A stunning first edition of John Gould's monumental 1832-1837 The Birds of Europe, with Edward Lear's exquisitely rendered plates of raptors, is expected to bring $75,000+ as one of the top books in Heritage Auctions' April 11 Rare Books Signature Auction at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion (Ukrainian Institute of America) at 2 East 79^th Street (at 5^th Ave.).

"This is simply a gorgeous set and a complete copy of Gould's epic work," said James Gannon, Director of Rare Books at Heritage. "Couple that with Lear's masterfully rendered plates and you have a wonderful confluence of artistry, technique and production that collectors are certain to appreciate."

A significant amount of buzz is also being generated around a superb copy of Alexander Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War (Estimate: $90,000+), Washington, D.C.: Philp and Solomons, (1865-66). The two oblong folio volumes come complete with 100 albumen prints mounted on larger sheets with lithographed frames and captions.

"This is a wonderful example of the most celebrated, memorable and graphic collection of Civil War photographs," said Gannon.

The Heritage event, on track to be Heritage's best Rare Books auction in the category's history, features 755 total lots of rare books, maps, prints and original art with a deep grouping of modern literary classics, many signed.

Foremost among these modern classics is expected to be an uncommonly nice copy of one of 750 numbered copies of the first edition of James Joyce's Ulysses, estimated at $15,000+. A special run of signed William Faulkner limited editions is sure to delight fans of the South's greatest writer, namely Go Down, Moses (Estimate: $8,000+), Sanctuary (Estimate: $8,000+), As I Lay Dying (estimate: $5,000+), Soldier's Pay (Estimate: $5,000+), Sartoris (Estimate: $2,000+), and Light in August (Estimate: $2,000+).

Fans of modern horror have already begun to take notice of an extraordinary special advance proof of King's first novel, Carrie, inscribed by the author to his close friend, Phil "Flip" Thompson, who dared King to write a novel about a woman, thus resulting in the writing of this very book. Just as important, if not more important, is that this is the first book Stephen King ever signed, with his inscription reading: "For Flip and Karen – two of the best there are – and I mean that – by the way, this is the first book I've signed in my life — it's kind of fun. All the best, no matter what. Stephen King February 4, 1974."

"Stephen King is the greatest horror writer who has ever lived," said Joe Fay, Manager of Rare Books at Heritage. "His impact and influence on modern culture will be studied for generations. To say that his very first autograph in a book makes this an attractive rarity is an understatement. This is a stellar piece, and one destined to be the cornerstone book of any King collection."

Also included in the auction, as a separate catalog, is the very special James and Deborah Boyd Collection, featuring more than 200 fine books in economics, military history, literature and science. Chief among the Boyd Collection is a 1776 first edition of Adam Smith's groundbreaking work of economics, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, described by Printing and the Mind of Man as "the first and greatest classic of modern economic thought." It is estimated at $80,000+.

Heritage Rare Books auctions have recently featured small groupings of important illustration and the April 11 auction continues this popular feature with a good number of original illustrations from the continuing sale of The Estate of Garth Williams, as well as a small but choice selection of original art from illustrator and portraitist John Tibbetts, including his original signed and inscribed portrait of Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen, estimated at $1,000+.

In 1776, Scottish philosopher Adam Smith published his masterwork, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, known today by the shorter title, The Wealth of Nations. It was a groundbreaking study in the field of economics, and is still an important text today.

"Historians consider this book the foundation of modern economic thought," says James Gannon, director of the rare books department at Heritage. "The ideas expressed in these pages reflect the rise of the principles behind modern capitalism."

A first edition of The Wealth of Nations, printed by Strahan in London in 1776, is one of the featured items in the James and Deborah Boyd Collection, an amazing assortment of fine books in economics, military history, literature, and science. This collection boasts numerous historically-important works.

Included in the Boyd Collection is an extremely scarce 1926 privately-printed subscribers' edition of T. E. Lawrence's epic Seven Pillars of Wisdom, one of only 170 complete copies, and is signed by Lawrence on a preliminary page, "Complete copy i.xii.26 T. E. S." (Lawrence changed his name to T. E. Shaw in 1923).

Another highlight is the first edition in English of the greatest work in the history of science, Sir Isaac Newton's The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, printed in London in 1729. This important work (the Principia on which it is based is generally thought to be the most important science book ever printed) was published two years after the author's death.

Other high spots of the Boyd Collection include, but are certainly not limited to the following: first editions of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species; Thomas Malthus's foundational work on population growth, titled An Essay on the Principle of Population; Sir Isaac Newton's Opticks; Harriet Beecher Stowe's American classic Uncle Tom's Cabin; several signed or inscribed Winston Churchill first editions, including a first edition set of Marlborough inscribed to the author's friend and commanding officer; and two important autograph albums, one featuring signed documents from every U. S. president from George Washington to Herbert Hoover, and the other featuring signatures of Abraham Lincoln and fifty Union officers from the Civil War.

"James and Deborah embarked on their book collecting journey with two thoughts in mind: to amass first edition books of note in the field of economics with an emphasis on the history of thought and to create a library focusing on the art of war specifically in the modern era. James, as a doctorate in economics, catalogued each volume in a comprehensive bibliography recording how he saw it fit in the larger framework of the other books," Gannon adds. "Both James and Deborah saw their effort as a labor of love by acquiring tangible pieces of printed history."

The James and Deborah Boyd Collection is scheduled to go under the auctioneer's hammer during our Signature Rare Books Auction #6085, April 11, at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, 2 East 79^th Street, New York, New York 10075. Please contact James Gannon if you have any questions regarding the collection.

By Joe Fay

In 1973, when Tabitha King rescued the first few pages of her husband's novel, Carrie from the trash, she did the world a huge solid. But she might not have been the real hero behind Stephen King's first novel. That honor perhaps lies with King's former college roommate and close friend, Phil "Flip" Thompson.

In King's own words, in an interview with Charles L. Grant: "[O]ne of my college friends [Flip Thompson], who was still in college and could therefore still afford literary scruples, came to me and said, 'Why are you writing all of this macho crap?' I explained that they were for macho magazines and the stories didn't sell too well to Cosmopolitan. 'You don't have any feminine sensibility at all,' he said. I told him I could if I wanted to, but he didn't think so... I had said I could do it, so I sat down and started writing a short story, and that short story was Carrie."

King worked on Carrie over the next year with his editor, and eventually the book earned publication at Doubleday in the spring of 1974. A couple of months earlier, King received an allotment of advance proof copies of the novel from the publisher, bound in simple white wrappers and reading "Special Edition Not for Sale / To Be Published April 1974 by Doubleday & Company, Inc." at the bottom of the back cover. I don't know how many he received. Perhaps only a handful, which he likely handed out to family, friends, and college buddies.

One such copy of the advance proof of Carrie will appear at our April 11 Rare Books Auction in New York City. And it's extra special, because it is inscribed by King to Flip Thompson, both a good friend and the catalyst of the novel's very existence. And it's extra special, and unique, because the inscription reads as follows: "For Flip and Karen — two of the best there are — and I mean that — by the way, this is the first book I've signed in my life — it's kind of fun. All the best, no matter what. Stephen King February 4, 1974." The bolding is mine, but the impact of those ten words is King's.

The first book Stephen King ever signed? Wow! And the fact comes directly from the man himself; it's in his own handwriting: "this is the first book I've signed in my life..." When I first saw the book, I couldn't believe the inscription. THE FIRST BOOK. STEPHEN KING. EVER SIGNED!

Forgive me for the somewhat childish reaction, but that's where Stephen King lives in me. Wherever that kid still hides inside my mind, he's sitting in his room reading The Stand. I've grown up on the man's stories of horror and the supernatural, and I've grown up loving books, and I've made a career in rare books. So, when the three collide like this, I get a little giddy. I really can't help it. If I could only afford it! But knowing King collectors, this book won't go quietly under the hammer on April 11. It would surely be the cornerstone of any serious Stephen King collection, and we expect the price to reflect that certainty.

And while this is obviously the best and most desirable book inscribed by King to Flip Thompson in this auction, it's not the only one. There are four other titles inscribed from King to Thompson, as follows: first editions of Night Shift (in the original dust jacket), Salem's Lot (wonderfully inscribed), The Dead Zone (signed "Steve King"); and Norman Mailer's Executioner's Song (with a wonderful inscription to Flip regarding King's thoughts on the novel). The latter two books are inscribed to "Phil", Flip Thompson's real first name.

All five of these books were bought by a Portland, Maine book dealer from Flip's second wife, Sharon, in 1987, evidenced by the letter that accompanies Carrie (and a photocopy of that letter that comes with the other four books). This is really the best group of early King signed books that I've seen yet, and I'm more than very excited to have them in our New York auction.

What would have happened had Flip Thompson not challenged his buddy to write a novel about a woman? Who knows, really. Most people who study King's early career conclude that he would have found publication in book form eventually. The talent was just too special. But, the fact remains that Flip Thompson DID dare King to write about a woman. And King DID accept the challenge. And Carrie DID become a rocket that launched a literary satellite into the firmament.

So, wherever you are, Flip Thompson, thank you for daring your good friend to write what ended up being his first published novel, and what also turned out to be the spark that ignited an atomic bomb in the world of horror and supernatural fiction. As a kid, I spent countless hours admiring the products of that explosion, in the form of King's prolific output of amazing stories. And I still do.