Scarce signed portrait of Puccini, with a quote from “La

563. Giacomo Puccini Signed Photograph with Autograph Musical Quotation. Vintage 3.5 x 5.5 postcard photo of Puccini in a half-length pose, boldly signed in the lower border in ink, “Giacomo Puccini, 1917,” with the addition of an autograph musical quotation from “La fanciulla del West.” In very fine condition. An opera in three acts, La fanciulla del West premiered with the Metropolitan Opera on December 10, 1910. Starting Bid $200

564. Giacomo Puccini Autograph Letter Signed. ALS in Italian, signed “Giacomo,” one page, 8.25 x 6.75, September 25, 1908. Handwritten letter to his friend and confidante Sybil Seligman in London. Puccini opens by reporting on his travels, in part (translated): “Days pass and it’s always the same. On Saturday we leave from Milano to Paris where we should arrive on Monday or Tuesday. I will remain until the last days of October or the first days of November.” He goes on to express thanks for a gift and mention his work on Conchita, which he would later abandon. Addressed on the reverse in Puccini’s own hand. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200

565. Giuseppe Verdi Autograph Letter Signed. Italian composer (1813-1901) who was one of the most influential figures in the history of opera. ALS in Italian, signed “G. Verdi,” one page both sides, 5.25 x 8, no date. Untranslated handwritten letter from Giuseppe Verdi to music publisher Giulio Ricordi. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200

566. Jazz Legends: Hot Discography Multi-Signed Book. One-of-a-kind signed book: Hot Discography. Originally published in 1938 in Paris, France, this edition was corrected and reprinted in the USA in 1940 by the Commodore Music Shop, 46 W. 52nd Street, New York, New York. Hardcover rebound in full leather by bookbinder Denis Gouey (preserving all of the pages, signatures, and endpapers), 5.5 x 7.25, 382 pages. Signed on the endpapers (with a handful throughout) in fountain pen by more than 40 important jazz artists, highlighted by Fats Waller, Joe ‘Tricky Sam’ Nanton, Jimmie Blanton, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington (plus members of his band), and Jimmie Lunceford (plus members of his band). Several signers add their instruments or brief inscriptions to “Zack,” whose full name (“Zack Rottman”) is written on the page with Ellington’s signature; he was evidently a collector who loved jazz, and must have carried this book to several different venues to have signed. This volume is not only musically significant, but significant in black history. First published in France— where black jazzmen, fleeing segregation at home, were welcomed with open arms—and later reprinted by Jewish music executive Milton Gabler (whose Commodore Records released Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ in 1939), this unique book, filled with autographs of jazz legends, is a remarkable time capsule of an era. In overall fine condition, with toning to the first several pages. A complete list of signers is available online at RRAuction.com. Starting Bid $300