Rare Book Monthly
James Cummins Latest Catalogue<br>Covers a Variety of Material
Louis Armstrong expresses personal concerns as part of a business request.
Item 18 is a first edition of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This is the true first edition, printed in London, not the first American. The date was 1884. $2,000. Item 33 is a first printing of the first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first book, This Side of Paradise. From 1920. $1,250. Item 92 is one more first, the first English edition of Voltaire’s satire on optimism Candid. The two volumes were printed in 1759 and 1761. $3,250.
In 1944, Oscar Hammerstein presented his wife, Dorothy, with a copy of the mimeographed typescript (with a Morocco binding) of the play I Remember Mama. Hammerstein was the producer of this Broadway play written by John Van Druten. The play was a great success, running for almost two years. Dorothy Hammerstein’s copy is now available as item 88. $2,000. Another piece of musical memorabilia is a 1956 letter from Louis Armstrong to a man in Germany who provided the great trumpeter with lip salve. The salve was evidently quite important to “Satchmo” as he placed an order worth $500 in 1956 dollars. The letter not only speaks about the order but personal concerns about Mr. Schuritz’s wife. $3,000.
We close with a photograph for those with an interest in the American legal system. It is a 1919 photo of the nine justice of the Supreme Court. It is signed by all nine, including Oliver Wendell Holmes and Louis Brandeis. Item 83. $11,000.
James Cummins Bookseller may be found online at, of course, www.jamescumminsbookseller.com They may also be reached by phone at 212-688-6441.
