Shop classic cars,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/collectibles?objectTypes=Book" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rare comics and ephemera</a>, figurines and more,&nbsp;including decorative objects from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/collectibles?creators=Medicom%2520Toy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Medicom Toy</a>&nbsp;and tees from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/collectibles?query=grateful%2520dead" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grateful Dead’s historical tours</a>. <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/vehicles/car" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Automobiles</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/collectibles/vintage-poster" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vintage Posters</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/collectibles/collectible/commercial-&amp;-brand-memorabilia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brand &amp; Commercial Memorabilia</a>

Collectibles

First-edition presentation copy of Wharton's Twilight Sleep with an autographed signed letter tipped in.<ul><li>Edith Wharton (American).</li><li>New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1927.</li><li>Inscribed on the half-title to Elizabeth Asquith: "For Elizabeth / Edith / July 1927."</li><li>Autographed signed letter dated September 27, 1927 to Prince Bibesco tipped in.</li><li>Publisher's original gilt-stamped purple cloth, pictorial pastedowns and endpapers.</li></ul> Autographed signed letter reads: "Dear Prince Bibesco, Only a tiresome touch of flu has prevented my writing sooner to congratulate you on the success of "Laguelle" — of what I saw of it, is also of the last act, eloquently reported to me the next morning by Walter Berry, who made me more than ever regret that I lived in the suburbs, I had to leave before it was over — I enjoyed immensely some of your travailles — especially the brilliant 'Curtain' of Act I, a real bit of dramatic synthesis — &amp; also 'on ne regarde pas la nuit - &amp; c.'&nbsp;I hope the play is first day success — full, before audiences as appreciative of its wit as your first — _ _ _ _ etc.&nbsp;Yours ever sincerely Edith Wharton."

Twilight Sleep

Single leaf from The Golden Legend containing forty-four lines.<ul><li>Jacobus de Voragine (Italian).</li><li>Published by William Caxton (English).</li><li>The Golden Legend, or, Lives of the Saints.</li><li>Westminster: Wynkyn De Worde, 1493.</li><li>Original folio leaf with printed double-column and headline.</li></ul> The Golden Legend was the first book printed in English that contained any portion of the Bible. The Golden Legend includes the Pentateuch and much of the Gospels.

The Golden Legend Leaf

Playbill for the first stage production of Presumption! about the Frankenstein romance.<ul><li>Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (English).</li><li>London: Strand, Theatre Royal, 1828.</li><li>PRESUMPTION! Or, The Fate of Frankenstein. Third Night of New Ballad Opera. Theatre Royal, English Opera House, Strand. August 27th, 1828.</li><li>Broadside, playbill, printed letterpress.</li></ul> The first stage production of Frankenstein was performed at the English Opera House in 1823. The broadside of the first 1823 version advertised the title as Presumption, a New Romance with no mention of Frankenstein. It soon became clear, though, that the name itself was a vital part of the story's appeal. All playbills from this period are extremely scarce.

Presumption!

Advertisement for the&nbsp;play The Vampire, an English adaptation of John Polidori's story The Vampyre.<ul><li>James Robinson Planché (English).</li><li>"The Vampire" Or, The Bride of The Isles. First Time. Theatre Royal, English Opera House, Strand. This Evening, Monday, August 7th, 1820.&nbsp;</li><li>London, 1820.</li><li>Single sheet of paper with black-and-white print.</li></ul> According to the Huntington Library's Larpent collection, the play was licensed June 25, 1820.&nbsp;Though scheduled to be performed on the 7th&nbsp;it was delayed 2 days out of respect for the death, the previous day, of The Duchess of York and opened on Aug. 9. Opening night reviews were enthusiastic and "was honored with unusually long continued applause." An interesting link between The Vampire and Frankenstein is that Peter Thomas Cooke who played the title role in The Vampire at the Theatre Royale in 1820, was also the first actor to play the Frankenstein Monster in the London staging of Presumption. In fact, in 1826, a theatre-goer in London could take in a double bill and be treated to both monsters.

