Sell or Auction Your Edgar Allan Poe Autograph Manuscript Fragment for up to Nearly $100,000 or More at Nate D. Sanders Auctions
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Below is a recent realized price for an Edgar Allan Poe autograph manuscript fragment. We at Nate D. Sanders Auctions can obtain up to this amount or more for you:
Edgar Allan Poe Autograph Manuscript Fragment. Sold for Nearly $100,000.
The following are some prices we have realized for literary memorabilia:
Edgar Allan Poe autograph letter signed, with dramatic content regarding his famous feud with poet and playwright Thomas Dunn English. Poe writes to John Bisco, publisher of the defunct ”Broadway Journal”, which Poe had once edited. Poe asks Bisco to call upon an attorney in relation to ”attacks made upon me” by Mr. English. This is the first time since 1941, when it was sold by Parke-Bernet, that this letter has been at auction.
Although the public feuding between Poe and English was not new – with both men trading veiled barbs in various publications over the years, English raised the stakes when he wrote a letter published in the 23 June 1846 edition of the ”New York Evening Mirror.” Not only did English accuse Poe by name of being a forger, drunk, deadbeat, and scoundrel for besmirching a lady’s honor, but also, perhaps most unforgivable, a serial plagiarist. Poe likely got advance notice of the article as this letter is dated 17 July 1846, only six days before the publication. However, although Poe couldn’t stop the article from running, he was successful in suing the ”Mirror” for libel, collecting $225.06 in damages a year later, likely more than Poe made during his lifetime from writing. Letter reads,
”My Dear Mr. Bisco / You will confer a very great favor on me by stepping in, when you have leisure, at the office of E.L. Fancher, Attorney-at-Law, 33 John St. Please mention to him that I requested you to call in relation to Mr. English. He will, also, show you my Reply to some attacks lately made upon me by this gentleman. / Cordially yours. / Poe”.
Single page letter on pale blue stationery measures 7.875” x 7”, framed with a CDV of Poe to a size of 21.25” x 16”. Not examined out of frame. Folds, tape repair, faint discoloration and small areas of paper missing along edges. Irregular lower border. Overall in very good condition with bold handwriting and excellent legibility. A scarce letter by Poe with excellent association, backed by an intriguing story worthy of the famous author. With provenance from the 19th Century Shop, and exhibition history at The Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia. Sold for $73,693.
Brick From the Home of Edgar Allan Poe — Personally Owned by Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury’s brick from the home of Edgar Allan Poe. Red brick has a plaque affixed that reads, ”Salvaged from the last Manhattan residence of Edgar Allan Poe, 85 Amity Street, Greenwich Village. Poe Museum, Richmond, Virginia, and the Mystery Writers of America. Number 139.” Measures 7.75” x 3.5” x 2.25”. Weighs 4 pounds, 1 ounce. Chipping to brick edges, else near fine. With a COA from the Ray Bradbury estate. Sold for $4,230.
Ernest Hemingway autograph letter signed spanning four pages, written shortly after his January 1954 plane crash that nearly left him dead. Written 17 April 1954 (misdated as 53), Hemingway writes to his lawyer Alfred Rice, with gritty detail on his physical condition, as well as content on needing money and other matters. Composed on Gritti Palace-Hotel stationery from Venice, Italy, Hemingway writes,
”Dear Al: Roberto [Herrera] wrote me he had a letter from either Abercrombie and Fitch or a collection agency saying they would go to law if my bill with them was not paid. Please pay it at once out of my funds available. Pay under protest.
A: I have never received any bill of any sort from A and F, since I was in their store in June.
B: They should have billed me through the Guaranty Trust Co. of N.Y – 4 Place de la Concorde – Paris – France which forwarded my mail regularly.
C. They sent me two .22 rifles of a type I did not order, several hundred rounds of ammo of another type than I had ordered; sent my guns…to Box 577 Nairobi instead of 557 Nairobi through carelessness so that I did not have my Springfield .30-06 for more than a month and had to shoot my first lion with a borrowed .256 Mannlicher which was so old it would come apart in my hands and had to be held together with tape and Scotch tape. Their carelessness in shipping imperiled both my life and livelihood.
D. In exporting it they valued my .577 Westley Richards at $2,000 and I had to pay full duty on that sum etc.
Please pay the bill, whatever it is promptly, but make a note of the above and put it in a letter to them. / I am an honorary member of the White Hunters Association and an Honorary Game Warden of Kenya and on both of these organizations the impression made by their carelessness was not a good one.
Ok…The dope is now that I have to go into hospital Monday at Genova. Hope check up will be ok, and will get a good plan on handling the internal injuries. I asked Bill Lowe and Hotch [A.E. Hotchner] to give you the word on them and the burns. Couldn’t write letters much on acc’t of right arm which was burned to the bone 3rd degree and it would cramp up on me (still does a little but all burns ok). But fingers burned and left hand 3rd degree too, so couldn’t type.
The trouble is inside where right kidney was ruptured and liver and spleen injured. We’ll get them checked out at this clinic where they have the best man at that stuff in Europe.
Mary has gone to Paris and she and Adriana are meeting at Biarritz and going to Spain. I will join at Madrid when I can. Have Dr. there that have a lot of confidence in. Then will rest and go home to Havana direct. I could take N.Y. But it would be stupid. Sail from Geneva June 4…arrive Havana June.
Hope the dept or Bureau will understand. Had receipts and all sorts of stuff burn. Don’t know whether air company will pay for losses. They said they would. But haven’t yet. That is 54 of course. But receipts etc were 1953. Mary had a big shock and her memory not too hot yet and it will take quite a time to sort things out. Tell the Dept. that I am more valuable to them alive than dead and at present am trying [to] stay alive and get fit to produce.
Al would you find out and let me know what dough Look [magazine] has deposited on these 2nd two pieces and let me know air mail. Also any reaction: good or bad. Also what dough I have with you. Also when I have to pay next and how much. Get this dough from Scribners.
I am weak from so much internal bleeding. Have been a good boy and tried to rest and took full [?] but having to fight the fire gave it to me.
Everything fine here. Hope you and your lovely wife and Philip [are] well.
I’ll have to go out to Kenya again as there is some unfinished business still. So left the 30-06, .577 and .22 rifles and pistols in the game Dept armoury. Had them send my shot guns and Mary’s rifle to Abercrombie and Fitch.
Take care of your-self and give my love to my friends. When you figure 1954 tax estimate 5 percent of the 20,000…from the two 1954 pieces went to Mrs. Larry Figgis…and 5 percent to Roy Marsh who participated. / Best always…Ernie”.
Four page letter is composed by Hemingway on four separate sheets, each measuring 6.5” x 9.75”. Staple puncture at upper left and minor creasing, overall near fine condition. Sold for $237,055.
Exceedingly Rare First Printing Dust Jacket of “The Great Gatsby” — Scarce Jacket Houses First Printing of the Classic Novel
Rare first edition, first printing of one of the most desired books in the history of literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”, with the nearly impossible to find first printing dust jacket, showing the lowercase “j” in “Jay Gatsby” on the rear flap hand-corrected in ink, indicative of the first printing. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925. Designed by artist Francis Cugat, the dust jacket echoes the romantic tone of the novel, with hints of loss and opulence at its core, showing a pair of feminine eyes, with two nude figures in her irises, gazing over a Coney Island carnival. Fitzgerald’s reaction to the jacket was captured in a 1924 letter to editor Maxwell Perkins, “For Christ’s sake, don’t give anyone that dust jacket you’re saving for me. I’ve written it into the book.” It is perhaps one of the few instances where the jacket design actually influenced the novel, and is one of the scarcest first printing jackets in modern literature.
For the book itself, every first printing point is present: 1925 printed on title page; Charles Scribner’s Sons logo appears on the copyright page with no subsequent printing statements; “chatter” appears on page 60; “northern” appears on page 119; “it’s” printed on line 16 of page 165; “sick in tired” found on page 205; “Union Street station” mistyped on line 7-8 of page 211. Bound in teal cloth boards with title and author’s name blind-stamped to front board and gilt lettering to spine. Book runs 218pp., and measures 5.5″ x 7.75″. Minor shelf wear and discoloration to half-title page, overall in very good plus condition for book. Light chipping to spine of jacket, and small losses on spine and upper front portion expertly restored, as well as light edgewear. Also in very good plus condition. Housed in custom blue morocco slipcase. A very seldom-encountered true first printing of an enduring classic. Sold for $84,000.
Charles Darwin On the Origin of Species 1st Edition
First edition, first printing of “On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin, one of the most important books in the scientific canon. London: John Murray, 1859. In this revolutionary book that upended man’s own view of himself, Darwin posits natural selection as the engine driving species’ evolution, an argument so persuasive that even 19th century religious leaders adjusted their teachings to allow for evolution to work in concert with divine planning. Its importance has only grown in the 150+ years since publication, with Freeman concluding it to be “the most important biological book ever written”. First released on 24 November 1859, its scarcity nearly matches its importance, with the first printing consisting of only 1,250 copies, and the number of extant copies now significantly fewer.
All first printing points are present, including original binding, variant B, title page with copyright information on verso, Table of Contents (pages v-ix) with binder instructions to verso, complete pages 1-502, and folding table present between pages 116-117. Bound in publisher’s full green boards, stamped and lettered in gilt. Overall in very good condition; ads at back of volume have been removed as has half-title page, and endpapers have been replaced. Volume is rebacked using morocco, with original spine laid down. Some shelf wear to boards. Light foxing throughout book, with some chipping, small closed tears with repairs to a few pages, and a few dogeared pages. One small mark on page 109, otherwise no internal writing or marks. Housed in a custom quarter-leather clamshell box. Overall in very good condition, a handsome, presentable copy of this scarce first printing. Sold for $68,250.
Rare first edition, first printing of one of the most desired books in the history of literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ”The Great Gatsby,” published by Charles Scribner’s Sons: New York: 1925, with the nearly impossible to find first printing dustjacket. Every point is present: 1925 is printed on title page; Charles Scribner’s Sons logo appears on the copyright page with no subsequent printing statements; ”chatter” appears on page 60; ”northern” appears on page 119; ”it’s” is printed on line 16 of page 165; ”sick in tired” is found on page 205; ”Union Street station” is mistyped on line 7-8 of page 211. Bound in dark green cloth boards with title and author’s name blind-stamped to front board and gilt lettering to spine. Francis Cugat’s scarce original unrestored first printing dustjacket has the lowercase ”j” in ”jay Gatsby” on the back panel hand-corrected in ink. Sold for $50,000.
F. Scott Fitzgerald Lot of Two Extraordinary, Unpublished & Handwritten Poems: “…Tenderest evidence, thumb-print of lust…”
Incredible grouping of F. Scott Fitzgerald original prose, written for Helen Hayes’ daughter Mary MacArthur, who died of polio at the young age of 19. Here, the already famous author pens two lyrical poems, dated 1931 and 1937. At the time he writes the first poem, Fitzgerald was completing “Tender is the Night” while caring for his ailing wife, Zelda, whose mental illness had left her hospitalized in 1930. Fitzgerald handwrites the first, shorter poem in green ink. Inscribed “For Mary MacArthur”, it reads in full: “‘Oh Papa — / My Papa — / Say Papa’ / So! / ‘Is Papa / Your Papa / My Papa?’ / No! / So Spoke You / Why Joke You? Just For To-day / Our Word Is / (Like Birdie’s) / Plenty To Say”. Signed, “F. Scott Fitzgerald / Feb. 13th 1931”. The second, lengthier poem appears on the verso of the same sheet, titled, “Addenda (seven years later)”. Reads in full, “What shall I do with this bundle of stuff / Mass of ingredients, handful of grist / Tenderest evidence, thumb-print of lust / Kindly advise me, O psychologist / She shall have music — we pray for the kiss / of the god’s on her forehead, the necking of fate / How in the hell shall we guide her to this / ‘- Just name her Mary and age her till eight.’ / What of the books? Do we feed her our bread / of the dead, that was left in their tombs long ago / Or should all the fervor and freshness be wed / To next year’s inventions? Can anyone know? / How shall we give her that je ne sais quoi – / Portions of mama that seem to be right / Salted with dashes of questionable pa? / ‘- Age her till eight and then save me a bite.’ / Solve me this dither, O wisest of lamas, / Pediatrician – beneficent buddy / Tell me the name of a madhouse for mammas / Or give me the nursery – let her have the study / How can I pay back this heavenly loan / Answer my question and name your own fee / Plan me a mixture of Eve and St. Joan / ‘- Put her in pigtails and give her to me.’” Signed, “F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nyack 1937”. Sheet measures 7″ x 8″ with poem to front and longer prose poem to verso. From the estate of Helen Hayes. An extraordinary collection, adding to the catalogue raisonne of Fitzgerald’s known works. Sold for $30,875.
