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We do more than sell autographs. We build relationships.™ RON WEEKES - Proprietor DONNELL G. MUELLER - Business Development Director CLAUDIA McGARRIGLE - Associate 3380 Sheridan Drive #360 Amherst, New York 14226 Member: The Manuscript Society, The Ephemera Society of America, |
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Poets and Authors
Among our large and varied inventory are signed first edition books and manuscripts of W. Somerset Maugham, Elbert Hubbard, Robert Penn Warren, Carl Sandburg, Allen Ginsberg, Willa Cather, Gwendolyn Brooks, Christopher Isherwood, Dan Brown and Edmund White; among others. We have also have autographs of Samuel Clemens, Langston Hughes, and others. SEE Books and Catalogue for more offerings of poets and authors.
From a signed photograph of Walt Whitman, autograph of Truman Capote, Andre Gide, Jean Genet or Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, to contemporary material of Isaac Bashevis Singer, Joan Didion or Ernest Hemingway, you can rely upon Weekes Autographs to provide you with the finest in literary autograph material.
BRADBURY, RAY (1920 - ) American mainstream, fantasy, horror, science fiction writer. He is, perhaps, best known for Farenheit 451. (Bradbury has been an avid fellow autograph collector for many years). Signed Photograph: 10"x8" black and white, heavy weight image, boldly signed on the lower mount adding 12/25/86. Fine. $ 100
BROOKS, GWENDOLYN (1917-2000) American poet and novelist. Named Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Among her notable works are Annie Allen and A Street in Bronzeville. Heavy stock ecru card dedicated and signed "For Craig, Sincerely, Gwendolyn Brooks, November 1, 1990." Near mint. $ 35 We also have a signed copy of Brooks' poem Black Love. Brochure signed "Sincerely, Gwendolyn Brooks." Fine. $ 50 CLEMENS, SAMUEL L. (SEE Catalogue Featured Item)
COWARD, (SIR) NOEL (1899-1973) English playwright, composer, director, actor, singer and author. Renowned for his wit, flamboyance and personal style. Signed title page from his 1937 book, Present Indicative; very boldly executed in blue fountain pen ink. Professionally matted in a stunning plum-colored suede board along with a color litho print portrait of Coward from an original color charcoal in the manner of Matisse. Encased in glass and a gilt-wooden frame. $ 450 CRISP, QUENTIN (1908-99) English writer and raconteur. Became a gay icon in the 1970s with the publication of his memoir, SEE Book Section. DICKEY, JAMES (1923-97) American poet and novelist. Perhaps best known for his epic work "Deliverance" which contributed to emotionally scarring for many, particularly the adaptation to the screen horror flick in 1972, co-starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds. Typewritten Letter Signed, one page, 1982, regarding a shipment of books to a bookseller. Some minor spotting and wrinkling to the right margin; otherwise very good. $ 125
“…Soil . . . scoop up a handful of the magic stuff. Look at it closely. What wonders it holds as it lies there in your palm. Tiny sharp grains of sand, little faggots of wood and leaf fibre, infinitely small round pieces of marble, fragments of shell, specks of black carbon, a section of vertebrae from some minute creature. And mingling with it all the dust of countless generations of plants and flowers, trees, animals and – yes – our own, age-long forgotten forebears, gardeners of long ago. Can this incredible composition be the common soil?...” Stuart Maddox Masters, The Seasons Through (1948, Herbert Jenkins Publishers).
MADDOX-MASTERS, STUART British author of "The Seasons Through" (1948, Herbert Jenkins Publishers). A charming Autograph Letter Signed, 1952, concerning his diary-novel about gardeners and their friends. "Your very kind letter was sent to me by Herbert Jenkins lately. how very kind of you to say 'The Seasons Through' interested you. As you may have concluded a lot of it is not so far from the truth! Yours very sincerely, Stuart Maddox Masters." $ 195
HUBBARD, ELBERT (1856-1915) American writer, publisher, philosopher. Founder of the Roycroft Movement. Uncommon unsigned Manuscript with corrections in the hand of Hubbard. Accompanied by superb provenance from his granddaughter, Nancy Hubbard Brady. Also accompanied by a photocopy of a statement from his son, Elbert Hubbard, Jr., circa 1929. Hubbard Jr. dispersed many of his father's papers around this period to friends and associates. Five pages, typewritten, entitled “The Charm of Manner.” Published in The Fra, May 1908, the second issue of Hubbard's new magazine in the first year of its publication. The phrase "charm of manner" was also referenced in Hubbard's biography of business tycoon A. T. Stewart. Other than staple holes and paperclip indenture in upper left hand corner, manuscript is in excellent condition. Sheets measure 5.5”x8.5”. Accompanied by photocopies of statements of Nancy Hubbard Brady. Last page of manuscript concludes with a nine-line, handwritten, postscript by Hubbard. Reads: If you have Charm of Manner, you can’t keep it secret – you will not have to ask for a “raise” – it will gravitate to you every little while. $ 700 (Dealer inquiries welcome).