The Vampire 

Book and stereoscope showing the "Book of sites Germany."<ul><li>Sold as a set of 62 pieces.</li><li>Fritz Traugott Schulz (German).</li><li>Saarbrücken:&nbsp;Raumbild-Verlag Otto Schönstein,&nbsp;[1949].</li><li>91 pages.</li><li>Quarto.</li><li>Stereoscope with 60 images.</li><li>Ink inscription in German dated 25.5.51 to half-title.</li><li>Quarter-bound in red cloth with paper-covered boards and interior storage cover to house stereoscope and images.</li></ul>

Der Stadt Nürnberg ursprung und Werdgang Stereoscope

Typescript for the stage play The Better Half: A Comedy in One Act with envelope.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 4.</li><li>Noel Coward (English).</li><li>25 sheets including cover page.</li><li>Two pages (8, 21) with pencil changes and eleven (11, 12, 15-23) with pen, possibly in Coward's hand.</li><li>Housed in a cut-open envelope (never mailed) with "M.S.S. of The Better Half by Noel C" written in his hand.</li></ul>

The Better Half: A Comedy In One Act

First edition, first issue of a pamphlet letter from Lewis Carroll to an audience of children.<ul><li>Lewis Carroll [Charles L. Dodgson] (English).</li><li>An Easter Greeting To Every Child Who Loves "Alice."</li><li>London: Macmillan, 1876.</li><li>2 pages.</li><li>Folded black-and-white pamphlet watermarked E. Towgood Fine.</li></ul>

An Easter Greeting

Slabbed and graded copy of Journey Into Mystery #1.<ul><li>Cover by Russ Heath (American).</li><li>Art by Dick Ayers (American), Vic Carrabotta (American), Tony DiPreta (American), Jay Scott Pike (American), Cal Massey (American).</li><li>Atlas Comics, 7/1952.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 2.0.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 2000992001.</li></ul>

Journey Into Mystery #1

High-grade first issue of the western series Black Rider, featuring the only Golden Age comic with a Stan Lee photo cover, posed as the Black Rider.<ul><li>Art by Syd Shores (American).</li><li>Marvel Comics, 3/1950.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 7.5.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 3712172022.</li></ul>

Black Rider 8 (#1)

Rare early comic book, one of the highest graded available, with distinguished provenance that includes a Bruce Wayne prototype in "Case of the Missing Heir," which appeared three months before the first Batman appearance.<ul><li>Cover by Fred Schwab (American).</li><li>Art by Bob Kane (American), co-creator of Batman, Paul Gustavson (American), Dick Ryan (American), Martin Filchock (American), Al McWilliams (American).</li><li>Centaur Publications, 2/1939.</li><li>Signed by previous owner Claire Moe, one of the few female Golden Age comic&nbsp;artists.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 7.5.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 2109540001.</li></ul>

Funny Pages Vol. 3 #1

Slabbed and graded copy of Fantastic Four #5 that includes the origin and first appearance of Doctor Doom, a full-page ad for&nbsp;Incredible Hulk&nbsp;#1 and a letter from Roy Thomas.<ul><li>Story by Stan Lee (American).</li><li>Cover and art by Jack Kirby (American) and Joe Sinnott (American).</li><li>Marvel Comics, 7/1962.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CBCS at 1.5.</li><li>CBCS Certification ID 21-3AB05CD-001.</li></ul>

Fantastic Four #5

Passionate chronicle of Ruth, a woman with an “ungovernable temper" who has a nervous breakdown on the road to marrying Edwin, with the classic "Love of a Lunatic" cover.<ul><li>Story by Richard Hughes (American).</li><li>Cover and art by Ogden Whitney (American).</li><li>American Comics Group, 10-11/1954.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 5.0.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 0313610002.</li></ul>

Romantic Adventures #50

High-grade copy of the Golden Age tale of the Blue Beetle with a Good Girl Art Bondage cover.<ul><li>Cover by Jack Kamen (American).</li><li>Fox Feature Syndicate, 1/1948.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 7.5.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 2135260001.</li></ul>

Blue Beetle #52

Rare Golden Age WWII-era comic with bondage cover, decapitation panel and the first appearance of Mr. Lodge.<ul><li>Cover art by Irv Novick (American).</li><li>Story by S.M. Iger (American).</li><li>Story and art by Bob Montana (American).</li><li>Art by Carl Hubbell (American), Red Holmdale (American), Paul Reinma (American) and Alex Blum (American).</li><li>MLJ Magazines, 9/1942.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 3.0.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 2088952004.</li></ul>

