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Sale 82
The Fall Manuscript, Collectibles, Stamp and Space Memorabilia Auction
| Lot |
Photo |
Description |
Realized |
Lot 935 |
 |
[Authors] Group of Nine Authors: Jack London, Longfellow & Others. Katherine Lee Bates - Partly-printed document signed, being a Reading Room form for a book she wanted to read, 3½ x 8", n.p., Sept. 8, n.y.
Henry Ward Beecher - Signature in pencil on a 2 1/4 x 3½" card;
J. Fenimore Cooper - Check signed and accomplished by Cooper, on the Otsego County Bank, July 6, 1842;
Edna Ferber - Typed letter signed, one page, 7 x 4½", Fifty Central Park West (NY), Nov 16, 1926, giving permission to Mrs. Hillis to use a quotation, as long as she credits it to the character in Ferber's book who uttered it;
Oliver Wendell Holmes - Signature, place and date (Boston March 31st 1865) a 1¾ x 3½" piece of paper laid to cardstock;
Rudyard Kipling - Signature on 1¾x 3¾" paper laid to cardstock;
Jack London - Signature on 3 x 5" piece of paper, followed by "Suva, Fiji, June 5, 1908";
Henry W. Longfellow - Signature and year (1881), affixed to cardstock with a biographical surround;
Noah Webster - 2¾ x 3¼" paper signed, "Noah Webster / New Haven March 18 / 1843 / Born in West Hartford / Oct. 16, 1758";
Nine items; overall fine.
Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500.
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| Realized
$504 |
Lot 936 |
 |
Baum, L. Frank and Ruth Plumly Thompson. Tik-Tok of Oz and Ojo in Oz. Tik-Tok of Oz, Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co., 1914. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Hardcover, coral cloth with color label paste down on cover, 272 pages. No Jacket. Two decorative book plates, one at cover paste down and one on illustrated fly leaf to cover previous owner's name. Very clean inside with hinges and binding intact. Slight cloth wear top back corner edge. Some age toning but overall in very good condition.;
Ojo in Oz Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories By L. Frank Baum, Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co., 1914. Illustrated by John R. Neill. First edition, hardcover, burgundy cloth cover with color label paste down on cover, 304 pages. No Jacket. Front and back illustrated end papers. Very clean inside with hinges and binding intact. Minor age toning. Very good condition.
Estimated Value $500 - 600.
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| Realized
$360 |
Lot 937 |
 |
Capote, Truman (1924-1984) American author, screenwriter and playwright; his most famous works are Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood. Typed page from In Cold Blood signed in blue ink at lower right, 10 1/4 x 7 3/4", n.p., n.d. The book is the true story of the 1959 murders of a farmer and his family in Holcolmb, Kansas. The quote is from the first chapter, "The Last To See Them Alive." The page is affixed at center to cardstock, else fine.
Estimated Value $250 - 350.
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| Realized
$204 |
Lot 938 |
 |
Clemens, Samuel (1835-1910) American author whose pen name was Mark Twain; his two most famous works were Tom Sawyer and Huckelberry Finn.
Autograph note signed ("SL Clemens") on the verso of a postcard addressed by Clemens to Mr. R.D. Fisher in Baltimore, 1901. "The Portugese [sic] book was published by James R. Osgood & Co., Boston." Light soiling; a postmark cancel affects right portion of text, which is still legible. The signature is fine and clear.
Estimated Value $500 - 750.
The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills.
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| Realized
$344 |
Lot 939 |
 |
Clemens, Samuel L (1870-1904) American author and humorist better known by his pen name, Mark Twain. Card with salutation and double signature ("Truly Yours / S L Clemens"); "Mark Twain" is signed diagonally against the first signature, 2¼ x 3½", n.p., n.d. Light soiling to card, else fine.
Estimated Value $500 - 750.
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| Realized
$720 |
Lot 940 |
 |
Cooper, James Fenimore. Check signed and accomplished in Cooper's hand, Cooperstown, New York, Feb. 1, 1831. Drawn on Otsego County Bank and payable to Miles Stuvel in the amount of $9.00; 2½ x 5¾". Red bank cancellation stamp covers the " J. Fenimore" portion of signature, otherwise fine.
Estimated Value $100 - 150.
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| Realized
$80 |
Lot 941 |
 |
Cooper, James Fennimore (1789-1851) American novelist; best remembered for The Leatherstocking Tales and The Last of the Mohicans.
Autograph letter signed "J. Fenimore Cooper," one page, 5½ x 8½", Sorrento (Italy), Oct. 28, 1829. To Mr. Hammett, American Consul at Naples, regarding a carriage accident in which Cooper's wife was slightly injured. In part: "Your note concerning the carriage did not reach me until today. The price seems high but I leave it entirely to you. Enclosed is a check [not present] for 25 ducats….The injury is by a sprain or a blow….I think we shall be embargoed until next week. Whenever you are at leisure come over and we will conspire together for the future. I don't know but that I shall be obliged to advertise that the old bust without a nose in our salon is not a bust of Tasso, for the curious multiply so fast that the groom of the chamber is making his fortune in grassi. I have only to add that your character for activity is none of the best at Sorrento and you had better come in person and defend it…." The letter is foxed, inlaid, and contained in an old leather slipcase. An unusually personable letter from Cooper, who lived in Europe with his family from 1826-1833.
Estimated Value $600 - 800.
The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills.
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| Realized
$420 |
Lot 942 |
 |
[Dickens, Charles] Little Dorrit. First edition of Little Dorrit London Bradbury & Evans, Whitefriars Printers, Bouverie St., 1857. With illustrations by H.K. Browne. "Dedicated to Clarkson Stanfield, R.A., by his attached friend." Meets first state points: "William" for "Frederick" line 27, p. 317; "B2" for "BB2" p 371; and "Rigaud" for "Blandois" pp. 469, 472, 473. Frontispiece illustration; engraved title page; 38 page illustrations. Beautifully bound in leather with gold leaf and in excellent condition.
