it is a war of caprice. Two nations are going to kill each other for two prince’s pleasure. While thinkers perfect civilization, kings perfect war. This one will be atrocious. Chef-d’oeuvre is announced. A rifle kills twelve men, a canon will kill a thousand. What will flow in the Rhine, it is not pure and free water from the great Alps, anymore, it is blood of men. Mesdames, some mothers, sisters, daughters, women, are going to cry. You are all going to be in mourning, the ones here because of their misfortune, the ones there because of the misfortune of others. Mesdames, what carnage! What shock for all these unfortunate combatants!...Men do evil, you women, do the remedy; and since there are bad angels on this earth, be the good ones. If you want, and you will want, a little time we can have a considerable quantity of shredded linen…We will make two equal parts; and we will send one to France and one to Prussia.” In very good condition, with repaired partial separations to intersecting folds. Hugo had been living in Guernsey since 1855 when he was declared a traitor and exiled by Napoleon III. This became one of his most productive periods, and he released Les Miserables to great success in 1862. This open letter to the women of Guernsey, written three days after the Franco-Prussian War commenced, was published in many French newspapers. His humanist sentiments again caused some to brand him a traitor. Although Napoleon III was his political nemesis, Hugo was an ardent champion of French Republicanism and cherished his home nation. He did benefit, however, when Napoleon III was captured by the Prussians at the beginning of September 1870. With the emperor deposed and the French Third Republic established, Hugo made his triumphant return to Paris.
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Rare Balzac letter from the collection of William Randolph Hearst 4005 Honore de Balzac Estimate $5,000-6,000 ALS in French, signed “de Balzac,” one page, 3.5 x 4.5, September 12, no year but likely circa 1832. Letter to Jules Mabit, written from Aix-les-Bains. In full (translated): “Sir, please do me the honor to deliver a response to the person you chose as editor in charge, the contents of which should not be associated with me, and please accept my thanks for the things that you kindly think of me.” Double-matted and framed with a portrait of Balzac to an overall size of 15.5 x 13. In fine condition. According to records this letter was once sold in a 1922 auction held by New York’s Anderson Galleries and, was also previously held in the collection of William Randolph Hearst. Balzac went to Aix in late August 1832 upon the invitation of Madame de Castries, a one-time ‘secret admirer’ and the subject of his unrequited love. During the month he was there he continued to work at his typical furious pace and frequently wrote home to his mother in Paris, who was handling most of his business affairs. At this time Balzac was engaged with multiple publishers and contributed to several magazines; although this meant working with many different editors, he generally demanded that he have final control of his work. Concerning one of these myriad publishing endeavors, this is a wonderful letter by the prolific French author.
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Defending The Count of Monte Cristo 4006 Alexandre Dumas, pere Estimate $2,000-3,000 ALS in French, signed “Dumas,” six pages, 8.25 x 10.5, no date but circa 1861–1864. A ‘letter to the editor’ intended for publication in La Lombardia, a newspaper that had printed anonymous accusations of plagiarism against Dumas inspired by the critic Francesco de Sanctis. The first page is headed “La Correspondance de La Lombardia,” and introduces the forthcoming letter, with Dumas first describing on his own newspaper, L’Independant, as “an unusual newspaper that takes more pleasure in printing articles that attack it rather than those that praise it.” He continues, in part (translated): “Would you have believed, dear readers, that there was so much rancor in ex Minister of Public Instruction Mr. de Sanctis’s heart that he can’t forgive us for having pointed out one of his mistakes. Had we known the subject would cause him so much pain, we wouldn’t have mentioned it at all. [He] doesn’t bother to defend himself but gets a friend to do it. We invite Mr. De Sanctis to read La Fontaine’s fable Les amis maladroits [The Clumsy Friends]. De Sanctis’ friend is anonymous of course. And the friend discovers that it’s not me (everybody knows and talks about that)—it’s not me—but Mr. Pierangelo Fiorentino who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo.
the world in every country and published in a million copies in all formats. And that man was so kind-hearted as to give away or sell the novel to another man without ever claiming either honors or profits—and to keep that sale secret the way the priests of San Gennaro keep the secret of the liquefaction of the blood [as described in Dumas’s 1864 novel La San-Felice].
“a novel read around the world in every country and published in a million copies in all formats”
What do you say to that—that’s some piece of news, isn’t it! There’s a man who wrote Montecristo, a novel read around
And he is the only man of talent you have, the only one who stands for Southern European intelligence in Paris. He’s a man who rivaled our greatest stylists, Janin, Theophile Gautier, Saint-Victor as a master of the French language. That’s the man you accuse of having sold his pen in 1845—Montecristo dates from then—more than his pen—his genius—sold to another man for a few hundred ecus—for three or four 1,000 franc notes—for a wretched sum. In 1845 that man earned 15,000 or 20,000 francs.” Please visit www.RRAuction.com for additional translated text.
In fine condition, with a small area of paper loss on first page affecting nothing. Throughout this letter Dumas refers to himself as the supposed ‘buyer,’ versus the so-called author and ‘seller’ of the manuscript, Pier Angelo Fiorentino. The rumors of spurious authorship were fueled by journalist Eugene de Mirecourt’s assertion in 1845 that Dumas ran a ‘fiction factory,’ as it would be impossible for a single man to write so much; Dumas sued Mirecourt for libel and won. It was true, however, that Dumas relied on collaborators to enable his prolific output and Fiorentino was one of these writers. A wonderful, impassioned letter by Dumas written in defense of his most famous work.
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“I was reflecting upon our impeccable Flaubert while reading your book” 4007 Emile Zola Estimate $800-1,200 ALS in French, three pages, 5.25 x 8.5, December 7, 1882. Letter offering his thoughts on a piece by a female writer. In part (translated): “I am finishing la Couleuvre [The Grass Snake], and I want to tell you a few frank words about it, at the flight of the pen, still under the reading warm feeling. You guessed right, I prefer la Couleuvre to Peche d’une Vierge [Sin of a Virgin]...I find that you intervene too much, that you draw useless consequences, that the work would benefit being trimmed of personal reflections and parasite reasoning. So let the reader do their own thinking. I was reflecting upon our impeccable Flaubert while reading your book, and I made myself a promise to be severe as he would have been, to show you that I treat you as a man. There, my heart is relieved, I only have to be kind now. Your Flavie at the beginning, I repeat it, is analyzed with a rare observation talent: She deserves to remain as a standard model. Gerard peaceful corner is of a happy opposition, very nice in clear tones; I like Nadine a lot, a nice girl apart from honesty cliches, what is rare. Finally, you can be happy, there is there sincere work, that I would like only more close to the text; maybe is it me who is wrong, for demanding of everyone the form that I like in me and in friends. My wife is also finishing la Couleuvre and sends you her affectionate congratulations. Undoubtedly, the weather is too bad, I believe that our visit to Mantes fell through. Let’s postpone for the spring, should not we? and lets arrange to meet in Paris, where we could have a good encounter at common friend’s house. In fact, as soon as we get back, which will not happen before the end of January, my wife will write you, so you can come shake our hands, on your first trip.” In fine condition. A long, boldly penned letter with excellent content as Zola discusses the craft of writing.
“The only link which will ever have existed between us” 4008 Jules Verne Estimate $1,000-1,200 ALS in French, one page on a 4.5 x 2.75 card, May 1894. In full (translated): “Here then are some lines in answer to your letter. The only link which will ever have existed between us. Finally, when I think we are strangers in our sympathies, but not in our hand clasps. Finally, such is life.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a full English translation.
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Sought-after signature in a beautifully bound early edition of Swann’s Way
4009 Marcel Proust Estimate $6,000-8,000
Sought-after fountain pen signature and inscription, “A Monsieur Georges Felix Marchand, Affectueux souvenir, Marcel Proust,” on a toned 4.25 x 7 sheet bound into an early edition of Swann’s Way as a free end page. Book: A la recherche du temps perdu, Du cote de chez Swann [In Search of Lost Time, Swann’s Way]. Second edition. Paris: Bernard Grasset, 1914. Beautifully custom bound in full yellow leather with three inlaid title pieces to spine and a gilt-stamped madeleine to front board, 5.25 x 7.75, 524 pages. Autographic condition: very good. Book condition: VG+/None (rebound, with a few pages restored). Born in 1874, Georges-Felix Marchand was a French diplomat and friend of Proust. Swann’s Way, the first volume of Proust’s magnificent seven-volume In Search of Lost Time, was first published in 1913 when, after having the manuscript rejected, Proust paid for the printing himself. This beautifully bound volume alludes to the ‘episode of the madeleine,’ which occurs early on in Swann’s Way and introduces the central thematic element of involuntary memory. Widely acclaimed by critics as a modernist classic, Swann’s Way takes a place as one of the most influential works of the 20th century.
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“Perhaps the eyes alone reveal secrets, but at least they reveal them to he who knows how to read them”
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“Nature will on occasion produce such faces to show that such ‘artistic’ beauty can be real” 4010 Marcel Proust
I know that there are eyes, most melancholy ones, / In which no precious secrets lie hidden are false.
Estimate $6,000-8,000
Perhaps the eyes alone reveal secrets, but at least they reveal them to he who knows how to read them. Anyway, doesn’t all that you told me about her song, about her, about what you yesterday called ‘her nature’ agree with what I think? And since we have no reason to be falsely modest with each other, can’t we be sure that an opinion we both share has a greater chance of being true than all the views of the people mentioned above put together, when all that you can imagine is added to it? Cydalise was written returning from…where Madame de Reszke (thus from M. Nesle) was that evening, dressed in red and speaking to Porto-Riche.” In a postscript at the top of the first page he adds, “I’m still hesitating between Brittany, Ceborg, la Tourraine, Germany, and Paris. The young girl (Rispoli) that ‘Your name, sir, but no opinions’ married this morning is related to Van Zandt and Paganini. ‘How do you spell that?’ Guiche will say.” In fine condition.
Rare ALS in French, signed “Marcel,” eight pages two sets of adjoining sheets, 5.5 x 7, no date but identified in his collected letters as August 11, 1907. Letter to his lover, the composer Reynaldo Hahn. In part (translated): “I’m a little sorry that you showed Cydalise to Cydalise. She will not be able to recognize herself in this story, which reflects only one aspect of her—(I’m changing pens because the other one was too atrocious—and this one is nearly as bad)… and, in any case, so fragmentary, so transitory, so subjective, that I am most likely the only one capable of finding any interest in confronting her with a memory I have of her. No, for me, Madame de Reszke is Viviane, the ghostly apparition at the edge of the Forest of Broceliande of the Lake of Love, whose adorable face and dreamy eyes enchant the legends of Burne-Jones...Madame de Reszke alone is the creature of dreams, whose beauty goes infinitely far beyond that which we created for ourselves with Brittany, but which must be the true beauty of Cornouailles, that which only poets have seen, that of Viviane, that of Iseult, of Iseult who, melancholic and disdainful of a…destiny, wandered up until the day when she heard the voice of Tristan... The fact that her eyes, her face have a mystery about them that she herself is not aware of and doesn’t prevent this mysteriousness from being what a poet must try to capture and express, and naturally, from being used also by M. de Turenne or M. Boudeau…as their view of her, or perhaps from being the image she has of herself. Even if this image were accurate, I couldn’t care less about it. Baudelaire’s lines:
In this poetic letter Proust reflects on the character Cydalise who first appeared in The Banquet in 1892 and later served as the basis for the ‘Lost Wax’ section of Pleasures and Days in 1896. As he mentions in the final line, he was first inspired to write ‘Cydalise,’ a sketch of a society woman, after going home from a party where he saw Comtesse Mailly-Nesle in a striking red dress. In the end, the character most resembled another woman Proust admired, Laure de Chevigne. Proust also weaves a number of allusions into this letter—he invokes Arthurian legend in Viviane as the Lady of the Lake, the Broceliande forest, and Tristan and Iseult, in addition to quoting his forerunner Charles Baudelaire. With its great length, beautiful style, and wealth of literary content, this is an ideal Proust letter.
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“You’ve rendered his poetry so vividly” 4011 George Sand Estimate $1,000-1,500 ALS in French, three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.25 x 8, no date but noted as March 18, 1872 in Sand’s published correspondence. Letter to Hebrew scholar Salvatore de Benedetti, thanking him for having sent his book Canzoniere Sacro Di Giuda Levita, a translation of poetry by the great Hebrew poet of the Middle Ages, Judah Halevi. In part (translated): “I didn’t want to answer your so good and affectionate letter without having read your beautiful and precious book. No doubt that I’m interested in this person, such a passionate mystic and full of such powerful enthusiasm. I didn’t know him at all and now you’ve rendered his poetry so vividly. I thank you for having given me this beautiful…book that is a historical revelation to me. But above all I thank you for being my friend. The tactful way you express that friendship clearly shows me that such a friendship honors me.” In fine condition. Accompanied by an unsigned engraved portrait. A choice example from the sought-after French writer with desirable literary content.
4012 Thomas Carlyle Estimate $400-600 Exceptional unsigned 4 x 5.5 albumen photograph of Carlyle in a contemplative profile pose. Affixed to its original 8 x 10 mount. In fine condition. The National Portrait Gallery of London identifies the photography studio as belonging to Joseph Elliott and Clarence Edmund Fry.
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Fantastic original Yuletide sketches
4013 William Makepeace Thackeray Estimate $2,000-3,000
Rare original pen and ink sketches of two holiday scenes on an off-white 4.25 x 3.25 sheet, with one depicting several children gathered around a chair, and the other showing a family opening gifts on Christmas morning. Thackeray adds a title below each sketch, “Placing the stockings for Santa Claus” and “Xmas presents.” Double-matted and framed to an overall size of 9.5 8.75. In fine condition. Prior to his becoming a journalist, Thackeray tried his hand at painting while residing for a brief time in Paris. Despite his eventual career change, he maintained his artistic passions and illustrated several of his own novels and Christmas stories.
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Exceptionally rare letter conveying her “sincere appreciation of a reader’s gratification” 4014 Charlotte Bronte Estimate $60,000-80,000 Rare ALS signed “C. Bronte,” two pages on two adjoining sheets, 4.5 x 7, January 19, [1853]. Letter to David Waldie, written while staying at Gloucester Terrace, London, the home of her publisher George Smith. In full: “I have received your kind letter, and beg to thank you for it, as well as for the little books you mention, which have not yet reached me, but are no doubt awaiting me at home. The sincere appreciation of a reader’s gratification is—I scarcely need say—one of the most acceptable forms in which an author can be repaid for his labour. I shall be glad if any future work of mine gives you equal pleasure to that you speak of having found in ‘Jane Eyre.’” With small splits along right fold edges and scattered light foxing and wrinkling, otherwise fine. Accompanied by a photocopy of the original mailing envelope postmarked 1853.
name ‘Currer Bell,’ an ambiguous pseudonym she adopted to shield her gender and avoid prejudice against female authors. The public’s reaction was mixed—although Jane Eyre was initially received with favorable reviews and became an immediate bestseller, it soon became the subject of controversy and decried as immoral due to its racy content. Speculation that the author was a woman fueled this criticism as the book’s feminist overtones threatened the cultural status quo. Still, sales of Jane Eyre remained strong and its commercial appeal was even enhanced by its reputation as improper. Eventually, at the encouragement of George Smith, Bronte revealed her identity and became more prominent in London’s literary circles, befriending the likes of William Thackeray and Elizabeth Gaskell. It is interesting to note, however, that between the nondescript “C. Bronte” signature and the use of “his labour” to refer to an author’s work it seems that Bronte may have been keeping up the charade even in 1853. Letters by Bronte are generally scarce and highly sought-after, and those specifically concerning Jane Eyre are of the utmost rarity.
“I shall be glad if any future work of mine gives you equal pleasure to that you speak of having found in ‘Jane Eyre’”
Bronte published her masterpiece in 1847 under the pen
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“God bless us all this coming Christmas, and give us Christmas thoughts!” 4015 Charles Dickens Estimate $6,000-8,000 ALS signed “Wilmot,” one page, 4.5 x 7, Gad’s Hill Place letterhead, December 5, 1863. Letter to Peter Cunningham, reenacting a play they had performed in together. In part: “I am delighted to get the hearty letter of my old Will’s-Coffee-House friend, Le Trimmer; and again the shade of poor dead Middlesex crosses me, saying, ‘Here’s Peter, won’t come on, you know!’—then in a ghostly manner, raps gold snuff-box, and fades into the other world…God bless us all this coming Christmas, and give us Christmas thoughts!” In fine condition. Dickens weaves allusions to the play Not So Bad as We Seem throughout this letter, which he had performed in with Cunningham in 1851. Written by Lord Bulwer-Lytton, it was performed at a charity event to benefit the Literary Guild with a cast that included Dickens as Lord Wilmot, Cunningham as Lord Le Trimmer, and artist Frank Stone as the Duke of Middlesex. Stone, who had passed away suddenly in 1859, is reincarnated in his role as Middlesex as if one of the ghosts in A Christmas Carol. December 1863 represented the twentieth anniversary of the debut of Dickens’s Christmas classic, making this an even more phenomenal letter related to both his famous holiday novel and his active life in theater.
4016 Thomas Hardy Estimate $1,500-2,000 Esteemed author (1840–1928) who takes a place among the towering figures of British literature with classic novels such as Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Rare 4.25 x 6.5 cabinet portrait of Hardy, signed in black ink. Published by The London Stereoscopic Company. In fine condition, with a uniform block of toning from previous display and mounting remnants to reverse. Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope from New York’s Swann Galleries. An exceptionally clear, boldly signed image of the soughtafter English novelist.
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“A study in congenial souls” 4017 H. G. Wells Estimate $800-1,200 ALS signed “The good-not-great Wells,” one page both sides, 7 x 9, no date. An interesting letter to H. E. Hadley featuring a large sketch of a party at the top and a series of sketches portraying a variety of different people. In part: “A lonely man among a myriad of friends, a dark & lonesome soul amid the hum of Manchester’s social life, & four hundred thousand happy domesticities. Poor chap! But you will get used to this by & bye & you also will meet with congenial souls—perhaps even with domesticities.” Wells sketches twelve different types of faces below, adding the title, “A Study in Congenial Souls.” Wells pens another note on the reverse, signed, “The g-n-g Wells.” In very good condition. The pioneering science fiction author was fond of adding sketches and caricatures within his correspondence, little drawings that he called ‘picshuas.’ Forty of these were published in his 1932 Experiment in Autobiography, and an in-depth analysis of his ‘picshuas’ was published recently. Showcasing the wit of the “Good-not-great Wells,” this letter with its playful caricatures is a quintessential piece.
4018 H. G. Wells Estimate $2,000-3,000
Signed book: The Invisible Man. First edition, first printing. London: C. Arthur Pearson, 1897. Hardcover beautifully rebound in full red leather, with the original spine and cloth cover contained inside, 5.5 x 7.5, 245 pages. An ALS is affixed to the first free end page, in full: “Dear Sir Headly, Please let me know what use you make of my carefully written and stirring contribution, Yours, H. G. Wells.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/ None (rebound).
