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Photograph portrait of Samuel L. Clemens, unsigned, black and white, with original Bradley Studios folder. New York: Bradley, circa 1900. 13 3/4 x 10 inches. Estimate: $200-$400. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Mark Twain lends hand to Hindman’s literary auction Nov. 18

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Photograph portrait of Samuel L. Clemens, unsigned, black and white, with original Bradley Studios folder. New York: Bradley, circa 1900. 13 3/4 x 10 inches. Estimate: $200-$400. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Photograph portrait of Samuel L. Clemens, unsigned, black and white, with original Bradley Studios folder. New York: Bradley, circa 1900. 13 3/4 x 10 inches. Estimate: $200-$400. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

CHICAGO – Just in time for the long-anticipated re-release of Mark Twain’s edited autobiography, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers has announced the Nov. 18 sale of a fine collection of literary manuscripts by esteemed American authors, including Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) and Ernest Hemingway, which will undoubtedly arouse interest from collectors and enthusiasts alike.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding for the 449-lot auction, which will begin at noon Central.

The highlight of the sale is an original manuscript chapter from Mark Twain’s A Tramp Abroad ($30,000-$50,000). Finely bound in blue leather with a custom title page for the composer, Leo Kern, this rare offering comprises the complete 38-page chapter 42, pertaining to Twain’s travels in Switzerland, with corresponding pages from the printed edition bound at the rear. Twain made no attempts to reclaim the manuscript draft after publication, and it was subsequently broken up by the publishing company and dispersed. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is thus proud to provide this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind piece of revered literary history.

Another significant literary manuscript is a rare handwritten essay by Ernest Hemingway presumably written while he was a student at Oak Park High School in Oak Park, Ill., between 1913 and 1917 ($5,000-$7,000). The essay may provide insight into Hemingway’s preoccupation with the themes of competition and combat in his writing later in life.

In addition to the strong literature session, the sale will also features highlights from a broad range of categories including Natural History, Travel and Exploration, Fine Bindings, Art and Americana. Highlights include an elaborate jeweled Sangorski and Sutcliffe binding, embellished with a total of 118 jewels ($15,000-$20,000), a signed George Washington document ($6,000-$8,000), numerous botanical prints, and a fine collection of Chicago memorabilia, including rare views of the city before the Great Fire of 1871.

The auction will be held at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Chicago gallery at 1338 W. Lake St.

The books, manuscripts and prints will be on public exhibition Sunday, Nov. 14, through Wednesday, Nov. 17.

A fully illustrated catalog is also available online at www.lesliehindman.com auctioneers.

For details contact Mary Williams at 312-334-4236 or marywilliams@lesliehindman.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Samuel L. Clemens autograph manuscript, 38 pages (8 x 5 inches), comprising Chapter XLII of ‘A Tramp Abroad’ (1880), bound with engraved portrait of Clemens, printed title page stating: ‘Mark Twain / Switzerland / Chapter XLII. / A Tramp Abroad / Original Autograph Manuscript.’ Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Samuel L. Clemens autograph manuscript, 38 pages (8 x 5 inches), comprising Chapter XLII of ‘A Tramp Abroad’ (1880), bound with engraved portrait of Clemens, printed title page stating: ‘Mark Twain / Switzerland / Chapter XLII. / A Tramp Abroad / Original Autograph Manuscript.’ Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Two unsigned unpublished photographs of Ernest Hemingway fishing as a young man in Michigan and as an adult in the Gulf Stream, black and white. Size of larger is 8 x 10 inches. Estimate: $600-$800. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Two unsigned unpublished photographs of Ernest Hemingway fishing as a young man in Michigan and as an adult in the Gulf Stream, black and white. Size of larger is 8 x 10 inches. Estimate: $600-$800. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

‘The Chicago Magazine of Fashion, Music, and Home Reading,’ Vol. 1. Chicago: W. Hatch, 1870-1871, three-quarter morocco. Estimate: $500-$700. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
‘The Chicago Magazine of Fashion, Music, and Home Reading,’ Vol. 1. Chicago: W. Hatch, 1870-1871, three-quarter morocco. Estimate: $500-$700. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Original plaster cast, the first death mask made from John Dillinger’s body, which was taken to the Cook County morgue on July 22, 1934. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Original plaster cast, the first death mask made from John Dillinger’s body, which was taken to the Cook County morgue on July 22, 1934. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.