Attempted Bloggery: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Showing posts with label Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Sight Unseen: Edward Gorey's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

You've seen me play this game before. A bookseller offers something seemingly too good to be true It's tantalizing, but without the benefit of a photo who knows what the item really looks like? I make an educated guess and, if inclined, I take the bait. I report on the results here.

T. S. Eliot died in 1965, so we know he couldn't have signed the 1982 edition of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. It's almost certainly got to be illustrator Edward Gorey who signed this hardcover edition, but could such a thing really be selling for just $15, even from an outfit called Half Price Books, Inc., of Dallas? The listing on AbeBooks furnished only a stock photo of an edition marketing this book as the inspiration for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats: The Musical" (1981). Seeing, as they say, is believing, and I would have to see this one for myself. I placed my order.

Edward Gorey
AbeBooks listing accessed June 15, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Old-Possums-Book-Practical-Cats-Eliot/31217539199/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=viewbook_low

The book arrived in yesterday's mail. Here it is:

The book is indeed signed by Gorey on an illustrated "Mystery!" bookplate, a nice one. I would have thought a book dealer would want to mention such a thing. Anyway, the book is well worth the price, I believe.

And I'm not alone. AbeBooks lists another copy, also bookplate signed. Check out the price:

Edward Gorey
AbeBooks listing accessed June 21, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31127712521

03994

Monday, January 12, 2015

You Win Some...

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." So goes the old adage. It pays to be cautious, but then how can one be sure one isn't passing up a great bargain? To use an example from real life, what do you do when you find a listing on AbeBooks like this?

AbeBooks Listing by Wonderland Books of Cleveland Heights, OH

These days it has become very easy to overpay for Edward Gorey's signature. Opportunities to get a bargain are quite rare and $35 is a very good price. Gorey's signature is pretty distinctive and, in its way, elegant. In a book he generally crosses out his printed name and signs it instead. This is especially quirky in that his printed name, like all the text in his books, is generally derived from Gorey's own hand-lettering. Here's an example of his signature in a book:

Edward Gorey's signature

http://www.purplehousepress.com/sig/gorey.htm

So that's what we're hoping to find here. In addition, the 1991 calendar is rather uncommon, making this seem like a good deal all around. But is it too good?

In making the decision of whether to purchase, it might help to have a decent photograph. The bookseller has not provided one. The only way to buy this calendar is sight unseen unless you happen to be in Cleveland Heights. One could ask the bookseller a question or request a scan, but that might only serve to alert the seller that the item is of interest and possibly underpriced. So what's the best strategy here?

Well, without a reliable image, I decided to gamble. I figured there was at least a fair chance the calendar was described accurately, and if it weren't I might possibly be able to return it. I thought it was worth the risk and I went ahead and ordered it. Here's what I received:

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot Calendar for 1991
Edward Gorey

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot Calendar for 1991
Signed by Edward Gorey

Well, I got lucky. The calendar is in good condition, it's what the seller says it is, and it appears to be authentically signed. Furthermore, it really was a good deal. There is only one other copy of this calendar on AbeBooks right now and it is not signed. Myrna R. Bishop, Bookseller of Linwood, KS is offering it for $120: