CARVER, George Washington
AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED (ALS)
4 August 1931, Tuskegee, AL: 1931
- $1,500
Lengthy 4-page handwritten letter on both sides of two sheets of 8-1/2" x 11-1/8" Tuskegee Institute letterhead to a young friend and aspiring poet, Ralph Douberly. Throughout the letter, Carver reiterates his enjoyment in being in Douberly and Douberly's friend Billy's lives, and being able to witness the evolution of their artistic talents. Some of the content seemingly supports the theory that Carver, who never married nor had children of his own, may have had a sexual interest in the young men he supported. In part: "I was especially anxious to know that you all arrived home safely, as there are now so many accidents on the roads. It was a genuine treat to have you two dear boys spend the night here. As I have said to you before, nothing is more inspiring and makes me happier than to have as my personal friends dear young people who have God given talents and destined to make their mark in the world. I wish you dear boys would not feel timid towards me, as I am so proud of your talents, indeed you seem like my boys, and whenever you reach a mile-stone of attainment my heart will swell with pride. I have just finished giving one of our neighbor's boys an oil massage, he wants to enter West Point Military School, but is 15 pounds under weight, and they won't accept him, the parents came to me and begged me to do it, I have given him six massages and he has gained 5 pounds." Towards the end of the letter, Carver responds to a few poems Douberly recently sent him: "The poems are rich and fascinating. The Dreamers of Dreams, is a true Vestigia, the way you have it arranged I like it very much. Your comfort style is good. The Young Poets' Dream is a gem. A beautiful piece of writing. Dust. In this poem your soul has been given more freedom & expression than in the others, I believe we will suggest a rearrangement of verses only when you come over again. It is truly beautiful. The Sea. is the gem of them all, new thought, airily written and makes a most striking appeal. They all are good. Your splendid attainments and fine qualities make me very happy, as I see so much in the future for you." SIGNED "G.W. Carver." With the original envelope addressed by Carver and with an invoice from 2000 from the respected autograph dealer Robert F. Batchelder. Evenly toned with normal creases from folding. Near Fine
More from Charles Agvent
FAR AWAY AND LONG AGO. A HISTORY OF MY EARLY LIFE
Quarto (8-1/4" x 10-3/4"), illustrated with lithographs by Raul Rosarivo. Copy #960 of 1500 copies SIGNED by the designer, Alberto Kraft, and the illustrator. Perhaps the most unique LEC binding, the upper half consisting of smooth rawhide with the title branded in and the lower half the rough hide of a steer from the Argentine pampa with the hair still remaining. Bound together and along the sides with rawhide thongs and with suede endpapers inside. Monthly Letter laid in. Bookplate on front pastedown; small pieces of tape on rear pastedown. About Fine, lacking the uncommon duswrapper and box. Fair PHOTOCOPY OF INTERVIEW
Photocopy on 8-1/2" x 11" paper, total of 57 pages. An interview of Buck conducted by Jason Lindsay in two parts: 16 October 1964 consisting of 33 pages and 2 November 1964 consisting of 24 pages. Buck was famous for her Pulitzer Prize-winning book THE GOOD EARTH (1931) and for being the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1938). PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Octavo (5-7/8" x 9-1/8") bound in full embossed brown sheepskin leather. Designed and printed by D. B. Updike at The Merrymount Press. Preface by Frank Swinnerton. Illustrated with line drawings by Helen Sewell. Copy #1108 of 1500 SIGNED by the artist on the colophon page. Slight darkening to gutters from glue used in binding; mild wear to spine tips with short tear at heel. Near Fine in an intact Very Good slipcase RAMBLES AND RECOLLECTIONS OF AN INDIAN OFFICIAL
Two 6-1/2" x 9-3/4" volumes in publisher's gilt-decorated and lettered green cloth: xii, 478; vii, [i], 459, [1] pages. Housed in a green cloth clamshell box. Illustrated with 32 color chromolithographic plates with tissue guards. Lieutenant-Colonel William Henry Sleeman, who spent his entire career in India, was best known for his fight to suppress the activities of "thugs," bands of criminals who attacked, robbed, and often murdered innocent travelers. In these volumes he describes his experiences doing so as well as his thoughts on various aspects of Indian life, including Hinduism, local festivals and folklore, natural history, governance, military discipline, and the justice system. In 1828 Sleeman made the first documented discovery of dinosaur fossils in Asia, before the term "dinosaur" was even formally coined. ABBEY TRAVEL 466. Partly unopened; scattered foxing but text and plates mostly clean. Some fraying along spine edges; gilt fairly bright. Easily Very Good in a Fine clamshell box AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED
Two-page AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED "James Buchanan" on the recto and verso of the first leaf of a single folded sheet (7-3/4" x 9-5/8") to John Y. Mason, former Secretary of the Navy under President Polk, regarding the aging Dolley Madison (who would die about 2 weeks after this letter was written), plans for a visit, Pennsylvania politics, and possible investments in Virginia state bonds. Housed in a brown morocco-backed green cloth clamshell box (10-1/2" x 13"). Toward the end of her life, Dolley Madison (20 May 1768-12 July 1849), widow of the 4th president of the United States, lived in abject poverty. In 1849, Congress appropriated $20,000 toward the purchase of her husband's papers, and in her will, she appointed Buchanan, Mason, and Richard Smith as trustees. In this letter Buchanan, having recently served as Secretary of State under Polk writes to his fellow trustee. In part: "I returned from Washington last night, having done the best I could for Mrs. Madison. I found it difficult to persuade her that she ought not to have the whole premium placed in her hands at once, in which event it would have been of little or not service to her. The old lady has greatly changed since I saw her last. She is now very feeble. It is my purpose, God willing, to pass the next winter at New Orleans. It would do your heart good to see Walker. He is as plump as a partridge & as lively as a lark. He has already got 21 cases in the Supreme Court. Should a judicious selection be made of a Candidate for Canal Commissioner at Pittsburg on the 4th proximo, which I have no reason to doubt, we shall redeem this State, in handsome style in October; but the day has passed in Penn[sylvania] when a Democratic nomination is equivalent to an election. The popular will must now be consulted in the selection of Candidates: & this being done, we have as large a Democratic majority as ever." Interesting content with a typed transcript of the letter incorporated into a certificate of authenticity. Creasing from mailing. Near Fine in a Near Fine clamshell box KNULP. Drei Geschichten aus dem Leben Knulps
Light blue cloth with printed paper labels on the front cover and spine, in the original dustwrapper. With 16 full-page illustrations by Niklaus Stoecklin. These three stories were first published in 1915. Laid in is a very personal two-page TYPED LETTER SIGNED in pencil on both sides of a 5-7/8" x 8-1/4" sheet by the Nobel Prize winner presenting the book to his correspondent, George Goetz, who has signed his name at the top of the title page and noted the gift. Here is a Google translation of the letter: "Your letter of December 27 arrived yesterday. The post brought it to my house through deep snow and a fiercely blinding sun, along with your kind words and greetings, and it did not miss its target; it gladdened, warmed, and strengthened my heart. If it weren't for the miracles of love, how could we continue to live?The poor situation I have been in for the past 5 months can only be described from the outside, for it was external causes, everyday biological demands, that I proved unable to cope with. Inwardly, the beginning was certainly earlier and more significant: it was the day I wrote the last few lines of Knecht's life and completed this work. I was then poorer by a friend and comrade with whom I had lived for 12 years; A door had closed through which I had been able to enter the timeless at any time for many years; a source of play and joy was blocked off, a refuge destroyed. But this only had its full effect more than two years later, on a ridiculous occasion. On September 1st, Mem pulled out all my upper jaw teeth and made a denture. And although I was quite patient with everything, it became apparent that I was delaying an effort of adjustment that I no longer had the strength for. And with that, everything else began to slide. My worries became three times as heavy, everything beautiful and cheerful fled and wasted away. This had to be overcome, and it hasn't been yet. Strangely, my friend Romain (who was 11 years older than me) had to undergo exactly the same dental operation around the same time and died shortly afterward.The Baden poems have [?]; nothing more was written during this time. Now, as every year at this time and well into spring, the gout is quite active again and paralyzes almost all of my fingers. At least we have sun, which heats two of our rooms quite nicely every morning until around 2 o'clock.Dear Mr. Goetz, thank you for the gift of your letter. I would also like to give you something, and will try the Knulp." From the