Estimated Value $500 - 600.
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| Realized
$418 |
Lot 943 |
 |
[Dickens, Charles] Nicholas Nickleby. First edition, early issue of Nicholas Nickleby, London, Chapman and Hall, 1839. With the Daniel Maclise portrait plate, the 39 Nicholas Nickleby plates by Phiz and 40 additional plates by Thomas Onwhyn under his name and also his pseudonym, Peter Palette. Red leather with gold leaf decorations. In red cloth box with Nickleby and 1839 printed on spine of box. Some rubbing at joints and minor soiling to text. Original blue cover (sold by Hodgsons, Booksellers & Stationers) is bound in front of book.
Estimated Value $600 - 800.
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| Realized
$408 |
Lot 944 |
 |
[Dickens, Charles] Pickwick Papers. First edition, early issue with "Veller" title, edited by Boz. Chapman & Hall, 186 Strand. MDCCCXXXVI. Red leather binding with gold leaf and gilt-edged pages; fine condition. Blue original cover is expertly bound at front of book and is in fine condition.
Estimated Value $700 - 900.
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| Realized
$517 |
Lot 945 |
 |
Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, and poet; leader of the Transcendentalist movement. Partly-printed document signed ("R. Waldo Emerson") as Chairman of Library Committee, one page, 8½ x 5½", Corcord, Mass., Mar. 18, 1878. Acknowledging Mr. W.W. Whuildon's gifts to the Concord Free Public Library. Also signed by Librarian E.F. Whitney. Lightly toned.
Estimated Value $300 - 400.
The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills.
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| Realized
$810 |
Lot 946 |
 |
Ginsberg, Allen (1926-1997) Beat poet; social activist. Autograph letter signed ("Allen"), one page, 11 x 8½", n.p., Aug. 15, 1971. To Michal, giving travel plans and specific printing instructions for a poem ("Master"), telling him to see "Howl" if he needs an example of what to do. Ginsberg instructs, "Please dont print if it means legal trouble for you as I will have no TIME or energy this year to help, at All. At all."
Estimated Value $200 - 300.
Mel Smith Collection.
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| Realized
$135 |
Lot 947 |
|
Hall, Manly P. Signed Book [signed twice] An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic, and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy: Being an Interpretation of the Secret Teachings Concealed within the Rituals, Allegories and Mysteries of All Ages, First Edition of Subscribers Edition, No. 78 of 550 copies, cclxv [265] pp, 19" x 13", printed for Manly P. Hall by H. S. Crocker, San Francisco, 1928. Many beautiful full-page color illustrations by J. Augustus Knapp, plus black-and-white in-text illustrations reprinted from earlier books. Handcolored initials begin each chapter; page numbers (at the top of each page) printed in blue. This is the first edition of one of the three or four greatest occult books, reprinted many times over the last 90 years. The first printing of this massive work was issued in three formats, 550 unsigned copies, 550 numbered and signed copies, and 200 numbered and inscribed copies. Hall refers to these as the first, second and third editions, but they are actually different states of the first printing. This is a very good example, with minor wear to the edges of the batik-covered boards and some tears to the vellum spine. The leather spine-label is totally intact, much nicer than usually found. Hall later signed again and inscribed (on the original signature page) this Subscribers Edition for a friend " To Judith May Bosworth, Very Sincerely". With the original wooden slipcase which has some minor wear around the borders, but is generally very good.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
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| Realized
$1,050 |
Lot 948 |
 |
Hall, Manly P (1901 -1990) Author and mystic. Signed Books 1) How to Understand Your Bible, a philosopher's interpretation of obscure and puzzling passages, First Edition, second binding, limited to 250 copies signed by the author, Hardcover with original maroon cloth, 239 pp, 9" x 6", The Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles, CA., 1942. Signed on front flyleaf. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. Interior lightly age toned, but clean and unmarked. Overall in very good condition. 2) Buddhism And Psychotherapy , First Edition, Hardcover with original Dust Jacket, 324 pp, 9" x 6", The Philosophical Research Society, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, 1967. Signed and inscribed ("Very Sincerely") on front flyleaf. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. Text is clean. Book is in fine condition. Dust jacket shows wear and some tears along the folds. Overall in very good condition.
Estimated Value $300 - 400.
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| Realized
$168 |
Lot 949 |
 |
Hemingway, Ernest (1899-1961) American author and journalist whose economical and understated style had a major influence on 20th-century fiction. Much of his writing was inspired by his own life and adventures. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
Typed letter signed ("Papa"), 1¼ pp, plus a holograph postscript of some 70 words, on Finca Vigia, San Francisco de Paula, Cuba letterhead, Aug. 28, 1955. During the filming of "The Old Man and the Sea," based on Hemingway's book (the film would be released in 1958), he writes to film star Marlene Dietrich, whom he had known for over 20 years and whom he addresses as "Dearest Kraut." Responding to complaints about her Las Vegas show, Hemingway describes a bawdy, surrealistic scenario that he would use to stage the show. In part: "If I were staging it would probably have something novel like having you shot onto the stage, drunk, from a self propelled minnenwerfer….As you landed on the stage drunk and naked I would advance from the rear, or your rear wearing evening clothes and would hurriedly strip off my evening clothes to cover you revealing the physique of Bert Lancaster Strongfort…."
After much more of the above, he turns serious: "Marlene, darling, I write stories but I have no grace for fucking them up for other mediums. It was hard enough for me to learn to write to be read by the human eye. I do not know how nor do I care to write to be read by parrots, monkeys, apes, baboons, nor actors. I love you very much and I never wanted to get mixed in any business with you as I wrote you when this thing first was brought up. Neither of us has enough whore blood for that. Not but what I number many splendid whores amonst my best friends and certainly never, I hope, could be accused of anti-whoreism. Not only that but I myself was circumcised at a very early age.
