Fine Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana

Austen, Jane Autograph letter signed with her initials ("JA"), to her sister Cassandra, written shortly after the death of George Austen in 1805 4 closely written pages, 4to (250 x 400 mm). Written in sepia ink, and dated 25 Gay Street, Bath, Monday, [8 April] to [Thursday] 11 April 1805, integral address panel on the verso of the second leaf, small cut into text where carefully opened round wafer seal but actually complete as all the text removed is still present on the slip attached to the seal, postal marking; small areas with expert reinforcement. In excellent, fresh condition. An intimate glimpse of Jane Austen’s life in Bath over a period of four days, sent to Cassandra Austen, the author’s sister and closest confidant. Composed just three months after the death of her father, George Austen, the present letter reveals what Jane Austen’s daily life was like in Bath, a city she had a complicated relationship with and explored through her fiction. Writing to her sister, Cassandra Austen, who was visiting Ibthorp, Andover, hoping that the change in environment might improve her health, Jane begins: “Here is a day for you! Did Bath or Ibthrop ever see a finer 8th of April? — It is March & April together, the glare of one & the warmth of the other. We do nothing but walk about; as far as your means will admit I hope you profit by such weather too. I dare say You are already the better for change of place.” Following Austen’s death in 1817 from an unknown illness (Addison’s disease or Hodgkin’s lymphoma are the most frequent retrospective diagnoses), Cassandra—to whom Jane had written most days when they were apart—burned the vast majority of her correspondence. Indeed, of the 3,000 or so letters believed to have been written by Austen, only about 161 survive, and are now scattered across institutions and private collections. Cassandra, who was older than Jane by three years, had a very close relationship with her sister. It would seem that this intimacy was destined from the moment Jane arrived in the world. The day after she was born, George Austen wrote to a relative: “We now have another girl, a present plaything for her sister Cassy and a future companion.” And their mother once noted: "if Cassandra's head had been going to be cut off, Jane would have hers [sic] cut off too." The sisters lived together for much of their lives, with this bond only deepening over time. Cassandra was the only person Jane discussed her work with, and a pencil and watercolor portrait accomplished by Cassandra is the only authenticated image of Jane known to exist. It was Cassandra who stayed with Jane through her final illness, writing shortly after her death: "She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow. It is as if I have lost a part of myself." So, while scholars and Janeites alike may question or curse Cassandra’s decision to destroy invaluable evidence of Jane’s life, it is difficult to see this as anything other than an act of kindness—as an effort to protect the legacy of her beloved sister. Even if we are to assume that Cassandra destroyed the most intimate or sharped-tongued examples of correspondence from her sister, it would have been impossible for her to anticipate the immense popularity Jane would experience hundreds of years after her death, and how hungry the world would be for crumbs of her life. The present letter offers remarkable insight into Jane’s life, and is not lacking in emotion, humor, or observation. As she relays the activity of the city, Jane writes: “Seven years & four months ago we went to the same Ridinghouse to see Miss Lefroy's performance! — What a different set are we now moving in! But seven years I suppose are enough to change every pore of one's skin, & every feeling of one's mind.” Western Front of the Abbey Church, Bath, 1823. Public domain. Miss Lefroy was the sister of Tom Lefroy, with whom Jane began a flirtation in 1796, and on 14 January of that year wrote to Cassandra: “At length the day is come on which I am to flirt my last with Tom Lefroy, and when you receive this it will be over. My tears flow as I write at the melancholy idea.” By 1805, Lefroy had married Mary Paul, and his first daughter, Jane, had been born; Jane, Cassandra, and their mother were also living in reduced circumstances following the death of George Austen. “What a different set are we now moving in!” sounds as though it could have been uttered by one of the Dashwood sisters as they arrive at Barton Cottage, and it’s easy to see—even through Austen’s characteristically wry humor—just how drastically her life was shifting. The letter also mentions Edward Austen Knight, Austen brother who was adopted by wealthy, childless relations (“I expect to hear from Edward tomorrow, & from you soon afterwards. — How happy they are at Godmersham now”). It also refers to the Lloyds, who were neighbors of the Austens in Steventon, and Mary Lloyd married Jane’s eldest brother, James. Here, Jane addresses the death of Mary and Martha’s mother (“Poor woman! May her end be peaceful & easy, as the Exit we have witnessed! And I dare say it will.”). Following her mother’s death, Martha joined the Austen women in Bath, moving with them first to Southampton, and then to Chawton in 1809. While the letter contains its shade, it is not wanting for light, and bright, and sparkling moments. In returning to the matter of Cassandra’s ill health, Jane writes: “I am heartily glad that you can speak so comfortably of your own health & looks, tho' I can scarcely comprehend the latter being really approved. Could travelling fifty miles produce such an immediate change? — You were looking so very poorly here; everybody seem'd sensible of it. — Is there a charm in an hack postchaise? — But if there were, Mrs Craven's carriage might have undone it all.” It seems very Austen-like to so easily tease her sister, and insult their acquaintance's carriage in the same stroke. As the letter nears its end, Jane continues to press the issue: “I assure you, you were looking very ill indeed, & I do not beleive [sic] much of your being looking well already. People think you in a very bad way I suppose, & pay you Compliments to keep up your Spirits.” A highly significant letter, offering a rare window into Jane Austen’s world.

