John Anderson's Copy of Think Good Thoughts About a Pussycat by George Booth

White Fox Rare Books and Antiques of New York City is offering a very special copy of George Booth's Think Good Thoughts About a Pussycat (1975). The half-title page is signed and inscribed with an original drawing of a cat happily enjoying "A VERY GOOD THOUGHT."

In the description, the bookseller has mistaken the printed self-portrait of Booth's mother Maw Maw for an unsigned sketch captioned Mad Man. We all make mistakes.

Booth has provided the full title page with its own printed dog sequene.

Here's a master class in how to draw a cartoon and write a caption so good that it will one day give a cartoon collection its title:

"I want you to start thinking good thoughts about someone new at our house.
I want you to start thinking good thoughts about a pussy cat."

George Booth
AbeBooks listing accessed September 4, 2026

https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/Inscribed-original-ink-sketch-Think-Good/32490882428/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=viewbook

George Booth
AbeBooks bibliographic details

Note:  Books like this one with an original drawing by George Booth are always of interest here. Readers are encouraged to send scans for potential inclusion in future installments.

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Sight Unseen: George Sprott (1894-1975) With an Original Drawing of . . .

In June, a Canadian bookseller offered a copy of Seth's 2009 opus George Sprott (1894-1975) with an original drawing. The listing showed only the usual stock photo. It's frustrating when this happens, but I have a history of purchasing books Sight Unseen, a gamble that often pays off, but not always. Thus I pursued this volume on the promise of something potentially wonderful, yet unvisualized, inside. The $60 price inclusive of shipping made this one seem a no-brainer. The seller, as it happens, felt remorse over another Seth book I ordered at the same time that proved unavailable and ended up sending this to me free of charge. That doesn't happen very often despite my good nature.

Seth
AbeBooks listing ended June 15, 2026

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/George-Sprott-1894-1975-Seth-Drawn-Quarterly/32464953301/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=readmore

Seth
AbeBooks item description

The book did indeed hold an original drawing by the artist. Every copy of this book I have previously shown on the blog had a drawing of the title character. This one, to my surprise, has a delightful drawing of young Daisy Sprott, George's niece. On all counts, I'm going to call this addition to the library a win.

Here's a glimpse of Daisy:

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Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz With a Drawing of Schroeder

Charles M. Schulz began his Peanuts comic strip in 1950 and in 1952 published the first of what would come to be many collections. It was simply named Peanuts. A copy of a later printing of the first edition is signed by Schulz and includes an original drawing of the character Schroeder in profile accompanied by a trio of hand-drawn musical notes. It's evident that Schulz's rendering of Schroeder evolved quite a bit from the time he drew the cover illustration. This splendid volume is offered by Raptis Rare Books of Palm Beach for $4,000. There is still plenty of time for some lucky music or comics lover to get it before Beethoven's birthday.

Charles M. Schulz

AbeBooks listing accessed August 22, 2026

https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/Peanuts-Schulz-Charles-M-Rinehart-Company/32487389470/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=viewbook_low

Charles M. Schulz

AbeBooks item description

Note:  Beethoven's birthday is December 16.

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Roger K.'s Copy of Quelques artistes et gens de lettres by Jean-Jacques Sempé

In 1992, Éditions Denoël published Quelques artistes et gens de lettres by Jean-Jacques Sempé, himself a cartoon artist and a man of letters. I don't think this book was ever printed in an English language edition. A superb copy is offered for sale by the Paris bookseller Librairie Le Feu Folet [Will-o'-the-Wisp, if you will]. It is reportedly inscribed to one Roger Karenvent although I don't believe that is the actual surname Sempé wrote. Nevertheless, the original recipient, Roger K., whoever he was, received a very nice drawing in his book of an artist at work on a still life. 

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Sight Unseen: Palookaville No. 21 With an Original Drawing by Seth

A copy of Palookaville No. 21 offered by Hourglass Books caught my eye on line. Priced at $50 with AbeBooks, it offered the promise of an original drawing by Seth, albeit of a hat and a lit cigarette. I like Seth's graphic work almost as much as I dislike cigarettes. On hats, I'm personally indifferent, but I admire those men who can project a personal sense of style to the world. The hat and cigarette, I readily surmised, were a stand-in for Seth himself. There was no image of the drawing, alas, but I took the plunge and bought it anyway—sight unseen.

As much as I like Seth's graphic novels, I can't say I've ever read Palookaville. It is, give or take, an annual forum presenting the artist's work in progress. This one was published in October 2013. From the two gentlemen on the cover, this book evidently contains some material from Clyde Fans. The bookseller confirms this.

Seth
AbeBooks listing

Seth
AbeBooks listing ended June 15, 2026

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Palookaville-%2321-Seth-Drawn-Quarterly-Montreal/14768924842/bd

Seth
AbeBooks item description

So, you may well ask, how did it go? Well, the bookseller searched high and low for this one, he wrote me, but he was unable to locate it. Perhaps he sold it previously and lost track of it. He was as nice as could be, refunding my money for this book as well as for another book by Seth, George Sprott (1894-1975), that I ordered and that he did indeed have on hand, although perhaps in imperceptibly lesser condition than advertised. So, no complaints on my end, except that I can't show you the drawing in Palookaville No. 21 as I proudly add the book to my library. When I started this post, I didn't intend for it to end so anticlimactically, but that is sometimes the nature of these Sight Unseen musings. Perhaps I'll have something better to show off when that copy of George Sprott arrives . . . any day now.  

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Newton G.Brand, Jr.'s, Copy of Gahan Wilson's America

Texas banker Newton G. Brand, Jr., (1929-2011) corresponded with a number of New Yorker cartoonists, requesting that they personalize copies of their books by mail. Gahan Wilson (1930-2019) was one of those who complied. In Brand's copy of Gahan Wilson's America (1985), Wilson acknowledges with the word again that this is not the only instance that the artist and the collector have come together in this way. The book was inscribed for Brand on November 19, 1991, some six years after publication. It includes an original drawing of hanging dice and a skull, which recalls an idea that appears on the book's dust jacket. 

Gahan Wilson's signature and date

Gahan Wilson
eBay listing ended July 7, 2026

https://www.ebay.com/itm/377307892029_

Gahan Wilson
eBay listing

Gahan Wilson
eBay bid history
There were seventeen bids in very small increments when the final bidder won the book. Who is that guy?

Note:  I remain eager to use this blog to share books inscribed by Gahan Wilson and other New Yorker cartoonists to Newton Brand, Jr., and other collectors.

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