Kinky still looks like Kinky. He wears his trademark black hat, black clothes, and still has a cigar stuffed in his mouth. Of course he can't smoke it now, at least not inside a university auditorium. So he kind of chews on it and fiddles with it. If he were allowed to smoke, he would, though it would offend many voters, but it is his willingness to offend that makes him sort of a feasible candidate. Kinky is his own man, and in an era when most politicians seem to be essentially bought and sold by some special interest or other, he at least brings some integrity to this avocation. If some of his ideas seem strange, they are at least his ideas, not those of someone who paid him a lot of money.
Are politicians controlled by money? We'll let you decide, but Kinky is fond of pointing out that in the last Texas governor's race, the major parties spent $100 million to win a job that pays $100,000 a year. Why did they do that?
Kinky's platform, oddly enough, is based on common sense. Texas is mired in an education crisis, attempting to come up with desperately needed funds. Kinky's platform is simple: casino gambling. This may run afoul of some of Texas' more conservative values, but the candidate points out that Texans are either crossing state borders, or gambling illegally anyway, so why not take advantage of this reality to solve the state's major financial crisis?
Kinky wants to see Texas, so long the nation's oil capital, lead the way in renewable energy. He promises to put fellow country singer Willie Nelson in charge of this program. Nelson is a major supporter of alternate fuels, and his "Bio-Willie" biodiesel gas stations are already dotted across the Texas landscape. Of course, he notes that appointing Willie Nelson to this office may cause some problems for his drug enforcement image, the country singer also being known for supposed use of alternate substances as well as alternate fuels.
Beyond this, the candidate is sort of short on specifics, but wants to see better healthcare, drug treatment, schools, and the like. He does not come across as the most knowledgeable candidate on the details of the issues, but he does come across as the candidate with the greatest real concern for the people and the state, rather than some special interest. He probably has at least one thing in his bag to offend everyone, and he wouldn't be Kinky if he didn't, but you do walk away from his speech feeling he is honest, and that is refreshing in the world of politics. In defending his limited experience, Kinky points out that politics is the one occupation where people get worse as they get more experienced. Constantly running for reelection saps the good intentions they had when first entering the field. Besides which, he says he will appoint the best people to government jobs, not people with the most influence or money, so there is no need for him to know everything.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…