estate of George Goetz, a Danish Jew living in Sweden because of persecution. He maintained a correspondence with Hesse, only recently discovered, from 1939 to 1951. Their letters discussed everything from the trivial to Hesse's work and its place in Nazi Germany. One common point of interest was the German-Jewish philosopher Constantin Brunner (Goetz would later become President of the International Constantin Brunner Institute.). This book, as well as several other titles inscribed to Goetz, were discovered with the letters and is now being offered for public sale for the first time. Very Good in a Good dustwrapper THE PROBLEM OF MEIGHEN ISLAND. Intended as the Third Chapter but Suppressed in the publication of Unsolved Mysteries of the Arctic
Unbound consisting of loose signatures (5-3/4" x 8-5/8"); [iv], 257-328 pages; housed in a morocco-backed clamshell box. Illustrated with two maps. Copy #112 of 300, this copy INSCRIBED and SIGNED by Stefansson below the imprint on the title page on 26 June 1943 "For Palmer Putnam, some escapist/reading from his old friend/Vilhjalmur Stefansson." The Explorers Club declined to print this chapter in UNSOLVED MYSTERIES as they feared a libel action from Frederick Cook. Stefansson's friend Robinson undertook the printing instead, and half the copies went to him and half to Stefansson (the even-numbered copies as here) for distribution among their colleagues. Palmer Cosslett Putnam [1900-1984] is a known correspondent of Steffanson. He was both a wind-power pioneer and sometime President of G. P. Putnam Sons publishing company. Expected wear for such an item. Very Good in a Near Fine box with a couple of points of wear TYPED LETTER SIGNED (TLS) Quoting from his Book STRENGTH TO LOVE, Matted and Framed
Superb letter on Southern Christian Leadership Conference stationery dated 12 August 1963. "I want to personally thank you for the support which you have given to our nonviolent direct action movement to eliminate the immoral and shameful practice of racial discrimination and segregation from American life. I am particularly pleased that as part of your contribution to our work you have acquired a copy of my latest book STRENGTH TO LOVE. In the preface of this book I said: 'In these turbulent days of uncertainty, the evils of war and of economic and racial injustice threaten the very survival of the human race.' These words are even more relevant to this current phase of the civil rights revolution than it was when the preface was printed. It has always been a source of inner strength to me and those of my associates in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to be able to meet and overcome many of the indignities and humiliations of segregation in America with unswerving faith in the American dream of freedom for all men. I believe it can be said that the Strength To Love in the midst of adversities is one of the most significant features of the nonviolent direct action movement in our country today." SIGNED "Martin L. King, Jr." Matted in deep blue and maroon with a casual photograph of King standing at his desk with a photo of Gandhi behind him. In an antique carved gilt frame 21-1/2" wide by 17" high. Near Fine and handsomely presented CAMDEN’S COMPLIMENT TO WALT WHITMAN. MAY 31, 1889. Notes, Addresses, Letters, Telegrams
Decorated maroon cloth, frontispiece portrait of Whitman after a sculpture by Sidney H. Morse. BAL 21436. SIGNED by the great poet on the front endpaper and dated "Dec: 16 '89." The earliest inscribed copy noted by Blanck was in November, and we are aware of at least 3 copies of this book signed on the same December date. This tribute to Whitman on his seventieth birthday contains one contribution by him--"Autobiographic Note & Response"--as well as contributions by Ernest Rhys, Horace Traubel, Mark Twain, Richard Watson Gilder, Julian Hawthorne, Hamlin Garland, William Rossetti, William Morris, Edward Carpenter, John Burroughs, Richard Bucke, Edmund Clarence Stedman, William Dean Howells, John G. Whittier, and others. "Except for certain copies Traubel mailed, distribution of most local copies was in the hands of Attorney Thomas B. Harned and Judge Charles G. Garrison of Camden. Traubel's entry about Whitman for December 16, 1889 is both typical and telling: 'Harned, he said, had just left the house. He brought me down a dozen copies of your book. It seems that Judge Garrison is to take them, and wants my signature. Oh yes! I shall sign them -- sign them for Tom and for the Judge, both, for their sakes'" (WALT WHITMAN QUARTERLY REVIEW, Fall1989, Vol. 7 No. 2, pages 79-87). With a copy of the issue of WALT WHITMAN QUARTERLY REVIEW and accompanying miscellaneous items. Pastedowns and endpapers somewhat discolored due to glue in binding with little effect on the signed page; slight fading to spine. Near Fine with a fine signature TOWNSHIP MAP OF THE STATE OF IOWA Compiled from the United States Surveys & Other Authentic Sources