HUBBARD, ELBERT (1856-1915) American writer, publisher, philosopher. Founder of the Roycroft Movement. Autograph display piece consisting of a Typewritten Letter Signed, one page, dated 1906 on Roycrofters letterhead. Written to celebrated writer, poet and Chautauqua lecturer, Nixon Waterman (1859-1944). Waterman wrote hundreds of articles for such publications as The Saturday Evening Post, Natoinal Magazine, The Smart Set. He rose to national prominence in the 1890s. Letter from Hubbard reads: My dear Nixon, Thank you very much for the postal card just received. I expect to use it as a text for a sermon for the benefit of Philistia at an early date. So here is a hand-grasp over the miles and I am ever Yours Sincerely. Hubbard has humorously added a postscript in his own hand: No I'll not quote you. I've used your ideas often and never given credit. Accompanied by a sepia-tone litho print portrait of Hubbard. Professionally matted in a rich silk-motif board, under glass, and a hammered metal frame. Accompanied by superb provenance from his granddaughter, Nancy Hubbard Brady. Also accompanied by a photocopy of a statement from his son, Elbert Hubbard, Jr., circa 1929. Hubbard Jr. dispersed many of his father's papers around this period to friends and associates. $ 575 (net to all).
NOTES ON AUGUST SCHILLING FOR LITTLE JOURNEYS, 1909
HUBBARD, ELBERT (1856-1915) American writer, publisher, philosopher. Founder of the Roycroft Movement. Manuscript, unsigned one page, on the reverse of Roycrofters stationery. Entirely in the handwriting of Hubbard, accomplished in pencil. Hubbard has written: The New Way in business means opportunity for all those who have said good-bye to school drill - or those who never had it. Opportunity, growth, happiness, success. A. Schilling. Accompanied by superb provenance from his granddaughter, Nancy Hubbard Brady. Also accompanied by a photocopy of a statement from his son, Elbert Hubbard, Jr., circa 1929. Hubbard Jr. dispersed many of his father's papers around this period to friends and associates. $ 175
HOLMES Sr., Oliver Wendell (1809-94) American physician, lecturer, poet-author. His peers considered him one of the best poets of the 19th Century. Vintage signature dated May 12, 1875, professionally matted with an original steel engraving-portrait which bears a facsimile signature. Further protected by Mylar envelope. A desirable image of this great "Fireside poet." $ 165
FERBER, Edna (1885-1968) American novelist, author and playwright. In 1925 she won the Pulitzer Prize for her book So Big. A member of the celebrated Algonquin Table. Autograph Note Signed, being taken from a book she dedicated to a family friend. "Dear (and Imean that) Dr. Schullinger. This seems to be a somewhat battered copy but I want you to have it because it may give you some of the low down on that gallant lady, Mrs. Julia Ferber. With deeper feelings than one should display on a fly leaf. Edna Ferber. July 1949." Professionally matted with two small images: one of the novelist and the other a miniature of "Show Boat." $ 300 (2) We also have a matted and framed display piece consisting of a charming Typewritten Letter Signed to a G.I.. It is a fine example of the author's remarkable wit. The piece is accompanied by a plate of mint commemorative stamps. Under mat and framed. $ 525 HEMINGWAY, Ernest (1899-1961) Renowned American novelist, short story writer and journalist. Vintage signature accomplished in peacock blue fountain pen ink on a small slip of paper. In very good condition having been signed within a book more than 60 years ago. Professionally matted with a handsome print from an original pen and ink drawing showing the great writer at his desk. Accompanied by a plate of mint, US commemorative stamps. Encased in museum conservation glass and a handsome, dark, bamboo-motif wooden frame. SOLD. NASH, Ogden Frederick (1902-71) American poet highly regarded for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "...droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry..." Autograph Note Signed, one page, post-card size, 1966. Would make for an excellent display piece with an image. $ 75
MAILER, Norman (1923-2007) Celebrated American novelist, playwright, poet, screenwriter and film director. A 8"x10" black and white photograph, informal pose in a library, professionally matted and framed with a vintage signature on the lower mount. The ideal gift for the aspiring writer. $ 275 GINSBERG, Allen (1926-97) - Indian Journals. SEE BOOKS FERLINGHETTI, Lawrence (1919 - ) American poet and painter, owner and publisher of City Lights Books. Longtime supporter of the late Ginsberg. Color photo postcard with a scene of City Lights, boldly signed in black marker pen by ferlinghetti. $ 75 MILLER, Arthur (1915-2005) American playwright. Winner of the New York Drama Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Whimsical litho print drawing by Hirschfeld of Miller, no date, boldly signed at the bottom by the playwright. Overall size 5.5"x8.5" $ 150 RICE, Anne (1941- ) Best-selling author of gothic and religious-themed books. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies making her one of the most widely read authors in the history of literature. Signed Photograph; 8"x10" color glossy, heavyweight, photograph (circa 1980s) signed boldly in blue marker pen. $ 95
