Garth Williams: Preliminary Title Illustration for Over and Over

Author Charlotte Zolotow passed away this week at the age of 98. Garth Williams illustrated her 1963 book Over and Over. This preliminary title sketch is from a collection of twenty-one preliminary sketches sold together last year at Heritage auctions.

Garth Williams, original pencil sketch for Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

Garth Williams's initials

Garth Williams, Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GARTH-WILLIAMS-Original-Illustration-Drawing-OVER-and-OVER-Childrens-Book-/281193431346?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&_trkparms=aid%3D444000%26algo%3DSOI.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17906%26meid%3D2262884300890290678%26pid%3D100012%26prg%3D8262%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D281184972604%26&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Garth Williams, original pencil sketches for Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=201248&lotNo=90299#91389138613

Note:  My previous blog post containing another preliminary book illustration by Garth Williams for Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow can be seen here.

Maybe you haven't heard, but this week is the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I haven't said much on the subject, but I do have this one blog post here.

Maybe you haven't heard this either, but "Catching Fire" opens in theaters nationwide on Friday. My reviews of the books in The Hunger Games series may be found here.

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Garth Williams: Trick-or-Treaters from Over and Over

If I had the time and inclination to try and generate some extra cash through eBay, one strategy I might use would be to buy items in bulk and then sell them off individually. While I would hate the idea of breaking up a set of anything, it is generally a sound way to increase overall cash value. I personally wince at the thought of taking apart a bound volume and selling individual plates--I don't think I could ever do that--nor could I comfortably break up a complete suite of lithographs, say, or a fine desk set. I am not exactly the stuff of which a successful dealer is made.

Nevertheless, I don't feel so bad about the current dispersal of the preliminary pencil sketches by illustrator Garth Williams for Charlotte Zolotow's Over and Over. The twenty-one sheets come from the estate of Garth Williams, which to me suggests there may not have been much of a market for them during the artist's lifetime anyway. Heritage Auctions, which I consider one of the best at presenting and archiving even low-end works at auction, didn't bother to photograph these sheets individually. They sold for $500 as a set, including the buyer's premium.

Now individual sheets are being sold off on eBay, including a very loose pencil sketch of some trick-or-treaters bearing the initials G.W. It is no masterpiece certainly, but the sale price of $22.26 still seems fairly low and challenges my long-held belief that breaking up a set is one surefire way to create instant profit.

Garth Williams, original pencil sketches for Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=201248&lotNo=90299#91389138613

Page 8 of the sketches:

Garth Williams, original pencil sketch of trick-or-treaters for Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

Garth Williams's initials

Garth Williams, Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GARTH-WILLIAMS-Original-Illustration-Drawing-OVER-and-OVER-Childrens-Book-/281184972604?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D18348%26meid%3D2035418984338743711%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8402%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D271250155007%26&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

November 20, 2013 Update:  Author Charlotte Zolotow passed away yesterday at age 98.



Note:  A decidedly more expensive illustration by Garth Williams from Stuart Little by E. B. White is featured on this blog here.

More Halloween-themed posts may be found here.

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