Exceptional Ernest Hemingway autograph letter and signed envelope, one day after catching the 500 lb. marlin in Bimini that inspired ”The Old Man and the Sea”, apocryphal until this letter which documents for the first time in Hemingway’s own words not only the size of the marlin, but also its attack by sharks, similar to the plot of Hemingway’s novel. Letter is accompanied by a photo of Hemingway and his friend, Henry Strater, with the half-eaten marlin. Dated 8 May (identified as 1935 by the “Hemingway Letters Project”), Hemingway writes to Erl Roman, the fishing editor of the ”Miami Herald”, describing the catch in detail, the attack by the sharks, and also mentioning that he is sending some photos to Roman. Letter in pencil reads in part,
”Will make this very short on acct. Bill Fagen leaving May 8 / Dear Erl: Yesterday May 7 Henry H. STRATER, widely known painter of OGUNQUIT Maine, Pres. Maine Tuna Club, fishing with me on Pilar landed Blue Marlin which weighed 500 lbs on tested scales after all of meat below anal fin had been torn away by sharks when fish was brought to gaff– Had him ready to take in when sharks hit him– Fish 12 feet 8 1/2 inches– Tail 48 inch spread–girth 62 in. (will send all other exact measurements when have chance to use Steel tape on him). Fish hooked off Bimini, hooked in corner of mouth, never layted, jumped 18 times clear, brought to boat in an hour such a heavy fish jumped hell out of himself. We worked him fast our system. Had him at boat when shark hit him. Strater has football knee, went out of joint, had hell with it, we wouldnt handline fish, he got him up himself, in one hour 40 minutes, we got him over the roller after Some lifting boy, all blood drained, meat gone below anal fin to tail, but fish completely intact, Fred Parke is mounting it–“
Two page autograph letter is accompanied by an envelope signed in pencil, addressed in Hemingway’s hand to ”Erl Roman Esq. / Miami Herald / Miami / Fla.” and signed by Hemingway on the verso, ”E. Hemingway / Yacht Pilar / Bimini / B.W.I.”
Importantly, Hemingway’s account of the marlin catch differs from other anecdotal stories of it, one of which describes Hemingway using a ”machine gun” on the shark, which purportedly attracted more sharks to the feeding frenzy. It’s likely Hemingway left out this detail, as Strater would blame its use on attracting more sharks to the marlin, depriving Strater of a world record marlin catch. “Old Man and the Sea” has been noted by Hemingway scholars as most likely inspired by this particular 7 May 1935 trip, including Michael Culver in his biography “Sparring in the Dark: Hemingway, Strater and The Old Man and the Sea”.
Letter measures 8.5” x 11”, envelope measures approximately 6.25” x 3.625” and photo, which is a modern reproduction, measures 7.75” x 9.75”. Letter is uniformly toned with some chipping along edges, and small piece of tape at very top. Envelope has some foxing and torn edge from opening. Both items are in very good condition. A remarkable letter in Hemingway’s own words of a legendary fishing adventure that inspired one of his most popular, Pulitzer-Prize winning novels. Sold for $28,000.
Ayn Rand First Edition, Signed Copy of “Anthem”
Hardcover with dustjacket. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, LTD.: 1953. Copy given to Nathaniel Branden, her purported protege and lover. Signed and inscribed by Rand in blue ink, “To Barbara and Nathan – – who are now fully my children – to mark your first six-months wedding anniversary – Ayn / July 14, 1953.” Book, which measures 6″x 8.5″, runs 105pp. Thinly-veiled sci-fi-ish allegory supports Rand’s classic Objectivist thesis regarding the subjugation of the ego for the greater whole of society. Dust jacket in near fine condition with minor chips at top. Slight cloth board spotting and very mild toning to interior. A near-perfect signed Ayn Rand first edition copy. Our most expensive Ayn Rand first edition that we have handled. Sold for $22,500.
