Historical News: A Stunning Presentation Copy of Hemingway's First Book

A Stunning Presentation Copy of Hemingway's First Book
By Paula Bosse

In 1923 Ernest Hemingway was a 23-year old unpublished writer living in Paris, working as a journalist. Upon his arrival in the city, he wasted little time becoming acquainted with the expatriate avant-garde writers and artists who frequented the Left Bank bars and cafés, and he quickly became a fixture at Gertrude Stein's famed salons.

Ernest Hemingway. Three Stories & Ten Poems

That year he met Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap (who was known professionally as "j.h."), the somewhat radical American co-editors of The Little Review, one of the most popular and influential of the "little magazines." The two women had famously been tried in New York on obscenity charges resulting from their serialization of James Joyce's previously unpublished Ulysses, and after each paid their $50 fine, they relocated their magazine to Paris where they immediately became major figures in the world of the literary "exiles."

Margaret Anderson was a glamorous and flamboyant force of nature who, with the equally unconventional Jane Heap, founded and edited The Little Review, a publication that introduced modernist writers and artists to America, publishing works by everyone from Joyce and Yeats to Eliot and Pound to Picasso, Gris, and Brancusi. It was Anderson and Heap who very enthusiastically published Hemingway's prose vignettes for the first time and introduced his work to the literary world beyond the Rive Gauche.

Hemingway's first book, a slim volume titled Three Stories & Ten Poems, was published this same momentous year. Publisher Robert McAlmon allowed him four author's copies, which he picked up from Sylvia Beach at her book shop, Shakespeare and Company, before he left Paris for Toronto. One of these copies was inscribed by Hemingway to Miss Beach that day, and when that copy appeared at auction in 2004, it sold for an astounding $176,000.

It is quite possible that another of these four author's copies was the one he warmly inscribed to Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap. Hemingway owed a debt of gratitude to the two women who had had faith enough in him to publish his first work and had helped to launch what would turn out to be a great literary career.

It is this presentation copy, inscribed by Ernest Hemingway to the two women who helmed one of the most important literary magazines of the modernist age and who published his first mature prose work, that Heritage Auctions is proud to offer in our Rare Books Auction #6064 scheduled for February 8, 2012 in Beverly Hills.

The first edition of Hemingway's first book – which is one of only 300 copies printed – is collectible even when not signed. But this copy, not only signed by Hemingway but also inscribed by him to Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap – the only copy of any book that we know of inscribed to both women – is an incredible association item.

This stunning copy has remained in the private collection of the family of Dorothy Caruso, widow of Enrico Caruso, the internationally renowned opera singer, who, many years after her husband's death became the longtime companion of Margaret Anderson. This is the first time this extraordinary presentation copy has been offered for sale.

The Massacre at Goliad and the Fannin Presentation Cane
By Bryan Booher

[James Fannin] Presentation Cane. Gold-plated, ball-handled presentation cane

The March 2012 Texana Auction #6067 will feature many unique and exciting pieces of Texas history. One of these is a presentation cane fashioned from a piece of wood cut from a tree growing on the grave of Colonel James W. Fannin by a survivor of the infamous Goliad Massacre.

James Walker Fannin, Jr. moved to Texas in 1834, settling his family in Velasco under the guise of plantation owner, but his own letters suggest he was involved in the trading of slaves. As the Texas Revolution commenced, he was given a captain’s commission in the volunteer army and shortly thereafter received a colonel’s commission in the regular army courtesy of General Sam Houston. Fannin was not well liked by his men, due in part to his apparent lack of humility and his shortcomings as a commander, and shortly before his death had requested relief of his command. In a letter to his brother, Private J. G. Ferguson wrote of Fannin: "I am sorry to say that the majority of the soldiers don't like [Fannin]. For what cause I don't know whether it is because they think he has not the interest of the country at heart or that he wishes to become great without taking the proper steps to attain greatness." Despite his detractors, he proved his mettle at Goliad.

Following the Battle of Coleto on March 20, 1836, Colonel Fannin surrendered his command to Mexican General José de Urrea and he and his men were subsequently marched to Goliad and imprisoned in the Nuestra Señora de Loreto Presidio. The men, under the assumption that they had surrendered honorably as prisoners of war and would be paroled and returned to the United States, had in actuality been surrendered by Fannin as prisoners of the Supreme Mexican Government

Urrea wrote General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna informing him of the surrender and requesting clemency for the prisoners. Santa Anna, in no mood to placate the rebels in Texas by showing mercy to their fellow soldiers and operating well within the laws of Mexico, ordered the immediate execution of all prisoners, including eighty men of the Georgia Battalion who had surrendered after the Battle of Refugio and been added to the prison population on March 25. Three hundred and forty-two men were executed on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836. Fannin, after witnessing the deaths of his men, was the last to be dispatched. He asked for three things: that his belongings are sent home to his family, that he be shot in the heart, not in the face, and that he be given a Christian burial. Seated in a chair due to a wound to the leg suffered at Coleto, he was blindfolded, shot in the face, and along with his men, had his body burned and left to the elements. The Mexicans took his belongings.

