Writer and cartoonist Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) left his unmistakeable signature the front free endpaper of his copy of James Thurber's Fables for Our Time (1940). The book, a 1943 later printing, was sold on eBay in October for a strong $850 despite some minor condition problems, particularly to the dust jacket. The seller writes, "Silverstein considered Thurber to be one of the best draftsmen of the time (along with George Price and Saul Steinberg) and the influence on Shel's own work is undeniable." That's a curious comment. Thurber is indeed one of the great New Yorker cartoonists of his own or any time. There is an indefinable magic to his characters conveyed in their gestures and facial expressions. His use of language, of course, is peerless. Draftsmanship, though, would seem to be the least of Thurber's praiseworthy attributes. The eBay listing goes on to state, "Silverstein commented on a meeting with Thurber in a 1961 interview with Studs Terkel: 'I had the pleasure of meeting Thurber, spent an evening with him in New York, one of the greatest evenings of my life. The man was an unbelievable conversationalist, the greatest I ever heard.'" That sounds more like it.
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| Shel Silverstein eBay listing ended October 18, 2021 |
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| Shel Silverstein eBay item description |
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