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“When I’m forced to describe The Karamazov in a word I say ‘A fifth gospel’” 4019 T. E. Lawrence Estimate $3,000-5,000 ALS signed “T. E. S.,” one page, 7 x 9, January 15, 1926. Letter to J. B. Acres. In full: “Your letter upon Dostoevsky was most excellent. I’ve always believed him the greatest of the Russians: though he never achieved an epic like War and Peace. He never aimed at the epic manner. When I’m forced to describe The [Brothers] Karamazov in a word I say ‘A fifth gospel.’ It is that intense preoccupation with supra-moral goodness, Christ-like-ness, which marks him so strongly. An epileptic and ex-convict, he drew always from his own experience and feelings. That’s why his books are full of neuroses: and his characters so often criminal. There is a sameness too: for D. lived over-much within himself. Not many people are happy enough to strike the balance between inside and outside, and achieve a harmony. Andre Gide’s book on Dostoevsky was not good. He tried to make him into a Protestant (Gide is a French Protestant) and didn’t get to grips with his real powers and depths. Few Frenchmen could. They are too dapper to feel as untidily and recklessly as the Russians. Here ended Friday’s letter. A wire intervenes. A week-end. I must send you more of D. but take a rest between whiles. Have you read Lost Souls? (Gogol). I think you spoke of it to me once. This was written on Monday. I give up trying to write. There are two or three books here waiting for fine weather, brown paper, and string, before venturing to Oxford. Nothing earth-shaking or portentous, like The Karamazovs: but man cannot live entirely on either dynamite or beef. Not this week-end at Oxford. I’m for Welwyn, on business, if the roads clear. Zero here on Sat. Night. My mind is frozen. Good luck.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a custom-made leatherbound presentation folder. Lawrence had a profound appreciation of Dostoevsky and held him among his most revered authors. When embarking on his greatest literary work, the autobiographical Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Lawrence declared his ambition to write ‘an English fourth’ worthy of sitting on a bookshelf with ‘The Karamazovs, Zarathustra, and Moby Dick.’ Overall excellent content from Lawrence reflecting on one of his greatest influences.
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Conrad approves a performance of his debut play, ‘One Day More’
4020 Joseph Conrad Estimate $1,800-2,000
TLS signed “for your thoughtful kindness, Believe me, Yours J. Conrad,” one page both sides, 5.25 x 6.75, Spring Grove letterhead, September 13, 1919. Letter to Mr. Hugh, in part: “I need not tell you that I give my authorisation with the greatest pleasure to the L. D. S. to perform my play One Day More. I have been so much interrupted for the last few days that I could not finish the Author’s Note for the D. R. It is done now and if I manage to correct it before the post goes I shall send it on to Aldine House as I should like you, you personally, to read it before it appears in print.” Conrad has added a handwritten salutation, and adds several handwritten emendations to the text. In fine condition. Based on Conrad’s 1902 short story ‘To-Morrow,’ the one-act play One Day More enjoyed a brief five-show run at London’s Royalty Theatre in the summer of 1905. Already well established as a novelist and storyteller, Conrad and his initial venture into theater garnered attention from several members of the theatrical scene, most notably George Bernard Shaw who helped edit the play in hopes of improving its transition to stage. Although Conrad would go on to consider the production a ‘complete failure,’ One Day More exists as the first of several theatrical scripts and adaptations Conrad would write during his career.
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Sought-after limited edition jointly signed by author and artist 4022 James Joyce and Henri Matisse Estimate $20,000-25,000
Signed book: Ulysses. Limited edition, numbered /250. NY: Limited Editions Club, 1935. Hardcover, 9.25 x 12, 363 pages. Signed on the colophon in fountain pen by James Joyce and in pencil by Henri Matisse. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/None, in a VG+ slipcase. One year after the decade-long ban on publishing Ulysses in the United States was lifted, George Macy of the Limited Edition Club commissioned Henri Matisse to illustrate a deluxe edition of Joyce’s masterpiece. While Joyce was excited to have such a prominent artist illustrate his work, he and Macy were somewhat disappointed to find that Matisse did not read the book and based his artwork entirely on Homer’s ancient epic The Odyssey. The resulting book, featuring six original soft-ground etchings by Matisse and twenty reproductions of his preliminary drawings, was published in a limited edition of 1500, with all signed by the artist but just the first 250 copies also signed by Joyce.
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November 24, 1920
November 29, 1920
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“It contains the whole story of Dubliners” 4023 James Joyce Estimate $20,000-25,000
Two ALSs to Madame Yasushi Tanaka [Louise Gebhart Cann]: an ALS, one page, 4.5 x 6.25, November 24, 1920, in full: “I reply to your letter I shall call on you on Sunday afternoon next as it seems that that is the most convenient time for you”; and an ALS, one page, 7.5 x 9.75, November 29, 1920, in part: “As I promised I send you the notices but may I ask you to return them when read as I have no others. If you will drop a line to: Mr. Fritz Vanderpyl…saying that you are writing the article on me I am sure he will let you have the copy of Egoist (15 January 1913) which I lent him some time ago. It contains the whole story of Dubliners.” In overall fine condition. While living in Paris Joyce was introduced to art critic Louise Gebhart Cann and her husband, painter Yasushi Tanaka. Ezra Pound had suggested that she might do an article about Joyce’s work, and she had written him to arrange a meeting. Joyce responded with these letters, and Tanaka did ultimately publish an article about him in the Pacific Review. The piece Joyce references as having appeared in The Egoist (the true date of publication January 15, 1914), was a letter he wrote describing his fruitless efforts to publish Dubliners. Despite having a contract for publication, he was being forced to censor and alter various passages deemed offensive. It was finally published in June 1914 after nearly a decade of persistence. When Joyce wrote the present letters he was amidst a similarly frustrating episode regarding the publication of Ulysses. The Egoist had published sections of it in 1919 but struggled to find willing printers and had since folded. Meanwhile, The Little Review was publishing Ulysses in the United States when the editors were hit with an obscenity lawsuit and forced to cease serialization. A superb pair of scarce handwritten letters related to the famously controversial publishing history of his first major work.
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4024 Aldous Huxley Estimate $400-600 ALS, one page both sides, 8.5 x 11, May 18, 1960. Letter to Philip Dale, in part: “I have not re-read Point Counter Point since I read the final proofs, & have consequently forgotten what it says and unsays in the back-&-forth of its conterpoint [sic]. Only vague, broad recollections remain: the details have escaped me.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Huxley’s hand. Huxley’s longest and most complex novel, Point Counter Point was published in 1928 and consists of several interlinking story lines and recurring themes satirizing the intellectual culture of the 1920s.
4025 C. S. Lewis Estimate $600-800 TNS, one page, 8 x 2.5, October 11, 1944. From Oxford’s Magdalen College, Lewis writes a note to Miss Herdman, in full: “Thanks for your [you] letter of the 7th., and its interesting enclosure, yours sincerely, C. S. Lewis.” In fine condition.
“I did have to alter the tone of the Arthur Books” 4026 T. H. White Estimate $800-1,000 English author (1906–1964) best known for his Arthurian tetralogy The Once and Future King, which includes the popular story The Sword in the Stone. ALS signed “Tim,” one page both sides, 5.25 x 7, personal letterhead, May 4, 1958. Letter to Ross, in part: “Yes, I did have to alter the tone of the Arthur books. You see, it ends as a tragedy—Malory called the whole lot the Morte d’Arthur—and I had somehow to dovetail the comedy with which it starts with the tragedy with which it ends. However, the comic originals will always be obtainable separately, unaltered. How is the rock climbing, etc. going? In a fortnight I am off with a sleeping bag to live on a deserted island which is a bird sanctuary, and I also have to climb cliffs…which slays me, as I am old and fat and terrified of heights, but I will do anything for pictures. If my clothes caught fire while I had a camera in my hand, I would film myself burning. I wish you were here to hand me up the Guardian Rocks! They are rather like the Faraglioni at Capri, if you know those.” In fine condition.
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Sought-after handwritten letter considering an illustrated Lord of the Rings 4027 J. R. R. Tolkien Estimate $2,000-3,000 ALS, one page both sides, 5.25 x 7, personal Oxford letterhead, September 4, 1968. Letter to Mary Fairburn, an artist who sent him paintings of several scenes from Lord of the Rings. In part: “I am sorry indeed for your anxiety, caused by my accident. I have had painful disability, and many other troubles to contend with. In my absence the removers behaved very badly and took advantage of my wife, who was not (and is not) in a fit state of health to cope with such affairs. My library and papers were piled up like flood-damage, and it is only at last this week been possible to disentangle the confusion and unpack the cases. I am happy to say that, in almost the last case examined, your three envelopes with pictures were found, quite unharmed. I am sorry that I can do no more about them at the moment. I am exhausted after the labour of what was supposed to be mainly a ‘convalescence,’ before proceeding to the next stage of treatment. I am now about to return to hospital in Oxford: I hope not for long. In any case Mr. Rayner Unwin is abroad at the moment. I make no comments at present; but I think I may say at least that if the prospect of an illustrated edition is not promising (I am afraid that that is the case), I like the pictures—certainly some of them—enough to make you a private offer of purchase. You could perhaps give me some idea of the price you would expect to receive. I give my actual address and telephone number; but I am anxious that knowledge of this should not be published abroad! One object of my move was to escape to a retirement where it would once again be possible to do some writing.” In fine condition. Tolkien’s consideration of an illustrated edition of Lord of the Rings was a sharp departure from his long-held opposition to such a project. Just a year earlier he had reiterated his stance in a letter to his publisher, Rayner Unwin, writing, ‘As far as an English edition goes, I myself am not at all anxious for The Lord of the Rings to be illustrated by anybody whether a genius or not.’ However, Fairburn’s paintings were so close to his vision that he did again begin discussions with his publisher about an illustrated edition. Although that never came to fruition, Tolkien seemingly made a private purchase of some of her work for his own collection—the ultimate compliment to a devoted fan and artist.
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Rare 1906 American portrait of the esteemed Soviet realist 4028 Maxim Gorky Estimate $3,000-4,000 Rare matte-finish 4.5 x 6 portrait of Gorky holding a cigarette, affixed to an 8 x 11.75 mount, boldly signed on the mount in black ink in Cyrillic, “M. Gorky.” Blindstamped at the bottom of the photo and lower right of the mount by E. Goldensky of Philadelphia, with a 1906 copyright notice at the bottom of the photo. Double-cloth-matted and framed to an overall size of 17.75 x 22.25. In fine condition, with some creases and a small tear, below (but not affecting) the exceptional signature. Gorky visited America only briefly in 1906, where he was met with public outrage over a scandalous relationship with a Russian actress. However, he was enthusiastically greeted by many of America’s prominent literary figures such as Samuel Clemens and William Dean Howells. While visiting Philadelphia he had this portrait taken by Soviet expatriate Elias Goldensky. A magnificent example of this rare oversized format.
4029 Leo Tolstoy Estimate $5,000-6,000 Uncommon high-quality 5 x 7 paperstock photo of the great Russian author in near-profile, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “A I. Silvestre, Leon Tolstoy, 22 Oct. 1909.” In fine condition; evidently a page or frontispiece removed from a book. Tolstoy began his famous correspondence with Mohandas Gandhi in October 1909, an exchange that continued until the end of his life in November 1910; Tolstoy’s beliefs in nonviolence and passive resistance had a profound influence on the development of Gandhi’s ideals. An exceptional image of the Russian master.
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4030 Hermann Hesse Estimate $400-600 Uncommon vintage matte-finish 3.5 x 4.75 bust-length photo of Hesse in later age, signed neatly on his collar in fountain pen, “H. Hesse.” In fine condition. Signed photos of the Swiss novelist remain especially scarce.
Diverse limited edition collection of world literature 4031 Authors Estimate $1,000-1,500 Fine collection of sixteen limited edition softcover books published by Eurographica, each signed by the author, including: William Styron (A Tidewater Morning); Norman Mailer (A Fragment from Vietnam); Milan Kundera (Le Jeu de l’Auto-Stop); Stephen Spender (Twenty-Five Poems); Eugene Ionesco (two books: Les Chaises; and La Photo du Colonel et Autres Recits); Yevgeny Yevtushenko (Selected Poems); Margaret Atwood (Hurricane Hazel and Other Stories); Hans Magnus Enzensberger (Ausgewahlte Gedichte: 1957–1983); Gore Vidal (The Ladies in the Library and Other Stories); Philip Roth (Looking at Kafka); Luise Rinser (Ein Bundel Weisser Narzissen und Andere Erzahlungen); Patricia Highsmith (Where the Action Is and Other Stories); Siegfried Lenz (Ein Kriegsende); Leopold Sedar Senghor (Lettres d’Hivernage); and John Updike (Love Factories, Three Stories, with a Foreword). In overall fine condition. A handsome collection of internationally celebrated writers.
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4032 Edith Wharton Estimate $600-800 Ethan Frome. First edition, first printing (with “wearily” unbroken on page 135). NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911. Hardcover, 5 x 7.75, 195 pages. Book condition: VG+/None. Wharton used Ethan Frome as a strict departure from her normal inspections of the American upper crust, crafting a timeless ode to naturalism with her harsh depiction of the town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, and the connection shared between its inhabitants and the unforgiving New England landscape.
4033 James Fenimore Cooper Estimate $400-600 ALS signed “J. Fenimore Cooper,” one page, 7.75 x 7.5, May 30, 1841. Letter to Archibald Campbell, in part: “This morning early, I returned your visit and was disappointed at finding you had gone. I went with the hope of persuading you to breakfast with me, and of attending one little church; but will understand your impatience to get home…The object of this letter is to acknowledge the civility of your visit…Another time, I hope to be more fortunate, and should I ever find myself in your part of the country, I shall not allow a fine mile to prevent me from saying as much in person.” In very good to fine condition.
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Magnificently bold letter from the author of Moby Dick 4034 Herman Melville Estimate $8,000-10,000 Choice ALS signed “H. Melville,” one page, 5 x 8, December 4, 1857. Letter to a gentleman written from Boston. In full: “Your note is received and in accordance with your request, I am very truly yours.” In fine condition. Earlier in the year Melville had returned to America from a grand tour of Europe and the Middle East to publish what what would become his final novel, The Confidence-Man, in April. He abandoned writing prose after the book debuted to poor reviews, and embarked on a career as a lecturer around the time he wrote this letter. One of his earliest engagements was on December 2 at Tremont Temple in Boston, where he delivered the sole lecture in his repertoire, ‘Statues in Rome.’ Although his fame from the novels Typee and Omoo had largely faded, Melville was remembered as a storyteller of far away lands and native peoples; audiences were understandably disappointed when he spoke of the idealized sculpture of ancient Rome. Any autographic material from Melville is exceedingly rare and this is an absolutely gorgeous example.
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Biblical verse from Uncle Tom’s Cabin 4035 Harriet Beecher Stowe Estimate $3,000-4,000 Lengthy AQS on an off-white 4.5 x 7.5 sheet, signed at the conclusion, “Harriet Beecher Stowe, April 25, 1892.” Stowe quotes from the preface of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in full: “‘He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgment in the earth. He shall deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor and him that hath no helper. He shall redeem their souls from deceit and violence; precious shall their blood be in his sight.” Attractively double-matted and framed with a portrait of the author to an overall size of 17 x 14. In fine condition, with a slightly trimmed left edge. Quotes from Stowe’s influential canonical work are uncommon and exceptionally desirable.
Rare letter from the acclaimed New England novelist, offering a tour of historic Concord 4036 Louisa May Alcott Estimate $800-1,000 ALS signed “L. M. Alcott,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5 x 8, July 17, no year. Letter to Mrs. Lamb, in part: “I shall be glad to see you on either Sat. & hope the day will be fine so that I can meet you at the station & show you the places of interest in Concord...Father is deep in the School of Philosophy just started but will, I hope, be able to see you.” In fine condition. Growing up in Concord under the intellectual eyes of her Transcendentalist parents, Alcott spent her childhood among the movement’s greatest figures—reading in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s library, studying botany with Thoreau along the banks of Walden Pond—making her the ideal guide for a tour of “the places of interest in Concord.”
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Clemens grouses over his famed York Harbor brownstone 4037 Samuel L. Clemens Estimate $1,000-1,500 ALS signed “S. L. Clemens,” two pages, 4.5 x 5.75, August 13, 1902. Letter to Colonel Charles Fairchild, in full: “14 W. 10th is well enough, for a damn’d old rack heap, but the agent, something S. Brown—oh, well, if you rent for 12 months he will pretend it was for 9, & whatever his gesprachig underlings agree to put in the lease is very likely to turn up absent grant it. It contains one of the Christliest book-heaps I know of, but those old children of God who own it, & who live in Paris in order to be handy to heaven, cling to the key & leave the tenant to be damned for lack of the means of grace.” In fine condition, with a vertical crease passing through the signature.
Clad in his iconic white suit, Twain poses for charity 4038 Samuel L. Clemens Estimate $4,000-6,000 Crystal-clear matte-finish 6.5 x 9 photo of Clemens wearing one of his classic white suits in a seated three-quarter-length pose, affixed to an 8 x 11.75 mount, signed on the mount in fountain pen, “Mark Twain.” Archivally cloth-matted and framed with a descriptive plaque to an overall size of 16.75 x 29. In fine condition. Samuel Clemens was known for his all-white suits, which he claimed made him ‘the only cleanly-clothed human being in all Christendom north of the Tropics.’ This image came from a series of photographs taken in 1907, which he then autographed and sold to raise funds for those affected by the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. Clemens himself regarded these as the best portraits ever taken of him and they remain among the most iconic images of the author today.
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“Do your duty to–day, and repent to–morrow” 4039 Samuel L. Clemens Estimate $600-800 Desirable AQS on an off-white 4 x 4.75 slip. In full: “Do your duty to–day, and repent to–morrow, Truly yours, Mark Twain.” In fine condition. A crisp and appealing example of the novelist’s seemingly limitless wit and wisdom.
“I knew Eugene Field a little” 4040 Samuel L. Clemens Estimate $3,000-4,000 ALS signed “S. L. Clemens,” two pages on two adjoining sheets, 4.5 x 7, October 10, 1898. Letter to composer Caro Smith Senour, affixed to a free end page inside the book Musical Poems. In full: “What you have said has given me very great pleasure & I feel my thanks, though I have small gift to say them. The above is the address, & I shall be glad to have the book. I knew Eugene Field a little. He gave me a pleasant hour when I was on my back in the doctor’s hands, once. It was a great loss to literature & goodfellowship when he got his freedom.” The book features poems by Field set to music by Senour: Musical Poems. First edition. Chicago: The Faunt LeRoy Music Co., 1896. Hardcover, 10.25 x 13, 60 pages. Also later signed and inscribed on the first free end page by Caro Smith Senour, with an additional ALS by her affixed beneath the Clemens letter, in part: “The enclosed letter was sent to me by S. L. Clemens, ‘Mark Twain,’ while he was in Vienna, Austria, and the book he refers to is my original ‘Musical Poems,’ containing some of Eugene Field’s poems which I set to music.” Autographic condition: very good to fine condition. Book condition: VG-/None.
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Sought-after first printing of Twain’s masterpiece 4041 Samuel L. Clemens Estimate $1,000-1,500 Unsigned book: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. First American edition, first printing (containing all traditional points of issue as well as the erroneous page reference “88” on page 13; the misprint “with the was” on page 57; and the misprint “Decided” on page 9). NY: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885. Hardcover, 7 x 8.75, 366 pages. Book condition: VG-/None (rebacked). Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was controversial upon its release and banned from several public libraries over objections to its perceived crudeness; nevertheless it has always been incredibly popular. Often cited as ‘The Great American Novel,’ this first edition of Huckleberry Finn is deserving of a place in any literary collection.
4042 Henry James Estimate $600-800 ALS, eight pages on a pair of two adjoining sheets, 4.5 x 7, Reform Club letterhead, April 29, 1903. Letter to “Beloved Bill,” his nephew William James, in part: “Your 2 notes after leaving Geneva gratified only to torment me—so concerned was I perforce to let you wander alone. However, it eases my spirit to think you have a good companion and I bless him for that same. Also I seem to feel that you have fallen on your feet, & you make for me a cheerful and friendly little Marburg, not at all banal, & yet not too weird. May your gruesome studies thrive there, and your superabounding Prof. Zumstein yet not do you to death with knowledge…I’ve had a long & very decent spell of London, while there, cruelly cold April has made very preferable to bleak little Rye (where bleakness does reign:) and I am beginning to be homesick for the garden and land.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in James’s own hand. Each a titan of their respective professions, brothers William and Henry James shared a relationship built upon mutual respect, biting honesty in regard to the other’s work, and a robust love for family. A characteristically verbose and thoughtful letter from the legendary scribe, made all the more desirable by its strong familial connection.
