When Charles Addams was to delight his friends with drawings in copies of his 1957 cartoon collection Nightcrawlers, he often used a blue ballpoint pen and created bold full-page images. A copy inscribed "For Nat" was given in the year of publication to author Nathaniel Benchley (1915-1981) who, in 1955, had published a biography of his father, the Algonquin Round Table's Robert Benchley and prior to that, in 1954, had collected his father's pieces in The Benchley Roundup. The drawing shows the mischievous Pugsley Addams with a pet lizard, the one tended to by Wednesday on the dust jacket cover, thankfully on a leash. The boy had appeared in cartoons for decades but was not to receive his first name until the development of "The Addams Family" television series in 1964. Addams initially had wanted to call him Pubert.
Nathaniel Benchley's children are the late Peter Benchley (Jaws, 1974) and writer and actor Nat Benchley. Apparently no one in the family wished to hold on to this cartoon book.
Charles Addams was later to illustrate the cover for Nathaniel Benchley's The Visitors (1965).
Note: Readers lucky enough to own books like this one (Nightcrawlers) with original Charles Addams drawings like this one (of Pugsley) are encouraged to share them with a blog like this one (Attempted Bloggery).
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
Charles Addams
Pugsley Addams
The Addams Family
Signed Books with Original Drawings
Attempted Bloggery's Bad Boy Index
Nathaniel Benchley's children are the late Peter Benchley (Jaws, 1974) and writer and actor Nat Benchley. Apparently no one in the family wished to hold on to this cartoon book.
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| Charles Addams AbeBooks Listing Retrieved November 21, 2018 |
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| Nathaniel Benchley, The Visitors, 1965 Cover illustration by Charles Addams |
December 4, 2022 Update: Sold?
November 4, 2023 Update: Maybe it wasn't sold at all, but there has been a change in consignment. The book is now being offered by Sotheby's at the same $3,750 price with the same photos.
Note: Readers lucky enough to own books like this one (Nightcrawlers) with original Charles Addams drawings like this one (of Pugsley) are encouraged to share them with a blog like this one (Attempted Bloggery).
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
Charles Addams
Pugsley Addams
The Addams Family
Signed Books with Original Drawings
Attempted Bloggery's Bad Boy Index
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