James Joyce Autograph and an Henri Matisse Autograph in a Scarce Limited Edition of “Ulysses”
Scarce copy of “Ulysses” rare book by James Joyce, illustrated by Henri Matisse. New York: The Limited Editions Club: 1935. Number 297 of a limited edition run of 1500 copies. One of only 250 such copies signed by both Joyce and Matisse. Boldly signed by the author and illustrator on limitation page. Full brown buckram boards with gilt embossing to front cover and backstrip. Large octavo measures 9″ x 11.5″. Volume runs 420pp. with an introduction by Stuart Gilbert and illustrations by Henri Matisse including 20 reproductions of preliminary drawings and six original soft-ground etchings. In 1935 George Macy, founder of the fledgling Limited Editions Club, made the bold decision to commission Matisse to illustrate Joyce’s controversial and previously banned masterpiece, “Ulysses.” Matisse, understanding that Joyce’s work parodied the original eighteen episodes of the “Odyssey,” chose to create his 26 full-page illustrations as actual illustrations of Homer’s original work. Matisse later signed all 1500 of Macy’s limited edition, however, as legend has it, when Joyce realized that Matisse had been working from Homer’s “Odyssey” rather than his novel, he refused to sign any more than the 250 copies he had already signed making this double-signed edition exceedingly rare. Rare book without original slipcase, else fine condition. Sold for $14,460.
First Edition, Third Printing of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Second Novel, “The Beautiful and Damned” — With a Charming Inscription to Actor Edward Everett Horton
Signed and inscribed first edition, third printing of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Beautiful and Damned.” New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons: 1922. Fitzgerald’s second novel paints a vivid portrait of the Eastern elite during the Jazz Age in America. Copy is inscribed by Fitzgerald on the front free endpaper: “This book oddly enough is responsible from its title for the phrase ‘beautiful and dumb.’ I doubt if it has any other distinction. For Edward Everett Horton from F. Scott Fitzgerald / Encino 1939.” In publisher’s original green cloth boards with some soiling. Includes a later printing dustjacket from the A.L. Burt edition with minor wear. Very good condition. Sold for $10,781.
Ernest Hemingway Signed First Limited Edition of ”A Farewell to Arms” — Scarce in Original Slipcase
Ernest Hemingway signed limited first edition of his post-WWI classic, ”A Farewell to Arms”, housed in its original limited edition slipcase, with numbers matching. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1929. Published on 27 September 1929 in a limited edition of 510 numbered copies, this being #214, signed boldly ”Ernest Hemingway” in black fountain pen. In matching slipcase with Charles Scribner’s Sons plate, again listing the limited edition as #214. Measures 6.5” x 9.5”. Some chipping to seams of slipcase, overall in very good condition. Chipping to spine label, otherwise book is near fine. Sold for $10,313.
Louisa May Alcott signed ”Little Women,” published by Roberts Brothers: Boston 1880. Impossible to find, the author’s signature within her masterpiece reads: ”L.M. Alcott” upon the fly-leaf. An Alcott signed instance of ”Little Women” has not been sold at auction in over 4 decades. First published in 1869, Alcott’s spellbinding novel about four sisters coming of age in the Civil War era has since become a classic. This edition is bound in hunter green cloth boards with gilt and black lettering and design. All edges gilt. Measures 7” x 8.5”. Surface loss to exterior corners and edges. Cracking to interior front hinge, with detached front free endpaper. A bookplate affixed to the front pastedown indicates this volume was gifted to the Brookline Public Library in 1917. In addition, the library’s perforated label appears at the bottom of the title page. A news clipping of Alcott’s obituary has been affixed to integral blanks. A label affixed to the rear pastedown reads: ”This book is for use in the library building only” and a barcode label has been partially removed from the rear free endpaper, else very good. With PSA/DNA COA. Sold for $8,908.
Charles Dickens 1859 Signed Copy of His Weekly Magazine Featuring “Christmas Tales”
Extra 1859 “Christmas Tales” edition of Dickens’ weekly magazine, “Household Words,” which was published every Wednesday from 1850-59. Signed with Dickens’ full signature & typical paraph on the title page. Dickens also initials “C.D.” in pencil beside his contributions to the magazine, which included “A Christmas Tree” and “What Christmas Is, as We Grow Older.” Includes a 1933 note from owner Walter Browne stating that “this volume of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens is specially autographed by him for ‘Pa Browne’ who had the leaflet sent up to him, & he kindly signed it – ‘Pa’ Browne died in 1882…” With frontispiece portrait and ownership inscription of “Mr Russell Browne, York, 1859” on verso of the title. Very good condition. Sold for $7,200.
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