Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 24

Manuscript and Collectibles Auction

Autographs-Authors

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 394		Cooper, James Fenimore (1789-1851) American novelist and social critic, known for the five novels, The Leatherstocking Tales, as well as The Last of the Mohicans, Deerslayer, and others. Check Signed ("J. Fenimore Cooper") and engrossed by himself, Cooperstown, New York, April 23, 1840, 2¼ x 5¾ in. Written on his Otsego County Bank account and made payable to "self." Some uneven toning, edge chips and red cancellation stamp, affecting two letters of the bold signature. Matted and framed with a hand-tinted engraving from a Brady daguerrotype to an overall size of 16 x 12¾ in. Estimated Value $400 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 395		Coward, Noel (1899-1970) English actor, playwright, and composer. Autograph Letter Signed ("Noêl") on stationery from Alfred House (Nursing Home), London, September 29, 1934, 5 pp, 8 x 6 in. A wonderful letter from Coward to Edna Ferber, describing the actors in The Royal Family (or Theatre Royal), a play written by Ferber and George Kaufman and directed by Coward. In part: "Ferber my little darling, This is just to tell you we have had an last Dress Rehearsal & it looks pretty good. Larry Olivier is playing Tony for the 1st two weeks on the road & is marvellous….I think you'd be delighted with the whole cast with one notable exception & that is W. Graham Browne…who, owing to being very old indeed & unable to act at all…will present to a resigned public one of the most degraded characterisations of the modern Theatre….Marie Tempest will not appear without him & she is beyond words superb as Fanny….I am better now…& shall join the play…in Glasgow & devote the last two weeks on the road to polishing up….I think "The Royal Family" ("Theatre Royal") is one of the most superbly written & brilliantly constructed plays that I have ever had anything to do with…." Estimated Value $500 - 700. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $489
Lot 396		Coward, Noel. Autograph Letter Signed ("COVARR") on Les Avant sur Montreux letterhead, no date, 1 pg, 8 x 5¾ in. Written in tiny script to novelist Edna Ferber ("Darling Ferb"). In part: "I had a proper examination…and the surgeon advised an operation for next year…I have …to give up Lady Nicotine…which is Hell….During these dolorous weeks I can't begin to tell you what joy 'One Basket' [a collection of 31 short stories by Ferber] brought me. They all are very very good….I can't go through them all because I have work to do Edna Ferber. I can't just sit and writing Fan letters and idling away the days like you do. or do you? I have Lady Rebecca West and the ? in the house and they love you very much indeed….Expect the sky to lighten about mid-January…." Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $322
Lot 397		Crouse, Russel (1893-1966) Playwright; co-wrote with Howard Lindsay hits such as The Sound of Music and Life With Father. Autograph Letter Signed ("Crouse"), New York, October 23, 1952, 4 pp, small quarto. To novelist Edna Ferber, who seems to have questioned his liberalism. In part: "…I know how you resent having given money to the Eisenhower fund…I am enclosing a check for $200 for Volunteers for Stevenson….I have not yet made up my mind…There are two fine men running for President…But the issue is not one of personality….I now question the wisdom of returning the Democratic party to power….I question the ability of the Republican party to take over our government. These decisions I must fight out in my soul….I hope you deplore…anyone questioning my liberalism even if I do vote for Eisenhower…There are liberal Republicans just as there are reactionary Democrats…." More excellent content. Very fine. Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 398		Ferber, Edna (1887-1968) American author; 1924 Pulitzer prize winner. Typed Letter Signed with initialed holograph note (New York), January 25, 1928, 1 pg., small quarto. To theater critic Bernard Sobel with wonderful Show Boat content. In part: "Here are the two letters and some pictures….This chap, Charles Hunter, is the leading man on the James Adams Floating Theatre (no longer floating, poor thing) and his wife, Beulah Adams is the leading lady, and a sister of the boat's owner. They are simply grand!….I lived on their boat for four days--ate and slept there, and floated down the rivers with them. The story of the wedding in Show Boat (the novel, I mean) is the story of the Hunters' own marriage in the little North Carolina church. The story of the miscegenation case is a true story, and was given me by Hunter--one of the many river and show boat stories he told me. If ever they come to New York I shall buy for them the two best seats in the house, if I have to put out Otto Kahn to do it." A penciled holograph note in the left margin says, "May I have the letters & the pictures when you've finished? I want to keep them. E.F." Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 399		(Ferber, Edna) Doubleday, Nelson. Autograph Letter Signed ("Nelson") on Doubleday, Doran, and Company letterhead, Garden City, N.Y., November 13, 1931, 1 pg. 8½ x 5½ in. Publisher Nelson Doubleday writes to novelist Edna Ferber that he had sent a copy of her latest book, American Beauty, to Rudyard Kipling and that Kipling liked it very much. In part, "It was, and is, a great pleasure to me to see his enthusiasm for the book and your great ability. I only wish I could quote from the letter in our publicity and advertising but this cannot be. It would be an infringement on friendship. I have had the photostat made of the letter for you to tuck away among your treasures…." With a holograph note by Doubleday. Extremely Fine. The photostat of Kipling's flattering letter is concluded. In it, the British author states, "…I don't think her own people realize her value as a historical painter - yet. They will later." Nice content. Estimated Value $350 - 450. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 400		Gorki, Maxim (1868-1936) Pen name of Russian writer Aleksey Maksimovich Peshkov. He rose from poverty, which he portrayed in stories of the underside of Russian society. He was first president of the Soviet Writers' Union and helped develop the official aesthetic of Socialist Realism. Autograph Letter Signed ("A. Peshkov") in Cyrillic script, on brown, ruled paper, no place (probably Italy, where he lived 1921-28), June 7, 1921, 1 pg, 7¾ x 8¾ in. To Melin, regarding a list of books Gorky was supposed to have received but had not. In part, "…I have not received those books to this day…I do not understand where Maria put them and I can't ask her about it because she left for Ravenna until the 6th…and I don't know her address…." A couple of small pinholes at folds, else Fine. Estimated Value $900 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 401		Hart, William S (1870-1946) First cowboy movie star; starred in silent films such as Tumbleweed. Autograph Letter Signed ("Bill Hart"), Horseshow Ranch, Newhall, California, March 30, 1945, 1 pg., quarto. A very enthusiastic letter to James Montgomery Flagg, one of the 20th century's most famous illustrators, best remembered for his World War I recruiting poster of Uncle Sam, telling men, "I Want You." Flagg has painted a portrait of Hart's wife, Mamie, for which Hart is sending a check for $500, "I feel it will be best a drop in the bucket to the gratification I know you and I feel over what you have done." Much of the letter concerns how to display the portrait to its best advantage. A great association between the cowboy star and the great illustrator. Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $175 - 225. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 402		Howe, Julia Ward (1819-1910) American writer and reformer, best known for writing Battle Hymn of the Republic; she was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Photo lithograph with an Autograph Quotation Signed: "All heights of life are wearisome to gain: Yield not for pleasure what you won with pain. Julia Ward Howe." The blind stamp of the photographer, J.E. Purdy & Co., is at lower left. The 4½ x 3¼ inch photo lithograph is on a 9½ x 7¾ inch page, which was taken from a first-rate book, as evidenced by the exquisite photo reproduction. The quotation and signature are along the lower edge. More writing is mostly obscured at lower edge, including a date that seems to be 1904, probably from trimming lower edge for framing. The page is toned and foxed but the writing is clear. Suitable for framing. Estimated Value $600 - 800. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $748
Lot 403		Kaufman, George S (1889-1961) Dramatist, critic, director; twice Pulitzer prize winner. Typed Letter Signed ("George"), on Barley Sheaf Far - Holicong, Pa. stationery, no date (Friday), 1 pg., 10 x 7¼ in. To novelist Edna Ferber, with whom he collaborated on a number of successful plays between 1924 and 1948, including The Royal Family (1927), Dinner at Eight (1932), and Stage Door (1936). In part: "About any joint plans of ours. As we have both learned, we cannot move until we have an idea that hits us - we never have been able to compromise on that point, and of course we're right not to. Arbitrarily setting a working time is no good. SO - my present notion is to spend a little time in Hollywood this winter or spring. I want to get established as a picture director, just so that I have that in reserve. Things are getting tougher and tougher in the theatre; the plays have to be so damned good; the casting problem is terrific; leading players will stay with you only about three weeks, and then take the play with them when they go; the unions are more and more difficult; Equity is talking about a $75 minimu -- anyhow, I want to be prepared….Every day I say it can't last any longer, and every day it does. This machine jumps, and so do I, at the slightest provocation." Kaufman made some corrections in black ink. Very Fine. A wonderful letter for the theater afficionado. Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,035
Lot 404		Keller, Helen (1880-1968) Blind, deaf, mute author, teacher and humanitarian. Her inspiring life and relationship with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, were memorialized in the film, Miracle Worker. Black and white Photograph Signed in lower left corner, 8 x 10 inches. Stamped on verso "…American Foundation for the Blind, New York, N.Y., 1956." A three-quarter portrait of the inimitable Miss Keller. Estimated Value $600 - 800. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $345
Lot 405		Keller, Helen. Book Signed with sentiment, "Cordially yours Helen Keller," no place, no date, on the title page of My Key Of Life. Optimism: An Essay, London: Isbister & Company, 1904, 60 pages, octavo. Deep acqua and gilt hard covers are worn but attractive. Frontispiece of Miss Keller in a graduation gown and mortarboard (she graduated from Ratcliffe College) is partially detached; remainder of pages are tight and lightly toned. Originally pubished in 1903 as "Optimism: An Essay." Estimated Value $350 - 450. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $357