Hope you have it good in California and Las Vegas. What I hear from the boys is that many people in La Vegas or three or four anyway of the mains are over-extended. This is very straight generally but everybody knows it if I know it although I have not told anyone what I've heard and don't tell you. But watch all money ends. Some people would as soon have the publicity of making you look bad as of your expected and legitimate success. But that is the way everything is everywhere and no criticism of Nevada or anyone there. Cut this paragraph out of this letter and burn it if you want to keep the rest of the letter in case you thought any of it funny. I rely on you as a Kraut officer and gentleman to do this.
New Paragraph. I love you very much and wish you luch. Wish me some too. Book is on page 592. This Thursday we start photogrophy [sic]. Am in charge of fishing etc. and it is going to be difficult enough. With a bad back a little worse. The Artist is not here naturally. I only wrote the book but must do the work as well and have no stand-in. Up at 0450 knock off at 1930. This goes on for 15 days. I think you could say you and I have earned whatever dough the people let us keep. So what. So Merdre. I love you as always. Papa."
On the verso of the second page, Hemingway penned a holograph note, "Started OK on fishing--one 472 lbs and one 422 lbs. very good close shots of harpooning at the end but fish too small even in cinemascope for what we need - must have bigger fish - system of photography and the way the local boats work and how close we can ride herd on them very good. steer 7 to 10 hrs. on flying bridge and it is hard work."
Hemingway and Dietrich had met in 1934 and remained friends until Hemingway's suicide in 1961. Although the two wrote romantic letters to each other, the relationship was never consummated because the timing was never right. Hemingway was married to Mary Welsh, his fourth and final wife, at the time of this letter. Dietrich died in 1992 at the age of 90.
Estimated Value $20,000 - 30,000.
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| Unsold |
Lot 950 |
 |
[Irving, Washington]. First edition, third impression of Rip Van Winkle, London 1907. New York, William Heinmann, Doubleday, Paget & Co. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Written on inside cover: "1st Edition, 3rd Impression, nicely bound in jU----green calf preserving the original engraved cover design." Green leather binding with gold etching of "Rip" on front cover. Excellent condition. Over fifty Rackham color plate illustrations are tipped in and all are in pristine condition.
Estimated Value $600 - 800.
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| Realized
$360 |
Lot 951 |
 |
Irving, Washington and Joseph Jefferson. The Complete Works of Washington Irving - Forty Volumes - "The Joseph Jefferson Edition" No. 86 of 250. Signed by renowned actor Joseph Jefferson and with a lengthy autograph letter signed by Irving (excellent content) bound in. The provenance of this collection is the estate of Robert Burge (1876 - 1927), who was Los Angeles Police Commissioner. Bindings, in very good condition, are Moroccan and cloth.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,500.
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| Realized
$930 |
Lot 952 |
 |
Kerouac, Jack (1922-69) American novelist; On the Road (1957) established him as the leader and spokesman of the Beat generation. Typed letter signed ("Jack"), 1¼pp, 11 x 8¼" (Lowell, Mass.), Sept. 27, 1968. With postscript on verso signed (J.K.). Unfolded; very fine. To Sterling Lord, his literary agent, mentioning events in his life since the publication of On the Road. In part:
"Here's what I'll do with SPOTLIGHT. I'll use my public appearances on TV and lectures as rungs in the ladder of the narrative. In betwixt, I can throw in more private matters, such as my two physical beatings in bars….I'll start with when I'm living on that backporch in Florida with my Maw in 1957, broke, arguing about what to buy for dessert because we have no money for meat, and suddenly Time Magazine comes in to interview me about the upcoming puclication of ON THE ROAD….When I arrive in New York City I look in a disposal trash basket in Penn Station to see what my review was like in the New York Times. But since someone's spit on the only Times in the can, I dont touch it, and only walk up to Viking Press to see what's happed. When I get there they tell me I'm an overnight success. And I'm hungry for food. So we go to Schraaft's across the street and I order my lunch but everybody's yakking so much around me I begin to realize right then and there that 'success' is when you can't enjoy your food any more in peace."
He recounts interviews with John Wingate on Channel 7, then with Ben Hecht's show, a lecture at Brandeis University where he was booed for arguing about peace, the premiere of his movie PULL MY DAISY at the San Francisco film festival, an appearance on a French-language program in Montreal, Canada, and an appearance on the William F. Buckley, Jr. program, then continues: "…of course I wont go into 1960 BIG SUR experiences or 1965 SATORI IN PARIS….It will complete the 'Legend' up to now and may very well be my most exhausting writing experience, since the story is so fraught with eminent peril, men, women, dogs, cats, cornpones, agents, publishers, poolsharks, TV directors calling me a 'drunken moron,' celebrities, boozers, bookies, phew wait till you see it. But I cant do it without some money to live on, so show this letter to the prospective publisher and let's get at it." In the postscript, he writes, "I'm using the title SPOTLIGHT because that was the name of my father's old theatrical newspaper in Lowell, when he used to play cards with W.C. Fields, George Arliss and George Burns backstage at the old B.F. Keith's Theater…in Lowell. The title will honor the memory of his own work…."
Estimated Value $3,000 - 5,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Water Row Books/Jack Kerouac Estate, 1991.
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| Realized
$4,680 |
Lot 953 |
 |
Key, Francis Scott (1779-1843) American lawyer, author, and amateur poet who wrote the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" after seeing the American flag still waving over Fort McHenry after being bombarded by the British on the night of Sept. 13-14, 1814, during the War of 1812. Autograph letter signed ("F S Key"), one page, 7½ x 7½", Washington, July 21, 1842. A year before his death, Key acknowledges receipt of a letter and payment for a client but notes that no commission was taken out and instructs, "Do this out of the next for both payments." Letter is affixed to cardstock; very good.
Estimated Value $600 - 800.
