Yesterday I went to an estate auction in the artsy enclave of Hudson, NY, about 120 miles north of the city. But it wasn't just any country estate sale, it was the
auction of the estate of investigative journalist and novelist Dominick Dunne, who died last year at the age of 83. The contents of both his New York City apartment and his Connecticut country home were on the block, in 261 lots at
Stair Galleries. Antiques, furniture, art, and porcelain seemed to be the prevailing articles.
Of course, what interested me was the literary component. Dunne wrote for
Vanity Fair, he authored several novels, and counted many celebrities among his close friends. So there were bound to be some books, and being close to home, I checked it out. There were many first editions, signed editions, inscribed editions, presentation copies, etc., though most quite ordinary. A 1975 first edition of Andy Warhol's
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, inscribed to Dunne, and including a drawing of a Campbell soup can, was probably the highlight of the literary lots--and it sold for $900. Four Avedon and Leibowitz titles together as a group brought it $275. Seven Bruce Weber titles, with inscriptions, took in a surprising $1,600. I considered bidding on Lot 175, a group of forty assorted fiction titles that included a signed first edition of Ishiguro's
The Remains of the Day, a signed first edition of Auchincloss'
The Atonement, and a Pynchon first edition, but then decided I'd have to become a bookseller first. At $250, it came it under estimate, though.