June 16--Swann Auction Galleries will tomorrow hold an online "19th 20th Century Literature" auction that features rare first editions of books by Walt Whitman, Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, James Joyce and F. Scott Fitzgerald, among others.
"You don't see these a lot, but they are out there and they do garner attention," said John D. Larson, Swann's specialist in 19th and 20th century literature. "A lot of these items are unique material or association copies -- a book that's presented or signed by the author to someone known to them."
One such item is a twice-signed-by-the-author copy of "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman, estimated to be worth somewhere between $5,000 and $7,500. The book is inscribed to Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, a friend and supporter of John Brown who faced trial for his support of the abolitionist.
"I've handled a few ('Leaves of Grass' copies) over the years, but I haven't seen such a great association before," Larson said.
Other highlighted items include a 1936 first edition of Agatha Christie's "Murder in Mesopotamia," two first editions of Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita," a first edition of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and a first edition, first issue signed copy of "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Another major item at the auction is a first edition of "A Streetcar Named Desire" signed by playwright Tennessee Williams and six members of the original Broadway cast: Gee Gee James, Peg Hillias, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando, who added a brief inscription. The item is estimated to be worth $15,000 to $20,000.
The auction will be held on eBay and begins June 17 at 12:30 p.m. central time. More than 275 items are up for auction.