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| Realized
$720 |
Lot 954 |
 |
[Lamb, Charles and Mary] "The Works of Charles Lamb". "The Works of Charles Lamb" edited by William MacDonald., Methuen & Co, London, 1903. Front page reads: "This large paper edition of The Works of Charles Lamb is limited to 200 sets for England and 100 sets for America. This is No. 100 of the American Edition." Twelve volumes, nicely bound in three-quarter leather; gold gilt to edges of pages. Fine.
Estimated Value $400 - 600.
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| Realized
$504 |
Lot 955 |
 |
Mann, Thomas (1875-1955) German novelist and critic, one of the foremost figures in 20th century literature; he won the Nobel Prize in 1929. Mann emigrated to the United States in 1939, where he taught at Princeton University, then in 1942, he moved to Pacific Palisades (Los Angeles), California, where some of Europe's most celebrated artists and intellectuals passed the war years. Mann became an American citizen in 1944; he returned to Europe in 1952 but never lived in Germany again.
Autograph manuscript signed, 2pp (recto and verso of one page), 10 x 8", n.p., n.d. Above his signature, Mann wrote: "('The Magic Mountain' / Chapter: Snow)" . The quotation begins with: "I hereby declare that I have a prescriptive right to lie here and dream these dreams," and ends with "For the sake of goodness and love, man shall let death have no sovereignity over his thoughts. - And with this I awake."
The manuscript is matted with marbled paper and housed in a hinged 16 x 14" two-sided frame attached to a larger frame, 26 x 17", which permits both sides of the manuscript to be viewed by turning it from top to bottom. A medal with an image of Mann and his name engraved on is affixed to the frame, along with a plaque which explains, " THOMAS MANN created this Mss from the Chap. "Snow" from THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN for the U.S. Treas. Dept. to aid the War Financing Campaign in World War II." Accompanied by a copy of The Magic Mountain.
Estimated Value $2,000 - 3,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Leon Becker, 1973.
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| Realized
$3,600 |
Lot 956 |
 |
Miller, Henry (1891-1980) American author and painter. Autograph letter signed, one page, 11 x 8½" (Pacific Palisades, CA), Mar. 6, 1966. Explaining to a friend how he began to write and paint. "…I always want to write, yes, but it took ages to get confidence that I could….As for painting, I never had any talent for it….Suddenly one day I got the urge…." Fine. With an autograph quotation signed, one-half page, on 12 x 9" cardstock, n.p., n.d. Quoting from a letter to Alfred Perlès: "What I needed most desperately was a voice with which to express my grief and abandonment. That is how I came to write…." Fine.
Estimated Value $250 - 300.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Paul Richards Autographs, 1977.
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| Realized
$892 |
Lot 957 |
 |
Mitchell, Margaret (1900-1949) American author who wrote Gone With the Wind for which she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1937). Typed letter signed, one page, on personal stationery, 8 x 7 1/4", Atlanta, Jan. 4, 1936. To a Mr. Frazier, the same year Gone With the Wind was published, "Yes, send your copy on. I will be glad to autograph it. If I were you I would put it in a box or wrap it securely in cardboard, as it does not travel very well without a heavy wrapping…." Letter is affixed to cardstock from a previous framing, else fine.
Estimated Value $800 - 1,000.
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| Realized
$480 |
Lot 958 |
 |
O'Neill, Eugene (1888-1953) American playwright; winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1936) and four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1920, 1922, 1928, and 1957). Autograph letter signed ("Gene"), 1¼pp (two separate sheets), 11 x 8½", "Bellevue" Paget East, Bermuda, April 30 (1926). To his agent, Richard Madden, about publishing a new volume, getting more publicity, and the production of his plays. "…Yes, it is alright for Cape to go ahead on the new volume…I am sore because I never notice a damn line of notice or ad about my stuff in his publishers magazine. He ought to do better by me. How about 'Beyond' - London?…I never saw or signed any contract for that production….Belasco wrote me…He is some faker, what? I…told him he could have all [the] time he wanted if he forfeited his advance…thereby calling his bluff….I have a line from [George Jean] Nathan [co-editor and drama critic of The Smart Set]. He says he hasn't heard from you. Better keep in touch with him on 'Marco'. He is strong for it and has good hunches….Please, for Gawds sake, bring in some royalties! I have written Kenneth [Macgowan] a strong protest against what I feel is unfair treatment. It is all McKaig's fault…." Alexander McKaig was the business manager of the Greenwich Village Theatre. One ink smear, else fine.
Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Lion Heart Autographs, 1990.
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| Realized
$1,199 |
Lot 959 |
 |
O'Neill, Eugene. Autograph letter signed ("Gene"), one page, 11 x 8½ ", Belgrade Lakes, Maine, n.d. (Sept. 1926). To his agent, Richard Madden, about royalties and production plans for his plays. In part: "Just a line to tell you to inform the Actors bunch that, as always with my cuts, I expect my full royalty of '[The Great God] Brown' to be restored from Sept. 1st on…Also warn them.they are way behind hand on royalties again which they faithfully promised not to be after our experience with them last winter. Will hold off the Guild until I get back to town….There's no hurry since they're frank about not wanting to do it this season. I'll also have a personal interview with Miller. Nathan has wanted to bring us together for some time…we can take the opportunity to talk 'Marco [Millions]' to him too. As this last is more or less confidential, keep it under your hat. Kenneth [Macgowan] wired me today that he had a cable from [Max] Reinhardt saying he was enthusiastic about 'Lazarus [Laughed]' asking us to postpone any decision of direction for it until his man Kammer gets here the last of month. Which listens good but may mean nothing. I can't wait much longer on their (Actors) raising money to do it, Reinhardt or no R., or I'll be dished out of any production the coming season. As I have pointed out to Kenneth, 'Lazarus L' isn't the type of thing anyone would buy for production after the 1st of Feb.--too expensive. I'm enclosing the contracts. All best! Gene." A couple of penciled notes on verso, else fine.
