Ephemeral Material from Marc Selvaggio, Books and Ephemera
- by Michael Stillman
SINA – A nude horse is a rude horse. This horse is polite.
Item 404 is InsideSINA.OfficialOrganfortheSocietyforIndecencytoNakedAnimals. The purpose of the society was to clothe naked animals. This may sound ridiculous, and of course it is, but prankster Alan Able managed to have a lot of people fooled, even getting the organization's officials on television. Among the group's mottoes was “a nude horse is a rude horse.” Able began the “organization,” a spoof on censorship, in 1958, but it was still going strong when this booklet was published in 1963. “Decency today means morality tomorrow.” $150.
Item 501 is an important publication from the Commander of the Pacific Fleet from 1952: WhaleIntelligence.It's purpose is to aid those at sea in telling the difference between a whale and a submarine. Was this really necessary? Do submarines have fins? Teeth? Blubber? Do whales have periscopes? Engines? Propellers? Sounds like the whales must have had more intelligence than the Commander. $45.
Here's something that sounds really unpleasant: Dr.JeanneWalter'sFamousMedicatedRubberGarments. The idea was that wearing these garments would help you sweat away “superfluous flesh.” Sweating inside of a rubber girdle is not my idea of a good time. This piece was printed circa 1909, and it appears these fine undergarments were sold during the first two decades of the 20th century, but probably not any later. Item 298. $45.
Item 330 is the ReportonRedCrossRelief,Galveston,Texas, published in 1901. It comes with a tipped in “Compliments of Clara Barton” slip. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 remains the most costly natural disaster, in terms of life lost, in United States history. An estimated 8,000 people died during the storm and flooding of Galveston Island. $125.
MarcSelvaggio,Books&Ephemera, may be reached at 510-548-8009 or dsbooks@comcast.net.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
