Benchley, Signed (6 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. 1st Edition. Fine in Fine DJ. With a forward by Howard Dietz. Inscribed by Dietz to the "First Lady of Radio" Mary Margaret McBride: "For Mary Margaret with friendship and admiration Howard Dietz." An absolutely gorgeous copy with a lovely association. Signed by Author(s).

YATES, Norris W. ROBERT BENCHLEY. NY: Twayne Publishers, Inc., [1968]. 8vo., blue faux-leather in dust jacket. First Edition. The first, book-length study of Robert Benchley as a humorous writer. Many copies went to libraries and nice copies in dust jacket are uncommon. Signed by Yates on the title page. Near fine (yellow highlighting to first two paragraphs of the Preface, else contents clean & tight); moderate edgewear d/j. $75.00.

Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. 7 1/4 in. x 10 1/2 in., typed letter on a sheet of stationary with the printed address of Nathaniel Benchley. Shows two horizontal folds, staple holes in the upper right corner. Addressed to an editor at G. P. Putnam's Sons publishers in New York, regarding publishing a Robert Benchley (1889-1945) title in paperback. Partial contents: "January 23, 1959 [-] This is something that never occured to me during my conversations with you, and would probably never have occurred to anyone if you hadn't told my mother about your being "king of the paper-backs" at Putnam's. (You did mention working in paper-backs to me, but I never thought to connect it with the project at hand.) To get to the point: If you were planning to bring out this book of my father's critical works in paper-back form, the answer is definately No. His books have already appeared first in hard-cover form, and our feeling [-] is that one such as this critical one should flatly not make its debut as a paper-back. [-] It may well be that all this is for nothing, and that you intended to do it as a hard-cover book all along [-] The only other condition--aside from the hard-cover one--is that I have final approval of the material that is selected. But that, I remember, we covered during our lunch. Sincerly yours, [signed] Nathaniel Benchley". Signed by Author(s).

Fifth edition. 8vo., vii, 304 pp., b&w drawings, with added gelatin silver photographs pasted-in. Publisher's cloth with paper spine label. Worn, with drink ring on the front cover. Gift inscription, Christmas, 1943 on the front fly leaf. Corporal Robert G. Rohner, Headquarters and Service Company of the 84th Engineer Battalion, U. S. Army, was gifted this Robert Benchley book for Christmas during his service in World War II. He proceeded to use the book as an album to collect names, home addresses and photographs of members of his Army unit. He used the accompanying unit roster, a single mimeograph sheet, 8 x 13 inches, dated May 1944, to record by check marks and page numbers those members whose signature, address and sometimes photograph appear on the blank spaces, pages between chapters and endpapers; the roster is brittle and partially cracked at the center. Of the 104 names on the roster, 73 have been checked. The 53 pasted-in photographs vary in size from postage stamp size to 3 1/4 x 5 inches. The 84th Engineer Battalion participated in the European Campaign in Italy, Southern France, Alsace and Central Europe.

Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition, Second Printing. Doubleday & Company,1974 First Edition, Second Printing: An incredible presentation copy dedicated to "Ricardo", someone whom Benchley had an association during the early years after publishing Jaws. The book is signed and inscribed by Benchley who also drew a large shark drawing in the book, and in addition the book is accompanied by a separate autograph letter signed by Benchley to Ricardo. There is also a newspaper clipping dated 1975 which covered the book and the then upcoming Jaws movie. A fantastic and unique second printing of the Jaws. Benchley signed and inscribed the book covering the entire first blank page "For Ricardo / Eight years later / and very cheap - Nothing sells for $6.95 any more-/ (large shark head drawing)/ Peter Benchley / 6.2.82". Benchley's letter to Ricardo is also loosely inserted in the book, and is shown below: " 21 December Dear Ricardo - Thank you for your note and for sending the Post obituary. One bright spot in this drear season was the opportunity to meeting you face-to-face - and to spend a whole week with you (or was it a month?) at "Reds" Best, Peter Benchley" Also inserted into the book is a newspaper clipping from The San Juan Star, dated February 8, 1975, which does into the book Jaws and the upcoming film. The news paper clipping created some offsetting to the blank page where the inscription is located, otherwise the book is clean and contains Ricardo's personal bookplate on the end papers, and his owner name/date and place of "October '74 / San Juan de Puerto Rico" The book is a second printing, still maintaining the original blue end papers and the $6.95 dust jacket price as found on a first printing but without the first printing statement. The book is in near fine condition and is internally clean and fresh with no stains, and no bent pages. The original slightly nicked dust jacket is overall in near fine condition with a tiny bit of creasing. The dust jacket is not price clipped and has a stated price of $6.95 on the inside front flap. A fun copy, letting your imagination run. Perfect for a "Jaws" lover! ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Please see our store for other landmark titles. Signed.

No Binding. Condition: Good. in black fountain pen ink on Famous Players-Lasky Corporation Paramount Pictures West Coast Studios letterhead. 4to. 1 page, Hollywood, Wednesday [ca. 1935]. To Mrs. Hermann Hagedorn: "Dear Mrs. Hagedorn: My importance here is so great that the mail dept. didn't know that I was in town, and yesterday, after frantically inquiring why I had received no mail from home since I arrived, I was handed a big pile of letters that they had been saving for me. Among them, for no good reason, was your note asking me to Herman's party last Sunday. You must have thought me very loose, not ever to have answered it. As a matter of fact, I was in Santa Barbara on the weekend and didn't return until yesterday; so I couldn't have come, but it was awfully nice of you to ask me and I hope that I may see you all soon. I called up 'Sconset' on the telephone last night and have all the island news. Sincerely." Hagedorn (1882-1964), American novelist and biographer of Theodore Roosevelt and Albert Schweitzer. Inscribed by Author(s).