Attempted Bloggery: blind stamp

Showing posts with label blind stamp. Show all posts

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Joe Petro III's Copy of Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson

Joe Petro III describes how he obtained his striking copy of the British hardback edition of Hell's Angels (1967) by Hunter S. Thompson, signed and embossed with the blind stamp of the author and generously embellished by Ralph Steadman (who, of course, worked extensively with Thompson but did not illustrate this book). The Gonzo emblem is by Thomas W. Benton. Joe writes:

The copy below Hunter signed for me in his kitchen while Ralph and I were visiting him at Owl Farm; that's where Ralph also did the drawing of Hunter for me. Hunter signed the book in red marker, stamped it, and then squeezed his embosser in to the page to top it off. I have been friends and a printmaker with Ralph and Hunter for over 20 years.

Bad Craziness
"On behalf of the good doktor"
Ralph Steadman

Note: I hope readers will feel free to use this blog to show off their own outstanding books signed by Ralph Steadman, Hunter S. Thompson, or their ilk, not that they have any ilk.

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Thursday, August 13, 2020

Mayor John Lindsay's Copy of One Man's Fancy by Charles Saxon

One might think that well-known people—politicians, artists, writers, actors, athletes, celebrities—would recognize that their personal libraries have some market value. A book demonstrably associated with a well-known personality should be expected to fetch a higher price than an ordinary copy of the same book. Books demonstrably from celebrity libraries should carry a premium even without a particular association linking the individual to the book. Such well-known individuals could write or sign their names in their books or use a book plate, ink stamp, or blind stamp. Their heirs might thank them.

The alternative scenario is rather frustrating. To wit, a copy of Charles Saxon's cartoon collection One Man's Fancy (1977) is inscribed "To John" and "Love Bink" in the year of publication with words recalling a pleasant weekend on Eastern Long Island. But who are John and Bink? This leaves the eBay bookseller to have to explain that Bink is poet Bink Noll and that "the recipient was John V. Lindsay, according to a pencil notation in the front of the book." This all speaks to an interesting weekend in the Hamptons, but it doesn't provide much in the way of documentation beyond "To John" and the anonymous notation. That is very likely why this copy, reportedly from the library of New York City's former mayor, sold on eBay in 2016 for the lackluster price of $9.95 with just one bid. The story is plausible but the evidence is just not there in the book. One imagines that the same book with a verifiable provenance should be worth considerably more.

Inscribed "December 4, 1977
To John, on the occasion of adding
to this one man's fancy a gorgeous
weekend of long seaside walks, bicycle
expeditions, great company, feasting and wine
in the lovely new home at the end
of Long Island.
Love
Bink"