Twenty-eight men escaped the death squads that day. One lucky soul was William Lockhart Hunter. William L. Hunter (1809-1886) came to Texas in 1835 as a member of the New Orleans Greys. He served under Fannin and was present at the siege of Bexar and the Battle of Coleto, after which he was imprisoned at Goliad. He, along with the rest of Fannin’s men, was marched out of the presidio on March 27, 1836, and shot. Two different versions of how he survived exists, but what is known is that he was wounded in the volley, either passed out or feigned death, and was nursed at a farmhouse nearby. He lived to serve as a judge in Refugio County and in the Republic of Texas Congress. In 1845 he was a representative of Goliad at the Annexation Convention. Hunter lived in Goliad for the rest of his life.

While visiting the grave of his fallen commander some years later, Hunter cut a piece of wood from a tree growing on Fannin’s grave to have made into a cane as a present to one E. R. Lane. He had a 14K gold-plated ball handle attached bearing the following inscription: "Wm. L. Hunter/ to/ E. R. Lane/ I cut this stick/ from the grave/ of/ Col. Fannin." Look for this and other wonderful pieces celebrating the glories of Texas at the upcoming Texana auction, March 3, 2012, in Houston, Texas.

The consignment deadline is fast approaching! If you have any items you wish to be included on our March Texana auction, please contact Sandra Palomino at SandraP@HA.com by January 11, 2012.

Reference: Clinton P. Hartmann, "FANNIN, JAMES WALKER, JR.," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed January 06, 2012; Stephen L. Hardin. Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution, 1835-1836, 1994, p. 174.

From the Heritage Bookshelf: The Accidental Collector: Jack Cordes and Science Fiction
by Joe Fay

Will it play in Peoria?

This expression has long been uttered by performers, advertisers, and others to gauge whether or not a given thing (joke, product, person, etc.) will appeal to the mainstream. Somehow, the people of Peoria have become synonymous with Main Street. As a result, the folks who live there are often judged (or pre-judged) as perhaps quite a bit more folksy than reality would allow.

I had this phrase in mind when I recently traveled with one of our rare books catalogers, Harlan Kidd, to Peoria to pick up a science fiction book collection from a man named Jack Cordes. The name sounded familiar, and after doing a bit of research, I realized that I had probably seen his name in a fanzine or two over the years. Or perhaps I remembered him from reading one of the two books dedicated to him by Philip Jose Farmer (The Mad Goblin and Behind the Walls of Terra). Knowing that Mr. Cordes was intimately involved in first fandom, I was excited to meet him, and to see his collection. Based on what I knew of his books already, I certainly wasn't expecting a boring Midwesterner or an average American guy. Not only was I not disappointed, I was bowled over by him.

Jack Cordes was an absolute delight to meet. Harlan and I walked into Mr. Cordes's house, and immediately felt that we had met a blithe, and kindred, spirit. Mr. Cordes directed us to his attic library and showed us around the stacks with the ease of a friend, and related to us with casual conviction that his books were now meant to spread their wings and fly to other places. He cherished his collection, but the memory of the books would sustain him from this moment forward. We talked about science fiction and Farmer and Ray Bradbury and H. P. Lovecraft and movies and art and Hollywood and I quickly learned that there is nothing Main Street about Jack Cordes.

Mr. Cordes is a wonderful conversationalist, a devoted father and grandfather, a decorated World War II veteran with a Purple Heart earned at Normandy, an A-V-I-D reader, a true first fan of science fiction, and just the spryest 86 year-old man you can imagine. One of the highlights of my visit happened when he enthusiastically professed a love for the film, Repo Man. Quite frankly, I was stunned at this news. I love that movie, and it's hard to find more than two people within shouting distance who've even heard of it. It would most definitely be near the bottom of any list of movies I would expect someone like Mr. Cordes to appreciate. I guess I should stop judging people from Peoria...

Anyway, we met Mr. Cordes, and over the course of two days of packing his collection for shipment back to Dallas, we heard many great stories from him. Mr. Cordes related tales of his interactions with the aforementioned Philip Jose Farmer, and also Vernell Coriell, Hannes Bok, Charles Addams, Keith Laumer, Anthony Burgess, and many others.

