CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions and InkQ Rare Books LLC of Addison, Texas have acquired the Larry McMurtry collection, and the first installment at auction will appear as part of Potter & Potter’s Fine Books & Manuscripts sale on Thursday, June 1. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
The Potter & Potter auction features 43 lots from McMurtry’s library, each featuring the collector’s famous stirrup brand bookplate that is universally known in the rare book world. Highlights include:
Henry Roth’s (1906-1995) Call it Sleep, a first edition of the author’s first book, which was published in 1934 in New York by Robert O. Ballou. It includes its rare first issue dust jacket, and is estimated at $3,000-$5,000. In an 2014 interview, McMurtry hailed this work as a book that he was happy to own, describing this exact example like so: “This is a great book … And it isn’t rare. I mean, I’ve handled it maybe three times, but that’s a nice copy I found [this copy], and I just decided to keep it. And it has a spectacular dust wrapper.”
A first edition presentation copy of Peter Bogdanovich’s (1939-2022) The Killing of the Unicorn: Dorothy Stratten 1960-1980 has an estimate of $300-$500. Published in New York by William Morrow and Company in 1984, it includes a full-page inscription from the author to McMurtry, expressing gratitude for their friendship during the years.
Nathanael West’s (1903-1940) A Cool Million: The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin carries an estimate of $3,000-$5,000. This first edition in the rare jacket was published in New York by Covici Friede in 1934, and is signed and inscribed by West. His work was meaningful to McMurtry; in an 2019 interview, McMurtry stated, “Nathanael West’s four novels would be ones I wouldn’t part with: The Dream Life of Balso Snell; Miss Lonelyhearts; A Cool Million: The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin; and The Day of the Locust. Other than those volumes, my library is, you might say, ‘a vibrant intellectual ecosystem.’”
Lot #282, Flannery O’Connor’s (1925-1964) Wise Blood, is estimated at $1,000-$2,000. This first edition of the author’s first book was printed in New York by Harcourt, Brace and Company in 1952 and includes its original dust jacket. This example is signed by McMurtry, who cited O’Connor as one of his major professional and creative influences.
Anita Loos, ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady,’ estimated at $200-$300
Completing the highlights is Anita Loos’ (1893-1981) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady, which has an estimate of $200-$300. It was published in 1926 in New York by Boni & Liveright, and is inscribed by Loos to Alexander Moore, the ambassador to Peru, publisher of the Pittsburgh Leader and husband to actress Lillian Russell. Loos’ story is about a young flapper and her exploits in New York City. This tale was adapted to film twice: in 1928 as a silent film, and in 1953, in a technicolor film starring Marilyn Monroe.
Please contact Potter & Potter Auctions directly for more information about the June 1 sale. Please direct inquiries about future offerings from Mr. McMurtry’s personal book collection to InkQ Rare Books at info.inkqnabula@gmail.com.
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