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4043 O. Henry Estimate $800-1,200 Uncommon ALS, three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.25 x 8.25, June 24, no year. Letter to Mr. Gallup, in full: “I do not think that there is a photo of myself to be found in New York. I never had but one taken, and I have labor[ed] hard to suppress that one. I think I have succeeded for the McClures tell me that it is no longer in their possession. I have tried hard to keep photos and all personal matters out of print in order to secure some of the distinction there is (in these days) in not having one’s picture in the papers. McClure’s did get a few reproductions run in their advertising pages; but I am pleased to know that there will be no more of that. I would be glad to grant your request if I could, but I am happy to say (in accordance with my views as stated) that I don’t believe a picture of me could be had from any source.” In fine condition, with adhesive remnants to reverse of second integral page. With its crisp writing and clean signature, this is an exceptional letter from the famed short story writer, who remains quite scarce in such a handwritten format.
Less than two months after The Call of the Wild hits stores 4044 Jack London Estimate $1,000-1,500 ALS, one page, 8.5 x 11, no date but postmarked September 28, 1903, with London’s personal ink stamp. Letter to C. C. Buel, the editor of The Century Magazine, in full: “Find herewith 15,000 words of revised manuscript. In ten days you may expect to receive another similar installment, and so on, about same rate and quantity, until manuscript, as far as expected, is in your hands. I hope to leave the completed manuscript all in your hands by the first week or so in December.” In fine condition. Upon his return from the Alaskan wilderness, London began freelancing with numerous weekly and monthly publications. After submitting ‘Diablo–The Dog’ to Cosmopolitan in 1902, London decided to write a kinder companion piece that would redeem the species he had come to admire during his time in the Yukon. Serialized in the summer of 1903, The Call of the Wild was published in book form a month later and promptly rewarded London with international fame.
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“I have just returned from a long visit to the wonderful petrified forests” 4045 John Muir Estimate $1,000-1,500 ALS, one page, 8.25 x 12.25, April 12, 1906. Written from Adamana, Arizona, a letter to Mr. Wells, in full: “I have just returned from a long visit to the wonderful petrified forests hereabouts & find your letter of the 4th. It is impossible for me to prepare an article for the June number of your magazine under present circumstances however anxious I might be to do so, for on account of death & sickness in my family I have been away from home for nearly a year, have not written a line for the press in all this time & of course am overloaded with neglected work. The Century, World’s Work, Cosmopolitan, & Everybody’s Magazines are all calling for articles, & a half dozen publishers for books, & nearly all their claims or requests are ahead of yours. But I hope to get the most pressing of this off my hands ere long & may find a chance to prepare a short article for you. In the meantime I can only send my best wishes & assure you that I am faithfully yours.” In fine condition. During the late months of 1905, Muir situated himself at the small trainstop town of Adamana to study closely the region’s fossils and petrified trees for a series of articles for Cosmopolitan magazine. Distraught by the Santa Fe’s wolfish railroad practice of carting off the petrified logs for tourist trade, Muir urged his friend, President Theodore Roosevelt, to intervene. The 1906 creation of the Petrified Forest National Monument marked one of the first instances in which the presidentially authorized Antiquities Act was employed.
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4046 Edgar Rice Burroughs Estimate $1,000-1,200 DS, two pages, 8.5 x 13, October 1, 1915. Agreement between Edgar Rice Burroughs and A. C. McClurg & Company to publish The Beasts of Tarzan in book form. The contract stipulates “that all dramatic and moving picture rights are reserved by said author.” Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Burroughs and countersigned by a publishing executive and two witnesses. In fine condition. This was Burroughs’s third Tarzan novel and had previously been serialized in All-Story Cavalier magazine in 1914.
4047 Edgar Rice Burroughs Estimate $800-1,000 ALS, one page, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, March 7, 1938. Letter to actress Maureen O’Sullivan, in full: “I’d certainly like to have some autographed ‘stills’ of you—or, better, just one good photo. You see you left yourself wide open by that suggestion. If you and Mr. farrow like tennis, bridge, or swimming drop in any afternoon. We’d like very much to have you.” Also includes a glossy 10 x 8 full-length photo of O’Sullivan as Jane from the Tarzan series, signed and inscribed in blue ink, “Best wishes, Maureen O’Sullivan.” The letter is in very good to fine condition; the photo is in fine condition. After several years of small parts and studio swapping, O’Sullivan landed her breakthrough role when she was cast as Jane Parker opposite Johnny Weissmuller in 1932’s Tarzan the Ape Man, the first of six Tarzan films she would star in. The film’s success transformed O’Sullivan into a popular leading lady and one of MGM’s most successful ingenues during the 1930s.
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On baseball, lawsuits, and lawyers “who had never heard of such wordusers as Joyce, Hemingway, Faulkner” 4048 Thomas Wolfe Estimate $1,000-2,000 Influential American writer (1900–1938) known for his poetic autobiographical fiction, best remembered for the 1929 novel Look Homeward, Angel. TLS signed in pencil, “Tom Wolfe,” five pages, 8.5 x 11, February 16, 1938. Letter to sportswriter Arthur Mann. In part: “Some people tell me that life is too short to waste one’s time and energy in bickering with the courts…But there are View all pages online at www.RRAuction.com times when you simply have to fight, just to protect yourself, this was one of them: the case involving a little fellow who has walked off with some of my manuscripts a year ago, sold some of them and pocketed the money, and refused to return the rest: in addition, he had mixed the whole thing up charmingly with blackmail, threatening my first set of lawyers…My first set of lawyers, whose reading experience apparently ended with the works of the late Bulwer-Lytton, and who had never heard of such wordusers as Joyce, Hemingway, Faulkner, etc.—were undone… This whole experience of the last three years—ever since ‘Of Time and the River’ came out—of shysters, lawyers, legal racketeers, etc.—has been a painful but interesting one. I do not know what the hell it has to do with writing, but something tells me it may have had a great deal to do with it: I now see that the late Charles Dickens by no means exhausted the subject in his observations on the law and on the courts…one of the characters in this immense long book that I am writing is a baseball player, and I realize from past observations how easy it is for a writer to go wrong when writing about a professional athlete…I think I may have told you that one reason I have always loved baseball so much is that it has been not merely ‘the great national game,’ but really a part of the whole fabric, the million memories of America. ” Wolfe makes several small revisions in pencil throughout the text. In fine condition. Wolfe was embroiled in several lawsuits during this period of his life, including disputes over royalties, a suit brought by his former landlords who claimed to have been libeled in the novella No Door, and the one he discusses here concerning his manuscripts. Wolfe sued Murdoch Dooher, formerly a friend who acted as his agent, for the return of autograph manuscripts that he had taken to sell to collectors. Despite winning the case, it was a major distraction during what could have been a period of great creativity. His research at the baseball dinner developed into the character named Nebraska Crane, a baseball player who appeared in The Web and the Rock and You Can’t Go Home Again. Both of these were published posthumously, as his life was cut short just seven months later after he contracted pneumonia during a tour of the West.
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Responding to criticism of Tender Is the Night
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“The novel does really deal with deep dark matters, screaming girls tied to the railroad tracks” 4049 F. Scott Fitzgerald Estimate $15,000-20,000
TLS, two pages, 8.5 x 11, February 8, 1934. Letter to Mrs. Arthur J. Harris. In part: “I had not seen the Benet article but I located it immediately—I was rather surprised because Benet has usually been pleasant about my stuff. Something tells me he did not finish the second installment or he’d have seen that the novel does really deal with deep dark matters, screaming girls tied to the railroad tracks. To tell the truth I don’t rate his opinion very highly, but I do rate his vote in the Book of the Month Club and I’m glad to check up on the thing. You would be factually an archangel to send me any corrections of the French or German. I am a simply hopeless linguist. I have a few corrections, but I am rushed for time because publication was begun on an unrevised manuscript and I have had to do my revisions in a hand to mouth fashion...Anyhow the accuracy in strange tongues has been side-tracked and certainly hasn’t been done as thoughtfully as it should.” In fine condition, with a repaired tear to the left side of the first page. Now considered one of Fitzgerald’s greatest novels, Tender Is the Night received lukewarm reviews upon its publication. It was serialized in Scribner’s Magazine in four installments between January and April 1934, so at the time he wrote this letter only half of the novel had been released. The critical article he mentions was just a few sentences in William Rose Benet’s regular column ‘The Phoenix Nest’ in The Saturday Review of February 3, 1934. In it, Benet opines, ‘Scott Fitzgerald’s new novel, beginning in Scribner’s, has been quite a disappointment to me,’ adding that his evaluation was based on the first two installments. Even so, Benet points out, ‘The man can write as always, sometimes brilliantly.’ Benet was indeed one of Fitzgerald’s admirers, and he was one of few contemporary reviewers to recognize The Great Gatsby as a distinctly American masterpiece. Fitzgerald also comments on the lack of copyediting for Tender Is the Night, which was riddled with spelling mistakes and errors that created chronological inconsistencies. Despite revisions, many of these made it into the book and numerous critics refused to forgive the sloppiness; Clifton Fadiman listed thirteen spelling errors in his New Yorker review. Since that time Tender Is the Night has earned a place in the pantheon of American literature, and with Fitzgerald’s own commentary on its publication this letter is of tremendous literary interest.
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Fitzgerald’s debut novel inscribed to a fellow Princeton classmate
4050 F. Scott Fitzgerald Estimate $5,000-6,000
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Signed book: This Side of Paradise. Later printing. NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1920. Hardcover, 5.25 x 7.75, 305 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in bold fountain pen, “To Spencer Jones ’14, from F. Scott Fitzgerald ’17.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG-/None. Though Fitzgerald did not complete his studies and graduate with the class of 1917, his years at Princeton permanently shaped his life and career. It was in this world of privilege that he devoted himself to finding his voice as a writer, and there that he met the people who would later reappear as characters in his novels—most notably Ginevra King, the muse behind many of his female characters, including Daisy Buchanan. In 1919, Fitzgerald completed and successfully pitched This Side of Paradise to Scribners; integrating 80 pages of an unpublished novel he had written while at Princeton, and telling the tale of an attractive Princeton student—certainly based on himself—the novel is inseparable from his university years. Inscribed to a fellow Princeton classmate, this is a fantastic association piece.
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Exceedingly rare signed first printing of As I Lay Dying
4051 William Faulkner Estimate $10,000-15,000
Signed book: As I Lay Dying. First edition, first printing (bearing the misaligned “I” on page 11, and a price of $2.50 on the dust jacket). NY: Jonathan Cape: Harrison Smith, 1930. Custom bound in beautiful two-tone leather with a black vulture silhouette on the front cover. Contained within the binding are the original dust jacket, the original cloth covers, and the entirety of the book, 5.25 x 7.5, 254 pages. Signed on the front of the dust jacket in fountain pen, “William Faulkner, Bevly Hills Cal, 26 October 1936.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG (rebound)/VG-. Although As I Lay Dying was Faulkner’s fifth published novel, he was still relatively unknown and hardly a professional author. He wrote As I Lay Dying over the course of six weeks while working night shifts in the University of Mississippi’s boiler room. The initial print of the novel was halted after just 750 copies were printed upon the discovery of the dropped ‘I’ on page eleven, as found in this example. By the time he signed this copy, Faulkner had moved to Hollywood to pursue a screenwriting career and frequently collaborated with his friend Howard Hawks. The year 1936 also marked the publication of Absalom, Absalom!, which is also hailed as a masterpiece. Between its extreme rarity and gorgeous custom binding, this is a truly amazing book that represents a cornerstone of modern American literature.
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4052 Margaret Mitchell Estimate $3,500-4,000 Signed book: Gone with the Wind. First edition, first printing. NY: The Macmillan Company, 1936. Rebound hardcover, 6.25 x 9, 1037 pages. Signed on the first free end page in fountain pen, “Margaret Mitchell.” Autographic condition: restored to fine, with the signed page expertly cleaned. Book condition: VG+/None (rebound).
4053 Margaret Mitchell Estimate $800-1,000 TLS signed in pencil, “Peggy,” five pages, 7 x 11, January 5, 1932. Letter to her mother-in-law, Mrs. Marsh, in part: “The town suddenly came to life as it always does three days before Christmas and continued at a racketting [sic] gait till three days ago. Now, every one is sick and tired of seeing their friends and every one is perfectly willing to let another year go by before they see them again…You certainly must have had a houseful for Christmas Day. And it must have been fun. I wish there was someway we could manage to be in Wilmington for Christmas or sometime when a lot of the family were gathered together. ” Mitchell makes a few handwritten emendations in pencil, and adds a postscript at the conclusion, in full: “I held up this letter as John hoped to ad [sic] a line before I mailed it. But, now that his temperature has gone down to subnormal, he’s awfully tired and effort exhausts him so he says to give you his love. He will write you as soon as his ‘enthusiasm’ returns.” In fine condition.
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“I hope, now that the moving picture of ‘Gone With the Wind’ has been released, my life will quiet down” 4054 Margaret Mitchell Estimate $3,000-4,000 TLS signed “Margaret Mitchell Marsh,” two pages, 7 x 10.75, personal letterhead, February 19, 1940. Letter to Robert Saltmarsh, a New Bedford, Massachusetts ,bookseller, in part: “I hope, now that the moving picture of ‘Gone With the Wind’ has been released, my life will quiet down and during the next year I will be able to enjoy the normal things of life, such as traveling about in a leisurely manner. Atlanta had a three-day celebration of the premiere of ‘Gone With the Wind.’ Everyone seemed to enjoy it very much and many people have gone to see the picture three or four times. It is finishing its tenth week and closing in a few days. I hope to be able to see it again myself. I have read some of the New England papers about the picture and, while I had nothing to do with the production, I could not only help feeling pleased that people outside of the South enjoyed it too. I will never forget your pre-publication kindness about my book and it was a pleasure to hear from you again. I hope some day that I will be in New England and will meet you and Mrs. Saltmarsh.” In fine condition, with show-through from toned tape remnants to reverse of second page. The film adaptation of Gone with the Wind premiered in Atlanta at Loew’s Grand Theatre on December 15, 1939, capping off a three-day festival of events that included parades, galas, and the declaration of an official state holiday for GWTW. Although an estimated 300,000 people crowded the streets on the eve of the premiere, the festivity was marred when Georgia’s prevailing Jim Crow laws prevented the African American cast members from taking part; leading man Clark Gable threatened to boycott the premiere, but ultimately relented when actress Hattie McDaniel—who became the first African American to win an Oscar—convinced the actor to show. Mitchell attended the ceremony and received a rousing ovation when she was escorted to the stage by Clark prior to the screening. The film was released nationally to strong reviews and packed theaters on January 17, 1940, riding its wave of popularity well into the awards season and subsequently earning a then-record ten Academy Awards. Mitchell’s celebrity lasted the remainder of her life, though she tried to stay out of the public eye, traveling as she saw fit, and supporting a variety of philanthropic pursuits.
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4055 Richard Wright Estimate $800-1,200 Signed book: Native Son. Second issue. NY: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1940. Hardcover, 6 x 8.25, 359 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in fountain pen, “Best wishes to Arnold Kohen, Richard Wright, 3/5/40.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG-/None.
Sought-after limited edition of A Farewell to Arms
4056 Ernest Hemingway Estimate $6,000-8,000
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Signed book: A Farewell to Arms. First edition, limited issue, numbered 216/510. NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1929. Hardcover bound in paper and vellum, with slipcase, 6.25 x 9.25, 355 pages. Beautifully signed on the colophon in fountain pen. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/None, in a VG+ slipcase; bookplates affixed to front pastedown and free end page, and first free end page bears an ownership inscription.
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One-of-a-kind Hemingway inscribed to his bibliographer 4057 Ernest Hemingway Estimate $6,000-8,000 Signed book: A Bibliography of the Works of Ernest Hemingway by Louis Henry Cohn. First edition, limited issue, numbered 321/500. NY: Random House, 1931. Hardcover, 6.5 x 9.5, 116 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in fountain pen, “And what to write in this copy of Capt. Cohn’s monumental work except to wish he had confined his zeal and go-get-icity to classing Mr. Galsworthy’s output and let me alone—Ernest Hemingway.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/None. Louis Henry Cohn, known as ‘Captain’ thanks to his service in the French Foreign Legion during World War I, was an avid Hemingway reader and collector who became his first bibliographer. Hemingway’s personal inscription to the author humorously goes hand-in-hand with the sentiment he expresses in a reproduced letter featured as a fold-out frontispiece: that all bibliographies of living authors are ‘balls.’ The comprehensive study compiled by Cohn remains an excellent resource for scholarship, featuring reproduced title pages, publication histories, and points of issue for Hemingway’s early works.
4058 Ernest Hemingway Estimate $4,000-5,000 Signed book: For Whom the Bells Tolls. First edition, later printing. NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1940. Hardcover with dust jacket, 6 x 8.5, 471 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in fountain pen, “To Vesta and Gilder Jackson, Wishing them good luck always, Ernest Hemingway.” Autographic condition: very good to fine. Book condition: VG/VG-. Jackson was a brigadier general in the US Marine Corps who served in both WWI and WWII. One of Hemingway’s classic war novels, this presents a nice military connection.
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The Old Man and the Sea 4059 Ernest Hemingway Estimate $6,000-8,000 Exceptional vintage matte-finish 4 x 6 photo of the author posing next to a huge marlin, signed and inscribed in blue ballpoint to famed restaurateur Toots Shor, “To Toots, small edible fish from his pal Ernie Hemingway.” In fine condition, with initial irregular ink adhesion to first name. This photograph was taken just off the northern coast of Peru in Cabo Blanco, known worldwide as ‘Marlin Boulevard’ for the record-setting fish that filled its waters. It was there that Hemingway spent April and May of 1956 with a film crew from Warner Brothers making the movie version of The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway drew inspiration from his own fishing trips when writing the novella in 1951 and released it to great acclaim the following year. Between Hemingway’s quintessential fishing pose and the connection to one of his greatest works, this is an absolutely outstanding example of this rare format.
4060 Ernest Hemingway Estimate $800-1,200 The Old Man and the Sea. First edition, first printing (with “A” and Scribner’s seal on copyright page); in original dust jacket (with $3.00 price intact). NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1952. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.25, 140 pages. Book condition: VG+/VG+.
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Gifting his Pulitzer Prize money to his son for his help with The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, and for “pulling Mr. Scott Fitzgerald out of the fireplace” 4061 Ernest Hemingway Estimate $2,000-3,000 TLS signed “Yours, Ernest,” one onionskin page both sides, 8.5 x 11, Finca Vigia letterhead, no date but postmarked May 21, 1953. Letter to Charles Poore, a New York Times literary critic who wrote extensively on Hemingway and his work. In part: “Glad the book is to the printer. That is the happiest situation I know...Miss Mary said I was her Pulitzer Prize winning husband and had they given it to me for being a good boy for nearly three years or what? I told her I had never understood the Pulitzer prize very well but that I had beaten Tony Pulitzer shooting and maybe it was for that. When we got home there was the check and I endorsed it to Mr. Bumby and sent it to Ft. Bragg. I think that is sounder procedure than sending it back like Mr. Lewis did. It is the same as five months jump pay and I thought the check looked nice endorsed to Capt. John H. Hemingway 0-1798575 who helped me write The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell To Arms and rendered a signal service to literature by pulling Mr. Scott Fitzgerald out of the fireplace where he had gone to sleep when we lived at 115 Rue Notre Dame des Champs... One thing I want to see about Africa is how it has changed. The Mau-Mau business doesn’t seem the thing to get into the high jerk-off knotch about...I hear from Buck Lanham but he is very busy with the 1st Division and he always over-works. He has promised me a job if we ever have to fight. I think things are much better and we will probably never have to fight unless somebody blows up the battleship Maine.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope. The book Hemingway references at the beginning of this letter must be The Hemingway Reader, a collection of stories and excerpts compiled by Poore and first published in 1953. The 1953 Pulitzer Prize winners had been announced just three weeks earlier, with Hemingway being awarded the Prize for Fiction in recognition of The Old Man and the Sea. In the next paragraph he references two icons of American literature—Sinclair Lewis, who refused his Pulitzer in 1926; and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who had a habit of drunkenly visiting Hemingway unannounced when they were living in Paris in the mid1920s. Hemingway was about to embark on his second trip to Africa, thus his discussion of the Mau Mau Uprising which made Kenya a dangerous destination for whites. He also mentions Buck Lanham, one of Hemingway’s best friends from his time as a war correspondent, whoserved as the inspiration for Colonel Cantwell in Across the River and into the Trees.
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“Whether it is an eccentricity for a writer to fight for his country is none of our concern” 4062 Ernest Hemingway Estimate $8,000-10,000 ALS signed “Ernest,” three pages, 8.5 x 11, Finca Vigia letterhead, February 7, 1953. Letter to Charles Poore, a New York Times literary critic who wrote extensively on Hemingway and his work. In part: “Thanks very much for the two letters. I’m sorry I took up your time bitching about P[hilip] Young. It will be a long time before he puts me out of business, although I think he had high hopes when he sat down to the typewriter for the first time. It’s always funny when they write about something that you really know about...Thanks about the paragraph about chivalry. Do you remember: from The Twa Corbies? In behint you auld fail dyke I wot there lies a new-slain knight; and naebody kens that he lies there But his hawk, his hound and his lady fair. His hound is to the hunting game, His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame, His lady’s ta’en anither mate So we may make our dinner sweet. I’m going to use A New Slain Knight for the title of a novel sometime. Have always been saving it. May use it for the one after the next in the three I have done. Being three ahead makes you feel good. Christ I’ve worked hard though Charlie or anyway I did for 2 1/2 years... Sometime will you give me one paragraph of true gen I can operate on: subject: How intelligent is Wallace? I like him; know him in the office; trust him altogether. But I could use this paragraph of the true gen.
We are going away for quite a while and I need any gen I can operate on with confidence. One time with Across the River he queried names and places I knew as well as I knew my own. I’d checked them, in case I’d forgotten, on a 1/5000 and he queries them from An Atlas. So I was worried. But he was sound and fast and wonderful on The Old Man and the Sea. Then I warned him that P. Young was no good and up to some. But Young made a good impression on him... But in this book let’s forget Young and all his kind. It is supposed to be a selection of books, stories and parts of books that you and I believe worth reading. If I did not think they were I would not publish them. If you did not think they were you would not write the introduction nor the prefaces.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed in his own hand. Please visit www.RRAuction. com for a complete transcription. This magnificent letter is rife with autobiographical details, discussion of writing, and thoughts on his ongoing safari in Africa. He starts off by mentioning Philip Young, a critic who he generally loathed because he attributed some of his writing to trauma suffered during the war. Hemingway goes on to quote a verse of the English folk ballad ‘Twa Corbies,’ and points out the ‘new slain knight’ line. He had been considering it as a potential title since the 1920s, when he wrote 50,000 words for a book under that title before abandoning the project; he again considered it for the title of Across the River and into the Trees. “True gen,” military slang meaning ‘true genuine information,’ was one of Hemingway’s favorite expressions. He also references the famous incident when he and Max Eastman got into a fist fight in Max Perkins’s office at Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1937. One of the longest, most interesting Hemingway letters we have encountered.
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Papa inscribes A Farewell to Arms for a fellow Caribbean writer 4063 Ernest Hemingway Estimate $3,000-3,500 Signed book: A Farewell to Arms. Later printing. NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1957. Hardcover rebound in half leather, 5.5 x 8.5, 343 pages. Signed and inscribed on the dedication page in fountain pen, “For Kjeld Helweg-Larsen, with sincere good wishes, Ernest Hemingway.” Dated at the bottom in another hand, “La Floridita, Habana 2-4-60.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/ None. Helweg-Larsen authored books with titles such as Rogues and Raiders of the Caribbean and the South Sea, Pieces of Paradise: A Travel Book About the West Indies, and Columbus Never Came. In addition to being Hemingway’s favorite Havana bar, La Floridita served as a popular watering hole for foreign intellectuals and artists like Ezra Pound, John Dos Passos, and Graham Greene.
Superb first print run of East of Eden 4064 John Steinbeck Estimate $1,000-1,500 Signed book: East of Eden. Limited first edition of 1500 copies. NY: Viking Press, 1952. Hardcover with slipcase, 6.25 x 9.25, 602 pages. Signed on the colophon in blue ink by Steinbeck. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/None, in a G slipcase.
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Oceanside free verse by the unpublished poet 4065 John Steinbeck Estimate $1,500-2,000 Handwritten poem, unsigned, one page, 8 x 12.5, no date. Steinbeck pens a sixteen-line poem, in full: “Gull-screaming rock, Sea lion rock / Save my loneliness / From the tip toe / Creeping Correct, / From mouse footed Certainty / From whispering Rightness / From stealthy Virtue. / Sea lion—black cormorant, / And you—seldom monster / From the under deep, / Ora pro michi! / Let me be gentle—useful even, / But let me, as a favor, / Let me be me, / Black cormorant.” In fine condition. Poetry by Steinbeck is extremely scarce—he was a writer of fiction and non-fiction, exploring poetry only occasionally and in private. Although he did enjoy reading poetry, he once declined to judge a poetry contest because he felt ‘unqualified’ and seemingly never published any poetry during his lifetime. In The Paris Review’s Art of Fiction ‘interview’ with Steinbeck, posthumously compiled from his letters and diaries, one of his suggestions for overcoming writer’s block is: ‘Write poetry—not for selling—not even for seeing—poetry to throw away. For poetry is the mathematics of writing and closely kin to music.’
“Merry Christmas, Flannery”
4066 Flannery O’Connor Estimate $800-1,200
Rare Christmas card featuring a color image of ornaments dangling from a tree, measuring 4.75 x 3 closed, signed inside in blue ballpoint, “We’re waiting for that visit. Merry Christmas, Flannery.” In fine condition. O’Connor is rare in any format, and as her work was informed by her Catholic faith this is a particularly appropriate example.
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First printing of Vonnegut’s debut novel
4067 Kurt Vonnegut Estimate $1,500-2,000
Signed book: Player Piano. First edition, first printing (with “A” and Scribner’s seal on copyright page); in original dust jacket (with $3.00 price intact). NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1952. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.5, 295 pages. Signed on the front pastedown in blue ballpoint. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG/VG-. Taking place in a dystopian future where human labor has been replaced by complete automation, Player Piano represents an early example of the satirical ‘straight sci-fi’ style that would define Vonnegut’s career. As a first printing of his debut novel, this book remains highly sought-after by collectors.
4068 Ayn Rand Estimate $800-1,200 Atlas Shrugged. First edition, first printing; in original dust jacket (with “10/57” on front flap and publisher’s name and address on rear flap). NY: Random House, 1957. Hardcover with dust jacket, 6 x 8.75, 1168 pages. Book condition: VG+/VG+.
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Tremendously rare oversized portrait of the thought-provoking writer 4069 Ayn Rand Estimate $6,000-8,000 Extraordinarily rare matte-finish 10.75 x 13.75 portrait of Rand, nicely signed and inscribed against the light background in fountain pen, “To Carl Schaefer— Cordially—Ayn Rand, 8/18/48.” Handsomely double-matted and framed to an overall size of 17.5 x 20.5. In fine condition. In 1943 Rand had published The Fountainhead, her first work to espouse the philosophy of Objectivism that came to characterize her later work and legacy. The novel was a New York Times bestseller by 1945, and when she signed this photo the production for a Fountainhead film starring Gary Cooper had just begun. Rand was also deep in research for her magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, which would be published nearly a decade later in 1957. Signed photos of Rand are practically unknown, and this superb oversized example is certainly one of the finest extant.
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Massive collection of Updike’s belongings—including thousands of signed checks
4070 John Updike Estimate $20,000-30,000 Enormous collection of John Updike’s personally-owned material gathered from outside his home in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, including photographs, personal checks, letters, cards and invitations, notes, drafts, and other ephemera. This large collection has been the subject of stories in both the New York Times and The Atlantic in addition to other notable international publications.
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Among the highlights of the collection are: Approximately 3,500 personal checks, nearly all filled out and signed by Updike, “John H. Updike,” dated from the 1960s to 2006. At least sixty are made payable to “Cash,” and signed twice by Updike on both the front and reverse. Many are payable to book stores, publishers, or literary organizations, including the Library of Congress, Bauman’s Rare Books, Window Bookshop, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Author’s Guild, Andover Book Store, Random House, The New Yorker, Provincetown Bookshop, and Starr Bookshop. Updike’s address book, primarily filled out in his own hand, including names such as Andre Dubus, Boston Globe, The New Yorker, Joyce Carol Oates, Tim O’Brien, V. S. Pritchett, Penguin Books, Random House, and most of his family members. Several handwritten pages of notes, a few signed letters and documents, unsigned typescripts, and copies of letters. Several books inscribed to Updike, including a softcover edition of the anthology Telling Tales signed and inscribed on the half-title page, “John—A huge thank you! Nadine Gordimer” and, “To John—to the beginning of the line, from the end of the line—Salman Rushdie.” A hardcover edition of The Bridge of Beyond with original pencil sketches by Updike on the last free end page and rear pastedown depicting his first wife, Mary. Two hardcover books by Edward Hoagland, African Calliope and Seven Rivers West, both rife with marginalia in the form of dozens of Updike’s pencil notes throughout as well as notes on the last pages. Fifteen 5.25˝ computer floppy disks presumed to store files with his work on them, with some of the labels including: “Stories—III, Brother Grasshopper,” “Poems,” “Book Reviews,” “Now It Can Be Told, The Black Room,” “Bluebeard,” and others.
Approximately 3,500 personal checks Nineteen golf scorecards, most with notes in Updike’s hand. A series of intimate love letters from “Joan.” Two notes mentioning Salinger: one handwritten and unsigned, and one typed and signed by Updike. Two of Updike’s library cards for the Boston Public Library, both signed on the reverse, and his signed ticket for access to the reading room of the British Museum. Two TLSs to Updike from Doris Day. The handsome official wooden presentation box, White House invitation, passes, and program for his receipt of the 1989 National Medal of Arts presented to him by President George Bush. Hundreds of photographs and slides from Updike’s personal life, showing him at various speaking engagements, with his friends and family, vacations, and so forth. In overall very good to fine condition. All together, this collection offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the everyday life of an icon in American literature—and is a fitting tribute to the realist who described his style as an attempt ‘to give the mundane its beautiful due.’ Please visit www.RRAuction.com for additional information on this collection’s contents. All interested parties are encouraged to view the collection in person at our offices or call us with specific inquiries, as this collection is sold as-is and no returns will be accepted.
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4071 Harper Lee
4072 Hunter S. Thompson
Estimate $400-600
Estimate $400-600
Signed book: To K i l l a Mockingbird. 40th anniversary edition. NY: HarperCollins, 1999. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.25, 323 pages. Signed on the half–title page in blue ballpoint. In very fine condition.
Signed book: Hell’s Angels. First edition, first printing. NY: Random House, 1967. Hardcover with dust jacket, 6 x 8.5, 278 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in black ballpoint by Sonny Barge, founding member of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, “To Joe, Sonny.” Also includes an unaffixed bookplate signed in black felt tip by Thomspon, “HST.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/VG+.
Scarce first edition of Kesey’s classic with first state dust jacket 4073 Ken Kesey Estimate $5,000-6,000 Signed book: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. First edition, first printing. NY: Viking Press, 1962. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.25, 311 pages. Signed on the half-title page in black ballpoint. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/ VG. A high point of 1960s literature, this spectacular example boasts the correct points of issue, with “that fool Red Cross woman” on page 9 and “Red Cross woman named Gwen-doe-lin, with the blond hair” at the top of page 86; and includes its original, first state dust jacket with “4.95” and Kerouac’s five-word review on the front flap.
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Exceptionally rare contract for Pynchon’s second novel, The Crying of Lot 49 4074 Thomas Pynchon Estimate $10,000-15,000 DS, signed “Thomas Pynchon,” one page, 7.75 x 12.75, November 24, 1966. Memorandum of an agreement in which Pynchon grants the publishing company Gyldendal Forlag license to publish a Danish translation of his book The Crying of Lot 49 for “an advance of Three Hundred Dollars… payable on signature of this agreement on account of a royalty of Five per cent… of the published price on the first Five Thousand…copies sold and Seven and a half percent…of the published price on all copies sold thereafter.” Signed at the conclusion in blue ballpoint by Pynchon. In fine condition. Published in 1966, The Crying of Lot 49 follows Oedipa Maas in her quest to uncover a possible world conspiracy involving the rival mailing distribution firms of Trystero and Thurn und Taxis. Despite its short length and Pynchon’s own dissatisfaction with the final product, The Crying of Lot 49 proved an intricate postmodernist work; scholars continue to plumb the novella’s labyrinthine plot structure, various cultural allusions, and the obscuration of its title character, all literary devices which closely mirror Pynchon’s influential 1963 debut novel, V. Given Pynchon’s well-publicized reputation as one of the literary world’s most reclusive novelists, any item directly related to the author exists unto itself as a unique find, with signed items being of the utmost rarity. A tremendous document from early in the great writer’s career, and just the second Pynchon item we have ever offered.
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Spy Fiction & Mysteries 4075 Agatha Christie Estimate $400-600 ALS signed “Agatha Christie Mallowan,” one page both sides, 5.5 x 7, Winterbrook House, Wallingford letterhead, May 27, no year. Letter to Mr. Riline, in part: “I’m afraid I can’t supply the items you mention in your letter—I am not an author who has ever kept manuscripts—when my books are published, I destroy all such things—they only litter a house. ” In fine condition.
Shortly after his failed 1900 Parliament bid, Doyle defends his religious beliefs 4076 Arthur Conan Doyle Estimate $800-1,000 ALS signed “A. Conan Doyle,” four pages, 4.5 x 7, The Reform Club letterhead, October 9, 1900. Letter to the editor of The Scotsman newspaper, in part: “My own religious views are a question which I should not dream of intruding upon others on the press, nor should I mix them up in politics, but as it appears to be certain that I lost the recent election through a malicious false statement circulated at the last moment concerning them, I must in duty to my supporters be explicit upon the subject. I belong and have belonged for twenty odd years to the broadest & most tolerant section of the Church of England...Late on the night before the Election there appeared a most infamous placard, 300 copies of which were posted upon the walls of the Central Division, which undoubtedly did me great harm. It declared that I was a Roman Catholic...The placard continued however with most outrageous falsehoods, that I was a ‘Popish conspirator a ‘Jesuit emissary’ seeking to promote Priestcraft, Idolatry, the Murder of the Protestants, and so forth.” Doyle has made a number of strikethroughs and handwritten emendations. In fine condition. Representing the Liberal Unionist party, Doyle ran for Parliament in the 1900 Edinburgh Central general election against his former publisher, George Mackenzie Brown of the Thomas Nelson and Sons publishing company. Despite drastically improving the Unionist vote, Doyle was defeated, and was quick to condemn a libelous placard posted throughout the district on Election Day, one proclaiming him to be an agent of the Catholic faith. Long removed from his Catholic upbringing, Doyle became a reserved agnostic for a long period before famously turning to spiritualism and psychical research in his later years.
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The mystery writer to his Army buddy, “who fought shoulder to shoulder with me through the bitter training standards campaigns”
4077 Dashiell Hammett Estimate $4,000-5,000
Signed book: The Complete Dashiell Hammett. Later printing. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1942. Hardcover, 5 x 7.5. Boldly signed and inscribed on the first free end page in fountain pen, “For Robert Boltwood, who fought shoulder to shoulder with me through the bitter training standards campaigns, with thanks for having made my days less empty. Dashiell Hammett, Camp Charles Wood, February 25, 1943.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: G+/None. Hammett enlisted in the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served in the US Army with Boltwood; their friendship is documented in Diane Johnson’s biography The Life of Dashiell Hammett, which mentions that he presented Boltwood with one of his books. Hammett is a scarce autograph in general, and this example features an especially warm, personal inscription connected to his life.
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IAN FLEMING Few fictional characters have penetrated the cultural lexicon as intensely as the charismatic secret agent James Bond, whose covert missions and rebellious charm have spawned movie franchises, video games, and countless spin-offs over the last fifty years. With 007’s everincreasing popularity, demand for the originals—first editions of Ian Fleming’s genre-defining series—has grown exponentially. We are excited to offer this fantastic collection, remarkably well-preserved, with the majority retaining their especially scarce dust jackets.
“He is officially your Number 2 and normally we shall contact him through you” 4078 Ian Fleming Estimate $2,000-3,000 TLS signed “Yours sincerely, Ian Fleming,” one page both sides, 8 x 10, Kemsley House letterhead, October 25, 1949. Letter to journalist and spy Antony Terry of the British Press Centre. In part: “I have given you carte blanche and I am only anxious that you should establish a secure base as soon as possible. I explained the Hamsher position to you over the telephone this morning and you will hear more from him. I am paying him a retainer of £20 a month, so you need have no hesitation to work him hard. He is officially your Number 2 and normally we shall contact him through you. At the moment we cannot byline him, but I would like you to discuss this point with him and ask him to suggest a name without delay…Please keep an eye open for really newsworthy photographs, and let it be known amongst free-lances that you are in the market for anything which might suit the ‘Daily Graphic’ or the ‘Sunday Graphic.’ Please particularly keep your eye open for photographs from inside Russia. A series on ‘Stalingrad Today,’ or on any of the other big Russian cities, would be very acceptable, but watch out for fakes. Normally, you should tell photographers that you are sending their pictures to London and that they will be paid for if used. Naturally, if there is anything in the nature of a scoop, you will have to snap it up and we would be prepared to pay big money if necessary. ” In fine condition. As foreign manager of the Kemsley newspaper group’s Sunday Times, Fleming hired Terry to be posted abroad. Meanwhile, Fleming ran an intelligence outfit known as Mercury which used foreign correspondents to gather information in sensitive foreign zones. With several classic tropes of espionage fiction—including the middleman contact “Number 2” and Cold War intrigue in Russia—this is the quintessential Fleming letter.
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4079 Ian Fleming Estimate $1,000-1,500 Unsigned book: Casino Royale. First American edition, first printing. NY: The Macmillan Company, 1954. Hardcover with dust jacket (priced at $2.75), 5.5 x 8.25, 176 pages. Book condition: VG/VG(with corners clipped but price intact).
Wonderful first printing in its bold, original dust jacket
4080 Ian Fleming Estimate $5,000-6,000
Rare unsigned book: Moonraker. First edition, first printing (with “shoot� on page 10, and a 19 mm text block). London: Jonathan Cape, 1955. Hardcover with dust jacket (priced at 10s 6d), 5.25 x 7.5, 256 pages. Book condition: VG+/VG+. Typically sunned to the point that the flames are indistinguishable, this dust jacket is extremely difficult to find with this level of definition. A fantastic first of this sought-after early title.
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4081 Ian Fleming Estimate $400-600 Unsigned book: Diamonds Are Forever. First edition, first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1956. Hardcover, 5.25 x 7.5, 252 pages. Book condition: VG/None.
4082 Ian Fleming Estimate $2,000-3,000 Unsigned book: From Russia With Love. First edition, first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. Hardcover with dust jacket (priced at 13s 6d), 5.25 x 7.5, 253 pages. Book condition: VG+/VG.
4083 Ian Fleming Estimate $400-600 Unsigned book: Dr. No. First edition, first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1958. Hardcover with dust jacket (priced at 13s 6d), 5.25 x 7.5, 256 pages. Book condition: VG+/ VG-. This is the variant with the ‘dancing girl’ silhouette on the front board.
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4084 Ian Fleming Estimate $800-1,200 Unsigned book: Goldfinger. First edition, first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1959. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.25 x 7.5, 318 pages. Book condition: VG-/VG (priceclipped).
4085 Ian Fleming
4086 Ian Fleming
Estimate $400-600
Estimate $200-400
Unsigned book: For Your Eyes Only. First edition, first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1960. Hardcover with dust jacket (priced at 15s), 5.25 x 7.5, 252 pages. Book condition: VG+/VG.
Unsigned book: Thunderball. First edition, first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1961. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.25 x 7.5, 254 pages. Book condition: VG+/VG.
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4087 Ian Fleming Estimate $400-600 Unsigned book: The Spy Who Loved Me. First edition, first printing (not the quad mark variant). London: Jonathan Cape, 1962. Hardcover with dust jacket (with the blank rear flap), 5.25 x 7.5, 221 pages. Book condition: VG-/VG-.
4088 Ian Fleming Estimate $600-800 Unsigned book: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. First edition, first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. Hardcover with a bright, bold dust jacket (priced at 16s), 5.25 x 7.5, 288 pages. Book condition: VG+/VG+.
4089 Ian Fleming Estimate $200-400 Unsigned book: You Only Live Twice. First edition, second state. London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. Hardcover with dust jacket (priced at 16s), 5.25 x 7.5, 256 pages. Book condition: VG+/VG+.
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4090 Ian Fleming
4091 Ian Fleming
Estimate $400-600
Estimate $200-400
Unsigned book: The Man With the Golden Gun. First edition, first printing (without the embossed golden gun). London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. Hardcover with an especially bright dust jacket (priced at 18s), 5.25 x 7.5, 221 pages. Book condition VG+/VG+.
Unsigned book: Octopussy and the Living Daylights. First edition, first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1966. Hardcover with dust jacket (with revised 16s price sticker over the original 10s 6d), 5.25 x 7.5, 95 pages. Book condition: NF/VG+.
Crisp set of signed first editions 4092 John Gardner Estimate $1,500-2,000 Excellent set of six James Bond novels written by John Gardner, each a first edition from Jonathan Cape and Hodder & Stoughton, 5.25 x 8, hardcovers with dust jackets, each signed and inscribed to Joe on the title page in black ink. Titles include: License Renewed, For Special Services, Icebreaker, Role of Honour, Nobody Lives Forever, and No Deals, Mr. Bond. In overall fine condition.
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Monumental 45-box archive spanning 50 years, ten books, and nine screenplays and featuring the author’s handwritten novel and script work on The Godfather Trilogy 4093 Mario Puzo Estimate $400,000 + This lot will be auctioned live 7:00 p.m. EST on February 18 Please enjoy the enclosed catalog, which tells the story of Puzo’s legendary career, offers a detailed account of this collection’s contents, and provides information on how to bid.
No writer has made as indelible an impact on the world of organized crime as Mario Puzo. Just as the release of his fourth novel, The Godfather, brought the author into the public spotlight, the subsequent film adaptation ushered the mafia from out of the shadows into the public eye. Introducing the mob to the mainstream, The Godfather reshaped ItalianAmerican culture—and the world’s perception of it. His ascendance from obscure writer to best-selling author to Oscar-winning screenwriter is a tale of hard work, sleepless nights, and innumerable hours of research. Spanning nearly a half-century of study, this remarkable archive typifies the meticulous nature of its late owner with an extensive and revealing clarity, leaving no doubt of the sheer indefatigable legend Puzo left in his wake. Expertly organized within 45 banker’s boxes, this collection surveys the lifework of Puzo on a scale never before seen, and is highlighted by the book-to-screen progression of the work that defined Puzo’s career. From origin to finale, over six boxes worth of written material capture the exhaustive process Puzo undertook in bringing the Corleone family saga to vivid life, with each page offering a unique glimpse into his work. Consisting of personal correspondence, numerous early drafts and manuscripts, the archive includes the step-by-step progression of nine screenplays and ten novels, from his first novel 1955’s The Dark Arena, through to 2000’s Omerta. Interested parties are encouraged to view the Puzo archive in person at our offices or call us with specific inquiries. Considering the size and scope of this collection, additional shipping charges will apply; please contact Bobby@RRAuction.com for more details.
Continued on page 68-69
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Continued from 67
Contents of the 45-box archive Books
Screenplays
The Dark Arena (1955) 1 box
Fools Die (1978) 1 ½ boxes
The Fortunate Pilgrim (1965) 1 ½ boxes
The Sicilian (1984) 2 boxes
The Godfather (1972) screenplay and novel content combined within the 1 ½ boxes noted at left
The Godfather (1969) Originally titled “Mafia” 1 ½ boxes
The Fourth K (1991) 8 ½ boxes
The Godfather II (1974) 1 ½ boxes
The Last Don (1996) 7 boxes
Earthquake (1974) 1 box
Omerta (2000) 2 ½ boxes
Superman (1978) 1 box
The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions (1972) 1 box Inside Las Vegas (1977) 2 boxes
Seven Graves for Rogan/ A Time to Die (1982) 1 ½ boxes Cotton Club (1984) 1 box The Godfather III (1990) 3 boxes Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) 2 boxes The Lorch Team (1992) 1 box
Counts are approximate, as some boxes contain a mixture of material. A detailed list of box contents can be found at www.RRAuction.com
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Highlights include: • A 744-page working draft manuscript for the Godfather novel, originally titled “Mafia” (shown above) • Six large, 22 x 28, storyboards outlining the Godfather novel’s progression • A 15-page handwritten Godfather novel outline revealing that Johnny Fontane was based on Frank Sinatra (close up shown above) • Puzo’s 1965 Olympia typewriter, almost certainly used to write the Godfather novel (shown above) • Countless examples of Puzo’s handwritten amendments to iconic aspects of the Godfather I and II screenplays; along with a couple of Coppola’s annotations • Insightful typed and handwritten correspondence between Puzo and Coppola regarding all three Godfather films
• Puzo’s copy of Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather ‘Bible,’ an enormous, impeccably organized three-ring binder covering virtually every aspect of filming • Pages upon pages of fully handwritten Godfather I and II scenes and dialogue • Fantastic material illuminating the progression of Godfather II, from Puzo’s initial draft to the final product, with Coppola’s invaluable input • A couple of Puzo handwritten instances of “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” (shown above) • Work on other important screenplays such as 1974’s Earthquake and 1978’s Superman • First draft, hand-annotated manuscripts of the author’s books, including early works 1955’s The Dark Arena and his personal pride, 1965’s The Fortunate Pilgrim
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Poetry
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“Bawling phrases in Flaubert’s manner and rhythm that will drive the bourgeoisie up the wall” 4094 Theophile Gautier Estimate $4,000-5,000
French writer (1811–1872) of drama, poetry, fiction, and criticism who was widely influential in the development of modernism. Rare ALS in French, three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5 x 7.75, March 18, 1859. Letter to fellow writer Ernest-Aime Feydeau, written from Russia before Gautier’s return to France. He discusses the necessary formalities to leave and the difficult terms of the return journey from St. Petersburg, in part (translated): “One has to publish one’s departure three times in the papers so your creditors—if you have any—can come collect the money, after which you have to exchange your French passport for a Russian passport and for this, you have to submit a request. All of this requires time, physically and morally. Furthermore, you need a place at the post office for which you have to wait up to six weeks.” He will be “on time for the exposition, and since I will be less occupied with stopping my nose from freezing I will throw lots of copies into all openings.” He looks forward to seeing Feydeau again, “beloved colonel of metaphors,” and to hearing him “bawling phrases in Flaubert’s manner and rhythm that will drive the bourgeoisie up the wall.” There is one excuse for his prolonged stay: “I was able to sell fourteen thousand copies of Fanny! Hence you can see that the Russians are mighty intelligent; they only ask to have their hearts and minds deformed. Still, I start to think too often about the contraltos, about the green and yellow monsters, about the cats and the white rats and also about the Neuilly bus, this charming vehicle. I even feel almost like seeing a vaudeville, a sure sign of my decline and cretinism.” In fine condition, with a repaired tear to the lower right corner passing into the signature. Gautier spent the winter of 1858–1859 in Russia and enjoyed his time there immensely, despite the cold weather. The book he mentions, Fanny, was written by Feydeau in 1858 and found enormous success upon publication. Both he and Gautier were friends with Flaubert, who also receives a mention in this letter. Over the next decade, Gautier wrote much about his time in Russia, publishing Tresors d’Art de la Russie [Treasures of Russian Art] in 1861 and Voyage en Russie [Voyage in Russia] in 1867. His travel literature is considered among the best of the 19th century, revealing his personal tastes in art and culture. Lengthy and rife with fascinating content, this is an ideal letter by the esteemed French writer.
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4095 Rainer Maria Rilke Estimate $3,000-4,000 ALS in German, signed “Rilke,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 6.5 x 8, January 22, 1919. Letter to Grete Gulbransson, Austrian writer and the dedicatee of Rilke’s ‘Five Sonnets’ and a poem. In full (translated): “According to the rich custom of Arab story tellers I must now be addressed as: ‘Oh Father of Verse Giving!’; my life, in all its breath, is now burdened with so many delays! Hasn’t it been months that I’ve been wanting to invite you to my place? Months. For the longest time my place wasn’t good enough yet; later I went out most of the time because I couldn’t stand it at home. Now it’s the opposite: I live (finally) behind my closed door, don’t often go out and rarely let anyone in. But I’d like to take you at your word—and I suggest the 27th [sic, 29th] to both of you, Saint Olafs Day: next Monday, for a little tea party (unfortunately without a fire in the fireplace). If you’ll give me the pleasure of accepting, which I urgently hope, I’ll also invite the Zechs [poet Paul Zech, who wrote several biographical essays on Rilke]; I haven’t got enough cups, spoons and other accessories for more.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Rilke’s hand, which retains its original wax seal bearing the family crest, showing greyhounds surmounted by a rearing greyhound.
4096 Thomas Moore Estimate $600-800
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Four signed items, including a verse and three letters: an autograph stanza from his poem ‘On Music,’ signed “Thomas Moore,” affixed opposite the half-title page of an 1823 edition of The Loves of Angels; an ALS, one page both sides, 7.5 x 9.25, February 9, 1813, discussing his poetry and publishing matters; an ALS, one page, 4.5 x 7.25, December 5, 1827, discussing plans for after Christmas; and a third-person ALS, one page, 4.5 x 7.25, June 8, 1831, declining an invitation. In overall very good to fine condition, with the book neatly rebacked with original spine laid down. Accompanied by a custom-made leather slipcase.
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The exalted 18th-century poet of ‘Scotch Drink’ approves a “Cask of Foreign Rum”
4097 Robert Burns Estimate $10,000-12,000
Partly-printed DS, signed “Rob’t Burns,” one page, 6 x 4, March 1, 1793. An official document filled out by Burns as the exciseman for Dumfries, Scotland, permitting Robert Anderson to “receive one Cask of Foreign Rum…Quantity nine Gallons” from the stock of James Grieves. Handsomely and archivally double-matted and framed with an engraving to an overall size of 20 x 13.5. Affixed to a slightly larger backing for reinforcement and in very good condition, with three small areas of paper loss near the edges. After a failed attempt at farming, Burns decided to become a tax collector in 1789 and moved to Dumfries two years later. Burns was infamously known for his love of alcohol, an interest perhaps best embodied in his poem ‘Scotch Drink.’ Although his poetry cites whiskey as a favorite—in some cases calling out specific brands by name—he did not shy away from rum and was known to enjoy ale, claret wine, port, and brandy on occasion. Autographic material from Burns is quite scarce, and with its large signature and appropriate association with drink, this is a particularly appealing example.
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Inscribed to his fellow Pre-Raphaelite 4098 Dante Gabriel Rossetti Estimate $6,000-8,000 Signed book: Ballads and Sonnets. First edition. London: Ellis and White, 1881. Hardcover, 5.5 x 7.725, 335 pages. Signed and inscribed on the half-title page in ink, “E. BurneJones, from his old friend, D. G. Rossetti, 1881.” Burne-Jones’s bookplate is affixed to the front pastedown, as is a later owner’s. Autographic condition: very good. Book condition: VG-/None. Rossetti and Burne-Jones were two leading figures of the Pre-Raphaelite artistic movement—an excellent association copy.
4099 Robert Browning Estimate $600-800 ALS, one page, 4.5 x 7, Warwick Crescent letterhead, February 15, 1886. Letter to Marc-Andre Raffalovich, in full: “You are,—as ever,—kindness itself—and I am,—as too often,—unlucky in being unable to profit by your invitation,—having an engagement for the morning of the 20th. I was also unfortunately hindered from seeing you last week, as I had hoped to do. Pray believe me, Dear Mr. Raffalovich.” Bears a Blackfriars Library Oxford postmark. In fine condition, with some mounting remnants along reverse edge of spine. Remembered as the life partner of English poet John Gray, Raffalovich was a wealthy French poet and early defender of homosexuality.
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“I have now got the authorised translation of Claudel’s play & it is excellent—quite speakable” 4100 William Butler Yeats Estimate $800-1,200 ALS signed “W. B. Yeats,” one page, 8.25 x 10.5, July 30, no year but circa late 1910s. Letter to Mr. O’Brien. In part: “I have now got the authorised translation of Claudel’s play & it is excellent—quite speakable—under the circumstances Claudel could certainly & rightly insist on this translation being used on the stage. Under the circumstances I can only send back to you your translation. You must be disappointed at having done so much work on this, but at any rate you will have got to learn…a fine play.” In fine condition, with a repaired separation to the lower portion of the vertical fold. Yeats was introduced to the work of the French poets Claudel, Jammes, and Peguy in the summer of 1916 by Iseult Gonne, and he saw Claudel’s play L’annonce faite a Marie [The Tidings Brought to Mary] in translation in 1917. Yeats used his theatre connections to find productions for the dramatic works of Claudel, a project which he seems to have undertaken at the time he penned this letter.
“For wisdom is a butterfly, and not a gloomy bird of prey” 4101 William Butler Yeats Estimate $3,000-4,000 Signed book: The Trembling of the Veil. First edition, limited issue, numbered 792/1000. London: T. Werner Laurie, Ltd., 1922. Hardcover with dust jacket, 6 x 9, 247 pages. Signed on the half-title page in ink with an AQS, “For wisdom is a butterfly, and not a gloomy bird of prey, W. B. Yeats, Nov. 10, 1923,” and also signed on the colophon as issued, “W. B. Yeats.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/ VG. From Yeats’s poem ‘Tom O’Roughley,’ this quote came to represent to him the wisdom of age in contrast to youth; he often penned these lines of verse when signing books for admirers.
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4102 William Butler Yeats Estimate $1,000-1,200 Signed book: The Variorum Edition of the Poems of W. B. Yeats. Special limited edition, numbered 306/825. NY: The Macmillan Company, 1957. Hardcover with slipcase, 6.5 x 9.5, 884 pages. Crisply signed on the colophon in fountain pen, “W. B. Yeats.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: NF/None, in a VG+ slipcase.
“The past is simply immense here, and not yet dead” 4103 D. H. Lawrence Estimate $1,000-1,500 ALS, one page both sides, 8.5 x 11, January 4, 1920. Written from Palazzo Ferraro in Capri, a letter to New York publisher B. W. Huebsch, in part: “We have buffeted our way down Italy, and landed here in Capri. It is a beautiful little island by itself; but it’s had so many civilizations rather violently poured over it, that ‘ ‘e don’t know where ‘e are’—But probably you’ve been here, along with every other mortal American who ever left the States...We are at the top of this old palace, which is the very key of Capri: Morgano’s Cafe is downstairs. We have a roof and Naples and Vesuvius to the right, the gulf of Salerno behind, and the open sea to the left, shining. I get a strange nostalgia for I know not what. I stand on my roof and evoke so many gods, and look at the four corners of the winds, and begin to feel even a bit frightened, as if I’d got to the middle and did not quote know how to get out. The past is simply immense here, and not yet dead. I feel like bursting into tears, and begging Parttrenope and Leucothea please to let me go. Aber wohin?” In fine condition. In the wake of World War I, Lawrence and his German wife Frieda set off on their ‘savage pilgrimage,’ leaving Britain for Italy in November of 1919. Making their way to the island of Capri around Christmas, the couple resided there for two months, with Lawrence enjoying scarce few moments of their time on the ‘gossipy, villa-stricken, two-humped chunk of limestone.’ A lovely letter from his time abroad, written the same year as the publication of his celebrated Women in Love.
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Rare signed exhibition photo of the impassioned poet taking the stage 4104 Dylan Thomas Estimate $2,000-3,000 Tremendous matte-finish 10.5 x 12.5 exhibition photograph of Thomas in a dramatic half-length pose during rehearsal for his 1953 play Under Milk Wood, signed in pencil by the photographer, Rollie McKenna, in the lower border of both the photo and the mat, with the reverse bearing the photographer’s copyright stamp. Matted to an overall size of 16 x 20. In fine condition. In April of 1953, Thomas returned to New York to help with rehearsals for an upcoming performance of Under Milk Wood. Suffering from gout and gastritis, the visibly unwell scribe soldiered through the Poetry Centre read-throughs, reciting all fiftyfour parts of the First Voice and the Reverend Eli Jenkins himself. As McKenna photographed, Thomas admonished his performers to ‘love the words…love the words.’ The play was recorded on April 15, and remains the only known recorded performance of Under Milk Wood with Thomas as a part of the cast; his untimely death just six months later canceled a planned studio recording in early 1954.
4105 Ralph Waldo Emerson Estimate $800-1,000 ALS signed “R. W. Emerson,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 4.5 x 7, October 24, 1860. Letter to Ira F. Hart, in part: “I cannot say with perfect certainty today, but it seems to me that I can best come to Elmira, on Wednesday, January 9, if that time fits your convenience. I propose to go to Owego on the 10th & to Binghamton on the 11th. If my correspondents can agree with this arrangement, in a few days I will make it certain.” In fine condition.
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4106 Ralph Waldo Emerson Estimate $600-800 ALS signed “R. W. Emerson,” five pages on two adjoining sheets and one separate sheet, 5 x 8, May 26, 1858. Letter to Mary Russell Watson, in part: “It is a piece of character, & as every piece of character in writing is, a stroke of genius also, to praise Channing’s poems in this cordial way, and I read the manuscript with thankful sympathy. But you will print it. It is by no means character & genius that are good to print, but something quite different,—namely,—tact, talent, sparkle, wit, humor, select anecdote & Birmingham lacker...Nothing can be acuter criticism than what you say of ‘the art to pay how little, not how much, belonging to this fatal Poet.’ Think a moment, & tell me, if you can say another word as descriptive of his genius. The selections, too, all have good reason. But I must have a few more good points. ‘So saith the Grand Mufti.’ ” In fine condition. William Ellery Channing was a Transcendentalist poet and close friend of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. Emerson published many of his verses in the Dial magazine between 1841 and 1844, and was always gracious in promoting Channing’s work. Referenced in volume eight of The Letters of Ralph Waldo Emerson, this interesting letter highlights Emerson’s appreciation of his oftenoverlooked fellow poet.
Limited edition collected works of the Great American Poet 4107 Walt Whitman Estimate $4,000-5,000 Signed book: Complete Poems and Prose of Walt Whitman. First edition, limited issue, numbered 188/600. Philadelphia: Ferguson Bros., 1888–1889. Hardcover, 7 x 10.5, 898 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in black ink, “Dr. O. W. True, from the author, Aug: 17 ’89.” Autographic condition: fine0. Book condition: VG-/ None, in a VG+ custom-made slipcase. In the published volumes of Whitman’s Daybooks and Notebooks, he records sending out two copies of this edition on August 17, 1889, with one entry reading: ‘Sent big book to J H Clifford, Farmington, Maine, paid 4, by Express, (for Dr O W True).’ An extremely desirable definitive edition of Whitman’s work with superb provenance.