Legendary stage director Max Reinhardt (1873-1943) managed the Deutsches Theater in Berlin at the time of this letter. O'Neill was right about "Lazarus Laughed" being too expensive to produce. No commercial producer was willing to risk it and the only production was a 28-day run at the California Community Playhouse in Pasadena in April 1928. In the summer of 1926, O'Neill and his second wife, Agnes Boulton, rented a cottage in Belgrade Lakes, Maine. During that summer, O'Neill renewed his acquaintance with Carlotta Monterey, who had starred in the 1922 production of "The Hairy Ape," and began a relationship with her; she would become his third wife. It was at Belgrade Lakes that O'Neill wrote "Strange Interlude." Fine.
Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,250.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Lion Heart Autographs, 1990.
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| Unsold |
Lot 960 |
 |
O'Neill, Eugene. Autograph letter signed ("Gene"), one page, 6½ x 10¼", Belgrade Lakes, Me., Sept. 16 (1926). To his agent, Richard Madden, about producing his plays in Germany: "Yes, send a script of 'Marco' to Fischer Verlag if you like. Also explain to them that for production purposes the next to the last scene may be omitted. Tell them I want very much to get their comment of its possibilities for Germany after they have read it. Also ask about 'Brown'. Be sure title on script is 'Marco M' & not Marco's Millions." Light toning, penciled initials at top, else fine.
Estimated Value $800 - 1,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Lion Heart Autographs, 1990.
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| Unsold |
Lot 961 |
 |
[Pedro Mexia & Edward Grimstone] Imperiall Historie or Lives of The Emperours, 1623. Leather bound large antique book with Old English text, & published by Mathew Lownes, London, 1623, 13" x 9" X 2 ½", 866 pp. Original Germanie woodcut frontispiece laid to the inside cover. New cover, binding and boards. Book shows noticeable heavy wear throughout; paper shows wear, spotting, discoloring, frayed and turned edges and corners.
Estimated Value $400 - 600.
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| Unsold |
Lot 962 |
 |
Rogers, Will (1879-1935) Author and actor known for his folksy wit. Envelope Signed in upper left corner, with typed address to Thomas A. Edwards in Oklahoma. Cancelled in Beverly Hills, California April 25, 1930, bearing 5¢ stamp. Minor tape marks on verso, else fine.
Estimated Value $100 - 125.
The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills.
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| Realized
$180 |
Lot 963 |
 |
Shaw, George Bernard. Autograph letter signed ("G. Bernard Shaw"), 1½pp, on personal notepaper, 4½ x 7", Ayot St. Lawrence, Welwyn, Herts, Sept. 2, 1941. To "My dear Oxford" about the death of a young lady: "The management of this wretched globe has risen to a climax of reverse wickedness. Why should Dulcie be taken in her prime, and we old, used up, dotty nineteenth century spectres be left listening to the daily broadcast of destruction? We have not even Job's wife to advise us. 'We must abide our going hence even as our coming hither; I should have said to Dulcie 'Abstain thee from felicity awhile if it would have been any use. I can abide my own going hence philosophically enough; but Dulcie's makes me swear. Charlotte [Shaw's wife, Irish heiress Charlotte Payne-Townshend] would console you if she could. Damn!!!!!!! G. Bernard Shaw." Toning and one fold, else fine. A sad and beautiful letter.
Estimated Value $600 - 800.
Mel Smith Collection, ex The Scriptorium, 1972.
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| Realized
$707 |
Lot 964 |
 |
Shaw, George Bernard (1856-1950) Irish dramatist, literary critic, and socialist; also known as a great wit. He was awarded a Nobel Prize (1925) for his contribution to literature and an Oscar (1938) for Pygmalion.
Autograph letter signed ("G. Bernard Shaw") on the half-title page of a first edition, hard-cover copy of The Apple Cart: A Political Extravaganza (London, Constable & Co., 1930). The letter, datelined 4 Whitehall Court. London 5.W.1, 17th January 1931, is addressed to John Lister: "Sunderland wants to give you this copy of my latest and by no means best play. Still, I could not have written it but for the political work we were engaged in when last we met a frightful number of years ago. Do you remember my saying, as we drove through your baronial gates 'Will they let us through here?' and your striking me dumb by replying 'I think so. I live here.' Faithfully G. Bernard Shaw." Scattered foxing. Tear to spine of original dust cover and small edge chips.
Estimated Value $500 - 600.
The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills.
View details and enlarged photo
| Realized
$615 |
Lot 965 |
 |
Shaw, George Bernard (1856- 1950) Irish dramatist, literary critic, and socialist; he was awarded a Nobel Prize (1925) for his contribution to literature and an Oscar (1938) for Pygmalion. He was also a great wit. Autograph letter signed ("G. Bernard Shaw"), 2pp, 7 x 5", Maybury Knoll, Woking, Jan. 2, 1904. To A.B. W. [London Times critic A.B. Walkley], "It's totally impossible: you have selected the one date that is out of the question. On that fatal Friday I shall have to fight the Fabian manifesto on the Fiscal question through a general meeting of the Society. No two of them agree on the subject; and I have had to draft a tract which I shall have to persuade them all to accept by subtlety, flattery, oratory, fraud, force & what other shifts I can compass. Couldn't you make it Thursday? Wyndham doesn't matter: he is only a Cabinet Minister: he can come anytime. But a Fabian Minister has something serious to do…." Minor foxing, else fine.
Estimated Value $500 - 600.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Kenneth Rendell Autographs, 1972.
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| Realized
$394 |
Lot 966 |
 |
Singer, Isaac Bashevis (1904-1991) Polish-born Jewish-American writer. Three signed items: Autograph letter signed ("Isaac B. Singer"), one page, on personal letterhead, New York, Aug. 22, 1976, to Rabbi Wolt about an upcoming trip to Los Angeles to participate in "a kind of writers' and psychologists' conference called Panarion…."; with a signed program for a 1979 lecture by Singer at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple and a photo inscribed to Jerry and Flavia (Burg) and signed ("J.B. Singer") in English and Hebrew on the verso.