Folding pocket map dated 1854 with full period hand-coloring and ornamental border (24" x 29") in gilt-lettered cloth, as issued. Map quite nice with only very minor separations at a few fold junctions; cloth cover partially detached. Very Good LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
Two-volume set in 3/4 green-brown morocco leather and gilt-ruled marbled boards, spines with 5 raised bands and gilt lettering and decorations, top edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Each volume is #716 of 1000 copies. Illustrated with plates, including frontispieces in two states: color and black-and-white, and a facsimile of Whittier's handwriting. THE JUNGLE
Tall octavo (7" x 10-7/8") bound appropriately in embossed quarter pigskin and butcher paper sides; 384 pages. The First Illustrated Edition of this modern classic with a new preface by the author. Copy #887 of 1500 with 12 full-color wash-and-ink drawings, 8 full-page and 4 two-page spreads, and 33 two-color line drawings by Fletcher Martin. SIGNED by both the artist and the author on the colophon page. An affordable way to acquire a signed copy of this important book, now somewhat uncommon in this condition. Sinclair's powerful exposure of the Chicago meat-packing industry is still a staple on the menus of many high school reading lists. His account of the social and human abuses of the yards, where packers used "everything about the hog except the squeal," led to major reforms in the industry and, along with UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, is one of the few American novels to have a lasting impact on the way we live our lives. Indeed, when this book was published Jack London said, "What Uncle Tom's Cabin did for black slaves, The Jungle has a large chance to do for the white slaves of today." President Theodore Roosevelt was so shocked by what he read that he made sure a clean meat act, the Pure Food and Drug Bill, was signed into law, popularizing at the time the rather obscure term "muckraker." Later in life, Sinclair said of his masterpiece: "I aimed at the public's heart and by accident I hit it in the stomach." Bookplate on the front pastedown. Close to Fine in a Near Fine slipcase TYPED LETTER SIGNED (TLS) as President-Elect
On personal stationery (7-1/4" x 10-1/2") SIGNED by the president-elect as "Jimmy" to Congressman Harold Johnson of California asking him for his "cooperation in increasing the effectiveness of the executive branch of government. My request is that I be given the same reorganization authority granted to Richard Nixon when he became President in 1969." Date received stamped in top margin along with the ink word "File." Normal folds from mailing. About Fine FOUR ASPECTS OF CIVIC DUTY
TAFT, William Howard Blue cloth. SIGNED by the author on the front endpaper: "with best wishes of/Wm. H. Taft/Washington/Sept 28th 1922." An uncommon book to find signed by Taft, here as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Evidence of bookplate removal on front pastedown and rubbed out name on front endpaper. Very Good, without dustwrapper- $6,250
- $6,250
FICCIONES
BORGES, Jorge Luis Square octavo (8-1/4" x 8-1/2") bound in full black cowhide leather stamped in blind. A beautiful, sumptuous rendition of Borges's first book printed at the Anthoensen Press. Sol LeWitt designed the book in addition to contributing 22 silkscreen prints, printed by Jo Watanabe, each of which was tipped in by hand. Copy #505 of 1500 numbered copies SIGNED by the artist on the colophon page. Monthly Letter laid in. Owner blindstamp on front blank; some light scuffs to leather on front cover. Close to Fine in a Fine slipcase- $1,500
- $1,500
ROYAL AND HISTORIC GLOVES AND SHOES
REDFERN, W. B Large book (10" x 12-3/4") in gilt-decorated and lettered red cloth. Illustrated throughout with 47 photographic plates of gloves (including 4 in color) and 33 photographic plates of shoes (including one in full color). The volume is divided equally between gloves and shoes. Among the gloves featured are those of Henry VI, Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, a single glove of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a pair of Shakespeare's. King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell are also represented. The boots and shoes of Henry VI, Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth of Bohemia, Charles I, and Queen Anne are represented. Foxing to endpapers and half-title page, otherwise clean and unmarked; hinges a little loose with the front rather clumsily reinforced. Rubbing to joints and corners. Good, solid copy- $313
- $313
TYPED LETTER SIGNED (TLS)