WARREN, Robert Penn (1905-89) Pulitzer Prize winning novelist (All the Kings Men, 1946) and poet (1957 and 1979). Mr. Warren was the only author to win the Pulitzer Prize for both fiction and poetry. Autograph Manuscript Signed, being a one-page autographic example of his poem "August Moon." Poem is dedicated, signed and dated 1980. Dedication could be matted over. Autographic examples of literary work are most desirable. $ 195
H. L. Mencken
The Sage of Baltimore
MENCKEN, H. L. (1880-1956) Populariy hailed as the "Sage of Baltimore." Mencken was a journalist, essayist, editor, critic and satirist. Mencken was regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the 20th century. Vintage signature on small card which he has dated 1929. Very good. $ 100
SOME HELPFUL TIPS (with thanks to TomFolio.Com) Collecting the autographs of authors is one of the more serendipitous connections of autograph collecting. You have the both writer you admire and a snippet of his very work. Autographs bring a direct link to the Author that almost no other collectible item can give. It is an intimate link between you and the past. The author held the item in her very hands and wrote upon it; you simply cannot get a more direct connection that is so easily verifiable. There are as many reasons for collecting as there are myriad different things to collect. What do you want to collect? Who has influenced you? Perhaps you had a childhood favorite? Was there something that changed your life when you first discovered it? Perhaps you would like a 'complete set' of a specific favorite author's work? Maybe you want to limit yourself to the top ten authors of your favorite genre? In order to validate an unauthenticated autograph you need to become somewhat of a handwriting analyst. Autographs and signatures evolve over time -- and often they devolve into sloppier versions -- but usually they still retain a similar style. The speed of the signature can affect its clarity. Check for similarities, especially in the initial capital letters: most people start the word more clearly and get sloppier at the end, so your analysis should allow for more variance at the rear of the signature than the front. Look especially at the loops, the trailing ascenders and descenders. Try to compare multiple examples and look for similarities among the group. If a truly duplicate identical sample is found, be wary of a possible autopen signature. If a sample is not available, examine the item which has been signed and check for obvious inconsistencies such as an item published or created after the death of the signer. Look at what type of implement was used to sign. While Sharpies (indelible markers) are quite common today, they were not mass produced until 1951 and were not in common usage for signatures until the 1980s. Although a version of the ballpoint pen was patented as far back at 1888, problems with the ink kept them from mass production until around 1945. Get out your magnifying glass or loupe. Check for smooth ink or dots. Most printing processes use screens which place dots of ink on the page so that a light area of the signature, such as the trailing end of the name, will show up as dots rather than a smooth wash of ink. Look at where the strokes overlap: is the ink darker there? It should be because there should be two layers of ink. Or is the color uniform, as a printed or stamped signature would be? Check other copies of the same book to see if that title was issued with the signature printed on it. Libraries are a good place to check. Is the author's name printed on the title page? If you see only the title and the signature that would indicate that the signature was printed as part of the page. Was the item inscribed to someone? A forger is less likely to add an inscription: not only does that make more work but it is generally of slightly less value than a simple signature.
A note of caution: be wary of auction sites. If the item for sale looks like too good a deal, ask questions. Check carefully for mention of a preprint. Remember that Certificates of Authenticity are no more than fancy pieces of paper: like paper money they have no more value than the word of the person or organization who issued them. Most fears about authenticity can be assuaged by the simple expedient of contacting the dealer. |
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