View 1 of Lot 1047: Austen, Jane | A poignant and long autograph letter signed (“JA”) to her sister and confidant

austen, jane | a poignant and long autograph letter signed (“ja”) to her sister and confidant

[Austen, Jane] Sense and Sensibility: a Novel. London: Printed for the author by C. Rowarth […] and published by T. Egerton, 1811 3 volumes, 12mo (170 x 125 mm). Lacks half-titles, paper watermarked "IS | 1810”; contents very lightly toned, with occasional pale spots, a few stains and minor holes, vol. I with 1-inch marginal tears in leaves B5 and B7 not touching the text, leaves N2 to N12 just starting to separate from the text block, vol. III with the front free endpaper and adjacent flyleaf separated but holding on to the sewing. Later half black calf over, marbled paper boards, spines gilt lettered and tooled, green silk ribbons; rubbing to boards and edges, wear to corners, joints skillfully restored, hinges cracked or starting but the boards are holding soundly. First edition of Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility. Jane Austen wrote a version of Sense and Sensibility, originally titled Elinore and Marianne, as an epistolary novel in 1795 when she was just 19 years old. She reworked the story into its present narrative form in 1797 and revised it for publication in 1809-1810 during her first year at Chawton Cottage. By then, she had already attempted to publish two other novels, an early version of Pride and Prejudice titled First Impressions, which was rejected by a publisher, and a version of Northanger Abbey titled Susan, which had been sold to a publisher in 1803, but was never printed. Sense and Sensibility, on the other hand, was accepted by Thomas Egerton to be published on commission, or “for the author,” as stated on the title page. This meant that Austen would finance the printing of the book herself and then pay Egerton a commission on the sales. Her brother, Henry Austen, in his “Biographical Notice of the Author,” states that Jane’s “invincible distrust of her own judgement induced her to withhold her works from the public.” He goes on to explain that “it was with extreme difficulty that her friends… could prevail on her to publish her first work. Nay, so persuaded was she that its sale would not repay the expense of publication, that she actually made a reserve from her very moderate income to meet the expected loss” (Northanger Abbey & Persuasion, Vol. I). Despite Austen’s apprehensions, the novel was a success. All the printed copies of the first edition, estimated at 750 to 1000 copies, had been sold by 1813, and a second edition was issued later that year. Jane wrote to her brother Francis on July 3, 1813, about her successful venture — “You will be glad to hear that every copy of Sense and Sensibility is sold and that it has brought me £140 beside the copyright, if that should ever be of any value.” Sense and Sensibility tells the story of the three Dashwood sisters, who are left in much reduced circumstances after the death of their father. The sisters and their mother are forced to rely on their family for support, renting a cottage on a second cousin’s estate. The story may have been inspired by Austen’s own life — Jane experienced a similar chain of events after the death of their father, George Austen, in 1805. For example, in an important, intimate letter sent to her sister Cassandra, dated April 11, 1805, Jane writes from Bath about her changing life. She says, “What a different set we are now moving in!” In early 1809, Jane moved to Chawton Cottage on her brother Edward’s estate, easing her precarious financial situation. The peaceful setting and stability she found at Chawton allowed Austen’s final 8 years to be the most productive years of her career. REFERENCES Gilson A1; Le Faye, Dierdre, Jane Austen’s Letters. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995 PROVENANCE Armorial bookplate of Burke Cuppage in Volume I, likely that of Lieutenant General Burke Douglas Cuppage, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (1794-1877)

View 1 of Lot 1048: [Austen, Jane] | A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel

[austen, jane] | a handsome first edition of sense and sensibility, the author's first novel

(Salinger, J.D.) — Jane Austen The Complete Novels of Jane Austen. New York: The Modern Library, [1940] 8vo (195 x 130 mm). Second Modern Library edition. Signed and inscribed by Salinger in ink on the front free endpaper, “To Bett / hoping that these Austen novels will mean something important to you. / With affection, / Jerry Salinger;” the contents with occasional light toning and soiling, a small loss to the lower corner of the title page, the front free endpaper and half title are separated from the text block but still attached to the upper board. Publisher’s green cloth boards, with Modern Library logo; wear to boards, the spine missing, the front hinge cracked, the upper board holding to the linen cloth “cords,” a well-read copy. Housed in a custom clamshell case. A presentation copy of The Complete Novels of Jane Austen, one of J.D. Salinger’s favorite reads, gifted to his longtime friend Bett Graham. Though the inscription is undated, he may have given it to Bett soon after her separation from Michael Mitchell to provide some much-needed entertainment, consolation, or inspiration from one of Austen’s strong-willed heroines. Salinger was a voracious reader throughout his life – he had a rotating bookcase next to his bed where he kept his favorite books within arm’s reach morning and night (the bookcase and its contents were exhibited at the New York Public Library in 2019). One of his favorite authors was undoubtedly Jane Austen. It is interesting to note that, though their lives were separated by over a century, Austen and Salinger both wrote coming of age novels whose protagonists search for a way to live authentically in conventional adult society, a society that they perceive as inherently hypocritical. Both authors regularly use satire to criticize this hypocrisy or, as Holden would call it, “phoniness.” In addition to this connection, Salinger mentions Jane Austen at least three times in his short stories – first in “Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut” (The New Yorker, March 20, 1948, and then twice in “Hapworth 16, 1924,” (The New Yorker, June 19, 1965). In “Uncle Wiggily,” his unhappily married protagonist, Eloise, is asked by an old friend why she married her husband. Eloise replies, "He told me he loved Jane Austen. He told me her books meant a great deal to him. That's exactly what he said. I found out after we were married that he hadn't even read one of her books." Hapworth, takes the form of a long letter sent from summer camp by seven-year-old, Seymour Glass, to his parents. At one point, the precocious child describes Miss Overman, an old-fashioned librarian,– “In her heart of hearts, she would zestfully live out her remaining years as a charming, intimate neighbor of Elizabeth and Jane Bennett, continually being approached by those equally delicious heroines of Pride and Predjudice for sensible and worldly advice.” Later on, while listing books that he would like Ms. Overman to send him, along with Cervantes, Tolstoy, Dickens, and De Balzac, is a plea for, “Jane Austen, in entirety or in any shape or form, discounting Pride and Prejudice, which is already in possession. I will not disturb this incomparable girl’s genius with dubious remarks; I have already hurt [the librarian] Miss Overman’s feelings inexcusably by refusing to discuss this girl, but I lack even the slight decency to regret it very much. Quite in a pinch, I would be willing to meet someone at Rosings, but I cannot enter into a discussion of a womanly genius this humourous, magnificent, and personal to me; I have made some feeble, human attempts, but nothing at all meritorious.” While inscribed copies of Salinger’s own books come up with some regularity, this is the first time that another author’s novel with an inscription by Salinger has been offered at auction. It provides a revealing glimpse into Salinger’s personal relationships and literary tastes, calling attention to certain oftentimes overlooked aspect in his biography – his friendships with women and his longstanding appreciation of Jane Austen. For an archive of letters, a rare studio photograph, and more, all given to Bett and members of her family, see previous lot. RFERENCES Sanford, Jaclyn M. "The Bildungsroman and the Theme of Authenticity in Jane Austen’s Emma and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye." Master's thesis, Harvard University, 2019