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Unusually large Whitman portrait from his book of letters with Anne Gilchrist
4108 Walt Whitman Estimate $2,000-2,500
Scarce vintage 4 x 5.5 photo of Whitman resting his head in his hand, affixed to its original 6 x 8.5 mount, signed on the mount in black ink, “Walt Whitman.” Notation in another hand under signature states, “Reproduced by Doubleday Page & Co for ‘Letters of Anne Gilchrist and Walt Whitman.’ The signature is a genuine autograph.” Very nicely archivally double-cloth-matted and framed with a descriptive plaque to an overall size of 19.5 x 16. In very good condition, with a couple repaired tears to mount, and some scattered light toning, creasing, and soiling to mount. A crystal-clear portrait of the great American poet, larger than usually encountered.
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The beauty of a Cape Cod harbor: “This was that city of canvas which we had seen hull down in the horizon” 4109 Henry David Thoreau Estimate $10,000-15,000 Exceptional handwritten manuscript draft page contained within the first volume of the 1906 ‘manuscript edition’ of his works, 7.5 x 9.5, no date but circa 1849. A page from Thoreau’s early draft of Cape Cod. In part: “So we went on to Race Point the extremity of the Cape—& finally to Provincetown at night—where the mackerel fleet had arrived before us and we counted 200 goodly looking schooners at anchor in the harbor...This was that city of canvas which we had seen hull down in the horizon...we saw only the back sides of the towns, but our story is true as far as it goes, and let not the inhabitants take offence because the whole is not told. We cannot say how their towns look in the face to one.” The sheet is professionally inlaid into a larger sheet, which was subsequently bound into the first volume of the twenty-volume set The Writings of Henry David Thoreau. Manuscript edition, limited issue, numbered 544/600. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1906. Hardcover, 6.25 x 9, 435 pages. Includes the remaining nineteen volumes of the set. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG-/None. Thoreau most likely wrote this piece during the first of four trips he made to Cape Cod, which came between 1849 and 1857. Continually using the pronoun “we,” he refers to friend and walking companion, William Ellery Channing, who accompanied him on his visit to the Cape in October 1849. The pair traveled by rail to Sandwich, where they disembarked to hike northward along the beaches to Provincetown. They then returned to Boston on a steamer from Provincetown, as noted in Thoreau’s manuscript passage. Only portions of this draft appear in the final work published in 1865. His initial impressions of the great mackerel fleet surviving in the most intact state, appearing on page 198 of this set’s fourth volume. Cape Cod is one of Thoreau’s lighter works, imbued with humor rather than the philosophical inclinations of his other essays. It is a masterful piece of vivid travel writing filled with Thoreau’s unfettered ebullience for nature.
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4110 T. S. Eliot Estimate $200-400 TLS, one page, 8 x 10, Faber & Faber letterhead, May 8, 1934. Letter to Mrs. Humphrey Payne, in part: “f you have a applied to Faber & Faber for permission to quote from my work, I trust that you have indicated the passages that you want to use. I see no objection whatever...Your feelings about the inadequacy of your essay are only what any honest writer feels about the greater proportion of his work.” In fine condition.
Eliot’s scarce 1919 misprint
4111 T. S. Eliot Estimate $4,000-5,000
Signed book: Ara Vos Prec. First edition, limited issue of 264. London: The Ovid Press, 1919. Hardcover, 9 x 11.25, 54 pages. Signed on the title page in pencil, “T. S. Eliot,” with his handwritten correction, “o,” to the printer’s error in the title. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: G+/None. The title page originally read ‘Vus,’ a mistake which Eliot later explained to his bibliographer: ‘I don’t know Provencal, and I was quoting from an Italian edition of Dante the editor of which apparently did not know Provencal either.’ The error was, however, caught in time for the correct title to be printed on the spine label. A rare example of Eliot’s third collection of poetry.
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The narcissistic state of British poetry: “It appears to me that the state of England gets worse; and that my own writing improves” 4112 Ezra Pound Estimate $1,200-1,500 TLS, five pages, 9 x 11.5, personal Rapallo letterhead, March 26, 1927. Letter to English writer Sir Henry Newbolt. In part: “All I wanted with the proposed footnote was to indicate the existence of another definite set of ‘values’; I mean a difference between those which you and Dr. Bridges and ‘men of good taste’ of a certain generation in England held and hold, and those that I, and another set of serious and sober-minded writers hold; as for the ‘next lot,’ chronologically later; ‘we’ doubt if they have any considered set of values whatsoever… When…recently I proposed to edit a free review I found no one who cd. send me any news of a cheerful nature re/ younger authors in England. I am, as usual, incurably litigious. It appears to me that the state of England gets worse; and that my own writing improves. I am sending a fragment of a Canto (in No. 1. of the Exile) not that you can use a fragment in an anthology, or that the snippet is particularly comprehensible taken apart from its possible still more incomprehensible context. My best work is, or ought to be, in the Cantos; that’s no use for an anthology, you don’t want passages from longer poems. The same applies to the ‘Homage to Propertius’; the ‘Mauberley’ is not A.1. although it carries English poetry a step further than anyone else had done: both as to sheer technique within the line or short passage, or as to form and content of the whole…” Pound makes numerous corrections and additions throughout the text in his own hand. In very good condition. Perfectly capturing Pound’s self-aggrandizing personality, this lengthy letter provides excellent insight about his opinion of modern poetry and its future. In addition to rattling off a virtual bibliography of his work, he discusses his newest project, a literary magazine called The Exile. Its first issue was released earlier in March to moderate success, but ultimately only four issues were published.
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One of just 100—the poems of Pound selected by T. S. Eliot 4113 Ezra Pound Estimate $2,000-3,000 Scarce signed book: Selected Poems. Limited edition, numbered 75/100. London: Faber & Gwyer, 1928. Hardcover, 5.5 x 8, 184 pages. Boldly signed on the colophon in black ink, “E. Pound.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG/None. An exceptional book edited by T. S. Eliot, this was the first of many books by Ezra Pound to be published by London’s Faber publishing house. He had just recently moved to Italy and begun working on the Cantos in earnest around the time of this book’s publication. Pound is hard to find in signed books, with this example being especially early and enhanced by its association with Eliot.
First edition autobiography of the great doctor-poet 4114 William Carlos Williams Estimate $800-1,200 Signed book: The Autobiography of William Carlos Williams. First edition, first printing. NY: Random House, 1951. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.5, 402 pages. Signed and inscribed on the half-title page in black ink, “Robert H. Fuller—here’s wishing us luck, William Carlos Willams, 10/19/51.” Autographic condition: fine, with left edge partially loose from inner hinge. Book condition: VG/VG+. Fuller portrayed The Milkman in the stage rendition of Williams’s A Dream of Love at New York’s Hudson Guild Playhouse in July of 1949. Despite earning initial strong reviews, the timely combination of a heat wave and the theater’s lack of air conditioning resulted in the show’s cancellation after only a two-week run.
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Frost inscribes to fellow poet John Ciardi 4115 Robert Frost Estimate $2,000-3,000 Exceptional matte-finish 7.25 x 9.25 close-up photo of the esteemed poet, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “To John Ciardi, from, Robert Frost, in old friendship.” Double-matted and framed to an overall size of 14.75 x 16.75. In fine condition. Provenance: Tollett & Harman Autographs. An established poet and the longtime poetry editor at the Saturday Review, Ciardi directed Vermont’s esteemed Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, a seminar routinely attended by high profile authors like George R. R. Martin, John Irving, Norman Mailer, and, its most frequent attendee, Robert Frost. Ciardi admired Frost deeply, and often looked to the aging poet as a mentor. In a letter to Ciardi, dated March 3, 1956, Frost explains, ‘You read my poems. I read yours. You ask in yours if God loves you. By all the signs he is playing you for one of his favorite boys, professor, publisher, editor, lecturer, director, and accepted poet. We all love to watch you go it.’ As a friend and supporter, Frost encouraged Ciardi throughout his career, and would later deem him as ‘one of the hopes of American poetry.’ A wonderful portrait linking two men who helped elevate the standing of New England poetics.
4116 Robert Frost Estimate $500-700 Signed book: Collected Poems of Robert Frost. First edition, first printing. NY: Henry Holt and Company, 1930. Hardcover, 6 x 8.75, 349 pages. Signed and inscribed on an opening page in fountain pen, “For Martha Sachs, from, Robert Frost, Tower Hill School, 1931.” Also includes an ALS signed “Elinor Frost,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.25 x 6.75, January 29, 1931. Letter to Martha Sachs, in part: “I am answering your letter to my husband for him, as he seems to be exceptionally busy these days. He cannot say now, whether he will be able to reach Wilmington in time to visit the du Pont gardens. He thinks he has an engagement for lunch that day, in New York, and if so, it would be impossible. If he find that he can, he will wire you the night before from New York.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG-/None. The letter is in fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Elinor’s hand.
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“Miles to go before I sleep”
4117 Robert Frost Estimate $6,000-8,000 Robert Frost’s personally-owned and -used knotty wooden walking stick, measuring approximately 39˝ long, carved along one side with “R. Frost” and along the other with a famous line from the poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,’ “Miles to go before I sleep.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a notarized letter of provenance, in part: “This walking stick was acquired by me from Robert Graham Chase’s Estate. Mr. Chase, was a personal friend of Robert Frost when he lived in Franconia and Vermont. According to him, Frost owned and used this walking stick when he lived in Vermont while at Dartmouth College.” Also includes photocopies of a book inscribed to Chase by Frost. Chase studied book design with Ray Nash at Dartmouth and was later a noted antiques dealer. While the maker of the cane is unknown, it was presumably created by one of his admirers and given as a tribute to the great poet. In Frost’s essay ‘The Figure a Poem Makes,’ published as an introduction to the 1939 edition of his Collected Poems, he comments, ‘We enjoy the straight crookedness of a good walking stick.’ A unique relic with an ideal relationship to Frost’s life and work.
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4118 Carl Sandburg Estimate $200-400 Uncommon matte-finish 13.25 x 10 photo of musician Ethel Smith playing guitar alongside Sandburg, signed and inscribed in black ink, “Dear Ethel—We are a team—saludos—love & blessings—Carl, 1957.” Signed on the reverse by the photographer, Jan Steckler. In fine condition.
4119 Charles Bukowski Estimate $1,000-1,500 Oversized limited edition matte-finish 19.5 x 15.5 photo entitled ‘The Loot,’ numbered 4/50, signed in the lower border in red felt tip by Bukowski and in silver ink by photographer Michael Monfort. Framed to an overall size of 20 x 16. In fine condition. Bukowski is uncommon in signed photos, especially oversized examples.
4120 Beat Poets Estimate $1,000-1,200 Tremendous 6 x 4.25 postcard group photo showing seven of the Beat Generation’s most influential poets and writers posing together in 1961 Tangier, Morocco, signed in the upper and lower borders in black ink and ballpoint, “Paul Bowles—3/x/85,” “Gregory Corso,” “5/20/94, Allen Ginsberg,” and “William S. Burroughs.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope.
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Tongue in cheek, Kerouac grades a “Critical Analysis of Maggie Cassidy”
4121 Jack Kerouac Estimate $2,500-3,000 ALS, one page, 8.5 x 11, August 24, 1968. Short letter to American Literature teacher Mr. Knight, in full: “Tell Miss Scarmazzi Grandpa also gives her an ‘A’—Gracci, Jack Kerouac.” Kerouac is referring to Vicki Scarmazzi’s ten-page paper entitled “ Little Paradises Take Their Time’: A Critical Analysis of Maggie Cassidy,” which is included with this letter, in part: “The combination of unique style and tender theme in Maggie Cassidy results in an unusual reading experience. Kerouac has captured all the heaven-hell emotions of innocent youth on the threshold of maturity. The novel abounds in lyrical qualities, which evolve a mood and tone suitable to the thematic development.” In fine condition. Maggie Cassidy was Kerouac’s largely autobiographical novel about life in Lowell, Massachusetts, first published in 1959. Spanning the years 1938 and 1939, Kerouac chronicled his one-time high school relationship with teenage sweetheart Mary Carney. Though written in 1953, the work—which Kerouac apparently enjoyed having had analyzed in a literature class—was not published until two years after the success of On the Road. A charming response mailed just one year before the great writer’s sudden death.
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Drama “Creamy meadow sweet, whiter than Juno’s throat, and odorous as all Arabia” 4122 Oscar Wilde Estimate $8,000-10,000 Incredible AQS on an offwhite 7.25 x 8.25 sheet affixed to a slightly larger album sheet. Wilde pens three lines from his 1881 poem ‘The Garden of Eros,’ in full: “Creamy meadow sweet, whiter than Juno’s throat, and odorous as all Arabia. Garden of Eros. Oscar Wilde, April 4.” Affixed to an album page and in very good condition, with trimmed edges, rounded corners, and a short split along vertical fold (passing through the date).. Inspired by his experiences traveling about the Mediterranean, ‘The Gardon of Eros’ blended Wilde’s fascination with natural aesthetic beauty and his deep gratitude for his own literary idols, referencing among others John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Christina Rossetti, and William Morris. Poetic quotes signed by the revered Irish playwright are exceptionally difficult to find, with this example further enhanced by the enormous size of its signature.
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Rostand places Dickens between literature’s masters, “Andersen and Tolstoy” 4123 Edmond Rostand Estimate $600-800 Handwritten testimonial in French, one page, lightly-lined, 6.5 x 8.5, no date. A letter, headed “Dickens,” in part (translated): “He is a marvelous genius. When he comes, with his cordial perfume of Christmas and Tea, he must be crowned with the mistletoe under which people kiss one another. He must be placed between Andersen and Tolstoy...He told of the child’s tears, and the eyes of death. He broke Pity’s path through the snow—Yes, between Andersen and Tolstoy. He isn’t Father Christmas, because in his sack he has something better than toys: the most beautiful stories, many dreams, and all goodness; but when he enters bearing the green tree of his work, illuminated by all those flickering lives he lights there, he is noble Christmas. He must be crowned with mistletoe.” Double-cloth-matted and framed to an overall size of 14 x 16.25. In fine condition. Redolent of the warmth and charm of a Dickensian tale, this delightful letter offers glowing praise of the influential English author, whom Rostand bookends between two of literature’s foremost names. Given the French playwright’s expertise in crafting memorable characters for the stage, Rostand’s rich acclaim denotes the impact Dickens must have had on him as a burgeoning writer.
4124 Edmond Rostand Estimate $800-1,000 Signed book: L’Aiglon. Paris: Charpentier et Fasquelle, 1900. Rebound in leather with original softcover contained inside, 5.75 x 8, 262 pages. Signed and inscribed in French on the half-title page with a quote from l’Aiglon’s speech, “To Mademoiselle Lucie Cobb, working at my narrow desk every day… To be more worthy of ruling! Edmond Rostand, Cambo June 1905.” Also signed below by actress Sarah Bernhardt and actor Benoit-Constant Coquelin—the first Cyrano de Bergerac—both of whom appeared in performances of L’Aiglon. Autographic condition: very good. Book condition: VG/None (rebound).
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4125 George Bernard Shaw Estimate $200-400 Striking unsigned matte-finish 6.5 x 8.25 portrait of Shaw affixed to its original mount, capturing the acclaimed writer staring directly into the camera. In fine condition.
“What I want is a slave who writes shorthand and can typewrite” 4126 George Bernard Shaw Estimate $400-600 ALS signed “G. Bernard Shaw,” one page, 9 x 7, Adelphi Terrace letterhead, August 5, 1907. Letter to Mr. Creighton, in part: “If I had time I would take you as an apprentice, and teach you—among other things—to sing. But you would be no use to me as a secretary. What I want is a slave who writes shorthand and can typewrite...I am almost crushed by business connected with my translations all over Europe & America, and with contracts for publication, performance, etc. But I have to dictate everything I don’t do with my own hand or else it goes wrong and makes more trouble in future. Shorthand & a slave alone can help me. You don’t write shorthand and are not a slave, but a Tristan or Wotan out of work. The play was not bad: literature may be your line. Your father was a good playwright wasted on the church.” In fine condition.
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Literature’s response to the Red Scare 4127 Arthur Miller Estimate $2,000-3,000 Signed book: The Crucible. First edition, first printing. NY: Viking Press, 1953. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.25, 145 pages. Signed on the title page in black felt tip. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/VG+. The scarce original dust jacket is not price-clipped and has been professionally restored by George Sargent at Dragonfly Bindery. Rarely found with its dust jacket, this is a wonderful example of Miller’s politically charged American classic.
4128 Samuel Beckett Estimate $1,000-1,200 Uncommon 4.25 x 6 postcard photo of Beckett in later age, sitting and smoking a cigarette, signed in the lower border in black ink. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope. Given Beckett’s scarcity in signed photos, this is an immensely appealing example of the Irish novelist.
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“When I want to write a tragedy I make them laugh, when I write a comedy, I make them cry”
4129 Eugene Ionesco Estimate $1,000-1,500 AMS in French, signed “Eugene Ionesco,” thirty-three lined pages, 6.75 x 8.5, affixed page-by-page within a custom-made leatherbound slipcased album. Ionesco’s working manuscript for the 1957 play L’Impromtu pour la Duchesse de Windsor [Improvisation for the Duchess of Windsor]. The humorous postmodern piece is essentially a dialogue about what type of play the characters—including Ionesco himself—should perform for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. In one instance, the ‘lady of the house’ asks Ionesco not to present (translated) “a sad play, one of those modern dramas like those by Beckett or Sophocles, which might make people cry.” Ionesco replies, “Sometimes, madame, comedies make people cry even more than dramas…the comedies that I write. When I want to write a tragedy I make them laugh, when I write a comedy, I make them cry.” A printed slip laid into the book reads, “With the compliments of the private secretary of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.” In fine condition. This play was performed for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and ten guests in May 1957.
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Children’s Literature Praising the work of a fellow Scotsman 4130 Robert Louis Stevenson Estimate $1,500-2,000 ALS signed “R. L. S.,” one page, 4.25 x 4, no date. Letter to Alexander Ireland, in full: “Did I ever tell you with how great an interest I had read your reminiscences of Carlyle and Mrs. C.? If not, it was tenfold ungrateful. I have not often read anything so convincing; I believe I felt both of them more nearly in your paper than anywhere else.” Professionally inlaid into a slightly larger sheet. In fine condition, with a small repaired tear to right edge. Ireland was a Scottish journalist and noted friend of literary figures like Leigh Hunt, Thomas Carlyle, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, the latter of whom Ireland wrote a biography of in 1882. An excellent letter connecting two important figures of Scottish literature.
Scarce letter penned as Dodgson begins work on his final children’s tale 4131 Charles L. Dodgson Estimate $3,500-4,000 ALS signed “C. L. Dodgson,” one page, 8 x 5, October 31, 1888. Letter to renowned publisher Alexander MacMillan, in full: “The only answer I can give is that I did not write ‘Woman’s Mission.’ Is it ‘published by your firm’? And if so, who did write it?” Dodgson adds a brief postscript, “Thanks for the ‘Atheneum’ notice—.” In fine condition. Following the 1888 publication of his geometry text Curiosa Mathematica I, Dodgson shifted his focus back to children’s literature with Sylvie and Bruno, an intricate dual-plot fairy tale satirizing English society and academia. In an effort to recapture the success of his beloved Alice tales and the more recently published The Hunting of the Snark, the tale became the most ambitious of his career; unfortunately, the two-volume work was deemed too complex, and ultimately earned disappointing reviews and sales, with critics bemoaning its lack of charm and humor. The work was Dodgson’s last as a children’s author, subsequently marking the final usage of his beloved nom de plume, Lewis Carroll.
