Dallas, TX – Two lots from the most famous vampire movie ever made emerged as the two most expensive lobby cards ever sold and claimed the top two results in Heritage Auctions’ Movie Posters Auction July 27-28 in Dallas, Texas. The sale totaled $1,975,550 and boasted stellar sell-through rates of 98.7% by value and 96.7% by lots sold.

Dracula (Universal, 1931) Title Lobby Card drew bids from 17 collectors before closing at $114,000, the highest price ever paid for a lobby card, against a pre-auction estimate of $40,000-80,000. Capturing a dramatic image from the film widely considered the definitive vampire film, it spotlights Bram Stoker’s timeless classic that overcame studio financial troubles to secure its status as the best vampire film ever made and establishing star Bela Lugosi as the unquestioned personification of Dracula.

“Dracula was made despite some significant financial limitations during the Depression,” Heritage Auctions Vintage Posters Director Grey Smith said. “But the studio’s gamble paid off, as it became the film by which all other vampire films are measured.”

The film’s popularity carried another lot to a six-figure return, as Dracula (Universal, 1931) Lobby Card sold for $102,000, more than doubling its high pre-auction estimate. The card captures the film’s title character creeping in to bite the neck of Francis Dade. Lugosi got the role of Dracula only after Lon Chaney died before filming started, but he made the role his own and still is considered the screen’s greatest King of the Undead. This is one of just two close-up scene cards with Lugosi in this set.

The film many consider to be the best ever made produced two lots that enjoyed enormous popularity in the sale. Bidders drove the final prices for Casablanca (Warner Brothers, 1944) Australian One Sheet and Casablanca (Warner Brothers, 1942) Hair and Makeup Keybook Photos (12) to $72,000, well above expectations for both lots. The film became an all-time classic that yielded three Academy Awards, despite the fact that shooting started before the script was even complete. Both lots crushed pre-auction estimates, which reflects the demand for the film’s rare paper.

Bidders drove the final price for a Foolish Wives (Universal, 1922) One Sheet upward until it realized $36,000. Made on a then-extravagant budget of more than $1 million, the film featured star and director Erich von Stroheim. This one sheet is the only known copy of this stone lithograph.

Other top lots included, but were not limited to:

Casablanca (Warner Brothers, 1942) Window Card: $33,600
Gone with the Wind (MGM, 1939) Three Sheet: $31,200
The Golem (Paramount, 1920) Title Lobby Card: $28,800
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (c.1973) Original 400' Reel of Original 16mm Work Print Outtakes: $22,800
World Without End (Allied Artists, 1956) 24 Sheet: $19,200

The Library of Congress has restored and made available online the Gandhara Scroll, a manuscript dating back to around the first century B.C., that offers insight into early Buddhist history. The scroll is one of the world’s oldest Buddhist manuscripts.

The scroll originates from Gandhara, an ancient Buddhist region located in what is now the northern border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The scroll tells the story of buddhas who came before and after Siddhartha Gautama, the sage who reached enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in eastern India around the fifth century B.C. and the religious leader on whose teachings Buddhism was founded.

The scroll is available for viewing at loc.gov/item/2018305008.

“This is a unique item because it is very old compared to similar manuscripts and, as such, it does bring us, historically speaking, relatively close to the lifetime of the Buddha,” says Jonathan Loar, reference librarian in the Asian Division at the Library of Congress.

According to Richard Salomon, director of the British Library-University of Washington Early Buddhist Manuscripts Project, it is significant that the Library’s scroll is about 80 percent complete and only missing the very beginning and end. Many of the other Gandharan manuscripts known to scholars are more fragmentary.

The Gandhara Scroll is one of the most complicated items ever treated at the Library of Congress. The scroll arrived folded and packed in an ordinary pen case. Due to its fragility, conservators practiced an unrolling technique on a dried-up cigar, an item that only approximates the difficulty of working with a compacted birch bark scroll.