View 1 of Lot 1066: (Salinger, J.D.) — Jane Austen | Inscribed copy of Austen’s Complete Novels, given to his close friend Bett Graham

(salinger, j.d.) — jane austen | inscribed copy of austen’s complete novels, given to his close friend bett graham

[Austen, Jane] Northanger Abbey; and Persuasion; By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice," "Mansfield Park," &c. With a Biographical Notice of the Author. In Four Volumes. London: John Murray. Vols. I and II printed by C. Roworth Bull-yard; Vols. III and IV by T. Davison, Lombard Street, Whitefriars, [December 1817] 1818 4 vols., 12mo, (170 x 110 mm). Half-titles (between the preliminary leaves and first page of text in each volume, as issued), paper watermarked "AP | 1816 | 2", early ownership inscription in ink to titles and later embossed library stamps to initial blanks; the title page of vol. I starting to separate at the foot of the gutter, occasional faint spotting, minor marginal chips to one or two corners. Later full olive calf, boards with gilt-stamped fleurons at corners and blind-ruled triple fillet border, gilt-tooled spines in six compartments, each volume with two gilt-lettered red leather spine labels, edges and turn-ins decorated in blind; some faint scuffing and soiling to boards, a few small spots of wear at extremities, spines uniformly toned to a light brown, some unobtrusive restorations, a vertical scratch and small spot of wear in the rear board of volume I. First editions, published posthumously, of Austen's final works, containing the earliest biography of Jane Austen, and the first time her name appeared in one of her books. “The following pages are the production of a pen which has already contributed in no small degree to the entertainment of the public; and when the public, which has not been insensible to the merits of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma, shall be informed that the hand which guided that pen is now mouldering in the grave, perhaps a brief account of Jane Austen will be read with a kindlier sentiment than simple curiosity.” — Biographical Notice of the Author Jane Austen initially tried to publish her first finished novel, Northanger Abbey, then titled Susan, in 1803. Austen’s elder brother Henry, acting as her agent, sold the manuscript to the bookseller Crosby & Co for £10 but, after advertising the book, they never published it. Finally, thirteen years later in the Spring of 1816, Henry was able to buy back the manuscript. In the “Advertisement by the Authoress to Northanger Abbey,” Austen addresses her novel’s strangely delayed publication history, barely attempting to hide her contempt: “Why the business proceeded no farther, the author has never been able to learn. That any bookseller should think it worth while to purchase what he did not think it worth while to publish seems extraordinary.” Once she got her manuscript back, Austen likely reworked parts of the novel, wrote the aforementioned “Advertisement,” and renamed it Catherine, before finally deciding to shelve the project. She died soon after. Six months later, Henry renamed the book Northanger Abbey and published it as the first two volumes in a four-volume set. The story is a romantic bildungsroman, a book about reading, and a satire of the then popular genre of gothic fiction. It centers on a very normal seventeen-year-old girl named Catherine Morland, who has an overactive imagination from reading too many novels, especially gothic fiction and romance novels, such as Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, Fanny Burney’s Cecilia and Camilla, and Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda. The third and fourth volumes in the set contain Persuasion, the final novel by Austen. It was composed over a relatively short timeframe, from 1815 to 1816. In a letter to her niece, Fanny Knight, from March of 1817, Austen wrote that she had a novel "which may appear about a twelvemonth hence." After her death at the age of forty-one on 18 July 1817, the novel remained unpublished and untitled. Six months later, Henry named it Persuasion and published it with Northanger Abbey in December of 1817, though the title page gives its date as 1818. In the intervening centuries, these posthumous works—Persuasion in particular—have been the source of much critical attention. Two manuscript chapters of Persuasion hold the unique position of being the only surviving holograph pages of a novel that Austen completed and intended for publication, offering Austen scholars the ability to glimpse her creative process. Besides adding or changing the books’ titles, Henry Austen is also credited with writing the "Biographical Notice of the Author,” which appears in Volume I of this set. Up until that point, all four of Austen’s novels had been published anonymously. As such, Henry’s biography revealed Jane to her public, naming her and providing her readers with a few basic facts about her life. However, likely in the hopes of protecting her, Henry wrote a sanitized profile of his sister made up of minor facts, vague anecdotes, and a few falsehoods. For example, he writes that, “Everything came finished from her pen; for on all subjects she had ideas as clear as her expressions were well chosen.” Despite its faults, the “Statement” remains an important source for any author who attempts to write Austen’s biography—a notoriously difficult task due to the scarcity of available information. All things considered, Henry’s biggest lie may have been his statement that, “short and easy will be the task of the mere biographer.” A complete copy of Austen's final two published works, as issued with all four half titles. REFERENCES Gilson A9; Sutherland, Kathryn, Jane Austen's textual Lives: from Aeschylus to Bollywood. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005; Kelly, Helena. Jane Austen, the Secret Radical. New York: Vintage Books, 2018 PROVENANCE C. Langston (contemporary signature on title) — A. J. V. Radford (embossed stamp)