Mr. Cordes's family also traveled to Peoria to be with him during our visit, and we greatly enjoyed their company, too. They even made us chili in the evening, which was both very much appreciated and delicious.

There is also nothing Main Street about Jack Cordes's circle of friends in Peoria. Most notable among Mr. Cordes's hometown friends was Philip Jose Farmer (PJF). In fact, Jack's entire family knew "Phil" and talked about him like a favorite uncle. To me, PJF was, is, and will always be Philip Jose Farmer. Three names, no less (and no more intimate). To Mr. Cordes and his family, he's just their genius friend, Phil. Besides being a close friend, Farmer was also a fellow member of a film watching group with Mr. Cordes, and would often give Jack advance reading copies of books to read, no doubt sent to Farmer in droves. If Mr. Cordes liked a book, there was a good chance that Farmer would read it, too.

Mr. Cordes's close friendship with Farmer can be seen in an inscription from one of Mr. Cordes's books in our February 8-9 Rare Books Auction #6064, which is a handsome first edition of Farmer's The Green Odyssey, NOT an ex-library copy as most of them are, inscribed and signed by Farmer as a wedding present to Mr. Cordes. The inscription reads: "Jack, I know you'll have a pleasant voyage on your green odyssey through the matrimonial sea, because you'll not be wanting to escape your own personal Amra. Philip Jose Farmer."

Jack also developed a friendship and hearty correspondence with famed illustrator, Hannes Bok. In the February auction, we present a wonderful archive of letters from Bok to Mr. Cordes, each one with a small drawing by Bok at each letter's closing. There are also a selection of Bok's Christmas cards, designed by him, which he sent to Mr. Cordes between 1957 and 1962. In a couple of the letters, Bok mentions the sale of his painting Girl and Dino, which he sold to Mr. Cordes in 1961. This painting was still hanging on the wall in Mr. Cordes's living room when Harlan and I walked through the door, and will appear in our March 1-2 Illustration Art Auction #5090 in Beverly Hills, along with Mr. Cordes's small but select assortment of paintings.

Other items from Mr. Cordes's collection will be appearing in various Heritage auctions throughout the year, including his pulp magazine collection in various Comics auctions and his Hollywood-stars-and-starlet-signed books in the March 31 Entertainment Memorabilia Auction #7053 (including books signed by Judy Garland, Steve McQueen, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, Mae West, John Wayne, and numerous others).

We will also be including a healthy selection of lots from the Jack Cordes Collection in each Weekly Rare Books Internet auction starting with the week of our February auction #6064. A great number of these books are signed, and many inscribed to Mr. Cordes himself. The weeklies will include Mr. Cordes's science fiction books, both hardcover and a wonderful selection of vintage paperbacks, but also a big collection of more modern science fiction literary magazines, a large collection of genre reference works and small press publications, some collectible science fiction ephemeral items, and a couple of photographs, including a small Star Trek photo signed to Mr. Cordes by Shatner and Nimoy.

Mr. Cordes claims to have read everything in his library. Usually, I don't believe this when people say it. In fact, Mr. Cordes is likely the first person who has ever said this whom I actually believe. I think he's read every word of his collection, and that's really rare. And as a result of a lifetime spent reading about spacemen, robots, giant killer insects, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, and so on, and writing a fair bit himself, Mr. Cordes remains young at heart. He smiles like he knows a wonderful secret that you don't, but one that you might find buried in one of these books.

Mr. Cordes didn't collect to invest. He didn't collect to wow anyone. He didn't mail his books to the four winds in order to rub his friends' noses in it when the books returned signed by somebody they all admired. He bought books to read. He subscribed to Fantasy Press and Gnome and other publishers because he wanted to make sure he got a copy of the books to read. He sent them away for inscriptions and signatures because he valued the personal connection involved with, if only for a moment, having one of his books in the hands of a hero, and getting that book back signed by the author or a Hollywood actor. He collected, but almost by accident, and now he wants to pass this collection to you.

Thank you, Mr. Cordes, for showing us how it's done.

I could go on and on about Jack, and will a bit more next month before the first part of his collection sells at our February 8 Rare Books Auction #6064 in Beverly Hills. In our February newsletter, we'll include more highlights from the collection. If you can't wait, simply go here to see the first installment of Jack's books for the February sale. It's going to be a fun year (or year-and-a-half) bringing Mr. Cordes's books out of his attic reading room in Peoria and into your libraries and lives.

Will it play in Peoria? Jack Cordes has been playing in Peoria for a long time, and hopefully he will continue to do so in his new home for a long time to come.

Weekly Internet Rare Books and Autographs Auction Highlights

Since March of last year, Heritage Rare Books department has been hosting weekly rare book and autograph auctions online at www.HA.com/Books. The sales have been going strong, and we invite you to check out the offerings each week as the auctions continue. Each Thursday at 10:00 PM, Heritage closes one weekly rare books and autographs auction and opens the next week's.