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4132 Rudyard Kipling Estimate $400-600 TLS, two pages, 8 x 10.5, Burwash, Etchingham letterhead, October 6, 1916. Letter to Frank Wynne, in part: “Thank you very much for your kindness in sending me a copy of the Ganges Pilot. Now the mystery deepens. All that I quoted of it, I found in Vol. I of Busteed’s Echoes of Old Calcutta, published at Simla in 1882 (I came out to India as a boy of 16, in the autumn of that year)…Then follows the four verses which I have quoted in The Light that Failed. They differ slightly from your version; e.g. about the arquebuses: Kate’s eyes and ‘young Joe you’re nearing sixty’ (By the way, ‘sand-drift’ is a misprint for ‘scud-drift,’ of course.) I do not believe for one instant that these verses are eighteenth century work, as Busteed implies. May I ask from what source you got them? As I remember Sir Henry Wood said that he thought they appeared first in The Times of India about 1882. Was Busteed mislead: were they a deliberate fake? Was there any tombstone at all; and is the song complete as it stands now? I don’t quite understand the Sussex verses being interpolated with so little explanation. It looks to me like a fragment of a long ballad. But who was the writer?” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope bearing an ink notation by another hand. Centered around the life and globe-trotting travels of a painter who goes blind, The Light That Failed was first published in the January 1891 volume of Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, marking the debut novel from a then 26-year-old Kipling.
4133 Rudyard Kipling Estimate $400-600 Signed book: Songs of the Sea. Large paper edition, limited issue of 500. London: Macmillan and Co., 1927. Hardcover with slipcase, 9.5 x 11.75, 295 pages. Crisply signed on the colophon in fountain pen. Autographic condition: very good. Book condition: VG+/None, in a VG- slipcase.
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Potter’s beloved Jemima Puddle-Duck 4134 Beatrix Potter Estimate $3,000-4,000 Rare signed book: The Tale of Jemima Puddle–Duck. Later printing. London: Frederick Warne & Co., originally published in 1908 [this reprint 1917 or later]. Hardcover with dust jacket, 4.25 x 5.5, 84 pages. Signed on the half-title page in black ink, “Beatrix Potter, Dec 15. 42.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG/VG-. Centered around the domestic duck Jemima and her efforts to find a secure nesting spot, Potter’s twelfth publication proved a roaring success upon its release, very nearly eclipsing the popularity of her cherished first story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. A rare and wonderful book from the adored Potter—one of the most sought-after children’s authors in history.
4135 A. A. Milne Estimate $600-800 Signed book: More ‘Very Young’ Songs. Limited edition, numbered 96/100. London: Methuen & Co., 1928. Hardcover, 10.25 x 13, 40 pages. Signed on the colophon in fountain pen by A. A. Milne, composer Harold Fraser Simson, and artist E. H. Shepard. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG-/None.
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Amazing self-portrait by the author of The Little Prince 4136 Antoine de Saint-Exupery Estimate $6,000-8,000 Signed book: Wind, Sand and Stars. Later printing. NY: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1939. Hardcover with dust jacket, 6 x 8.5, 306 pages. Signed and inscribed on the halftitle page in fountain pen in French, “For Peppy Purdell, This story of a pilot who is strolling on the planet, as a very friendly memory, Antoine de Saint Exupery.” Below, he draws a superb ink and pencil self-portrait sketch, portraying himself as a Little Prince–like caricature atop a planet. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG-/VG-. Saint-Exupery first achieved fame as an aviator and in 1939 published this memoir, Wind, Sand and Stars, describing his experiences and explaining his views of the world as someone who has traveled the globe. Given the autobiographical nature and content of this book, Saint-Exupery’s inscription and outstanding drawing are particularly fitting.
4137 Johnny Gruelle
4138 Dr. Seuss
Estimate $600-800
Estimate $600-800
Signed book: Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees. Later printing. Joliet, IL: The P. F. Volland Company, 1924. Hardcover, 6.25 x 9.25. Signed on the half-title page in fountain pen, “Johnny Gruelle,” and inscribed below in another hand, “To Emily Jane Smith.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: G+/None.
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Signed book: Green Eggs and Ham. NY: Beginner Books, 1960. Hardcover, 6.75 x 9.25, 62 pages. Signed on the front pastedown in red felt tip. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/None.
Conditions of Sale ANYONE EITHER REGISTERING TO BID OR PLACING A BID (“BIDDER”) ACCEPTS THESE CONDITIONS OF SALE AND ENTERS INTO A LEGALLY, BINDING, ENFORCEABLE AGREEMENT WITH R&R AUCTION COMPANY OF MASSACHUSETTS, LLC (“RR AUCTION,” TOGETHER WITH BIDDER, THE “PARTIES”). The following terms and conditions (“Conditions of Sale”) constitute the sole terms and conditions under which RR Auction will offer for sale and sell the property described in the catalog of items for auction (the “Catalog”). These Conditions of Sale constitute a binding agreement between the Parties with respect to the auction in which Bidder participates (the “Auction”). By bidding at the Auction, whether in person, through an agent or representative, by telephone, facsimile, online, absentee bid, or by any other form of bid or by any other means, Bidder acknowledges the thorough reading and understanding of all of these Conditions of Sale, all descriptions of items in the Catalog, and all matters incorporated herein by reference, and agrees to be fully bound thereby. This acknowledgement is a material term of these Conditions of Sale and of the consideration under which RR Auction agrees to these terms. RR Auction and Auction: This Auction is presented by RR Auction, a d/b/a/ of R&R Auction Company of Massachusetts, LLC, as identified with the applicable licensing information on the title page of the Catalog or on the www. RRauction.com Internet site (“RRauction.com”). The Auction is conducted under these Conditions of Sale. Announcements and corrections from the podium at live auctions and those made through the Conditions of Sale appearing on the Internet at RRauction.com supersede those in the printed Catalog. Bidder: Bidder shall mean the original Bidder on the property offered for sale by RR Auction and not any subsequent owner or other person who may acquire or have acquired an interest therein. If Bidder is an agent, the agency must be disclosed in writing to RR Auction prior to the time of sale, otherwise the benefits of the warranty shall be limited to the agent and not transferable to the undisclosed principal. The rights granted to Bidder under these Conditions of Sale are personal and may not be assigned or transferred to any other person or entity, whether by operation of law or otherwise without the express written assent of RR Auction. Bidder may not transfer, assign, or otherwise convey these Conditions of Sale or any of the rights herein, and such purported transfer, assignment, or conveyance shall be null and void. No third party may rely on any benefit or right conferred on any Bidder by these Conditions of Sale, and no third party is intended as a beneficiary of these Conditions of Sale. Bids will not be accepted from minor persons under eighteen (18) years of age without a parent’s written consent containing an acknowledgment of the Conditions of Sale herein and indicating their agreement to be bound thereby on behalf of the Bidder. All Bidders must meet RR Auction’s qualifications to bid. Any Bidder who is not a client in good standing of RR Auction may be disqualified at RR Auction’s sole option and will not be awarded lots. Such determination may be made by RR Auction in its sole and unlimited discretion, at any time prior to, during, or even after the close of the Auction. RR Auction reserves the right to exclude any person from the Auction. If an entity places a bid, then the person executing the bid on behalf of the entity agrees to personally guarantee payment for any successful bid. By accepting the Conditions of Sale, Bidder personally and unconditionally guarantees payment.
Credit: In order to place bids, Bidders who have not established credit with RR Auction must either furnish satisfactory credit information (including two collectibles-related business references) or supply additional information if requested, well in advance of the Auction. Bidders who are not members of RRAuction.com should pre-register before the close of the Auction to allow adequate time to contact references. Credit will be granted at the discretion of RR Auction. Additionally Bidders who have not previously established credit or who wish to bid in excess of their established credit history may be required to provide their social security number, or the last four digits thereof, so a credit check may be performed prior to RR Auction’s acceptance of a bid. Check writing privileges and immediate delivery of merchandise may also be determined by pre-approval of credit based on a combination of criteria: RRAuction.com history, related industry references, bank verification, a credit bureau report and/or a personal guarantee for a corporate or partnership entity in advance of the Auction venue. Buyer’s Premium: The Bidder acknowledges and agrees that a 22.5% buyer’s premium will be added to the hammer price on all individual lots sold in timed Auctions (the “Buyer’s Timed Premium”), and a 25% buyer’s premium will be added to the hammer price on live Auctions (the “Buyer’s Live Premium,” together with the Buyer’s Timed Premium, the “Buyer’s Premium”). For payment other than by cash, delivery will not be made unless and until full payment has been received by RR Auction, i.e., check or wired funds have fully cleared. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, signed by RR Auction, payment in full is due within thirteen (13) calendar days of the Auction or within twelve (12) calendar days of the invoice date, whichever is later. All purchases delivered to Massachusetts are subject to applicable Massachusetts sales tax unless the purchaser possesses a Massachusetts sales tax exemption number. Bidding: Each Bidder’s determination of its bid should be based upon its own examination of the item(s), rather than the strict reliance as to what is represented in the Catalog, online or elsewhere. In any purchase or sale, the value of the item(s) is determined by the price. THE BIDDER HEREBY ASSUMES ALL RISKS OF VALUATION CONCERNING ANY AND ALL PURCHASES. RR AUCTION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS IN BIDDING. A Bidder should make certain to bid on the correct lot and that the bid is the maximum (plus the Buyer’s Premium) that the Bidder is willing and able to pay. Since other Bidders (by mail, facsimile, online, and in person) will be present, and since a re-offering could damage the momentum of the sale, once the hammer has fallen and RR Auction has announced the winning Bidder, such Bidder is unconditionally bound to pay for the lot, even if the Bidder has made a mistake. All prospective Bidders who examine lots in person prior to the sale shall personally assume all responsibility for any damage they cause in so doing. RR Auction shall have sole discretion in determining the value of the damage caused, which shall be promptly paid by the prospective Bidder. Title to any lot remains with Consignor, any secured party of the Consignor, or assignee of Consignor, as the case may be, until the lot is paid for in full by Bidder. RR Auction reserves the right to require payment in full before delivering any lot to the successful Bidder. It is the Bidder’s responsibility and obligation to have the lots fully insured while in their possession. Bidder assumes any and all RISK OF LOSS once the lot(s) is in Bidder’s possession. Bidder grants to RR Auction or its assigns the right to offset any sums due, or found to be due by RR Auction, and to make such offset from any past, subsequent or future consignment, or items acquired by Bidder in possession or control of RR Auction or from any sums due to Bidder by RR Auction. Bidder further grants RR Auction
a purchase money security interest in such sums or items to the extent applicable, and agrees to execute such documents as may be reasonably necessary to grant RR Auction such security interest. Bidder agrees that RR Auction and its assigns shall be a secured party with respect to items bought by Bidder and in the possession of RR Auction, to the extent of the maximum indebtedness, plus all accrued expenses, until the indebtedness is paid. By bidding in this sale, Bidder personally and unconditionally guarantees payment. The authorized representative of any corporate Bidder who is present at the sale shall provide RR Auction or its agent, prior to the commencement of the bidding (or at the time of registration), with a statement signed by a principal, director or officer that they he or she personally and unconditionally guarantees any payment due RR Auction. RR Auction may at its sole and absolute discretion, make loans or advances to Consignors and/or prospective Bidders. In the event of a successful challenge to the title to any goods purchased pursuant to these Conditions of Sale and the exclusive remedies provided herein, RR Auction agrees to reimburse any Bidder in an amount equal to the successful bid price actually paid by Bidder at auction plus any Buyer’s Premium actually paid, in full and complete satisfaction of all claims, which once tendered by RR Auction, relieves and releases RR Auction from any responsibility whatsoever to the Bidder, even if the instrument is not cashed or is returned. Bidding Options: Non-Internet bids (including but not limited to in-person, facsimile, phone and mail bids) are treated similarly to floor bids in that they must be on-increment. Any in-person, facsimile, phone, or mail bids that do not conform to a full increment will be rounded up or down to the nearest full increment and this revised amount will be considered Bidder’s high bid. When identical mail or facsimile bids are submitted, preference is given to the first received. To ensure the greatest accuracy, written bids should be entered on the standard printed bid sheet and be received at RR Auction’s place of business at least twenty-four (24) hours before the Auction start. RR Auction is not responsible for executing mail bids or facsimile bids received on or after the day the first lot is sold, nor Internet bids submitted after the published closing time; nor is RR Auction responsible for proper execution of bids submitted by telephone, mail, facsimile, e-mail, Internet, or in person once the Auction begins. In all Auctions, bids on an item must raise the current high bid by at least 10%, or as specified on a per-Auction basis. Bids will be accepted in whole dollar amounts only. No “buy” or “unlimited” bids will be accepted. In a live sale, bids on an item can change at the discretion of RR Auction. RR Auction reserves the right to accept or decline any bid. Bids must be for an entire lot and each lot constitutes a separate sale. All bids are per lot unless otherwise announced. Live auction lots will be sold in their numbered sequence unless RR Auction directs otherwise. It is unlawful and illegal for Bidders to collude, pool, or agree with another Bidder to pay less than the fair value for lot(s). For live auctions, RR Auction will have final discretion in the event that any dispute should arise between Bidders. RR Auction will determine the successful Bidder, cancel the sale, or re-offer and resell the lot or lots in dispute. RR Auction will have final discretion to resolve any disputes arising after the sale and in online auctions. If any dispute arises, RR Auction’s sale record is conclusive. Payment: Subject to fulfillment of all of the Conditions of Sale set forth herein, upon the sooner of (1) the passing of title to the offered lot pursuant to these Conditions of Sale, or (2) possession of the offered lot by the Bidder, Bidder thereupon (a) assumes full risk and responsibil-
ity (including without limitation, liability for or damage to frames or glass covering prints, paintings, photos, or other works), and (b) will immediately pay the full purchase price or such part as RR Auction may require. In addition to other remedies available to RR Auction by law, RR Auction reserves the right to impose from the date of sale a late charge of 1.5% per month of the total purchase price if payment is not made in accordance with the conditions set forth herein. All property must be removed from RR Auction’s premises by the Bidder at his/her expense not later than thirty (30) business days following its sale and, if it is not so removed, RR Auction may send the purchased property to a public warehouse for the account, at the risk and expense of the Bidder. Payment is due upon closing of the Auction session, or upon presentment of an invoice. RR Auction reserves the right to void an invoice if payment in full is not received within thirteen (13) calendar days of the Auction or within twelve (12) calendar days of the invoice date. In cases of nonpayment, RR Auction’s election to void a sale does not relieve the Bidder from their obligation to pay RR Auction its fees (seller’s and Buyer’s Premium) on the lot and any other damages pertaining to the lot. All sales are strictly for cash in United States dollars (including U.S. currency, bank wire, cashier checks, eChecks, and bank money orders), and are subject to all reporting requirements. All deliveries are subject to good funds; funds being received in RR Auction’s account before delivery of the Purchases; and all payments are subject to a clearing period. RR Auction reserves the right to determine if a check constitutes “good funds”: checks drawn on a U.S. bank are subject to a ten (10) calendar day hold, and ten (10) business days when drawn on an international bank. Clients with pre-arranged credit status may receive immediate credit for payments via e-Check, personal or corporate checks. In the event that a Bidder’s payment is dishonored upon presentment(s), Bidder shall pay the maximum statutory processing fee set by applicable state law. If Bidder attempts to pay via check and the financial institution denies the transfer from Bidder’s bank account, or the payment cannot be completed using the selected funding source, Bidder agrees to complete payment. If RR Auction refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the Bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by RR Auction. If RR Auction assigns collection to its house counsel, such attorney’s time expended on the matter shall be compensated at a rate comparable to the hourly rate of independent attorneys. RR Auction shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the Bidder to secure payment of the Auction invoice. RR Auction is further granted a lien and the right to retain possession of any other property of the Bidder then held by RR Auction or its affiliates to secure payment of any Auction invoice or any other amounts due RR Auction or affiliates from the Bidder. With respect to these lien rights, RR Auction shall have all the rights of a secured creditor, including but not limited to the right of sale. In addition, with respect to payment of the Auction invoice(s), the Bidder waives any and all rights of offset he might otherwise have against RR Auction and the consignor of the merchandise included on the invoice (the “Consignor”). If a Bidder owes RR Auction or its affiliates on any account, RR Auction and its affiliates shall have the right to offset such unpaid account by any credit balance due Bidder, and it may secure by possessory lien any unpaid amount by any of the Bidder’s property in their possession. All checks, cashiers checks, bank checks, or money orders are payable to R&R Auction Company of Massachusetts, LLC. Delivery; Shipping; and Handling Charges: Bidder is liable for shipping and handling. RR Auction is unable to
combine purchases from other auctions or affiliates into one package for shipping purposes. Lots won will be shipped in a commercially reasonable time after payment in good funds for the merchandise and the shipping fees is received or credit extended, except when third-party shipment occurs. Bidder agrees that service and handling charges related to shipping items which are not pre-paid may be charged to a credit card on file with RR Auction. Successful international Bidders shall provide written shipping instructions, including specified Customs declarations, to RR Auction for any lots to be delivered outside of the United States. NOTE: Declaration value shall be the item’(s) hammer price and RR Auction shall use the correct harmonized code for the lot. Domestic Bidders on lots designated for third-party shipment must designate the common carrier, accept risk of loss, and prepay shipping costs. Title: Title shall not pass to the successful Bidder until all invoices are paid in full. It is the responsibility of the Bidder to provide adequate insurance coverage for the items once they have been delivered to a common carrier or third-party shipper. Rights Reserved: RR Auction reserves the right to withdraw any lot before or at the time of the Auction, and/or to postpone the Auction of all or any lots or parts thereof, for any reason. RR Auction shall not be liable to any Bidder in the event of such withdrawal or postponement under any circumstances. RR Auction reserves the right to refuse to accept bids from anyone. Conducting the Auction: RR Auction reserves the right to postpone the Auction or any session thereof for a reasonable period of time for any reason whatsoever, and no Bidder or prospective Bidder shall have any claim as a result thereof, including consequential damages. RR Auction’s Discretion: RR Auction shall determine opening bids and bidding increments. RR Auction has the right in its absolute discretion to reject any bid in the event of dispute between Bidders or if RR Auction has doubt as to the validity of any bid, to advance the bidding at its absolute discretion and to determine the successful Bidder in the event of a dispute between Bidders, to continue the bidding or to reoffer and resell the lot in question. In the event of a dispute after the sale, RR Auction’s record of final sale shall be conclusive. RR Auction also may reject any bid if RR Auction decides either that any bid is below the reserve of the lot or article or that an advance is insufficient. Unless otherwise announced by RR Auction at the time of sale, no lots may be divided for the purpose of sale. Reserves: Lots may be subject to a reserve which is the confidential minimum price below which the lot will not be sold. Consignors may not bid on their own lots or property. RR Auction may, from time to time, bid on items that it does not own. Off-Site Bidding: Bidding by telephone, facsimile, online, or absentee bidding (advance written bids submitted by mail) are offered solely as a convenience and permitted subject to advance arrangements, availability, and RR Auction’s approval which shall be exercised at RR Auction’s sole discretion. Neither RR Auction nor its agents or employees shall be held liable for the failure to execute bids or for errors relating to any transmission or execution thereof. In order to be considered for off-site bidding in any manner, Bidders must comply with all of these Conditions of Sale and the terms contained on the Registration Form. RR Auction’s Remedies: Failure of the Bidder to comply with any of these Conditions of Sale or the terms of the Registration Form is an event of default. In such
