Wonderful vintage Snoopy sketch by Charles Schulz, drawn inside a 1958 Peanuts book

449. Charles Schulz Signed Sketch in Book. Signed book: A New Peanuts Book Featuring Snoopy. Later printing. NY: Rinehart & Co., Inc., 1958. Paperback, 5 x 8. Schulz draws a wonderful fullbodied sketch of Snoopy in profile on the half-title page, neatly signing below, “Charles M. Schulz.” In fine condition, with toning to the spine, and to the interior page perimeters. Starting Bid $200

450. Duck Family production cels from The Ugly Duckling. (Walt Disney Studios, 1939) Original production cels featuring the adorable duck family from The Ugly Duckling, showing the mother duck, father duck, and four baby ducklings in a woodsy setting from the film’s opening sequence. The cels have been trimmed and applied to a hand-painted background as prepared by Courvoisier Galleries for sale. Character images measures from .75 x 1 to 4.5 x 2.5, with a mat opening of 9.5 x 8. Framed to an overall size of 14 x 13.75. In very good to fine condition, with two of the ducklings detached from the background; the frame could be opened, and the ducklings easily reattached. This film, adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale, won the 1939 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons), and also happened to be the last entry in the Silly Symphony series. Starting Bid $200

462. Samuel L. Clemens Autograph Letter Signed to Publisher. Fantastic ALS signed “S. L. Clemens,” one page, 5.5 x 9, December 8, 1890. Handwritten letter to publisher Henry Oscar Houghton, in full: “I don’t remember about this. Of course I am not denying or repudiating the subscription; I merely have no memorandum of it, & there may be some error. I can forget things; I once forgot to die, when four doctors said I was going to. If you find there is no error, please return the bill to me for payment.” The top bears an ink stamp indicating that the letter was received by Houghton Mifflin in Boston on December 10th. In fine condition.

Interestingly, this letter does not appear to be published in collections of Clemens’s correspondence or documented in his biographical works. It boasts an ideal example of Mark Twain’s humor—”I can forget things; I once forgot to die”—and alludes to his opinion of physicians in general, which has been the subject of several works and papers. An exceptionally well-preserved letter with superior content, connecting Clemens to his publisher and featuring a funny line. Starting Bid $500