View 1 of Lot 1050: [Austen, Jane] | First edition of Austen's final novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion

[austen, jane] | first edition of austen's final novels, northanger abbey and persuasion

[Austen, Jane] Emma: A Novel. In Three Volumes. By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice", &C. &C. London: Printed for John Murray, 1816 12mo, 3 volumes (185 x 110 mm). Half-titles; some scattered and faint foxing, occasional browning and offsetting, one or two gatherings and leaves possibly supplied from another copy. Early half calf and marbled paper-covered boards, bound by R.P. Costey, spines with raised bands, gilt lettering pieces in second and fourth, others decoratively tooled in blind and gilt, edges marbled blue; some rubbing to extremities. Custom clamshell case. First edition of one of the finest realist novels in the English language. "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." Jane Austen wrote her fourth novel, and the last to be published in her lifetime, between January 1814 and March 1815. Unlike her previous novels, Austen chose to publish with John Murray. Because of the popularity of her previous novels, a large print run of 2,000 was decided upon. It was published in December 1815 (though 1816 is given on the title), and Jane Austen dedicated it to the Price Regent, George IV, who had expressed an admiration for her novels. A presentation copy of the work was sent to Carlton House. The comedy of manners had sold 1,248 copies by the following October, and Austen expressed worry at the public regard for the novel: "I am very strongly haunted by the idea that to those Readers who have preferred P&P. it will appear inferior in Wit, & to those who have preferred MP. very inferior in good Sense." The novel has since been revered as Austen's literary masterwork, with Emma being a complex, intelligent and captivatingly imperfect protagonist. Of Emma, the prolific collector A. Edward Newton commented: "Between 1749, the year of 'Tom Jones,' and 1816, when a perfect novel. 'Emma,' appeared, no advance had been made in telling a story. I have called 'Emma' a 'perfect' novel: I think it is. Jane Austen used a small palette, but her colors were faultless." REFERENCES Garside and Schowerling 1816:16; Gilson A8; Keynes 8; Sadleir 62d