“Digitizing the scroll offers both scholars and Buddhist communities worldwide access to a lesser-known part of Buddhist history,” Loar said. “This being as old as it is and also one of only a couple of hundred Gandharan manuscripts known to scholars means the Library’s scroll can shed new light on Buddhism’s formative period.”

A facsimile of the Gandhara Scroll was created this year by the Library to support additional research of the treasure.

The Library purchased the single scroll from a British antiquities dealer in 2003. It is the oldest holding in the Library’s Asian Division.

The digitization of the Gandhara Scroll reflects advancement toward a goal in the Library’s new user-centered strategic plan to expand access, making unique collections, experts and services available when, where and how users need them.

Dallas, TX – A collection of 461 lots from the finest and most extensive group of mid-century American science fiction art will be brought to auction for the first time when Heritage Auctions presents The Glynn and Suzanne Crain Science Fiction Collection Auction Aug. 13-14 in Dallas, Texas.

“This sale includes classic examples from the genre, many of which are very rare or even unique, with just single paintings typically brought to market, or even traded privately without being made available to the public,” Heritage Auctions Vice President Todd Hignite said. “To offer a collection with the breadth and quality found in this one is simply unprecedented—and we expect many bidders from diverse collecting areas to compete for these iconic images created for some of the most popular and historically important stories by the greatest writers in the genre.”  

In addition to the unparalleled group of original artwork, the auction includes rare first-edition books, comics, pulp magazines and movie posters.

James Allen St. John At the Earth's Core book dust jacket, 1922 (estimate: $75,000+) is a spectacular image that was published on the hard cover dust jacket of the first edition of At the Earth’s Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs (A.C. McClurg & Co., 1922). St. John is widely recognized for his impact on the visual language of fantasy illustration, in part because of the image offered here. To land such an iconic image from such an important book by an artist considered one of the best ever at fantasy illustration presents a rare opportunity for serious collectors.

Frank R. Paul The Moon Conquerors, Science Wonder Quarterly cover, Winter 1930 (estimate: $30,000+) is a breathtaking water and gouache on board that is signed by Paul, a pioneer of American science fiction art. One of three lots by the artist in the sale and one of the greatest known to remain in existence, this image once belonged to famed historian and writer Sam Moskowitz.

Robert A. Graef Maza of the Moon, Argosy cover, December 21, 1929 (estimate: $12,000+) includes imagery that was recreated in countless fantasy and science fiction stories. This 90-year-old image is one of the first to include a form of laser battle, and includes a hand-held device that has been compared to the light saber that appeared in the Star Wars films. The early science fiction pulp cover even includes a woman whose hair is tied wrapped over her ears in a spiral design, reminiscent of the iconic style made famous in the Star Wars films by Princess Leia.

Michael Whelan Foundation's Edge paperback cover, 1983 (estimate: $10,000+) was published as the paperback cover of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation’s Edge (Del Rey Books, 1983), which is considered a central building block for science fiction in general. Its appearance as the cover of such an important science fiction novel and the stunning detail have earned this painting a reputation as one of Whelan’s fines ever to be offered at auction. “It seems to me to be rather marvelous to be able to illustrate not a concrete scene but an abstract imponderable,” Asimov said, “and in such a way that it seems to brighten and deepen the book even to the writer himself.” The acrylic-on-board painting measures 29-1/2 inches by 21-1/4 inches, and is signed and dated lower center.

Another spectacular painting that ended up appearing on a science fiction cover is John Conrad Berkey Run to the Stars paperback cover, 1986 (estimate: $7,000+). The image appeared on Mike Scott Rohan’s Run to the Stars (Ace Books, 1986), a copy of which is included with the lot. The image features a concept that appeared in numerous futuristic stories and films, that of a vehicle that could lift from an aquatic role into immediate flight.