ROOSEVELT, Franklin Delano Two-page letter as governor of New York with the first page on State of New York Executive Chamber stationery to Mayor John J. Fogarty of Yonkers, NY, regarding the hardships of unemployed New Yorkers at the beginning of the Great Depression. In part: "The present outlook is that next winter a great many families in the State will face serious privation unless they can be helped by substantial public and private relief. Unfortunately, the employment situation is not improving. Many persons who have been able to keep their heads above water during the past two years of employment shortage will have come to the end of their resources, when winter sets in. For my part, as Governor of the State, I intend to help in every way in my power. As Governor, I shall join in a general appeal to the people of the State to continue their generous help to those whom unemployment is forcing to ask for relief to clothe, feed and shelter their families. As Governor of the State, I have insisted that all public works be pushed ahead as fast as possible to give employment." In conclusion, Roosevelt asks Fogarty to return a questionnaire, not present here. An excellent letter showing Roosevelt in action in the early years of the Depression from which he ultimately led America through when elected to the highest office in the land a little over a year after this letter was written. Faint creases from mailing. Fine with a dark signature- $1,250
- $1,250
NOTES TOWARDS THE DEFINITION OF CULTURE with TYPED LETTER SIGNED (TLS)
ELIOT, T. S Second impression, published two months after the first. Tipped to the front free endpaper is a one-page TYPED LETTER SIGNED by Eliot dated 30 December 1949 to Rudolph Duder thanking him for his Christmas greeting and "also to let you know of my continued remembrance of your attentions (including the opportunity for a nap) which did so much to ease the strain of my days in Hamburg." Back of letter pasted at top to front endpaper with folds from mailing; bookplate on front pastedown with smaller adhesive remnant below it from removed item along with a small bookseller's label. Near Fine in a Near Fine dustwrapper- $938
- $938
PORTNOY’S COMPLAINT
ROTH, Philip Copy #321 of 600 SIGNED by the author of the book that gained him a wide readership and that was made into a funny film starring Richard Benjamin as the neurotic young man obsessed with sex. Additionally INSCRIBED and SIGNED by Roth on the page facing the limitation page. Fine in a Near Fine dustwrapper and slipcase- $1,063
- $1,063
JUST FRIENDS AND BRAVE ENEMIES
KENNEDY, Robert Kennedy's second book, INSCRIBED and SIGNED on the front endpaper to Assistant Attorney General and future D. C. Court of Appeals Judge, J. Walter Yeagley: "For Walter/With Warmest Regards/Robert F. Kennedy." Books authentically signed by Robert Kennedy are uncommon, this title much less often found signed than THE ENEMY WITHIN and TO SEEK A NEWER WORLD. J. Walter Yeagley (1909-1990), served on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals from 1970-1984. Before his appointment to the Court of Appeals, he was Assistant Attorney General and director of the Internal Security Division of the Justice Department. In this position, his work focused on citizens with suspected Communist affiliations, working closely with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Fine in a first issue, Very Good dustwrapper with faint sunning to spine and some edgewear- $1,875
- $1,875
WÄLSUNGENBLUT
MANN, Thomas Striking pictorial green boards (8" x 10-1/2") in red paper slipcase; text in German. One of 530 numbered copies, this copy not numbered, SIGNED by both author and artist in pencil on the colophon page. First edition of one of Thomas Mann's most controversial works, with 12 ORIGINAL LITHOGRAPHS and 20 text illustrations and initials by Theodor Thomas Heine. The text, which satirizes Richard Wagner's DIE WALKÜRE, was originally intended to be published in 1906 but was withdrawn by Thomas Mann before publication. Owner's 1922 inscription on the front pastedown; spine of book and slipcase professionally repaired- $1,875
- $1,875
![HUN HOOFDEN ZIJN GROEN EN HUN HANDEN BLAUW [THEIR HEADS ARE GREEN AND THEIR HANDS ARE BLUE]](https://rarebookinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/32229800752.jpg)
HUN HOOFDEN ZIJN GROEN EN HUN HANDEN BLAUW [THEIR HEADS ARE GREEN AND THEIR HANDS ARE BLUE]
BOWLES, Paul Plain wraps in pictorial dustwrapper (4-7/8" x 7-3/8"). An early novel translated into Dutch by Gideon den Tex. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author on the half-title page: "For Tim Hinterding--/If you read this, you/won't be able to claim that/you've read nothing of mine/Logic./best, Paul Bowles/Tangier/11-VI-86." Tim Hinterding is a Dutch artist who corresponded with Bowles about publishing Dutch translations of his works. Fine in a lightly soiled, Near Fine dustwrapper- $938
- $938