Don't miss the opportunity to find some truly rare and interesting books, each and every one of which opens for bidding at $1, with no reserves. Just below, we've included a handful of past highlights and six lots you might want to look out for that are open for bidding now and close for bidding this coming Thursday, January 12. Please contact us if you have any questions or need more information on any lot in any weekly rare books auction (or any lot in any auction, for that matter). We look forward to hearing from you and hope you find much to add to your collection.

Lots to Watch This Week (open for bidding now!)
William Faulkner. SIGNED LIMITED. Idyll in the Desert	John Wyndham. Re-Birth From the Jerry Weist Collection	John James Audubon. The Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon for The Birds of America
Edward Gibbon. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire	Lot of Five Arthur Rackham Illustrated Color Plates From Undine	Zane Grey. West of the Pecos

Heritage Auctions' Buyer's Premium For Art, Entertainment, Jewelry, Natural History And Books Has Changed, As Of Jan. 1, 2012

Heritage Auctions has announced that, as of Jan. 1, 2012, the structure of its Buyer's Premium (BP) has changed in several of its categories. While 13 of the company's 33 categories remain at 19.5% or 15%, the rest of the Heritage categories implemented the change.

"We made very careful and considered decisions at Heritage, and this was not one that we came to lightly," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions. "Heritage is a major player on the world auction stage, and our BP rates will now be competitive with the rest of the world's key auctioneers."

In the categories of American Indian Art, American Art, European Art, Furniture & Decorative Arts, Illustration Art, Jewelry, Lalique & Art Glass, Luxury Accessories, Modern & Contemporary Art, Music & Entertainment, Natural History, Photography, Pre-Columbian, Rare Books, Silver & Vertu, Texas Art, Timepieces, Vintage Guitars and Western Art, buyers will pay a BP of 25% of the hammer price on the first $50,000 of each lot purchased, 20% on the portion between $50,000 to $1,000,000 and 12% on any amount more than $1,000,000.

The minimum BP of $14 per lot will also continue to apply.

There will be no change in Buyer's Premium for US Coins, World Coins, Currency and Arms & Armor, which remain at 15% or for Americana & Political, Civil War & Militaria, Comics & Comic Art, Historic Manuscripts, Movie Posters, Space Exploration, Vintage Sports Collectibles, Wine and Texana auctions, which remain at 19.5%. In Gallery Auctions, meaning those auctions with sealed bids, mostly bulk numismatic material at Heritage, the BP will also remain at 19.5%.

Heritage debuts new full-time Charity Auction category in February 2012

Heritage Auctions, with a long history of charitable work, is making its dedication to donating a full-time pursuit with the addition of Heritage Charity Auctions, a philanthropic adjunct of its existing 34+ categories.

"We're doing this because we want to give back," said Jim Halperin, Co-Founder of Heritage Auctions. "Our mission is to help worthy charities save time and resources while raising more money, goodwill and awareness for their respective causes."

"Offering our services to approved charities and their donors is about giving back and about meeting new friends," said Halperin. "We're not going to profit from the endeavor itself. Any money raised will go to chosen charities."

For individual bidders the category means being able to bid on exclusive experiences and unique objects while supporting worthy causes of your choice while working with Heritage, which means guaranteed transparency, no hidden reserves, ever, and no misleading "charity auctions" where "donors" receive part — often most — of the funds raised. The bidding experience is handled by Heritage's expert staff, with integrity and expert care.

Donors will be able to support their favorite causes by donating auction items to be sold on Heritage's trusted platform. When presented in this venue, charitable auctions will never compete with non-donated items or lots with hidden reserves. Heritage's team of experts is available to advise donors on likely valuation ranges and the most beneficial way to donate.

Charities, corporations and agencies using Heritage's Charity Auctions service will have access to Heritage's world-class platform and client base and Heritage's platform and staff will make your next online charity auction much easier and more successful.

$186,000 raised for the
Pat & Emmitt Smith Charity

"We have 800,000 collectors in our database who are spending more than $750 million annually with us," said Halperin, "and more than 30,000 daily web visitors may potentially see your auction. Combine that with the in-house promotion and marketing it will receive, not to mention the skill of our auctioneers, and it turns into a recipe for great success and greater funds raised for good causes."

In just the past few years Heritage has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through charity auctions for organizations such as The Phoenix House, Children of Haiti, Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Equality Now, The Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

For more information on Heritage Charity Auctions category, contact Jeri Carroll at 1-800-872-6467, x1873 or email JeriC@HA.com.