Pep Comics #31

Beautiful copy of the Golden Age WWII-era tale of the Young Allies from a story continued from Captain America #16 with appearance of Captain America and the Human Torch presented with the classic Red Skull cover.<ul><li>Story by Stan Lee (American).</li><li>Art by Ed Winiarski (American) and Red Holmdale (American).</li><li>Cover and art by Al Gabriele (American) and George Klein (American).</li><li>Timely Comics, Summer 1942.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 5.0.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 2094796002.</li></ul>

Young Allies #4

Detective fiction, spy hunters and stories of notable intelligence officials like J. Edgar Hoover in this high-grade Golden Age comic.<ul><li>Story, cover and art by Harry Campbell (American).</li><li>Art by Paul Gustavson (American) and Will Eisner (American).</li><li>Centaur Publications, 6/1939.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 7.5.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 2107755001.</li></ul>

Keen Detective Funnies Vol. 2 #6

Rare high-grade copy of the third issue of one of the most famous Golden Age superhero stories, which includes the origin and first appearance of Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius) and the Human Torch.<ul><li>Story by Stan Lee (American).</li><li>Cover and art Steve Ditko (American).</li><li>Marvel Comics, 7/1963.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 7.0.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 1393428001.</li></ul>

Amazing Spider-Man #3

Signed autographed two-page letter from Aaron Burr to Martha Bradstreet.<ul><li>Aaron Burr (American).</li><li>1822.</li><li>Unruled pages written in ink and folded for mailing.</li></ul> Signature belonging Aaron Burr. Dated September 25, 1822. Addressed to Martha Bradstreet, recently back in the United States after his nearly decade-long exile in England, had returned to his law practice. The recipient of this letter, Martha Bradstreet, was one of his clients. Bradstreet (1780–1871) was the granddaughter of General John Bradstreet, a veteran of the French and Indian War. In this letter, Burr makes mention of the Eden family and several other legal proceedings in which he was at this time involved.

Aaron Burr Autographed Signed Letter

Archived ephemera from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Happy Birthday.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 4.</li><li>Anita Loos (American).</li><li>Set includes book, playbill, copy of script with notations, and autographed letter.</li></ul> Book: A copy of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for the original production.<ul><li>New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1925.</li><li>217 pages.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>First photoplay edition, seventeenth printing.</li></ul> Playbill: From the original production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the Ziegfield Theatre.<ul><li>Original running: December 8, 1949 to September 15, 1951.</li><li>This playbill is for the week of January 15, 1951 and starred Carol Channing as Lorelei Lee.</li></ul> Script: A copy of the script for Happy Birthday from Anita Loos’s personal collection, with extensive annotations apparently in her hand, along with an autographed letter signed by Loos about preparations for a production of the play.<ul><li>Happy Birthday: A Play in Two Acts.</li><li>New York: Samuel French, 1947.</li><li>132 pages.</li><li>Stamped on front cover and half title “From the estate of Anita Loos.”</li><li>Paperback with stapled and glued binding.</li></ul> Autographed letter signed by Anita Loos regarding Happy Birthday. The text of the letter reads: “Dear George. The enclosed is tentative (naturally), but I have tried to keep the psychological processes straight and to define correctly the character of the heroine and her father. Their relationship is the interesting and complex one and the exploration of it should be done gradually, and by progressive steps until, when Addie blows up at the climax, not only her father but the audience itself should feel like cheering.I am now in the hands of 5 producers--Cohn--Simon--Bressler--Detlugen[?] and Sam Marks. Cohn and Bressler side with me 100%. Cohn has even gone so far as to tell the others to leave me alone. But, just the same, they all read the stuff and put their diversified fingers in the pie. I presume Cohn wishes them to earn their salaries.Monday I am to take the floor and make my stand against turning Addie Bemis into Little Orphan Annie. Believe me I am going to be tough and stubborn.You are a darling to take an interest. How I would relax were I sure you were to be in charge!All love dearest George, Anita.”

