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From the back cover:
"Deep into the heart of the oceans' unexplored subworlds goes one lonely ship -- a new kind of submarine -- with a handpicked crew bent on solving a 300-year-old riddle.
"But the surging ocean deeps take the powerful ship and hurl it like a toothpick miles deeper than any living man has ever penetrated before: for the ocean hides secrets as unknown as those of deep space. Far below the surface of the Earth's seas the handful of men uncover a wonder and release a terror . . ."
John Coleman Burroughs (1913-1979) was born in Chicago, the son of Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan, and of his first wife, Emma Centennia Hulbert. Jack became an author in his own right and a professional artist who went on to illustrate his father's books beginning in 1937.
"The amazing story of a beautiful girl who was thrown, helpless and alluring, into a world of lustful, savage men!"
So I’ve been looking to buy a Rollei 35 camera for some time and my delay was due to my criteria. It had to be black and made in Germany. Recently I came across two cameras that met this and purchased them both for a decent price. This is the second one and it has the original smaller lock for the back (or base), it is uncommon.
Lighting by Marcel.
Please respect copyright. Do no use without written permission.
From the back cover:
The river rolled silently, powerfully, mute witness to the greed and murder on her surface, where men fought savagely for plunder.
But the Big Missouri's pilots knew her as their friend, their home and their job.
This is the story of their battle for freedom . . . the story of Kirby Trent, who wasn't afraid . . . and of beautiful Judy Greene, who fought beside him.
When the fight was finished, the river ran red, but it ran free.
The cover of a 1962 first edition of Tomi Ungerer's classic children's book "The Three Robbers." : )
Another great city scene from "The Sheep of Lal Bagh," a 1960s children's book illustrated by Lionel Kalish. The star of the story is Ramesh, the sheep who mows in circles and stars to the delight of citizens everywhere. But when the mayor decides Ramesh doesn't mow fast enough, his funky, foliage designs are replaced by a push mower...
The Sheep of Lal Bagh by David Mark. Illustrated by Lionel Kalish.
Published by Parents' Magazine Press; First edition (1967)
The Giant Golden Book of Astronomy: A Child's Introduction To the Wonders of Space.
Published by Golden Press; Revised Edition (1950s)
This museum-grade archive, sourced from the lifelong collection of master philatelist Lionel A. Aucoin of Spencer, Massachusetts, features a unique 1935 Turkish stamp autographed by Nobel Laureate Selma Lagerlöf on February 15, 1939—verified by an accompanying personal note where she explicitly documents this as the very first stamp she has ever autographed.
Key Highlights of this Ensemble:
The Author: Selma Lagerlöf, first female Nobel Prize winner in Literature.
The Stamp: 1935 Turkish Suffragist Congress issue (limited run of ~10,000).
The Date: February 15, 1939 (late-life signature).
The Provenance: From the famous Lionel A. Aucoin collection.
This archive represents more than just an autograph; it is a bridge between a pioneer of women’s rights in Turkey, a literary giant in Sweden, and a dedicated collector in America.
The Full Archive - The complete Lagerlöf-Aucoin Archive. A unique intersection of Nobel history, women’s rights (via the 1935 Suffragist stamp), and 20th-century philately. A "museum-grade" ensemble captured in its entirety.
The Primary Treasure: Close-up of a rare 1935 Turkish semi-postal stamp issued for the 12th International Suffragist Congress. Hand-signed and dated "15.2.1939" by Nobel Laureate Selma Lagerlöf in blue fountain pen. This is documented by the author as the first stamp she ever autographed.
The Literary Statement: Handwritten card by Selma Lagerlöf. In this remarkable note, Lagerlöf confirms the stamp's rarity and provides her final assessment of her literary legacy, identifying her 1891 debut, Gösta Berling’s Saga, as her finest work.
The Collector's Pedigree: Original cataloguing card from the Lionel A. Aucoin Collection. Aucoin, a prolific 20th-century collector, notes the absolute rarity of this item: "Only one in existence signed? "
The Evidence (The Cover): Original transmittal cover (envelope) sent from Falun, Sweden to noted autograph collector Lionel A. Aucoin in Spencer, Massachusetts. The Falun 15.2.39 postmark provides ironclad provenance, aligning perfectly with the date written on the stamp. (Back of cover) - What "R 2/24/39" Means - In collector shorthand, the "R" stands for "Received."
Sent: He likely mailed his request in late 1938 or January 1939.
Signed: Selma signed and postmarked it on 15.2.1939 (February 15).
Received: It took exactly 9 days to travel from Sweden to Spencer, Massachusetts, arriving on February 24, 1939.
Personal Name
Selma Lagerlöf (Not Lagerlof).
Full Name: Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf.