Lot 406		Lazar, Irving "Swifty" (1907-93) Agent and deal-maker for celebrities, known for his post-Oscar parties. Typed Letter Signed ("S")on personal letterhead, Beverly Hills, California, December 3, 1965, 1½ pp quarto. To novelist Edna Ferber three years before her death, with interesting content. In part: "…I didn't have occasion to talk to you about the offer we had on the television exhibition of SARATOGA [Ferber's 1941 novel Saratoga Trunk]….Yes, it is lovely about YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. And you are absolutely right about the publicity and credit being given to George [Kaufman] and not enough to Moss [Hart]. We'll talk about that when I see you next. I find that I am compelled to stay here because of the pressure of negotiations…….Mary and I have taken a house in Palm Springs….I had occasion to meet with Jack Warner the other day on several matters and he introduced me to his new man, Richard Lewine…I mentioned the McChesney stories and he was most interested and I think perhaps, I will elicit a very interesting deal and I'll communicate same to you…." Fine except for a couple of creased corners and file notation at upper right. Estimated Value $300 - 400. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 407		Mencken, Henry Louis (1880-1956) Satirist, editor, essayist, critic, and journalist. Two Autograph Sentiments Signed and a collection of six rejections slips kept by Mencken and sent to Edna Ferber. The first sentiment says "Sweet dreams of thee. H. Mencken" on a 6 x 4 in. piece of paper, no place or date. The second says, "What a thing is love! M" on a 7 x 5½ in. lightly-toned purple piece of stationery, no place or date; it comes with an envelope from The Smart Set, A Magazine of Cleverness. Mencken was literary critic for The Smart Set 1908-24 and coeditor 1914-24. The six printed rejection slips, probably from early in Mencken's career, come from The Black Mask, The Parisienne, The Nation, Everybody's Magazine, The Red Book/Blue Book/Green Book magazines, and The Smart Set . All lightly toned, else Fine. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 408		Mencken, Henry Louis (1880-1956) American journalist and writer. Typed Letter Signed ("H L Mencken") on personal, engraved stationery, Baltimore, March 4, 1926, 5½ x 8½ in. He writes as founder and co-editor of the American Mercury to Mr. Tudury. In part: "We are printing an article on Carrie Nation…and one on Horatio Alger…Davis and Webster…would scarcely make good material for short articles…." Light toning and wrinkling; one faint fold transverses Mencken's signature. Suitable for framing. Estimated Value $300 - 400. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $173
Lot 409		O'Hara, John (1905-70) American writer; author of novels such as Butterfield 8 and Pal Joey. Typed Letter Signed on personal letterhead, Princeton, N.J., April 9, 1968, 1 pg., 7¾ x 5¼ in. To novelist Edna Ferber: "I caught SO BIG tonight on the television---not for the first time---and I think they made a satisfactory picture of it. My thoughts logically turned to you. and one of the thoughts I had was that I wish you well and that I ought to tell you so." One of many warm, personal letters Miss Ferber received from fellow writers. File note at top right, else Very Fine. Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 410		White, William Allen (1868-1944) Pulitzer-prize winning journalist; author of biographies; symbol of tolerance. Typed Letter Signed ("Will") on The Emporia Gazette stationery (Emporia, Kansas), December 8, 1938, 4 pp, 7 x 6 in. To novelist Edna Ferber, with wonderful content. In part: "Going back to your snort about Landon [Gov. of Kansas 1933-37 and Republican nominee for President in 1936]….I…wrote him…and told him to put adhesive tape on his mouth….He has not been up against the anti-Semitic guns as I have….I have helped organize…associations formed for promoting tolerance and my name is anathema to the whold [sic] crowd….The Coolidge book is doing well [A Puritan in Bablylon, published in 1933]….I realized that Coolidge was a shrimp long before I began writing the book but it seemed to me when I cast about for a contrasting figure when I desired to write a story of the bull market that this slight, shy, drab, mean, sentimental, canny Yankee made exactly the figure I needed. I would like to see Victor Moore play Coolidge…as a rather tragic comedy of manners.…" With envelope. Very fine. Life magazine called White "a living symbol of small-town simplicity and kindliness and common sense." Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 411		Wilder, Thornton (1897-1975) American novelist and playwright. Autograph Letter Signed "Thornton, comte d'Hyde Park, Baron d'Englewood, Vidame de 60th St, chevalier du Midway, prince d'univers et Portugal," New Haven, May 1935, 8 x 6 in. A whimsical letter to novelist Edna Ferber: "I don't call that being a victim; if there's one thing I like more than another it's an earnest talk with a friend. I hope Isabel and I can come up and have a cup of tea (façon de parler) at Fairfield. I saw you at Miss Perry's and was just coming over to share my second-thoughts with you and then you were gone. I wonder why all my paragraphs [made with symbol] begin with I. I am devoted to you." Extremely Fine. Wilder won the Pulitzer prize in 1927 for the novel San Luis Rey, in 1938 for the play Our Town, and in 1942 for the play The Skin of Our Teeth. His 1954 play The Matchmaker was made into the 1964 musical Hello, Dolly!. Estimated Value $600 - 700. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $380