Giving Thanks 2021

Turkey Day is upon us once again. This is my special time to give thanks and to offer my help by staying out of the kitchen.

Helen E. Hokinson
The New Yorker, November 27, 1937

I have been writing posts here for more than ten years now, but it's no secret that I am not entirely on my own. In my blogging pursuit I am fortunate to be aided by a dedicated group of knowledgeable readers and contributors with incredible resources and expertise that often seem to perfectly complement what I can provide. I owe so much to each of the individuals listed below for offering their generous help to me over this past year. Friends, I thank you all:

Linda Appleby

Tom Bloom

Daniel Borinsky

Steven D. Brewer

Dick Buchanan

Scott Burns

David from Manhattan

A Friend of the Blog

Joel Jacobus

Stephen Kroninger

David Leopold

Michael Maslin

Jeff Nelson

Joe Petro III

TNBIB

Sally Williams

Note:  Labels that link to posts made possible or more complete by each of these contributors may be found below, with a couple of exceptions. The post on the Lüchow's guest book is itself too full of celebrity names to have room for any contributor labels. Tom Bloom, Joel Jacobus, and David Leopold (the latter apparently through the miracle of Twitter) provided invaluable insights. I have no room below for a label linking to the older post helped along by TNBIB, who provided a valuable update on the topic of Ludwig von Drake cufflinks. Say what you will, no other blog covers these topics.

Last but by no means least, I wish to thank my family, who makes everything worthwhile. 

03811

A Thomas Nast Signed Cabinet Card

Charles D. Fredericks (1823-1894) was a pioneering portrait photographer. In 1891, he photographed leading caricaturist Thomas Nast in his studio at 770 Broadway. Nast signed a cabinet card with his portrait in the following year.

Charles D. Fredricks
Thomas Nast, 1891
Signed "Th: Nast. 1892."

Scan by A Friend of the Blog

Note:  Thanks to A Friend of the Blog for the scan of the vintage signed photograph.

03561

Hugh and John's Copy of Big George by Virgil Partch

A Friend of the Blog continues to point out unique books from the world of cartooning and illustration. Big George is a 1962 collection of newspaper panels by Virgil Partch, or Vip as he liked to call himself. Unusual among the examples of his books we have seen here so far, Hugh and John's copy is signed Vip Partch. He drew an original cartoon in the book, complete with a well-wrought caption. It certainly seems good enough to have been published, perhaps in the Big George strip. Was it?

Big George (1962)
Virgil Partch

https://www.betweenthecovers.com/pages/books/441558/virgil-partch/big-george/?soldItem=true

"To Hugh & John                               
'You've grown a head taller
since I saw you last!'
                                     Vip Partch"

https://www.betweenthecovers.com/pages/books/441558/virgil-partch/big-george/?soldItem=true

https://www.betweenthecovers.com/pages/books/441558/virgil-partch/big-george/?soldItem=true

https://www.barnebys.com/auctions/lot/big-george-partch-virgil-WvHTPxSee

Note:  My thanks to A Friend of the Blog for directing me to these bookseller images. This is my friend's seventh contribution to this blog. I am in seventh heaven.

You too can be a friend of the blog, although you might want to come up with your own unique blog-contributor name. Or you could use your real name, as I do. Personalized books by Virgil Partch are among the rarities eagerly sought here. But feel free to use your imagination.

Readers can also help out by identifying any published Vip cartoon that may match the drawing in this book.

It's probably just a crazy coincidence, but Vip's offhand caption appears almost verbatim in Secrets of a Summer Night (2009), a historical romance that is the first book of the Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas. But don't just take my word for it:

https://www.topbooks2019.com/2015/6590_2.html

On the other hand, the author's website states, "A well-read woman is a dangerous creature." Which leads to the obvious question: Is Lisa Kleypas dangerous enough to have read Virgil Partch?

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Vip

Signed Books with Original Drawings

A Friend of the Blog

Attempted Bloggery's Headstrong Index

03371

Maggie of the Suicide Fleet: Margaret Emerson's Copy from Herb Roth

Maggie of the Suicide Fleet (1930) is the story of Maggie, the "pleasure yacht" of "Bromo-Seltzer King" Isaac Emerson, named for his wife Margaret, the recipient of this unique volume. The yacht was enlisted in the American submarine patrol fleet where it was assigned to protect America's coast, yet through a series of misadventures made it as far as the Azores, judging from the cover illustration by Herb Roth. When the book's illustrator dedicated this copy to Margaret Emerson he provided a sketch, very likely a self-portrait, as he describes himself as a coxswain and has drawn what to all appearances is a naval coxswain. When all is said and done, this probably wasn't Margaret's only copy.

Scanned by A Friend of the Blog

Scanned by A Friend of the Blog

Scanned by A Friend of the Blog

Note:  My thanks to A Friend of the Blog for these scans of a fascinating book personalized by Herb Roth, one of The New Yorker's earliest cartoonists and illustrators. This is my friend's sixth contribution here.

