The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons Signed by Hillary Clinton

It seems natural that politicians should appreciate political humor and cartoons, although ever since Boss Tweed was lambasted by Thomas Nast they have had to be understandably wary. In December of 2000, New York State's Senator-Elect Hillary Clinton signed and inscribed a copy of The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons which had been published earlier that year. According to a pencil annotation, the recipient was Henry Welt. Welt is a New York City attorney specializing in intellectual property rights. The tone of the inscription is friendly, but Mrs. Clinton is also looking for some meaningful assistance in the Senate.

Priced at $850 by the Argosy Book Store, the purchase is not one to be taken lightly. There are probably not too many cartoon collections like this, but this book's value lies in the inscription rather than in the cartoons. The big question here is whether this is potentially a good investment and whether the book will go up in value should Mrs. Clinton be elected President in 2016.

Inscription from Hillary Clinton to Henry [Welt] in The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons (2000)

The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons (2000)

AbeBooks Listing as of August 5, 2015

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=14986349081&searchurl=x%3D44%26y%3D12%26sortby%3D1%26tn%3DThe+New+Yorker+Book+of+Political+Cartoons

Note:  One other interesting copy of The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons has appeared on this blog. See what happens when four cartoonists sign and draw in a copy of the book. I would love to see other unique copies of this book if anyone can locate them...

There must be other cartoon books out there signed by politicians. If you know of them, this is the place to share them.

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The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons Signed by Four New Yorker Cartoonists

An extraordinary copy of The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons (2000) was sold last month on eBay and is worth looking into. The book is signed and inscribed by no fewer than four New Yorker cartoonists, each of whom contributed a drawing. The cartoonists are Roz Chast, Edward Koren, Arnie Levin, and Danny Shanahan. Danny Shanahan's drawing is appropriately political while the other three cartoonists do pretty much their own thing.

The eBay seller's item description notes one drawing, not four, misspells Koren and signed, and omits cartoonist Roz Chast altogether. It lists the condition as new where there is obviously some wear to the lower edge of the dust jacket. Otherwise, it's pretty darned accurate. The book had been listed for the better part of a year with a Buy It Now price of $500. It sold with the Make Offer option for $250. The seller is evidently the original recipient or a relation.

Michael Witte, The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons (2000)

The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons signed, inscribed, and illustrated by four New Yorker cartoonists. Clockwise from top right, a politician irritates both Democrats and Republicans inscribed "For Richard—/All the best./Danny Shanahan," a fish eyes a set of golf clubs inscribed "For Richard Pepitone/with best regards/Edward Koren/9-27-00," a family of three inscribed "To/Richard/Pepitone/Cheers!/Roz Chast," and a cat and a dog inscribed "Best—/Richard/Arnie Levin."

The EBay Listing as it appeared in March or April 2014

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-New-Yorker-Book-of-Political-Cartoons-Inscribed-with-one-original-drawing-a-/121313048323?ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

EBay Item Description

EBay Listing Ended November 26, 2014

The Accepted Best Offer:  $250

Note:  This is the best copy I've ever seen of The New Yorker Book of Political Cartoons or indeed of any of the themed collections put out by the Cartoon Bank. It's hard to imagine there aren't other copies somewhere out there with original drawings of equal interest. Attempted Bloggery is always eager to show off great keepsakes like this tucked away in private libraries. Share one here and you can even choose to remain anonymous, unless your name happens to be written all over the place like Richard Pepitone's.

While your scanner is warming up, be sure not to miss Attempted Bloggery's virtual collection of signed books with original drawings,

As long as you're browsing the archives, you might also want to check out my blog posts about the quartet of cartoonists who illuminated this particular small volume:
Roz Chast
Edward Koren
Arnie Levin
Danny Shanahan

And don't forget: 'Tis the season for Christmas posts too.

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