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Archived Ephemera

First edition of the Classics Illustrated comic book rendition of Great Expectations.<ul><li>Charles Dickens (English).</li><li>Gilberton,&nbsp;1947.</li><li>Multicolored cover with stapled binding.</li></ul>

Classics Illustrated #43: Great Expectations

Series of the illustrated Tales From the Inside #1-11 from the Comix World periodical.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 11.</li><li>Macedonio Garcia (American).</li><li>James Waltman (American).</li><li>Berkeley, Calif.: Comix World, 1981-1983.</li><li>Eleven individual comic books stapled at spine.</li></ul>

Tales From the Inside #1-11

Correspondence of E.E. Cummings and his third wife, Marion Morehouse Cummings, items sent to Selden Rodman between 1945-1960.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 15.</li><li>E. E. Cummings (American).</li><li>Marion Morehouse Cummings (American).</li><li>N.p.: n..p., 1945-1960.</li><li>Set of 3 handwritten letters, 3 typed letters, 1 folded newspaper clipping, 1 greeting card, 1 times literary supplement, 3 postcards, 3 autographed letter signed on 4 sheets.</li></ul> A set of 3 letters, the first being an autographed letter signed from Marion to Rodman, dated July 27, '59 about having Seldon visit them. The second is a typed letter signed by Cummings to Rodman, dated September 4, '59, that reads in part: "when you suggested calling here with your little daughter, en route to friends in Maine, neither Marion nor I suspected that we might find ourselves entertaining a professional interviewer in disguise[.] now that (Via the book which you so kindly gave me) I realize who was our guest, or rather who he has become, let me make two things perfectly clear—1st, under no circumstances should I consent to be interviewed by him; &amp; 2nd, anything I said in his presence was said privately (id est:not for publication)" and is signed. The third is a carbon copy of Rodman's response, reading in part: "Your letter of September 4 hurt me deeply. I do not go anywhere, or do anything, "in disguise." Had I wanted to write an interview, I would have asked your permission, and taken verbatim notes on the spot, as I did in the case of each of the artists in the book I gave you...Had I had the underhanded intent you so unkindly suggest, surely the last thing I would have done would be to make a gift of a book capable of arousing such a fear...I did say that if ever in some remote future I become nostalgic enough about the past two write what used to me [to write what used to be] called 'memoires,' I would illustrate it with my photos, and would appreciate adding yours to those that such poets as Frost, Williams, Pound, Jeffers, Auden, et al seemed glad to have me take." 3 typed letters signed by Cummings: the first is dated September and reads "may I somewhat tardily but most sincerely salute your generosity and ask it to believe that the present writer is as sorry to disappoint you as he is delighted to learn that just for a change I'm expensive? —yours for living P.S. no poet is dead." The second is dated February 8, 194–, and tells Rodman to write Cummings' agent regarding him including poems in something Rodman is putting together. The third is dated August 20, 1945, and reads in part, "Now as for 'future plans,' never have plans of any sort; as as for 'this war's war poetry,' I feel that the undersigned (being a participant, however feeble, therein) should hold his peace." 1 folded newspaper clipping of Marion Morehouse Cummings' obituary. 1 greeting card with artwork based on a painting by E. E. Cummings, "greetings to you + B. from Cummings + Marion." 1 typed letter signed, dated Dec 3, from E. E. Cummings answering three questions posed to him, being how he writes his name and two corrections to his poems, with a note that they can correct any other mistakes in the proofs. 2 postcards, dated October 28 and Nov 14, '58, the first with greetings and asking for a copy of Rodman's "Mexican Journal" [Mexican Journal: The Conquerors Conquered], the second reading "Marion's now perusing (with delight) your Mexican Journal; while our unhero wrestles with his autumn-winter 'readings,' not to mention—ars longa," both signed with "eec" in red. 1 postcard, dated September 10, '59, with a line from Cummings poem "may my heart always be open to little…," reading in red ink "and even if it's sunday may i be wrong" and signed by him with "eec" in blue. 3 autograph letters signed on 4 sheets from Marion, dated 1959/1960.

Correspondence of E.E. Cummings and Marion Morehouse Cummings

First edition of this map of the eastern United States, annotated as the tide of the Civil War turned against the Confederacy. 	<ul><li>Edward Stanford (English).</li><li>London: Edward Stanford, [1861].</li><li>Original hand-colored linen-backed map dissected into 48 sections.</li><li>Ads for other Stanford publications to front and rear.</li><li>19 locations underlined in contemporary red, blue, and black. Many roads and railways highlighted in contemporary red.</li><li>Initials “M. S.” to label.</li><li>Housed in original slipcase with typographic label.</li></ul> The annotations on this map indicate that it was sold during a turning point in the Civil War: 19 battle locations are underlined, the latest of which is Chicamaunga, fought in September 1863. By this time, the Confederacy had suffered several high-profile losses, including Gettysburg and Vicksburg (both also underlined), and the fall of Atlanta would come a year later.&nbsp;The owner of the map, “M. S.,” was clearly an interested observer of the conflict with a desire to stay up-to-date. They were also willing to pay 15 shillings for the most expensive folded version.The underlines are done in red, blue, and black, with no discernible scheme. “Big name” battles are highlighted, as well as smaller conflicts such as the Battle of the Hemp Bales in Lexington, Missouri. Historian Richard Stephenson describes “the broad interest” of British popular cartographers in the Civil War, identifying Edward Stanford as a “major contemporary map publisher.” Annotations of Confederate-won battles slightly outnumber those won by the Union, possibly reflecting England’s economic interest in the South’s success in the conflict.&nbsp;The Library of Congress copy cited in Stephenson’s catalogue notes a similar campaign of underlining the locations of battles and tracing roads and railroads; this indicates that it may have been added by the publisher. The quality of the underlining in the present copy is higher than that of the Library of Congress copy. It captures the progress of a critical moment in the war, when the outcome of the Civil War was still uncertain.

Stanford's Map of the Seat of War in America

Archive of the Crucible Furniture Corporation's product photographs, internal documents, and marketing materials: a treasury of American furniture design.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3.</li><li>David Weinstock (Polish-American).</li><li>[New York]:&nbsp;n.p,&nbsp;[circa 1960-1970].</li><li>Three original smooth white printed folders with Crucible printed to exterior; versos matte red.</li><li>Folder 1 contains. several dozen items, including a stapled catalogue of public area multiple seating; hand-annotated design specs and full folded blueprints for a signature Crucible table; news articles and clippings from design industry publications; double-page advertisement for Republic Steel's Merchant Pig Iron, featuring Weinstock.</li><li>Folder 2 contains four leaves of chair design sketches on various company stationery; advertising mock-ups and logo design; small notebook of design sketches followed by handwritten notes; 16-page catalogue; [48] page catalogue, unbound but with three-hole punches to left side; additional loose pages of catalogue photography and specs.</li><li>Folder 3 contains 42 original 8'' x 10'' glossy black and white photographs; 16 smaller original photographs of assorted sizes, one in color; and 7 additional 8'' x 10'' photographs with printed specs and Crucible logo, apparently intended for catalogue use.</li></ul> Weinstock's Crucible Corporation supplied seating to many iconic locations, including the 5th Avenue Revlon Salon, the Kennedy Airport, and San Francisco's Fairmount Hotel, among many other public buildings. As a supplier to architectural, institutional, and commercial interior designers for over 50 years, Crucible was a significant contributor to the 'look' of the public-facing 20th century: not only showpieces like the aforementioned lobbies and lounges, but the everyday stools, chairs, and tables of of theaters, classrooms, and restaurants; the shapes one sees and touches every day that form the greater shape of contemporary life. Born in 1924, the Polish-born Weinstock was most active in the 1940s through the 1970s, and by the later decades of his career was one of the last furniture designers and manufacturers remaining in New York City. This archive includes original product photographs, magnificently alone or staged on plush carpeting, set off by marble busts; sales brochures, design specs, advertising materials, clippings from industry publications (among them: Furniture Production Magazine's tech report on secret developments in Rigid Foam; an article on the special requirements of psychiatric ward design with photo credits to Crucible, alongside Herman Miller and Knoll); and advertisements featuring Weinstock or other Crucible personnel and products. A curious inclusion is one small notebook of design sketches followed by handwritten notes: various puns, quotations, and aphorisms, possibly intended for advertising use, along with a series of apparently original observations on city scenes and the passers-by who sooner or later would sit in a Crucible chair (e.g., "She wore her martyrdom &amp; her goodness like jewelry (woman on a bus)"; "To the world he contributed nothing but demands &amp; complaints"). A fascinating collection from a firm whose craftsmanship and conception of public space helped form the essential experience of waiting in comfort or anticipation, in liminal spaces; from gleaming white hotel lobby barrel chairs like cushioned bathtubs, to the vast connected rows of lecture hall seating, to the imperceptibly nervous-making lines of airport lounges: a smooth silhouette with a core of iron in the bustling heart of the city and the century.