Estimated Value $250 - 300.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Jerry Burg.
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| Realized
$234 |
Lot 967 |
 |
Smith, Samuel Francis (1808-95) Baptist minister, journalist, and author; best known for having written "My Country 'Tis of Thee," titled "America" and first published by Lowell Mason in The Choir in 1832. Autograph quotation signed ("S.F. Smith"), being all four verses of "My Country 'Tis of Thee," 12 x 5¾", n.p., n.d. The melody used is the same as that of the UK's, "God Save the Queen [or King]." Until 1931, when "The Star Spangled Banner" was adopted as the official anthem of the USA, "My Country 'Tis of Thee" was often used as a de facto anthem. Fine; a couple of edge splits at folds and minor paper loss at center fold affect nothing. Beautifully penned and signed.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
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| Realized
$953 |
Lot 968 |
 |
Steinbeck, John (1902-1968) American novelist whose books gave expression to the social and economic tensions of the time. He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962. Autograph letter signed ("John"), 2pp (separate), Hotel de la Ville, Via Sistina, Rome, Dec. 20, 21, 1961. To "Dear Wallsts' [Robert & Cynthia Wallsten]" with personal and literary content. In part: "And a very merry Christmas to you….In recent times, too much space has been taken up with 'my health'." Let's forget it….I intend to ignore it….Seems like everything I have done this year has been late - even jokes. The illness was not really an illness and yet it was…It may be that I will find it impossible to continue at some later date. However, the gains are so great and the rewards even greater that I cannot discontinue right now. The boys are growing by leaps. And I think their understanding is also….I find myself going back to Ecclesiastes…--the lines 'a time to' ….we seem to put too much value on the qualitative in livin when the true span should be qualitative. This is a very private letter. I must tell you that next February I shall have had sixty years with more joy and more sorrow than is given to most people. I am a fortunate one. I have never been bored and I have always been curious. Therefore I cannot find any reason to complain. No one has ever had more love given nor taken than I….I have whomped a small talent into a large volume of work. And now I see the boys making such strides I am filled with wonder. With the very large help of Elaine [Steinbeck's wife] and Terrence [McNally, who would go on to be a renowned playwright and winner of the 1995 Tony for Best Play for "Master Class"] they are developing that hungry curiosity without which the human is worthless. They are gobbling up knowledge they cannever lose and they are beginning to love it for itself. Beginning, I say - but that beginning is the best Christmas present a father could have…." Written in blue ink, except for six lines in green ink. Small lightly stained area, not affecting legibility, else fine. Holograph envelope has Steinbeck's full signature on verso in return address.
Accompanied by a photo from the Steinbeck's 1961 trip to Europe; pictured on the S.S. Rotterdam are John and Elaine Steinbeck, their two sons, John and Thom, and tutor Terrence McNally, who was fresh out of college. Also included is correspondence between Elaine Steinbeck and collector Mel Smith, who wrote to Mrs. Steinbeck to ask for a copy of the photo: one letter, a notecard, and two postcards which Mrs. Steinbeck wrote to Mr. Smith, as well as a copy of his letter to her. All fine.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 4,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Herman Darvick Auction, 1990.
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| Realized
$1,845 |
Lot 969 |
 |
Steinbeck, John. Autograph letter signed, 2pp (separate), 11 x 8¼", Rome, Jan. 9, 1963 [sic: 1962]. To Robert and Cynthia (Wallsten), in part: "…I've had to face many things these last few weeks of ceiling staring and one is my sin of pride. I have never before permitted myself the simple admission that there were things I could not do so only my will held out….I'm sure Elaine has told you of our adjusted plan and how we intend to settle in the sun on Capri for a time, then perhaps to Delphi for a time, and maybe the islands and then with the summer to go home and out to Long Island….The last section of Travels With Charley has been giving the publishers trouble. It deals with some rough things in the south. Of course, Holliday [sic] will clean it up and even then think they will get cancelled subscriptions. but Viking wants to keep it tough and still not be sued. And I have been so bloody weak that I just didn't give a dam[n]. It seems to me that everybody in America is scared of everything mostly before it happens. I finally sent word that what reputation I had was not based on timidity or on playing safe. And I hope that is over. What I wrote either happened or I am a liar and I am not a liar. And I know that truth is no defense against libel. But there is no way of being safe except by being completely unsafe. And in the succeeding months I don't think that being careful of my health is likely to improve it. Rather it will give me another sickness called self preservation. And that's our national sickness and I hate it….My pencil has wavered and my hand has been shaky. I know it doesn't matter a dam[n] whether I ever write another word but it matters to me. For I would be a gelatinous mess without that hope that one time something really and truly good would come of it…."
Estimated Value $3,000 - 4,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Herman Darvick Auction, 1990.
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| Realized
$1,845 |
Lot 970 |
 |
Steinbeck, John. Autograph letter signed ("John"), 2pp (separate), Villa Panorama, Capri, Italy, Feb. 10, 1962. A charming, informative letter to Robert and Cynthia (Wallsten). In part: "Although nudged and nagged by an antediluvian conscience of a presbyterian order, I am learning to do absolutely nothing and I find myself charmed by the experience. This mild and wily air untouched with carbon monoxide has the quality of an anaesthetic. We sleep long hours and with a relaxation not within recent experience….A few, very few dank and disturbed tourists come in every day but they scurry away when the boat whistle calls them - Tedesci largely and a few Americans….The other day I heard an American tell the dam[n]dest lies about California and didn't bother to let him know I knew they were lies….Last week I finished correction on galleys on Travels with Charley and now I am finished with that. Maybe it is a better book than I thought. There isn't anything new nor very original in it. But at least it is good natured. One thing this stay is doing is to allow me to read enormously. I've gone back over many of the classic things and have found new things in them….For the first time in my memory I am not working on anything - am consciously trying to prevent myself from starting to stew about anything. I can watch an olive tree in the wind indefinitely….But I'm sure that can't last. You can't keep me out of holes in the ground indefinitely….We kind of expect to hear from the boys next week. They will be out of money for one thing….What monsters children are -- and parents too."
Steinbeck quotes several pejorative, witty comments made by Oscar Wilde about American children and women, and says, "What a wonderfully venomous mind he had. I think he was run out of England not for his morals but because of fear of his tongue." He goes on to describe what the local characters on Capri are up to, inquires about Robert's work, and dreads the prospect of going to New York, ending with, "I hear Mother Mouse tramping about so I guess its nearly time to go to the piazza for the evening drink. Else how would we know what is going on."
Estimated Value $3,000 - 5,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Herman Darvick Auction, 1990.
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| Realized
$1,845 |
Lot 971 |
 |
Steinbeck, John. Autograph letter signed ("John"), 3pp in pencil on yellow, legal paper, 12½ x 8 in. (Sag Harbor, NY), July 21, 1963. With an autograph note signed ("J.S."), on half of a yellow legal page. Both are written to Robert Wallsten. The note is marked "Private" and says, "Dear Robert: It's good to be able to tell most of the truth. You will recognize in the following letter - my attempt to let you tell me more of the truth than you have. Love to you and Cyn." In the letter, Steinbeck gives a long explanation about an operation on his retina which has prevented him from being sociable, then goes on to discuss the manuscript of Dame Judith Anderson's autobiography, which Wallsten was ghost-writing.
In part: "It is a remarkable piece of work - all the more so for being a first draft. I have read my quota of theatric biographies and autobiographies but none like this in which you have been able to set down a life in its time….I like the way you have switched from self narrative to third person reporting without which you would have no proportion….I have neither reason nor business to go into slight technical details…which you as a real professional will already have undertaken….I would not think of letting a non professional read one of my first drafts. Rather I would dwell on what you and Judy have concocted. No reader gives a good god dam[n] about Dame Judith Anderson unless he is made to. When she goes on stage she has to take them over. And in this book you have to do the same thing and I think you have done it. Too may people believe they can be press-agented into immortality….Readers are not stupid….They won't believe the great things if they don't believe the small….you have made Judy believable, and that is a nice balance….I like the book very much. It is a good book and a true book….But I must tell you one thing I do not like and no re-writing will make me like it and that is the ending. I hate that. Out of the imperfect and flawed material of the human, you have given a glimpse of that elusive greatness of spirit which everyone recognizes and no one understands. Who the hell cares what happens to her body or mine or yours. I saw the bulldozers push sand over three thousand beautiful broken young men at Red Beach, Salerno. They simply went back to earth. - A huge and simple sadness. If Judy had eight toes she might get billing in a jar on a lab shelf. Let her do what she wants with the crate but let her not mention it. Otherwise - do you know what it sounds like? Medea with a broken finger nail. And who gives a shit? In this good book it is not true even if it happens…." Fine.
Robert Wallsten ghost-wrote Dame Judith Anderson's autobiography, which was never published. Wallsten, an actor and writer, was married to actress Cynthia Rogers who was involved with the University Players (Falmouth, Mass). Wallsten and Rogers were family friends of the Steinbecks and Wallsten, with Elaine Steinbeck, edited the edition of Steinbeck’s letters.
Dame Judith's autobiography was never published. In 1989, Robert Wallsten and Elaine Steinbeck published Steinbeck: A Life in Letters.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 4,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Herman Darvick auction, 1975.
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| Realized
$1,845 |
Lot 972 |
 |
Steinbeck, John. Typed letter signed, 1½pp (two separate pages), 11 x 8¼", on personal letterhead, New York City, April 13, 1955. To Stuart Hample (1926-2010), an American children's book author, performer, playwright and cartoonist, who had written to Steinbeck suggesting that he write "the life and times of Al Capp." Steinbeck responds humorously: "…A sublime suggestion, but one that is mystically and mysteriously impossible. To me Al Capp is a nature myth. I don't believe he exists and any evidence to the contrary might drive me mad….Were I to ask him direct questions about his own past, he would lie, just as I would. As a matter of fact, while we're on the subject, why doesn't he write a book about me? Anything which I could write about Al Capp would be highly actionable and I don't want to be sued right at this point. I know that he has denied that he got his start as a cat burglar; that he has absolutely denied that he was the protagonist in THE SUN ALSO RISES, and suffered a war wound of an unmentionable nature and hence has lived a monastic life…." Steinbeck continues in this vein and ends with, "Thank you anyway for thinking of me and if you ever see the little man give him my love and tell him I've got some great ideas for Lil Abner." Fine condition.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex David Schulson Autographs, 1989.
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| Realized
$984 |
Lot 973 |
 |
Steinbeck, John. Autograph letter signed, one page, on Hotel Lancaster stationery, 7¼ x 5¼ ", Paris, Nov. 14, 1961. To French novelist (winner of the Prix Goncourt in 1933), art historian, and statesman André Malraux (1901-76), who was French Minister of Cultural Affairs (1958-1969). In part: "I was deeply sorry not to keep an appointment last friday. An infection of the inner ear made it impossible for me to walk. I kept hoping I could get there….A rather stiff treatment with antibiotics has removed the difficulty and I find I must leave Paris. I have my two sons with me and a tutor so that we travel in a squad. I had wanted to thank you again and in person for your kindness in the matter of professor Vinaver. He was greatly moved and pleased. Again my regrets, my thanks, and my homage. John Steinbeck." La Condition humaine (1933) is considered his masterpiece. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy described Malraux as "the most fascinating man I've ever talked to."
