Swann Galleries November Auction Highlights Literary Anniversaries
New York—On Tuesday, November 8 Swann Galleries will conduct an auction of Art, Press & Illustrated Books / 19th & 20th Century Literature containing a rich and diverse selection of works by well-known authors and artists.
Three important literary anniversaries are celebrated with key material from the respective authors. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 which is represented by an inscribed first edition, New York, 1961 (estimate: $3,000 to $5,000) and an advance proof that once belonged to W.H. Auden, also inscribed by Heller, New York, 1961 ($2,500 to $3,500). Allen Ginsberg’s epochal Howl and Other Poems first appeared in print 55 years ago and a scarce, signed review copy is being offered, San Francisco, 1956 ($5,000 to $7,500).
In addition, 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth, and in anticipation of that milestone the sale contains a first edition in the original parts of Bleak House, London, 1852-53 ($1,200 to $1,800) and, just in time for the winter holiday season, a complete set in fine bindings of the first editions of the Christmas Books, London, 1843-48 ($5,000 to $7,500).
There are more than 20 lots by the Pulitzer Prize-winning queen of Southern literature Eudora Welty collected from the library of her close friend and editor, and features both an inscribed first edition of her first book A Curtain of Green, Garden City, 1941 ($1,000 to $1,500) as well as an inscribed copy of the promotional pamphlet issued before that book’s publication; Eudora Welty: A Note on the Author and Her Work. Together with The Key, one of Seventeen Stories from Miss Welty’s Forthcoming A Curtain of Green, Garden City, 1941 ($2,000 to $3,000).
A run of first editions by William Faulkner features signed limited editions of Absalom! Absalom! ($3,000 to $4,000); The Hamlet ($2,500 to $3,000); and The Unvanquished ($1,200 to $1,800). A selection of signed Kurt Vonnegut works includes his first and second books, Player Piano ($1,000 to $1,500) and The Sirens of Titan ($2,000 to $3,000).
Increasingly scarce and beautiful are works containing intricate hand-painted scenes on the outer edges of their pages, known as “fore-edge paintings.” The sale contains a large, private collection of these treasures with uncommon scenes of golfing, cock-fighting, whaling, old London greenmarkets and architectural views.
A selection of cookbooks includes a first edition of the first Jewish cookbook published in America, The Jewish Cookery Book, Philadelphia, 1871 ($8,000 to $12,000).
Among the highlights of the Art, Press & Illustrated books is a section of the racy and clandestine area of book collecting called Curiosa, with an eye-raising sampling of Franz von Bayros’ erotic illustrations including the complete set of Die Mappe I-III, Munich, 1911-1913 ($1,200 to $1,800).
Important contemporary artist’s books include a scarce signed, limited edition of Lettrist provocateur Isidore Isou’s Les véritables créatures et les Falsificateurs de Dada, Du Surréalisme et du Lettrisme, Paris, 1973 ($3,000 to $5,000); David Hockney’s Paper Pools, containing an original signed and numbered lithograph created for this work, London, 1980 ($4,000 to $6,000); and an inscribed, limited edition copy of Andy Warhol’s 25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy, New York/Berlin, 1954 ($15,000 to $25,000).
Fans of Edward Gorey eagerly awaiting more offerings after last year’s highly successful auction will find a selection of collectible first editions including a copy of his collaboration with Samuel Beckett, All Strange Away, one of 26 lettered copies signed by both, New York, 1976 ($3,500 to $5,000). Fine press books by Kelmscott and Doves and a selection of gorgeously produced editions of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám enrich the illustrated book selections. This portion of the sale also contains prime examples of rare architecture books, and a fun and dynamic array of material from the Fluxus, Czech Avant-Garde and Surrealist movements.