Crucible Furniture Design Archive

Original and complete set of this cult ‘60s “game” kit: a psychedelic puzzle with no rules and no solution. 	<ul><li>American Publishing Corporation (American).</li><li>Waltham, MA: American Publishing Corporation, 1966.</li><li>Contains 21 6’’ x 4’’ playing pieces, each printed with colorful designs on rectos (versos with various black-and-white line drawings).</li><li>Housed in original black and white cardboard box, with illustrated label mounted to lid as issued.</li></ul> A happening disguised as a board game: twenty game pieces printed with bright swirling illustrations and cut with interlocking grooves, housed in a box illustrated with a representative three-dimensional construction a player might build. Issued in 1966, when both LSD and party games were in the height of fashion (Tim Leary was arguably at the height of his fame at this time) and the casual mind-expanding drug user was in great need of aimless but absorbing activity kits to purchase. Cards included were not identical set to set, with several patterns, themes, and motifs (some figurative, some entirely abstract) printed and inserted into games in various configurations; the present example is particularly psychedelic. Quickly discontinued (LSD was officially outlawed in the US in late 1968); now rare. OCLC does not locate.“crazy as a lune. I actually own one of these kits. Food was flying everywhere I left without my hat.” @RichardPrince4, Twitter.

LSD Ludicrous Systems Development: A Psychedelic Happening Construction Kit

Set of pamphlets produced during a residence at CEPA Gallery in conjunction with an exhibition by the artist.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3.</li><li>Richard Prince (American).</li><li>Buffalo, NY: CEPA Gallery, [1980].</li></ul>

Menthol Pictures, Menthol Wars, and War Pictures

Printed Writ of Judgment with manuscript additions, signed by Cheswell, the first African American elected official, in his capacity as Justice of the Peace for Rockingham County, New Hampshire. 	<ul><li>Signed by Wentworth Cheswell (American).</li><li>Rockingham [New Hampshire]: n.p., 1812.</li><li>Single sheet, printed recto with manuscript additions in ink, signed “Wentworth Cheswill” in lower corner; docketed in ink with other notations in various hands-on verso.</li></ul> In a long career full of noteworthy accomplishments, Cheswell is perhaps most celebrated as one of two African-American men to sign New Hampshire’s revolutionary Association Test document in April 1776, pledging to take up arms against the British at the risk of the signatories’ lives and fortunes. As town messenger for the Committee of Safety, he, like Paul Revere, made a midnight ride from Boston to warn his townsfolk of the British invasion. He also enlisted for a short time in Col. John Langdon’s Company to fight with the Continental Army. Cheswell, the author of an early archaeological report and an avid local historian, was also co-founder of the first library in Newmarket, and directed in his will that his personal library be kept together as a collection and lent to members of the public. The grandson of an enslaved man who became the first recorded Black property owner in New Hampshire, Cheswell held numerous offices in local government before becoming Justice of the Peace; his 1768 election as constable is now generally held to be the first election of an African American to public office. This writ describes the damages and fines owed to one Josiah Giles of Portsmouth by William Hooke in the matter of Giles v. Hook. A wonderful survival issued by the African-American founding father Wentworth Cheswell.

Signed Judgment as Justice of the Peace

Bright copy of the third issue of the famed story of the Lone Ranger.<ul><li>Fran Striker (American).</li><li>Illustrated by Robert R. Weisman (American).</li><li>Dell Publishing,&nbsp;1938.&nbsp;</li><li>Date stamp back cover.</li></ul>

Heigh-Yo Silver! A Story of the Lone Ranger #3

Signed copy of the Variant Error Edition of Light-Earth #3 with front cover variant K and back cover variant J.<ul><li>Cover art Mike DeBalfo (American).</li><li>Story by J.R. Blanton (American) and Kitty Pierce (American).</li><li>Art by Brett Strong (American).</li><li>No Gravity Studios, 8/2017.&nbsp;</li><li>Signed by Mike DeBalfo and Steven Rose.</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 9.8.</li><li>CGC Signature Series.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 2491909002.</li></ul>

Light-Earth #3

Slabbed and graded copy of Our Army at War #82, a story of a P-38 pilot, a submarine commander, and a combat infantryman, who all believe they are nothing more than gun jockeys.<ul><li>Cover art by Jerry Grandenetti (American).</li><li>Story by Robert Kanigher (American) and Bob Hanley (American).</li><li>Art by Irv Novick (American), Ross Andru (American), Mort Drucker (American).</li><li>DC Comics,&nbsp;5/1959.&nbsp;</li><li>Professionally slabbed and graded by CGC at 3.5.</li><li>CGC Universal Grade.</li><li>CGC Certification ID 3807935003.</li></ul>