Other top lots include, but are not limited to:
·         Attributed to Robert Emil Schulz The World Jones Made paperback cover, 1956 – estimate: $30,000+
 
·         Earle K. Bergey Shadow Over Mars, Startling Stories cover, Fall 1944 – estimate: $20,000+
 
·         The Day the Earth Stood Still (20th Century Fox, 1951) – estimate: $8,000+
 
·         Jules Verne Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas – estimate: $5,000+

Brooklyn, NY -- On September 7-8, 2019, the Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Brooklyn Expo Center (in Greenpoint) for its sixth straight year. The focus, in the midst of these uncertain times, has shifted this year to subculture and a number of new trends in collecting. Specific topics include: magic, mysticism, witchcraft, underground fanzine culture, and conspiracy theory.

Minneapolis -- The Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) presents Mimic: Modern Marbled Objects, an exhibition that examines the history and craft of marbling, from book arts origins to present day sculpture, fine art, and other decorative objects.  This exhibition was co-curated by Torey Erin (Exhibitions and Artist Programs Manager at MCBA) and Heather RJ Fletcher (visual artist and innovator of HRJ Design Studio). 
 
Dating back to the 12th century in Japan and 15th century in Turkey, the art of modern marbling involves floating paint on water mixed viscous with carrageenan, a seaweed extract; creating intricate patterns and unique designs using unusual, handmade tools; and then laying paper, fabric, wood, or other porous materials onto the surface of the bath, where the image is immediately and permanently transferred to the desired surface. The exhibition includes local and international artists Sue Bjerke (Minneapolis, MN), Maeve “Maise” Broome (Queens, NY), Antonio Velez Celemin (Madrid, Spain), Heather RJ Fletcher (Minneapolis, MN), Karli Frigge (Gelderland, Netherlands) Mary Holland (Richmond, VA), Dan and Regina St. John (Amherst, MA), Jemma Lewis (Wiltshire, UK), Diane Maurer-Mathison (Spring Mills, PA), Iris Nevins (Johnsonburg, NJ), Sheryl Oppenheim (Brooklyn, NY), Sally Power (St. Paul, MN), Jana Pullman (Minneapolis, MN), Christin Ripley (Catskill, NY), Barb Skoog (South Pasadena, CA), Natalie Stopka (Yonkers, NY), Sevim Surucu (Elk Grove Village, IL), and Robert Wu (Ontario, Canada).

Visiting masters of marbling Regina and Dan St. John will give an artist talk at the Mimic closing reception on October 3, and MCBA will host a series of master marbling workshops led by Regina and Dan this fall. Both Chena River Marblers based in Massachusetts, Regina and Dan specialize in book edge-marbling, miniature marbling, custom marbled papers, and teaching marbling workshops around the country. Connecting the local community to national masters of the form, MCBA's marbled-themed exhibition and educational programs aim to engage, inspire, and focus attention on contemporary applications of this vibrant traditional craft.

Mimic: Modern Marbled Objects opens August 9 – October 13, 2019. Please join MCBA for a public reception and Artist Talk by Regina and Dan St. John on Thursday, October 3, 2019 from 6-8 pm in MCBA’s Main Gallery.

London — Peter Harrington, the UK’s largest rare bookseller, this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, and has recently acquired a large collection of books of voyages in the Pacific Ocean from legendary book dealer Louis (Lou) Weinstein, formally of Heritage Book Shop, Beverly Hills, California. Since his retirement to Maui in 2007, Lou has been an enthusiastic collector of Hawaiiana with his fabulous collection boasting over 1,000 unique items.

The catalogue contains 106 fascinating rare books and is Peter Harrington’s first selection of books from Lou’s collection, augmented with a couple of items acquired elsewhere. It focuses on the grand narratives, the classic voyages and incredible eyewitness accounts of the Pacific Ocean as it was opened up to the world. The books in the catalogue display both Peter Harrington and Lou’s collecting ethos – aiming for original bindings and a keen eye on the best condition.