View 1 of Lot 1049: [Austen, Jane] | First edition of Emma—the author's "perfect" novel

[austen, jane] | first edition of emma—the author's "perfect" novel

Finely bound set of the novels, works and letters of Jane Austen.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 12.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Edinburgh: John Grant, 1911-12.</li><li>Engraved frontis portrait plate in volume one.</li><li>The Winchester Edition.</li><li>Bound by Atkinson in full tan morocco, gilt lettered red and green morocco spine labels, top edges gilt with marbled pastedowns and endpapers.</li></ul>

The Novels of Jane Austen

A finely bound set of The Winchester Edition of The Novels of Jane Austen.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 10 volumes.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Edinburgh: John Grant, 1906.&nbsp;</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>With a portrait frontispiece to first volume, and title pages printed in red and black with a vignette ‘JA’ monogram.&nbsp;</li><li>The works include: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Emma.</li><li>Recently bound in navy half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to twin red labels, and matching cloth over boards, top edges gilt, others gently trimmed.</li></ul>

The Novels Of Jane Austen

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Fine%2520Bindings%2520and%2520Sets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">finely bound</a> early edition of the works of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jane+Austen&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jane Austen</a>.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 12 volumes.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Boston:&nbsp;Little, Brown, and Company,&nbsp;1898.</li><li>Illustrated frontispiece. </li><li>Marbled endpapers, three-quarters brown Morocco leather, marbled boards, top edges gilt, raised bands, gilt floral panels on spine. </li></ul>

Jane Austen’s Works

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?Book%20Subject=Fine%2520bindings" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">finely bound</a> set of the novels of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=jane%20austen&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jane Austen</a>.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 5 volumes.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Oxford:&nbsp;Clarendon Press,&nbsp;1946.</li><li>With notes, indexes and illustrations from contemporary sources.</li><li>Bound in three-quarters blue calf by Sawyer, marbled boards, all edges gilt, raised bands, gilt panels, marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

Novels

Finely bound set of the Winchester Edition of the novels of Jane Austen.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 10.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Edinburgh: John Grant, 1906.</li><li>Includes frontis portrait plate in volume one; title pages printed in red and black,</li><li>Bound in half red morocco, ribbed gilt decorated spines, top edges gilt, others uncut.</li></ul>

Novels of Jane Austen

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?Book%20Type=Fine%2520Bindings%2520and%2520Sets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">finely bound</a> second edition of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jane%20Austen&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jane Austen</a>'s debut novel, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Sense%20And%20Sensibility&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sense And Sensibility</a>.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3 volumes.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>London: Printed for the author by T. Egerton, 1813.&nbsp;</li><li>12mo.</li><li>Complete with all the half-titles, bound without final blanks (as often).</li><li>Contemporary sprinkled half-calf with marbled paper sides, spine ruled in compartments gilt, twin red morocco title labels, housed in a leather-entry slipcase.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul> Austen’s debut novel and one of her several masterpieces, was originally issued in this three-volume format with a print run thought to be in the hundreds. It was so well received that Austen paid for this second edition to be printed. It has remained in print ever since.

