literature
“MUSSOLINI AND HITLER, HAVING DONE EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE TO THEIR COUNTRIES’ — ‘IN EVERY PUBLIC REFERENCE OF MINE TO THE PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS, DENOUNCED AND RIDICULED IT IN THE MOST UNEQUIVOCAL TERMS. I HAVE NEVER SUGGESTED THAT THE IMPERIALIST WAR OF CONQUEST BY JAPAN ON CHINA IS COMPARABLE IN ANY WAY TO THE ITALIAN CONQUEST OF ABYSSINIA’ —
SHAW, GEORGE BERNARD. (1856-1950). Irish-born writer. Superb Typed Letter Signed, “G. Bernard Shaw”, on his imprinted stationery. One and a quarter pages, quarto. [London] October 6, 1937. To Henry Elphick
AN EXCEPTIONALLY EARLY LETTER OF EZRA POUND. — “UNLESS THE DIVINE FIRE DESCENDS WITH UNUSUAL VIGOR…THERE WON’T BE ENOUGH NEW POEMS TO MAKE A VOLUME OUT OF THEM [THOUGH]…THERE ARE A FEW NEW POEMS THAT COULD BE PRINTED WITH IT. NOTABLY THE CANZONI ‘OF VENICE’ (APRIL ENG[LISH] REV[IEW]) & ‘OF ANGELS’. “
POUND, EZRA. (1885-1972). American poet and critic. Wonderful, and extremely uncommon, early Autograph Letter Signed, “Ezra Pound”, on imprinted and illustrated Hotel Eden stationery. Four full pages, large octavo. “Lago di Garda [Italy]”, circa 1910.
THOREAU HAVING JUST PUBLISHED ”WALDEN”, AGREES TO A READING ON CAPE COD — “THAT IS AS LARGE A TASTE OF MY PRESENT SELF AS I DARE OFFER YOU ”
THOREAU, HENRY DAVID. (1817-1862). American transcendentalist writer. Very rare Autograph Letter Signed, “Henry D. Thoreau”. One page, quarto. Concord, Massachusetts, October 4, 1854.
W.B. YEATS ON HIS: “PROPOSAL TO FOUND A BODY WITHIN THE FIRST ACADEMY WHICH COULD ACT AS AN ACADEMY OF LETTERS”
YEATS, WILLIAM BUTLER (1865-1939) Irish poet, dramatist, and Nobel laureate. Autograph Letter Signed, “W.B. Yeats,” on imprinted 82, Merrion Square, Dublin letterhead. Two pages, octavo. Dublin.
IBSEN — RARELY SEEN, CABINET PHOTOGRAPH SIGNED — THE NYBLIN STUDIO
IBSEN, HENRIK. (1828-1906) Norwegian playwright, director, and poet; Ibsen is viewed as one of the founders of Modernism in theater. Rarely seen, Cabinet Photograph Signed, “Henrik Ibsen / 27.12.97”.
HEMINGWAY — HAVING READ, IN LIFE MAGAZINE, AN ARTICLE ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF A BEAR CUB BEING KILLED IN A MOST UNSPORTING MANNER, CHALLENGES THE PREPERTRATORS OF THIS KILLING TO A DUEL!
HEMINGWAY, ERNEST. (1899-1961) American Nobel Prize winning author and journalist; published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works. Remarkable Typed Letter Signed “Ernest Hemingway”, on his Finca Vigia, San Francisco De Paula, Cuba stationary. Full page, quarto. San Francisco de Paula, Cuba. January 2, 1950. To: “the editors of LIFE Magazine”.
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON: “WHEN MY BOOK WAS WRITTEN, IT WAS STILL POSSIBLE TO HAVE RECONCILED MATAAFA AND LAMFEFA: THIS IS NOW TOO LATE, THE TREATY HAS LOST AUTHORITY WITH THE SAMOANS, THEY HAVE PLUNGED AGAIN INTO A STATE OF DIEHARD REBELLION AND SPORADIC WAR”
STEVENSON, ROBERT LOUIS. (1850-94). Scottish essayist, novelist and poet. Extremely scarce Autograph Letter Signed, “Robert Louis Stevenson”. Two separate pages, octavo. “Vailima, Samoa”, July 14, 1893.