The voyages undertaken on the Pacific Ocean resulted in cornerstones of travel literature, describing the region to a European audience through exciting narratives of adventure. Many of these books contain illustrations which would have astonished contemporary audiences, and now stand as a remarkable record of many aspects of life and culture that were rapidly lost. From the earliest Western voyages, such as those by the privateer George Shelvocke in 1719–22, to the later explicitly commercial forays, such as the whaling expeditions and early examples of tourist voyages, this catalogue charts the progressive exploration of the region and the practicalities of empire building.

The papers of President James A. Garfield, who was assassinated in the first year of his short presidency, have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress.

The Garfield collection includes approximately 80,000 items, mostly dating from 1850 to 1881. The collection is online at: loc.gov/collections/james-a-garfield-papers/about-this-collection.

Garfield’s papers include correspondence, diaries, speeches, records of his Civil War military service, legal records, genealogical material, college notebooks, tributes, scrapbooks and other materials relating to Garfield’s life, career and death. Subjects in the collection include Ohio and national politics, the disputed election of 1876, tariffs and national finance, Garfield’s family life, as well as details of the shooting of President Garfield at a Washington, D.C., train station, his medical care and the national drama surrounding his death.

Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, by Charles Guiteau, a mentally disturbed office seeker convinced that Garfield’s death would provide him with a plum diplomatic post. The president’s health would deteriorate for 80 days due to rampant infection after the shooting, and he died on Sept. 19, 1881. The story of the shooting and medical disaster that ensued is detailed here in an upcoming story in the Library of Congress Magazine.

Highlights of the Garfield papers include:

    •    A series of Garfield’s diaries that include entries from July 1850 in which he “resolved to make a mark on the world” and his final record of July 1, 1881, the day before he was shot;
    •    Correspondence between Garfield and his wife Lucretia from 1853 to 1881, which documents their overcoming an initial lack of emotional intimacy before finding happiness in their marriage;
    •    A press release issued by Dr. D. Willard Bliss after Garfield was shot, one of several medical updates that failed to convey the true state of the president’s health;
    •    Garfield’s last letter to his mother on Aug. 11, 1881, in which he tried to reassure her of his recovery after being shot;
    •    A letter by Charles J. Guiteau in which Garfield’s future assassin seeks the diplomatic post of “Austrian Mission” in anticipation of the future president’s election.

Following Garfield’s death, his widow, Lucretia Garfield, sought to keep a copy of everything printed about her husband. Clippings were compiled in scrapbooks labeled “Eighty Days,” the duration of the president’s survival after he was shot. The scrapbooks are now part of the Library’s collection.

The collection is among the papers of 23 U.S. presidents housed at the Library.

The digitization of the Garfield Papers reflects advancement toward a goal in the Library’s new user-centered strategic plan to expand access, making unique collections, experts and services available when, where and how users need them.

New York – On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, Sotheby’s auction dedicated to Space Exploration totaled $5.5 million in New York, surpassing its high estimate by $1 million and with an exceptional 93% of all lots sold. The sale featured a wide variety of material from the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, including direct consignments from astronauts, an impressive collection of flown mission artifacts and hardware, the finest single owner collection of flown Robbins medallions, early contractor’s models, spacesuits, maps, charts and more.

Cassandra Hatton, Vice President & Senior Specialist of Sotheby’s Books & Manuscripts Department in New York commented:“Fifty years ago, we achieved the world’s greatest human accomplishment. Today, space exploration continues to capture the hearts and imagination of people around the world. This universal fascination was reflected in today’s stellar sale, which is a testament to the continued demand for space artifacts. We are truly over the moon about our outstanding results.”

The auction was led by three original NASA videotape recordings of the lunar landing, which sold for $1.82 million – more than 8,000 times the price paid for the tapes at a government surplus auction in 1976 by then-NASA intern Gary George.

Unrestored, unenhanced, and unremastered, the Original, First-Generation NASA Videotape Recordings of the Apollo 11 Lunar EVA represent the earliest, sharpest, and most accurate surviving video images of man’s first steps on the moon. At a combined run time of 2 hours and 24 minutes, the tapes capture everything from Neil Armstrong’s declaration: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” marking the historic moment the first human set foot on another world, to the “long distance phone call” with the President of the United States, and the planting of the American flag.