Sense And Sensibility

Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, 1951-1989 4 letters (1 ALS and 3 TLS), all signed (“Jerry”), addressed to Mrs. Esther Graham or to Mr. J. Graham, with original mailing envelopes, 1953-1989; a signed and inscribed first edition of The Catcher in the Rye, 1951; a partial The Catcher in the Rye dust jacket, signed by the illustrator E. Michael Mitchell on the same date as the aforementioned first edition, 1951; a rare portrait photograph of Salinger, signed by the photographer Antony di Gesu and presented by Bett Graham to her niece, Pamela, 1952; all items either given or sent to members of the Graham family, documenting their longstanding and, until now, little known friendship with Salinger. In 1949, Salinger met a Canadian couple, Beth (“Bett”) Graham and Michael Mitchell, in Westport, CT, where he was living while finishing his groundbreaking novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The Mitchells had a house nearby and, though it is unclear how exactly they were introduced, they soon became close friends. Salinger would write in their guest house and then read recently written passages from Catcher to the married couple. Michael, a successful magazine illustrator, was asked to design the book’s dust jacket. His striking image of a red carousel horse remains one of the most iconic dust jackets ever created. Even Salinger, notorious for despising his books’ cover art, loved the design. After moving to Cornish, NH, Salinger continued to correspond with the Mitchells, and he occasionally visited them in New York or London. In one of Salinger’s letters to Michael, now at the Morgan Library, he informed the couple that he has “never had two dearer friends,” and refers to their “tri-cornered” friendship (Cowan, Alison Leigh. “Unsealed Letters Offer Glimpse of Salinger. New York Times. February 11, 2010). Bett Graham and Michael Mitchell divorced sometime in the 1960s. From then on, Salinger stayed in touch with them both separately. It is abundantly clear from this archive that the author had a special appreciation for his friendship with the Graham family, especially for Bett and her mother Esther, who he affectionately refers to as “Mother Graham.” Through these unexpectedly warm and revealing letters, spanning nearly forty years, Salinger shows his humor, introspection, and humanity — aspects of his personality which he oftentimes kept hidden. The archive contains: 1) Autograph letter signed “Jerry” to “Dear Mrs. Graham.” Windsor, VT: November 15, 1953 One-page letter (196 x 156 mm), in black ink; old horizontal fold. With postmarked autograph envelope. A short but sympathetic letter where Salinger sends his condolences to Esther soon after the passing of her husband, William. Salinger calls him “the gentlest and best kind of human being.” 2) Typed letter signed “Jerry” to “Dear Mrs. Graham.” Windsor, VT: June 16, 1959 Two-page letter typewritten on one side of a single folded sheet (210 x 271 mm), signed in black ink; old folds, very faint toning along the top edge at center. With postmarked typed envelope. An affable, funny letter from Salinger to Esther Graham, where he discusses Bett and Michael’s recent move to London. He expresses his sadness at not seeing his friends more often, and his desire to go visit them so that they can “all go see the Queen together.” Salinger mentions his grueling work schedule and laments his lonely automat lunches. He goes on to thank Esther for the clipping she sent him and says that the thought of her brother reading his fiction in Glasgow cheers him up. Near the end of the letter, Salinger mentions his 4-year-old daughter, Peggy. He wishes that she could meet Esther and bemoans the fact that his daughter never gets to see Bett and Mike. 3) Typed letter signed “Jerry” to “Dear Mother Graham.” Windsor, VT: March 3, 1971 One-page letter (270 x 210 mm), typed, signed in black ink; old folds. With postmarked typed envelope. Salinger recounts his recent trip to London where he saw Bett, who is now divorced from Michael. He mentions some of their amusing adventures together, including “the police-station stuff and the mixup at Battersea Park,” and praises Bett’s new apartment, her tiny car, and her friends. He goes on to discuss Michael and how, a little while back, he didn’t see him due to a bout of hypoglycemia. Salinger explains that he has been feeling much better recently, “like the gifted sportsman and Oujia player you knew in Westport.” He then updates Esther on his children, who he feels are happy and doing well. 4) Typed letter signed “Jerry” to “Dear J.” Cornish, NH: November 19, 1989 One page letter (270 x 210 mm) to