Garbo Reads

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Ambassador Pamela Harriman. The list of A-listers in the social circle of New Yorker cartoonist and Addams Family creator Charles Addams has been well-documented on this blog alone, and much more scrupulously in Linda H. Davis's biography of the artist. Yet there's something altogether thrilling about finding new evidence that even the reclusive actress Greta Garbo knew Addams. She was indeed the proud owner of a presentation copy of his 1960 collection Black Maria. The book is inscribed "For G G with much love/ New York 1960" and is available from the highly-reputable Argosy Books in New York for $400. The shop reports having purchased it from the Garbo estate. Alas, the listing includes no photos.

Charles Addams' Black Maria (1960)
Argosy Book Store
AbeBooks Listing as of June 24, 2017

https://www.abebooks.com/Black-Maria-ADDAMS-Charles-GARBO-Greta/22457937223/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=viewbook

James Cummins, another of New York's great bookseller, also has an inscribed copy of Black Maria listed on AbeBooks, and he does indeed provide photos. This book is inscribed to author Nathaniel Benchley and his wife Marg. It is also dated New York 1960 and it is available for $750.

Charles Addams' Black Maria (1960)
James Cummins Bookseller
AbeBooks Listing as of June 29, 2017

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=3623903672&searchurl=ds%3D5%26sortby%3D1%26tn%3Dblack%2Bmaria%26an%3Daddams%2Bcharles%26sgnd%3Don

Note:  Support your local blog! Attempted Bloggery is by no means above celebrity worship. If you own or have access to a book presented by A-list cartoonist Charles Addams to an A-list celebrity, you don't have to be shy about it. Send a scan or sharp photo of the book's cover and inscription and let the world admire it.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Charles Addams

Black Maria

Signed Books

Attempted Bloggery's D-List Index

02229

Charles Addams Among the Flowers and Shrubs

A thank-you note from cartoonist Charles Addams is not the sort of thing one throws away, especially if it is in the form of a watercolor drawing. Ambassador Pamela Harriman kept hers some thirty years, and it was sold with her estate at Sotheby's in 1997. She was married to Leland Hayward from 1960 until his death early in 1971, which would date this drawing to sometime between 1960 and 1970.

The Estate of Ambassador Pamela Harriman
May 19-21, 1997, Lot 756
Sotheby's

Inscribed "Dear Pamela— I so enjoyed being among the flowers and shrubs again — and again thank you and Leland for a beautiful week end —Charles"

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2000/the-estate-of-ambassador-pamela-harriman-ny7015/lot.756.html

Note:  Readers are invited to share their own thank-you notes from Charles Addams right here on the old blog. I'm curious whether he signed his name Charles or Chas.

No weekend getaway to this blog is complete without clicking a few links:

Attempted Bloggery's quick links:

Charles Addams

Autograph Letters, Signed

Halloween

Attempted Bloggery's Thankful Index

02006

Ambassador Pamela Harriman's Copy of Favorite Haunts by Charles Addams

I must have been aware of it when the estate of Ambassador Pamela Harriman was sold off at Sotheby's in 1997—I still have the catalogue, after all—but I can't say I was paying close attention. I did notice though when the Harrimans' personalized copy of Favorite Haunts was listed on eBay a decade later. It sold for $52 on May 2, 2007, less than one would expect for a signed copy of the book even without the Harriman association.  Favorite Haunts, of course, is the 1976 cartoon collection by Charles Addams. I imagine that at the auction it was a part of a large lot of books, some or all of which subsequently were resold individually. This copy is inscribed to Pamela and W. Averell Harriman and today enjoys a home in my library.

Averell and Pamela Harriman's copy of Favorite Haunts by Charles Addams

Sotheby's proof of provenance

Inscribed "For Pam and Ave/all the best/Chas Addams/1976"

The Estate of Ambassador Pamela Harriman
May 19-21, 1997
Sotheby's

Note:  Attempted Bloggery prefers to travel in the best social circles. If you have a cartoon book signed by or to someone in high society, please consider sharing it here. Remember, even people listed in the Social Register need to get their laughs!

Despite my rather deft Google skills, I wasn't able to discover any photographs of Charles Addams with the Harrimans. I'd love to hear from anyone who can help me with this.


Attempted Bloggery's quick links:

Charles Addams

Favorite Haunts

Signed Books

Halloween

Attempted Bloggery's High Class Index

02005