The present videotapes are the only surviving first-generation recordings of the historic moon walk, and are sharper and more distinct than the few tapes that have survived from the contemporary network television broadcasts – all of which endured some loss of video and audio quality with each successive transmission from microwave tower to microwave tower.

Other Apollo 11 artifacts and memorabilia soared past expectations today, including a unique collage of Apollo 11 memorabilia that sold for $225,000 – more than three times its $70,000 high estimate. The collage was presented by the Apollo 11 crew to Terry Slezak – a Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) Technician assigned to the Crew Reception Area (CRA)of the Lunar Receiving Lab (LRL) – who became, in the course of his duties following the return of Apollo 11, the first man to touch moon dust with his bare hands. Included in the presentation is an autograph manuscript written by Buzz Aldrin, which is now believed to be the first autograph manuscript to be written on the lunar surface.

A collection of 20 original Apollo Firing Room Control Panels from the Kennedy Space Center Firing Room 1, which launched 7 Apollo missions carried by the Saturn V rocket, including the three most historic: Apollo 8 (first humans to orbit the moon), Apollo 11 (first humans to land on the moon), andApollo 17 (last humans to land on the moon), as well as Apollo 4 (unmanned), 13, 15 and 16 sold for $212,500 (estimate $200/300,000). The collection consists of: Seven Monitoring Console Panels, used to display information pertaining to countdown and launch sequence events; two panels from the Instrument Unit, which contained the guidance and monitoring equipment for the rocket while it was in flight; five console panels for the S-IC, the first stage of the Saturn V Rocket; two console panels for the S-II, the second stage of the Saturn V; four console panels for the S-IVB, the third stage of the Saturn V.

A group of 11 items consigned directly by Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin were 100% sold and totaled $739,375 – nearly triple the group’s high estimate. The items featured a selection of pages from the Flown Apollo 11 Flight Plan and Flown Apollo 11 Data File – the manuals used by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to guide them on their great adventure, which represent some of the documents most critical to the success of the entire mission.

Aldrin’s collection was led by the first and the last pages of the Flown Apollo 11 Flight Plan – the Alpha and Omega of this significant document, which sold for $175,000 and $131,250, respectively. Beginning with the words “LIFTOFF”, the first page details the crucial timeline of tasks to be performed by the crew from the launch through the first two hours of the lunar voyage from moment 0:00, after Mission Control launched the crew into space by the Saturn V Rocket. The final page of the Flown Apollo 11 Flight Plan outlines the timeline of activities to be performed during the final two hours of the mission including jettisoning the Service Module, and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, travelling at a speed of 36,000 feet per second, before finally splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, where the crew and the Command Module "Columbia" were recovered by the USS Hornet (estimate $25/35,000). The final step on the timeline reads “SPLASHDOWN”, marking the moment when the Apollo 11 crew returned alive, thus successfully completing their mission and fulfilling the goal set by President Kennedy of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.

Great Barrington, MA — The Berkshire Antiquarian Book and Ephemera Fair will host the book launch for the Mueller Report Graphic Novel by Barbara Slate on Friday, July 26 from 5-8 pm and Saturday, July 27 from 10 am–4 pm at Berkshire South Regional Community Center, 15 Crissey Road in Great Barrington, MA. 

The first volume of the two-volume graphic novel adaptation of the Mueller Report was published, as a 32-page trade paperback with a matte cover, on July 15 by Richard Minsky, founder of the Center for Book Arts in New York. The second volume is due to be released on September 17, 2019. Ms. Slate will sign copies at the fair on Saturday, July 27 from 1-3 pm.