James Graham, typed, signed in black ink; old folds. With postmarked typed envelope. In this heartfelt, yet somber letter, Salinger responds to news of the death of his friend Bett Graham. He writes back to her brother, James, and begins by saying that his memory isn’t what it used to be, before recounting a series of detailed memories. First, he remembers exactly who James is, despite having never met him. He goes on to eulogize Bett, praising her kindness, intelligence, and wit. With his characteristic acerbity, Salinger expresses disdain for the word “compassion,” which he finds overly sentimental. However, he admits that, when referring to Bett, he can make an exception for the word. After a brief digression to discuss Mike, who had already phoned him with the news, he responds to a remark that he thought was disparaging to Bett — a reference to her supposedly turbulent life. He vigorously defends her against this characterization, recalling her selflessness, and imagining her at a kitchen sink washing other people’s dirty dishes — “gloomy thoughts,” he adds. Salinger ends the letter by thanking James for being there with Bett during her last days, and he sends his love to the rest of the Graham family. He signs the letter “Jerry,” before adding “(Salinger)” in typescript. 5) J.D. Salinger. The Catcher in The Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951 8vo (195 x 127 mm). First edition, third printing, inscribed “To Esther and Willie Graham, / with love, / Jerry” and dated September 5, 1951, in blue ink on the front free endpaper; old smudge to the word “Willie” in the inscription. Publisher’s cloth; lacking dust jacket, a few minor spots of rubbing and wear to the extremities, spine title a bit dulled, a slight lean, front hinge cracked. 6) A partial The Catcher in the Rye dust jacket, signed and inscribed by the illustrator E. Michael Mitchell, “To Mother / and Father Graham / with love” and dated September 5, 1951 on the rear flap in light blue ink, the jacket from a Book-of-the-Month Club edition; front cover missing, front flap detached, some creasing, staining, and fraying along edges. 7) Antony Di Gesu. Portrait Photograph of J.D. Salinger reading The Catcher in the Rye. November 20, 1952 Silver gelatin print (216 x 317 mm), double matted and framed. Signed and dated by Di Gesu in gold ink in lower left corner, additionally inscribed in pencil on the frame’s verso, “To: Pamela from Aunt Beth / a portrait of an old friend Nov. 1989.” A studio portrait photograph of Salinger reading from The Catcher in the Rye while smoking a cigarette. This is from one of only two known studio sessions that the author sat for. This print was presumably gifted by Salinger to Bett Graham, who then gave it to her niece shortly before her death in 1989. Anthony di Gesu, the photographer, is known for his celebrity portraits, including Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, Irving Berlin, Margaret Mead, and Jonas Salk. He wrote about Salinger’s visit in his unpublished memoir: “On the 20th of November, 1952, J.D. Salinger (author of Catcher in the Rye) came to the studio and said he wanted a portrait of himself for his mother and his fiancée. Since I didn’t [know] as much then as I do now, I set up the camera and light and sat him right down. His expression was so rigid and self-conscious [that] I was at my wits end. Nothing happened. I decided on something I had never done before with an adult. I excused myself, went up to my apartment and came down with ‘Catcher in the Rye.’ I brought him a table and ashtray, set down the book (why the hell didn’t I ask him to autograph it?) and suggested he do anything he pleased. Read to himself. Read aloud or just smoke. “If I’d thought he was going to be so damned famous, I’d have written down everything we talked about to get the expression we did. I took 48 5 x 7 negatives. Serious, thoughtful, smiling, laughing, howling with laughter. White shirt, white background. Black suit, black background. But I don’t remember a thing. “He was pleased with the results, but asked me not to show the portraits publicly. When I asked why, he said when people recognized him, they usually behaved peculiarly because they thought he would write about them. I promised I wouldn’t and I kept that promise for thirty years.” (Anthony di Gesu. From his unpublished memoir. https://sandiegohistory.org/collection/photographs/digesu2/) For a book inscribed by Salinger to Bett Graham, The Complete Novels of Jane Austen, see following lot.

View 1 of Lot 1065: Salinger, J.D. | The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more

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