Our Army at War #82

Inscribed copy of the first issue of Gregory's Dreamwalker.<ul><li>Jenni Gregory (American).</li><li>Davenport, FL: Dreamwalker Press,&nbsp;1998.</li></ul>

Dreamwalker, Issue 0

Fine copy of the Japanese painter and manga artist's wordless journey into the contemporary Japanese psyche set on a Tokyo train.&nbsp;<ul><li>Yuichi Yokoyama (Japanese).</li><li>Brooklyn:&nbsp;PictureBox,&nbsp;2008.</li><li>Softcover in pictorial dust jacket.</li></ul>

Travel

Complete set of Sim's series Cerebus, featuring an&nbsp;anthropomorphic&nbsp;aardvark&nbsp;who takes on politics, religion and gender issues in a 6,000-page series.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 10.</li><li>David Sim (Canadian).</li><li>Art by Gerhard (Canadian).</li><li>Ontario:&nbsp;Aardvark-Vanaheim, Inc,&nbsp;1992.&nbsp;</li><li>Includes two greeting cards signed by both Sim and Gerhard.</li></ul> <ol><li>Cerebus (7th Printing).</li><li>High Society (6th Printing).</li><li>Church &amp; State Vol.1 (5th Printing).</li><li>Church &amp; State Vol.2 (6th Printing).</li><li>Jaka's Story (4th Printing).</li><li>Melmoth (5th Printing).</li><li>Flight (3rd Printing).</li><li>Women (3rd Printing).</li><li>Reads (2nd Printing).</li><li>Minds (2nd Printing).</li></ol>

Cerebus, High Society and others

First book-length Sgt. Rock story.<ul><li>Joe Kubert (American).</li><li>National Periodical Publications,&nbsp;1960.</li></ul>

Our Army at War #91

Previously unknown original carbon typescript of the most important postwar American poem: Allen Ginsberg’s Howl. Almost certainly the only surviving draft version of this iconic poem remaining in private hands, and the only one to ever be separately offered for sale. 	<ul><li>Allen Ginsberg (American).</li><li>[San Francisco], [1955/6].</li><li>Eleven carbon typescript leaves, double-spaced, typed rectos only on plain paper.</li><li>Folded in half, possibly for mailing.</li><li>“By / Allen Ginsberg” penned to first page in an unknown hand (almost certainly not Ginsberg’s).</li><li>Page numbers penciled in unknown hand (but probably Ginsberg’s) to upper right corner of each leaf.</li><li>A faint ink scribble (possibly a letter “M”) to lower edge of second page.</li><li>One word crossed out in pencil (“iron,” likely Ginsberg’s) on page eight.</li><li>Lacking last leaf — the twelfth — containing final nine lines of Part I.</li><li>A first edition of Howl: Original Draft Facsimiles and Variant Versions [etc.] edited by Barry Miles is provided (Harper &amp; Row, 1986).</li></ul> This copy was struck from what has become known as the fifth draft (so identified in Howl: Original Draft Facsimiles and Variant Versions [etc.]. Barry Miles, Editor. New York: Harper &amp; Row, 1986) and most likely dates from early 1956. It is this draft that Ginsberg read in what is the earliest known recording of the poem at Oregon’s Reed College from February 1956 (indeed you can hear him turning the pages at precisely the right time on the recording), performed just three months after the legendary Six Gallery reading where the poem debuted. This copy of Howl was discovered among the papers of bohemian and arts benefactor Annie Ruff, and is the exact carbon struck on Ginsberg’s own typewriter from the top ribbon copy now housed at Stanford among Ginsberg’s papers. Ginsberg was known to have created carbons of the poem, and the peculiarities both of Ginsberg’s typewriter and of this particular typing (i.e., matching orientations of the text vis-à-vis the page edges on the top copy vs. the carbon, parallel impressions evidencing matching strike timing and strength) — as well as revisions visible on both the top copy and this carbon — exactly match the original held at Stanford. It is not a fair copy, and we can also state definitively that it is not a later reproduction or duplication of any kind. The typescript here offered differs significantly from both the later published versions (ditto and City Lights), and perhaps more importantly from even the known top-copy draft at Stanford. Words erased and retyped in the top copy are visible in the carbon, as are other changes evidenced in comparison to the published and the digitized versions (see accompanying comparison document for specific examples). As such, this typescript remains a rare window into Ginsberg’s creative process, and an important document of this landmark poem. But perhaps most importantly, page seven is here in the carbon as it was originally typed, before Ginsberg retyped the entire page, changing it significantly. This original version is lacking from Ginsberg’s papers and had previously only been known by the recently discovered Reed College reading, which follows the text of the carbon here offered. Indeed, you can hear him turning the pages at precisely the right time on the recording. While the Six Gallery reading where Howl was debuted in an early form in October 1955, and the subsequent re-staging of this event in March of 1956 (the first time the poem was read in its entirety), made Ginsberg locally famous and even drew journalists like The New York Times’ Richard Eberhart to document the nascent Beat Scene, no one was prepared for the effect the poem would have on both literature and the culture at large when it was published in the fall of 1956 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Books. The book sold through its initial 1,000-copy print run in just a few months, and a second printing of 1,500 was ordered from the printer Villier’s in London (who did handsome, inexpensive letterpress work). But when the books arrived in San Francisco from the UK, more than 500 copies were seized by US Customs authorities for obscenity, an event which (along with Ferlinghetti and City Lights employee Shig Murao’s arrest later that year for selling Howl), brought the poem — and its author — immediately to national attention, a position neither has relinquished. As the title of the 2006 book in honor of the poem’s fiftieth anniversary described Howl, it was without exaggeration “the poem that changed America.” The City Lights edition has never been out of print, having sold upwards of a million copies, and the poem pioneered not only a more confessional mode of American poetry, but helped launch numerous youth movements from beatniks to hippies, Situationists to punks. The poem is a landmark in the history of gay rights, free speech, protest, censorship and counterculture. Only Eliot’s “The Waste Land” rivals it in modern American poetry in terms of influence, legacy and importance. Along with Kerouac’s On The Road and Burroughs’s Naked Lunch, it is a cornerstone of the Beat movement and remains Ginsberg’s most enduring work. A singular opportunity and monument of American literature.