Professor Eugene Vinaver (1899-1979), to whom Steinbeck refers, was a Russian-born literary scholar best known for his edition of the works of Sir Thomas Malory. He emigrated to France in 1919, then to England in the late 1920s. He was appointed Professor of French Language and Literature at the University of Manchester and received his doctorate from Oxford University in 1950.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Remember When Auctions, 1993.
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| Realized
$1,138 |
Lot 974 |
 |
Tolstoy, Leo (1828-1910) Russian writer, philosopher, and political thinker; his novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877) place him in the ranks of the world's great novelists. Postcard photo signed ("Leo Tolstoy 12 March 1901"), 5½ x 3½", n.p. Tolstoy is pictured outdoors with his fellow Russian author Maxim Gorky (1868-1936). Tolstoy wears a long white beard and carries a cane. The postcard has serious condition problems, card loss at Tolstoy's right arm and a 1" wide old tape repair being the most egregious, but these do not affect Tolstoy's boldly penned name and date.
Estimated Value $1,000-UP.
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| Realized
$930 |
Lot 975 |
 |
[Twain, Mark] Huckleberry Finn. First edition of Huckleberry Finn, Charles Webster & Co., Copyright 1884. Press of J.J.Little & Co. Number 10 to 20 Astor Place New York. An illustration on front page has E.W.Kemble 1884 beneath. Heliotype Printing Co. Boston and New York. Book is green in color with front hinge having minor inside tearing while back hinge has more substantial inside tearing. Top and bottom of spine have minor wear; otherwise, book is in very good condition. Book has a bookplate and written address of owner on front end page.
Estimated Value $900 - 1,200.
The Brattle Book Shop, Boston.
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| Realized
$830 |
Lot 976 |
 |
Williams, Tennessee (1911-83) Born Thomas Lanier Williams. American writer known primarily for his plays; winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948 ("A Streetcar Named Desire") and in 1950 ("Cat On A Hot Tin Roof"); he won the Tony Award in 1951 ("The Rose Tattoo"), four Drama Critic Awards, and in 1980 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is considered one of the greatest playwrights in American history. Signed Playbill "for the Broadway presentation of Williams new play "The Seven Descents of Myrtle" presented at the Walnut Street Theatre, 48 pp., 9 x 6", Volume 5, March 1968, Number 3. Williams has boldly signed on the cover. Fine condition.
Estimated Value $300 - 500.
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| Realized
$197 |
Lot 977 |
 |
Wolfe, Thomas (1900-1938) American novelist; one of the most important writers in modern American literature. Among his works are Look Homeward, Angel (1929) and the posthumously published You Can't Go Home Again (1940). Archive of correspondence from Wolfe to Miss Catherine Brett, teacher and principal of the Brett School for Special Children, in Dingman's Ferry, Pennsylvania. The collection consists of eleven typed letters signed, one autograph letter signed, 1 autograph note signed (Christmas card), four autograph postcards signed, one autograph postcard unsigned, and one pamphlet from the Brett's school. Eleven of the letters are unpublished and one published (the July 12, 1934 was published in The Letters of Thomas Wolfe, edited by Elizabeth Nowell, Scribners, 1965, but without the complete text); all but two are to Brett, the other two being to one of her students. Also included is an autograph letter signed from Wolfe's sister, Mabel Wolfe Wheaton, to Bill Stone in New York City, enclosing four snapshots of her brother (she mistakenly says "three" in her letter).
The correspondence covers the period from May 1934, the month of Wolfe's first visit to the school, to June 30, 1938, four days before the onset of his fatal illness. Miss Brett often visited Wolfe at his New York residences, and Wolfe vacationed at the school on an almost-annual basis. Wolfe shared his struggles with his writing with Miss Brett and he often felt inspired to write after a visit. In his July 30, 1934 letter, he wrote, "I always seem to pick up and get going [after a visit to Dingman's]". All of the letters but the first are addressed to "Dear Catherine," and they were posted from various places in the U.S. and Europe. The tone ranges from chatty to anguished, as when he recounts his sleepless nights in Paris waiting for the publication of Of Time and the River. He also discusses bouts of writer's block and frustrations with his editor (Max Perkins at Scribners). On July 30, 1934, he writes, "Today I am having trouble in getting started….I find…that when I put in a tremendous day such as Saturday was - when I wrote over 5,000 words - I inevitably pay for it the next day or two in reduced speed….What this monstrous obsession [writing] does to one. We eat, drink, sleep, think, feel and live with our work, and we can't forget it until we get it done. But I think we do the most complete job of forgetting of anyone on earth. A writer has no more interest in a book or story that has been published than he has in last year's telephone bill."
A synopsis of the letters is available upon request. Fine condition.
Estimated Value $12,500-UP.
Mel Smith Collection, ex Hermitage Books, Denver, 1990; Mabel Wolfe Wheaton ALS and snapshots acquired from Christie's, 1990.
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| Unsold |
Lot 978 |
 |
[Zola, Emile] Works of Emile Zola. Works of Emile Zola, The Rougon Macquart series. Number 21 of a Limited Edition of 1000. Philadelphia, George Barrie and Sons. Printed on Japanese vellum from title plates made by the Lutetian Society of London. Twelve Volumes, half Moroccan; two covers have small splits, else fine.
Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500.
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| Unsold |
Lot 979 |
 |
Illuminated Leaf From a Medieval Manuscript. Book of Hours, Use of Rome, in Latin on vellum, 4¾ x 3¼". Italy, second half of the 15th century. 13 lines, rounded gothic script, alternating initials in blue and burnished gold.
Estimated Value $50 - 100.
The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills.
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| Realized
$72 |
Lot 980 |
 |
Lindbergh, Charles A (1902-1974) First person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. He left from New York's Roosevelt Field and flew to Le Bourget Field in Paris. Sepia-toned photo signed, 10 x 8", n.p., n.d. Dressed in his aviation gear, the young Lindbergh stands in front of his plane, the "Spirit of St. Louis." Fine.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
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| Realized
$870 |
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