event, RR Auction may, in addition to any other available remedies specifically including the right to hold the defaulting Bidder liable for the Purchase Price or to charge and collect from the defaulting Bidder’s credit or debit accounts as provided for elsewhere herein: (a) cancel the sale, retaining any payment made by the Bidder as damages (the Bidder understands and acknowledges that RR Auction will be substantially damaged should such default occur, and that damages under sub-part (a) are necessary to compensate RR Auction for such damages); (b) resell the property without reserve at public auction or privately; (c) charge the Bidder interest on the Purchase Price at the rate of one and one-half percent (1.5%) per month or the highest allowable interest rate; (d) take any other action that RR Auction, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or appropriate to preserve and protect RR Auction’s rights and remedies. Should RR Auction resell the property, the original defaulting Bidder shall be liable for the payment of any deficiency in the purchase price and all costs and expenses associated there with, including but not limited to warehousing, sales-related expenses, reasonable attorney fees and court costs, commissions, incidental damages and any other charges due hereunder which were not collected or collectable. In the event that such Bidder is the successful Bidder on more than one lot and pays less than the purchase price for the total lots purchased, RR Auction shall apply the payment received to such lot or lots that RR Auction, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. If RR Auction does not exercise such discretion, the lots to which the payment shall be applied will be in descending order from the highest purchase price to the lowest. Any Bidder failing to comply with these Conditions of Sale shall be deemed to have granted RR Auction a security interest in, and RR Auction may retain as collateral such security for such Bidder’s obligations to RR Auction, any property in RR Auction’s possession owned by such Bidder. RR Auction shall have the benefit of all rights of a secured party under the Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.) as adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Warranties: RR Auction does not provide any warranties to Bidders, whether expressed or implied, beyond those expressly provided in these Conditions of Sale. All property and lots are sold “as is” and “where is”. By way of illustration rather than limitation, neither RR Auction nor the Consignor makes any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to merchantability or fitness for intended use, condition of the property (including any condition report), correctness of description, origin, measurement, quality, rarity, importance, exhibition, relevance, attribution, source, provenance, date, authorship, condition, culture, genuineness, value, or period of the property. Additionally, neither RR Auction nor the Consignor makes any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to whether the Bidder acquires rights in copyright or other intellectual property (including exhibition or reproduction rights) or whether the property is subject to any limitations or other rights. RR Auction does not make any representation or warranty as to title. All descriptions, photographs, illustrations, and terminology including but not limited to words describing condition (including any condition reports requested by Bidder, see also Terminology), authorship, period, culture, source, origin, measurement, quality, rarity, provenance, importance, exhibition, and relevance, used in the Catalog, bill of sale, invoice, or anywhere else, represent a good faith effort made by RR Auction to fairly represent the lots and property offered for sale as to origin, date, condition, and other information contained therein; they are statements of opinion only. They are not representations or warranties and Bidder agrees and acknowledges that he or she shall not rely on them in determining whether or not to bid or for what price. Price estimates (which are determined well in advance of the Auction and are therefore subject to revision) and condition reports are provided solely as a convenience to Bidders and are not intended nor shall they be relied on by Bidders as statements, representations or warranties of actual value or predictions of final bid prices. Bidders are accorded the opportunity to inspect the lots and to otherwise satisfy themselves as to the nature and sufficiency of each lot
prior to bidding, and RR Auction urges Bidders to avail themselves accordingly. All lots sold by RR Auction are accompanied by an Auction Certificate (“AC”). On any lot presented with an AC issued by RR Auction, the certification is only as to its attribution to the person or entity described or to the lot’s usage and only as explicitly stated therein (the “Certification of Authenticity”), to the exclusion of any other warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to those pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code. The Certification of Authenticity inures only to the original Bidder (as shown in RR Auction’s records). Bidder may not transfer, assign, or otherwise convey the Certification of Authenticity, and such purported transfer, assignment, or conveyance shall be null and void. The Certification of Authenticity is valid from date of the Auction in which Bidder was awarded the lot (the “Auction Date”) until five (5) years after the Auction Date, without exception. FIREARMS. RR Auction complies with all Federal and State rules and regulations relating to the purchasing, registration and shipping of firearms. A Bidder is required to provide appropriate documents and the payment of associated fees, if any. Bidder is responsible for providing a shipping address that is suitable for the receipt of a firearm. Limitation of Damages: In the event that RR Auction is prevented for any reason from delivering any property to Bidder, or Bidder is otherwise dissatisfied with the performance of RR Auction, the liability, if any, of RR Auction, shall be limited to, and shall not exceed, the amount actually paid for the property by Bidder. In no event shall RR Auction be liable for incidental, special, indirect, exemplary or consequential damages of any kind, including but not limited to loss of profits, value of investment or opportunity cost. Unauthorized Statements: Under no circumstances is any employee, agent or representative of RR Auction authorized by RR Auction to modify, amend, waive or contradict any of these Conditions of Sale, any term or condition set forth on a registration form, any warranty or limitation or exclusion of warranty, any term or condition in either the Registration Form or these Terms and Conditions regarding payment requirements, including but not limited to due date, manner of payment, and what constitutes payment in full, or any other term or condition contained in any documents issued by RR Auction unless such modification, amendment, waiver or contradiction is contained in a writing signed by all parties. Any statements, oral or written, made by employees, agents or representatives of RR Auction to Bidder, including statements regarding specific lots, even if such employee, agent or representative represents that such statement is authorized, unless reduced to a writing signed by all parties, are statements of personal opinion only and are not binding on RR Auction, and under no circumstances shall be relied upon by Bidder as a statement, representation or warranty of RR Auction. Bidder’s Remedies: Under no circumstance will RR Auction incur liability to a Bidder in excess of the purchase price actually paid. This section sets forth the sole and exclusive remedies of Bidder in conformity with the Warranties and Limitation of Damages provisions of these Conditions of Sale, and is expressly in lieu of any other rights or remedies which might be available to Bidder by law. The Bidder hereby accepts the benefit of the Consignor’s warranty of title and any other representations and warranties made by the Consignor for the Bidder’s benefit. In the event that Bidder demonstrates in writing, in the sole discretion of RR Auction, that there was a breach of the Consignor’s warranty of title concerning a lot purchased by Bidder, RR Auction shall make demand upon the Consignor to pay to Bidder the Purchase Price (including any premiums, taxes, or other
amounts paid or due to RR Auction). Should the Consignor not pay the Purchase Price to Bidder within thirty days after such demand, RR Auction shall disclose the identity of the Consignor to Bidder and assign to Bidder all of RR Auction’s rights against the Consignor with respect to such lot or property. Upon such disclosure and assignment, all responsibility and liability, if any, of RR Auction with respect to said lot or property shall automatically terminate. RR Auction shall be entitled to retain the premiums and other amounts paid to RR Auction - this remedy is as to the Consignor only. The rights and remedies provided herein are for the original Bidder only and they may not be assigned or relied upon by any transferee or assignee under any circumstances. If Bidder wishes to challenge the AC within the period of the Certification of Authenticity, Bidder must present written evidence that the lot is not authentic as determined by a known expert in the field. If RR Auction agrees that the lot is not as represented, Bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be a refund of their purchase price, with no other costs, liabilities or amounts recoverable. If RR Auction does not agree with the claim by Bidder, then the Parties shall follow the dispute resolution procedures of these Conditions of Sale. Any such challenge concerning an AC or Certification of Authenticity must, without any exception, be brought within one (1) year of Bidder’s notice to RR Auction of Bidder’s contention that the lot was not authentic, or six (6) years from the Auction Date, whichever is sooner. If the description of any lot in the Catalog is materially incorrect (e.g., gross cataloging error), the lot is returnable if returned within five (5) calendar days of receipt, and received by RR Auction no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days after the Auction Date. If there is any discrepancy between the description in the Catalog and the AC, then the description in the AC shall control. This paragraph shall constitute Bidder’s sole right with respect to the return of items, and no refunds shall be given for any items not returned to and received by RR Auction. NO RETURN OR REFUND OF ANY AUCTION LOT WILL BE CONSIDERED EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN THESE CONDITIONS OF SALE. RR Auction’s Additional Services: For Bidders who do not remove purchased property from RR Auction’s premises, RR Auction, in its sole discretion and solely as a service and accommodation to Bidders, may arrange to have purchased lots packed, insured and forwarded at the sole request, expense, and risk of Bidder. RR Auction assumes no and disclaims all responsibility and liability for acts or omissions in such packing or shipping by RR Auction or other packers and carriers, whether or not recommended by RR Auction. RR Auction assumes no and disclaims all responsibility and liability for damage to frames, glass or other breakable items. Where RR Auction arranges and bills for such services via invoice, RR Auction will include an administration charge. Headings: Headings are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret the substantive sections to which they refer. Entire Agreement: These Conditions of Sale constitute the entire agreement between the parties together with the terms and conditions contained in the Registration Form. They may not be amended, modified or superseded except in a signed writing executed by all parties. No oral or written statement by anyone employed by RR Auction or acting as agent or representative of RR Auction may amend, modify, waive or supersede the terms herein unless such amendment, waiver or modification is contained in a writing signed by all parties. If any section of these Conditions of Sale or any term or provision of any section is held to be invalid, void, or unenforceable by any court
of competent jurisdiction, the remaining sections or terms and provisions of a section shall continue in full force and effect without being impaired or invalidated in any way. Governing Law and Enforcement The Parties agree that any agreements between the Parties including but not limited to these Conditions of Sale are entered into in Boston, Massachusetts, no matter where Bidder is situated and no matter by what means or where Bidder was informed of the Auction and regardless of whether catalogs, materials, or other communications were received by Bidder in another location. The Parties agree that these Conditions of Sale, and any other related agreement(s) are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard for its conflict of laws principles. The Parties agree that any dispute related to or arising out of these Conditions of Sale, or related to or arising out of any other related agreement(s) shall be submitted to confidential binding arbitration (the “Arbitration”) before a single Arbitrator of the American Arbitration Association (the “AAA”). The Parties agree that the Arbitration shall be conducted pursuant to the commercial rules of the AAA. In the event that the Parties cannot agree on the selection of the Arbitrator, then the Arbitrator shall be selected by the AAA. The prevailing Party in the Arbitration shall be entitled to recover all of its related costs, whether before or after the formal institution of the Arbitration, including but not limited to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and, if RR Auction prevails, the Buyer’s Premium as defined in these Conditions of Sale. The Parties agree that Bidder shall have no right to recover consequential or indirect damages, or lost profits damages. The Parties consent to the enforcement of the decision in the Arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act in either the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Except as provided in Bidder’s Remedies with regard to the Certification of Authenticity, any dispute, claim, cause of action related to or arising out of these Conditions of Sale or any other agreement(s) between the Parties must be brought within one (1) year of the acts, omissions or circumstances giving rise to the alleged claim, without exceptions. This provision is intended as a full, complete and absolute release of any claims after one (1) year of such acts, omissions or circumstances. The Parties agree further that these waiver provisions are intended to be binding on all parties in the event of any dispute, specifically including but not limited to third party claims and cross-actions brought by either RR Auction or Bidder. These provisions are consideration for the execution of these Conditions of Sale. The Bidder hereby agrees that RR Auction shall be entitled to present these Conditions of Sale to a court in any jurisdiction other than set forth in this paragraph as conclusive evidence of the Parties’ agreement, and the Parties further agree that the court shall immediately dismiss any action filed in such jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, RR Auction may, in its sole discretion, enforce its rights pursuant to these Conditions of Sale in the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts rather than in an Arbitration related to or arising out of any Auction of an item sold for less than $10,000. This right shall relate to the individual item price, such that RR Auction may, in its sole discretion, enforce its rights pursuant to these Conditions of Sale in the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts rather than in an Arbitration for items that in the aggregate exceed $10,000. The prevailing Party in such a proceeding shall be entitled to recover all of its related costs, whether before or after the formal institution of the proceeding, including but not limited to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and, if RR Auction prevails, the Buyer’s Premium as defined in these Conditions of Sale. This right of enforcement is unique to RR Auction, and these Conditions of Sale are a waiver by the Bidder of any right to enforcement or adjudication outside of an Arbitration.
CONDUCT OF AUCTION Estimate Prices: In addition to descriptive information, each item in the Catalog sometimes includes a price range which reflects opinion as to the price expected at auction (the “Estimate Prices”). In other instances, Estimate Prices can be obtained by calling RR Auction at (603) 7324280. The Estimate Prices are based upon various factors including prices recently paid at auction for comparable property, condition, rarity, quality, history and provenance. Estimate Prices are prepared well in advance of the sale and subject to revision. Estimates do not include the Buyer’s Premium or sales tax (see under separate heading). Owned or Guaranteed Property: RR Auction generally offers property consigned by others for sale at public auction; in very limited occasion, lots are offered that are the property of RR Auction. Before the Auction: Bidder may attend pre-sale viewing for all of RR Auction’s auctions at no charge. All property to be auctioned is usually on view for several days prior to the sale. Bidder is encouraged to examine lots thoroughly. Bidder may also request condition reports (see below). RR Auction’s staff are available at viewings and by appointment. Maximum Bids – All Auctions: To maximize Bidder’s chance of winning, RR Auction strongly encourages the use of maximum bids. RR Auction will then bid for Bidder until the lot reaches Bidder’s specified maximum. Maximum bids are strictly confidential. Placing arbitrary, non-incremental bids on lots with prior maximum bids may result in these lots being sold for less than 10% above the under Bidder’s bid. Successful Bids: The fall of RR Auction’s hammer indicates the final bid. RR Auction will record the paddle number of the Bidder. If Bidder’s salesroom or absentee bid is successful, Bidder will be notified after the sale by mailed or emailed invoice. Unsold Lots: If a lot does not reach the reserve, it is bought-in. In other words, it remains unsold and is returned to the Consignor. RR Auction has the right to sell certain unsold items after the close of the Auction. Such lots shall be considered sold during the Auction and all these Terms and Conditions shall apply to such sales including but not limited to the Buyer’s Premium, return rights, and disclaimers. Bidding—Timed Auction: Bidder may open, monitor, and/or raise bids at any time before the close of a lot through www.rrauction.com. RR Auction offers a callback service the day of the Auction, but Bidder is responsible for supplying a correct telephone number(s) where Bidder can be reached until the Auction closes. Bidder must request this service in writing. RR Auction will make reasonable efforts to ensure that Bidders who request a callback are contacted if outbid; however, RR Auction does not guarantee this service and it is merely a courtesy and not an enforceable right. The auctioneer may also execute a bid on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve, either by entering a bid in response to salesroom, telephone or absentee bids. Under no circumstances will the auctioneer place any bid on behalf of the consignor above the reserve. The auctioneer will not specifically identify bids placed on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve. To ensure proper registration, those Bidders intending to bid via the Internet must visit www.RRauction.com and register accordingly at least one full day prior to the actual auction. Winning bidders will be notified by RR Auction. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids.
Any Bidder may bid on any lot prior to 6 pm EST/EDT. At that time, an extended bidding period goes into effect. If Bidder has not bid on a lot before 6 pm EST/EDT, Bidder may not bid on that lot after 6 pm EST/EDT. Only those Bidders who have placed bids on a lot before 6 pm EST/EDT will be allowed to bid on that lot after 6 pm EST/EDT. If Bidder is the only Bidder on a lot at 6 pm EST/EDT, that lot is awarded to Bidder. During the extended bidding period, a lot will remain open only to those who bid on that lot prior to 6 pm EST/ EDT. All lots WITHOUT an opening bid at 6 pm EST/EDT will remain OPEN to ALL Bidders until 7 pm EST/EDT or until they receive their first bid. These lots will close immediately upon receipt of a bid or at 7 pm EST/EDT, whichever comes first. For all lots that are active after 7 pm EST/EDT, bidding will remain open until 30 minutes pass without a bid being placed on THAT lot (the “30 Minute Rule”). The 30 Minute Rule is applied on a PER LOT BASIS; each lot in the Auction closes individually based on bidding activity after 7 pm EST/ EDT. On a PER LOT BASIS, the 30 minute timer will reset each time a bid is placed after 7 pm EST/EDT. If Bidder is the high Bidder, raising Bidder’s maximum bid will NOT reset the timer. RR Auction reserves the right to close the Auction at any time at its sole discretion. Bidding - Internet – Live Auction: Bidder may open, monitor, and/or raise bids at any time before the close of a lot through www.rrauction.com. RR Auction offers a callback service the day of the Auction, but Bidder is responsible for supplying a correct telephone number(s) where Bidder can be reached until the Auction closes. Bidder must request this service in writing. RR Auction will make reasonable efforts to ensure that Bidders who request a callback are contacted if outbid; however, RR Auction does not guarantee this service and it is merely a courtesy and not an enforceable right. To ensure proper registration, those Bidders intending to bid via the Internet must visit www.RRauction.com and register accordingly at least one full day prior to the actual auction. Winning bidders will be notified by RR Auction. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids. Property is auctioned in consecutive numerical order, as it appears in the catalog. The auctioneer will accept bids from those present in the salesroom or absentee bidders participating by telephone, internet or by written bid left with RR Auction in advance of the auction. The auctioneer may also execute a bid on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve, either by entering a bid in response to salesroom, telephone or absentee bids. Under no circumstances will the auctioneer place any bid on behalf of the consignor above the reserve. The auctioneer will not specifically identify bids placed on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve. During live Auctions, internet bids can be placed in real time through one or more of the following Third Party services: www.liveauctioneers.com, www.invaluable.com and www.icollector.com. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids. RR Auction treats any third-party site bids as floor or telephone bids. Floor bids and telephone bids are always considered first over third party sites bids, and floor bids are considered earlier than telephone bids. All RR Auction lots purchased through the third party sites carry an additional Buyer’s Premium. Miscellaneous: Agreements between Bidders and Consignors to effectuate a nonsale of an item at Auction, inhibit bidding on a consigned item to enter into a private sale agreement for said item, or to utilize RR Auction’s Auction to obtain sales for non-selling consigned items subsequent to the Auction, are strictly prohibited. If a subsequent sale of a previously consigned item occurs in violation of this provision, RR Auction reserves the right to charge Bidder the applicable Buyer’s
Premium and Consignor a Seller’s Commission as determined for each auction venue and by the terms of the seller’s agreement. Acceptance of these Terms and Conditions qualifies Bidder as a client who has consented to be contacted by RR Auction in the future. In conformity with “do-not-call” regulations promulgated by the Federal or State regulatory agencies, participation by the Bidder is affirmative consent to being contacted at the phone number shown in his application and this consent shall remain in effect until it is revoked in writing. RR Auction may from time to time contact Bidder concerning sale, purchase, and auction opportunities available. Rules of Construction: RR Auction presents properties in a number of collectible fields, and as such, specific venues have promulgated supplemental Terms and Conditions. Nothing herein shall be construed to waive the general Conditions of Sale by these additional rules and shall be construed to give force and effect to the rules in their entirety.
Glossary of Condition terms For decades, RR Auction has led the industry in providing an accurate and detailed condition statement for each item that we sell. Starting in 2016 we’ve decided to take a fresh approach to describing each item’s condition. As our website and catalog images continually improve, and bidders can see obvious details from those excellent images, we’ve decided to simplify things, using the same terminology to describe an item’s overall condition (on an ascending scale of 1 to 4: good, very good, fine, very fine), but only adding specific details, if any, that would not be obvious from the illustration. VERY FINE describes an item in virtually flawless condition, and is used sparingly for items of exceptionally attractive appearance. FINE is the most common statement of condition, and applies to most items that we offer. It describes items that show expected handling wear, generally acceptable random flaws (such as light creases, small bends, etc.), and an overall appearance that is pleasing to the majority of collectors. VERY GOOD describes an item that exhibits more moderate flaws (such as toning, light staining, professional reinforcements or repairs, etc.). Most collectors would be comfortable with items in very good condition, and this would be the expected condition for many formats (early presidential documents, for example). GOOD describes an item with obvious visible flaws, including heavy wear, missing portions, or repairs that affect appearance; generally items in this condition are offered only if an item is otherwise exceedingly rare or important. Of course we’re more than happy to provide more in-depth information about any item via phone or email. We hope this new system will make for easier reading and a more pleasant bidding experience.
It's worth more now than ever before!
SOLD FOR $126,179
SOLD FOR $114,700
SOLD FOR $275,625
Please contact our CEO, Bob Eaton, at Bob.Eaton@RRAuction.com to discuss submitting your items to our next Space Exploration auction.
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