# - Clarke, Arthur C.

comprising: 12 autograph letters, 17 typed or word processed letters ("...This is the first letter I've done on HAL III, the beautiful H/P 110 Portable that Hewlett-Packard gave to me in LA. The printout, if all goes well, will be on the revolutionary ink-jet printer..." [1985]), and three postcards signed, some letters written on the versos of circulars detailing Clarke's annual activities ("Egograms"); together with material forwarded by Clarke to Temple including copies of letters (by Norman Mailer, Neil Armstrong, and others), "Egograms" and schedules, computer and email print-outs (including a reflection on electronic archives), photographs of Clarke and family, cuttings, and other printed matter, often with autograph subscriptions and marginal notes by Clarke; also with related material retained by Temple including copy letters by Temple to Clarke, and letters about Clarke mostly by mutual friends with four by Clarke's biographer Neil McAleer; altogether over 170 pages plus about 60 cuttings, various sizes, 1971-1997, some creasing

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"...When, eighteen years ago, I started moonlighting at time-life on 2001: a space odyssey, the original artefact was a messy MS, which had at least been touched by human hand. What's the going rate in the rare-book trade for odyssey ii - a 5-inch diskette (single side, soft sector, single density, reinforced hole...)? Until I know, I won't press the erase button..." 

records of a fifty year friendship. William F. Temple (1914-89) was a founder member of the Science Fiction Association and the British Interplanetary Society, and shared a London flat with Clarke in the late '30s. He had his greatest success with Four-Sided Triangle (1949), which was filmed in 1953.