It is also the first original work of any kind by Herb Roth to appear on this blog, a real unpublished rarity! I would happily post more of such if any should be forthcoming. In the trade, that it what is known as a hint.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Herb Roth

Signed Books with Original Drawings

A Friend of the Blog

Attempted Bloggery's Seafaring Index

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The Beautiful One's Copy of Roses and Buckshot by James Montgomery Flagg

A Friend of the Blog writes to inform us of a spectacular copy of Roses and Buckshot, the autobiography of American illustrator James Montgomery Flagg published in 1946. It is inscribed to a woman he refers to as "the Beautiful One" with a lovely drawing of her in profile.

Roses and Buckshot (1946)
James Montgomery Flagg

Photo by A Friend of the Blog

Inscribed "To the Beautiful One—
from her greatest
admirer
            Monty Flagg
Nov 3/46"

Photo by A Friend of the Blog

Note:  My thanks to A Friend of the Blog for these photographs. This is my friend's fifth contribution to this blog. A milestone already!

Who then is "the Beautiful One?" Anybody?

Attempted Bloggery seeks books drawn in by James Montgomery Flagg and other major illustrators.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

James Montgomery Flagg

Signed Books with Original Drawings

A Friend of the Blog

Attempted Bloggery's Womanizing Index

03329

Robert's Copy of The Dead Game Sportsmen by Vip

Robert's copy of The Dead Game Sportsmen (1954) by Virgil Partch (Vip) includes an original ink drawing of…of…well, you'd better see for yourself.

The Dead Game Sportsmen (1954)
Virgil Franklin Partch

Photo by A Friend of the Blog

"Your feet are like ice."
Inscribed "To Robert"
Drawing signed Vip

Photo by A Friend of the Blog

Note:  My thanks to A Friend of the Blog for providing these images.

Hairy Green Eyeball, a.k.a. Harry Lee Green, has much additional material from The Dead Game Sportsmen here.

Just a hint: uniquely signed, inscribed, or especially drawn-upon copies of books by Virgil Partch always make welcome submissions to the blog. They also make nice gifts for hard-working bloggers.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Vip

Signed Books with Original Drawings

A Friend of the Blog

Attempted Bloggery's Perfectly-Chilled Index

03322

P. K. Thomajan's Copy of Saul Steinberg's The Art of Living

P. K. Thomajan was the author of essays and books about design. One imagines he was delighted by Saul Steinberg's drawing of a dog in his copy of The Art of Living (1949). Could one hope to master the art of living without a dog? If memory serves, Steinberg himself kept a cat. At any rate, the inscription and drawing were made in the year of publication. The photographs shown here appear courtesy of A Friend of the Blog.

Note:  Once again, my thanks to A Friend of the Blog for documenting this wonderful copy of the book.

Uniquely signed, inscribed, or drawn upon copies of The Art of Living (or other books) by Saul Steinberg always make welcome submissions to this blog.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Saul Steinberg

Signed Books with Original Drawings

Dogs

Attempted Bloggery's Index

03316

An Illegible Inscription in Saul Steinberg's The Passport

What do you make of this inscription by Saul Steinberg?

A Friend of the Blog sent along two photographs of a copy of Saul Steinberg's The Passport (1949). This copy was signed in 1954 with an indecipherable inscription. My first reaction was to think it must be in Romanian but, no, that is not the case, as this friend informed me. It is, rather, one of Steinberg's famous false documents, albeit executed on a very small scale as a book inscription. It strikes me that I have never seen Steinberg do such a thing in this context. After all these years of following his work, I continue to be astonished and confounded by him.

Note:  My thanks to A Friend of the Blog for this fascinating submission.

Saul Steinberg's brilliant false documents are examined by the Saul Steinberg Foundation here.

Uniquely signed copies of The Passport and other books by Steinberg would always make welcome submissions to this blog. Examples of Steinberg's false documents would of course be acceptable too.

What keywords should I use for this post? It's clearly a signed book. Can it be said to have an inscription if the words are all nonsense? Can it be said to contain an original drawing, or is it just wayward handwriting? At a genuine loss, I included all three keywords.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Saul Steinberg

Signed Books

Attempted Bloggery's Unreadable Index

03316

Richard and Dorothy Rodgers's Copy of Give Up? by Whitney Darrow, Jr.

A Friend of the Blog writes with photos of Richard and Dorothy Rodgers's personalized copy of the cartoon collection Give Up? Published in 1966, this copy of the book was inscribed by cartoonist Whitney Darrow, Jr., to the composer and his wife in the year of publication. A delightful watercolor sketch on the theme of the title cartoon is included.

Darrow, Whitney Jr. Give Up?:  A New Cartoon Collection. Simon and Schuster, 1966.

Front cover

Photo by A Friend of the Blog

Darrow, Whitney Jr. Give Up?:  A New Cartoon Collection. Simon and Schuster, 1966.

Inscribed "For Dorothy and Dick with love

from Whitney

9/18/66"

Photo by A Friend of the Blog

Note:  My thanks to A Friend of the Blog for this wonderful contribution. Attempted Bloggery would like to publish reader submissions of other original drawings by Whitney Darrow, Jr.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Whitney Darrow, Jr.

Richard Rodgers

Henry Martin (1925-2020)

Books with Original Drawings

Birds

Attempted Bloggery's Unidentified Flying Index

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