of Arabia

468. T. E. Lawrence Autograph Letter Signed on Autograph

Collecting. ALS signed “T. E. Shaw,” one page, 7 x 10.25, no date but circa 1932. Handwritten reply to an autograph collector, in full: “Not quite the right address, but the letter came on. It’s quaint; so I’ll oblige the autograph-hunter for once. An odd and unwise passion, I think. People should collect coins or postage stamps—not heads or hands! Why bother innocent ‘specimens’?” Below is a transmittal note from the recipient, Daniel Burges, a recipient of the Victoria Cross during WWI, who was serving a tenure as Resident Governor of the Tower of London from 1923-33. Burges’s note, dated June 7, 1932, in part: “I am very proud of being able to send you the above from ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ Do not ask me how I got it nor ask me to repeat the process. It is rather a triumph.” In very good to fine condition, with professional restoration to paper loss along the upper left edge. Starting Bid $200

469. H. P. Lovecraft Signed Book. American writer of weird, science, fantasy, and horror fiction (1890–1937) celebrated for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Signed book: Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce. Later printing. NY: Boni & Liveright, 1918. Hardcover, 5.25 x 7.5, 427 pages. Signed on the first free end page in ink, “H. P. Lovecraft.” Also bears Lovecraft’s bookplate affixed to the front pastedown, “Ex Libris Howard Phillips Lovecraft.” Notably, this volume of Bierce’s collected works contains the short stories ‘Haïta the Shepherd’ and ‘An Inhabitant of Carcosa,’ which introduced the names of Hastur and Carcosa—these were later expanded upon by Robert W. Chambers, H. P. Lovecraft, and August Derleth. Autographic condition: fine, with slightly uneven toning. Book condition: G+/None, with cracked hinges, edgewear, some minor losses and repairs to spine cloth, and a library blindstamp to the title page.

Starting Bid $200

470. Margaret Mitchell Typed Letter Signed on Gone With the Wind.

TLS signed “Margaret Mitchell Marsh,” one page, 7 x 9.5, personal letterhead, April 29, 1937. Letter to Judge McMahan, in part: “Thank you so much for your interesting letter and all the fine things you said about ‘Gone With the Wind.’ I appreciated them all very much I am so glad that you thought my book would bring about a better understanding between the two sections of our country. If ‘Gone With the Wind’ did nothing else, then I would be supremely satisfied. Thank you for saying that you thought Rhett was a real and understandable character. It is a strange thing, but most people from out of this section feel that he is not a plausible character. Southerners say that, though he is a scamp, he is very true to type. Many sweet old ladies have confided to me, under oath of secrecy, that he reminded them so much of wild brothers they had had or beaux who were killed in the War.” In very good to fine condition, with trimmed edges, and repaired areas in the left margin and along the top edge. Starting Bid $300

471. Marcel Proust Autograph Letter Signed. French writer (1871–1922) known for the monumental sixteen-volume In Search of Lost Time, regarded as one of the greatest achievements in world literature. ALS in French, one page, 5 x 8, October 2, [no year but circa 1906–1919]. Handwritten letter from his famous address at “102 Bd Haussmann,” where he lived from 1906 to 1919, and where he wrote most of In Search of Lost Time. In full (translated): “You would give me very great pleasure and you can guess a great honor by accepting this small fan. I send it to you to be ‘well regarded’ by you. Please allow a sick man not writing more for much longer and please deign to accept mademoiselle my respectful homage.” In fine condition, with a small stain touching the closing.

An interesting letter by Proust in that he asks for the gift of a fan to be ‘well regarded’ by its recipient, and evoking his sickness as he often did. Proust suffered from asthma and neurological maladies which caused his health to deteriorate over time, and yet these sicknesses served as the basis for his extraordinary literary works. In his magnum opus In Search of Lost Time, Proust demonstrates a great knowledge of medicine—specifically neurology—and adopts the concept of ‘emotional memory’ as a literary tool. A fine letter by the celebrated French novelist. Starting Bid $300