Ms. Slate tried to read the Mueller Report the day the redacted version was released, and found it daunting. She realized that most people would glaze over trying to get through it and brought her four decades of comic and graphic novel experience to making it an easy to follow, compelling, entertaining story. She posted the first page on Facebook and Twitter April 21, three days after the redacted report was released. The response was so fast, large, and enthusiastic, she created and posted a page a day until the first draft of volume 1 was finished. Volume 1 is on Russian Interference in the 2016 election. Volume 2, which is scheduled for release in September, is on obstruction of justice, as in the Mueller Report. The two volumes will be issued as one, in both paperback and hardcover later this fall for gift giving during the holiday season.

This graphic novel is based on the Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election, the official report documenting the findings and conclusions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 United States presidential election, allegations of conspiracy or coordination between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia, and allegations of obstruction of justice.

A redacted version of the 448-page report was publicly released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 18, 2019. It is divided into two volumes. This edition of Mueller Report Graphic Novel condenses and visualizes the redacted report.

Slate’s graphic novel has already garnered these rave reviews:

“A surprisingly good-natured but thorough adaptation of what may turn out to be the most astounding story of American corruption in plain sight ever told.”

“This is a comic that needed to be done now rather than later. Slate has provided something that is half-public service, half-wild ride, both crucial and rollicking.” – writes journalist and cultural critic John Seven, of North Adams, MA in Comics Beat

“Mueller Report Graphic Novel has arrived and it exceeds my expectations. @BarbaraSlate drills down to the essence and makes the complexities clear. This is a public service.” writes Rick Schindler, retired editor for NBC News Digital, on Twitter

Barbara Slate created Ms. Liz, a feminist cartoon character, in 1976. Ms. Liz comic strip ran in Cosmopolitan and was an animated segment on NBC's TODAY show for two seasons. Barbara has written hundreds of comic books and graphic novels for DC, Marvel, Archie, Disney: Barbie, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Betty and Veronica, and created Angel Love, Yuppies from Hell, Sweet XVI, Getting Married and other Mistakes. She is profiled in A Century of Women Cartoonists. Author of You Can Do A Graphic Novel. A resident of Stockport, NY, she travels extensively nationwide as a keynote speaker, teacher, and moderator.

The Berkshire Antiquarian Book and Ephemera Fair will showcase used & antiquarian booksellers, ephemera and autograph dealers, fine letterpress printers, book binders, and artist book makers from throughout the New England the mid-Atlantic states. Free Admission.

At last report there are nearly 30 exhibitors from seven states, including: Laurie Alpert, (Brookline); Joslin Hall Books & Ephemera, (Hatfield); Melrose Books &Art, (Melrose),  New England Auctions, (Deerfield); Alan James Robinson, (Easthampton); John R. Sanderson, Antiquarian Bookseller, (Stockbridge); Peter L. Stern & Co., (Boston); Warwick Press, (Easthampton); Wiggins Fine Books, (Shelburne Falls); and Willow Bindery, (Shrewsbury) - all from Massachusetts.

Country Bookshop (Plainfield), will represent Vermont.

Jeffrey Bergman Books (Fort Lee); Brenner's Collectable Books (Manasquan); Stuart Lutz Historic Documents (Short Hills) and Pied Oxen Printers (Hopewell) are all from New Jersey.

New York booksellers will include Blind Dog Books (Chappaqua), Butternut Valley Books (Berlin); Carydale Books (Stamfordville); Carnegie Hill Books (New York); Doyle's Books (Fayetteville); Peter Luke Americana (New Baltimore), and Old Editions, Inc, (North Tonawanda).

Colebrook Book Barn (Colebrook), John Bale Book Company (Waterbury), Town’s End Books (Deep River), and Yesterday’s Gallery (East Woodstock) are from Connecticut and James Arsenault (Arrowsic, Maine) and William Hutchinson (Mendenhall, Pennsylvania) complete the roster as this is published.

The fair is produced by Book Arts Promotion, a collaboration between veteran bookseller Mark Brumberg, of Northampton, MA and Duane A. Stevens, of Wiggins Fine Books, of Shelburne Falls, MA.
For more information, visit www.berkshirebookfair.com or e-mail mdb@berkshirebookfair.com