Original Carbon Typescript for Part I of Howl

This is Mansfield's first Hollywood contract, coming on the heels of her appearance in 1955 as Playmate of the Month for February 1955, and her portrayal of Rita Marlowe in the Broadway play Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? in 1956, for which she received a Theatre World Award.<ul><li>Jayne Mansfield (American).</li><li>Twentieth-Century Fox.</li><li>Los Angeles: May 2, 1956.</li><li>17 pages, with a 6-page photocopy of the studio's Synopsis of Employment Contract through October 1960.</li></ul> Signed on May 2, 1956, the terms of the one-year contract began on September 17, 1956, in time to allow Mansfield to star as the blonde bombshell Jerri Jordan rock 'n roll classic, The Girl Can't Help It, released at the end of the year, featuring musical appearances by Fats Domino, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, The Platters, Eddie Cochran, et. al. The studio offered her $1,250 per week for the year, with a multi-year options for renewal. The film, a box-office success, was one of the first to feature black artists, and is now a cult classic.

Filters

Category

Book Type

Creator

Price

Era

Book Subject

Materials

Color

Region of Origin

Item Location by Country

Available for International Shipping

Edith Wharton

Jacobus de Voragine

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

James Robinson Planché

Fritz Traugott Schulz

Nöel Coward

Carroll, Lewis [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson]

Atlas Comics

Marvel Comics, Syd Shores

Centaur Publications, Bob Kane

Jack Kirby, Marvel, Stan Lee

Ogden Whitney, American Comics Group

Jack Kamen, Fox Feature Syndicate

MLJ Magazines

Stan Lee, Timely Comics

Centaur Publications

Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko

Aaron Burr

Anita Loos

Charles Dickens

Macedonio Garcia, James Waltman

E.E. Cummings, Marion Morehouse Cummings

Edward Stanford

David Weinstock

American Publishing Corporation

Richard Prince

Wentworth Cheswell

Fran Striker, Robert R. Weisman

Mike DeBalfo, J.R. Blanton, Kitty Pierce

Robert Kanigher, Bob Hanley, Jerry Grandenetti

Jenni Gregory

Yuichi Yokoyama

David Sim

Joe Kubert

Allen Ginsberg

Jayne Mansfield