Important Institutions:
Svenska Akademien: The Swedish Academy (where she was the first female member).
Nobelpriset i litteratur: The Nobel Prize in Literature.
"Ett unikt dokument från Selma Lagerlöfs sista år i Falun, adresserat till den amerikanska samlaren Lionel A. Aucoin."
(A unique document from Selma Lagerlöf's final years in Falun, addressed to the American collector Lionel A. Aucoin.)
In the 1930s, it was standard practice for professional collectors like Lionel A. Aucoin to send a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE). Because he was an American who likely didn't speak Swedish, he probably transcribed "Falun" phonetically or misread a map, writing "Felum" on his return envelope before mailing it to her. The notation "R 2/24/39" on the back is the final "smoking gun" for the archive's timeline.
Selma Lagerlöf died on March 16, 1940, at her family estate, Mårbacka, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage (a stroke) several days earlier. She was 81 years old.
Her health had been in decline for some time, and in her final months, she was deeply preoccupied with the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. Just before she was stricken, she famously donated her Nobel Prize gold medal to the Swedish national fund for Finland to help support their war effort.
The "Last Signatures" Context
Because my stamp is dated February 15, 1939, it was signed just 13 months before her stroke. This timeline is very significant for this collection:
A Year of Transition: In 1939, Lagerlöf was still mentally sharp and actively responding to collectors like Lionel Aucoin, but she was physically slowing down.
The "Final Year" Rarity: Signatures from late 1939 or early 1940 are considered her "final signatures." Finding a high-quality, dated signature from this period is rare, as most of her energy in her last year was diverted to helping refugees and the Finnish cause.
Art by J. Allen St. John.
This is the fifth novel in the Tarzan series. Tarzan knows where the gold of fabled Atlantis is hidden and outlaws are determined to get their greedy hands on it.
The story unfolds against the backdrop of the political conflict between Russia and Great Britain in Central Asia in the period 1893-98. The novel is notable for its detailed portrait of the people, culture, and varied religions of India, and features Kim, the orphaned son of an Irish soldier and a poor Irish mother who have both died in poverty. Living a vagabond existence in India, Kim earns his living by begging and running small errands on the streets of Lahore. He embarks on a series of great adventures after becoming a disciple of an aged Tibetan Lama and later recruited by the government to carry a message to the head of British intelligence. Thus begin the espionage and spiritual threads of the story, which are destined to collide.
The book features 10 full-page plates with sculptures done in bas relief by the author's father, J. Lockwood Kipling. The swastika seen in the image is an ancient Hindu symbol for good luck. It was so until the Nazis defiled it beyond redemption long after this book was published.
Kim is one of Kipling’s most popular books and, in 1998, the Modern Library ranked it No. 78 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. The book was turned into a great film in 1950 starring Errol Flynn.
Vintage first edition book, Tales from Grimm retold by Sarah K. Wright, published in 1945 by E.P. Dutton. Illustrations (by Roberta Paflin).
The statue is Snow White, of course--from the 1950s; came with a watch.
Quoting from the book (page 31):
. . . I still remained before the fire, wondering and wondering about Bleak House, and wondering and wondering that yesterday morning should seem so long ago. I don’t know where my thoughts had wandered when they were recalled by a tap at the door.
I opened it softly, and found Miss Jellyby shivering there, with a broken candle in a broken candlestick in one hand, and an egg-cup in the other.
“Good night!” she said, very sulkily.
“Good night!” said I.
“May I come in?” she shortly and unexpectedly asked me in the same sulky way.
“Certainly,” said I. “Don’t wake Miss Clare.”
She would not sit down, but stood by the fire, dipping her inky middle finger in the egg-cup, which contained vinegar, and smearing it over the ink stains on her face; frowning the whole time, and looking very gloomy.
Nick Charles is an alcoholic former private detective who retired when he married Nora, a wealthy Nob Hill heiress. Hammett reportedly modeled Nora on his longtime partner Lillian Hellman, and the characters' boozy, flippant repartee on their relationship. (The novel also mentions that Nick was once a Pinkerton detective, as was Hammett.)
The novel is considered one of the seminal texts of the hard-boiled subgenre of mystery novels, but the chief innovation distinguishing it from previous Hammett works such as "The Maltese Falcon" or "The Glass Key" was its relative lightness and humor. It is nearly as much a comedy of manners as a mystery, and the story tumbles along to the sarcastic banter of Nick and Nora as a reluctant and jaded Nick is dragged into solving a sensational murder, cheered on by the fascinated thrill-enjoying Nora.
[Source: Wikipedia]
A silly, occasionally amusing parody of “Song of the Loon,” also a Greenleaf publication. Greenleaf poked fun at its own novel which was the biggest hit in gay literature in the 1960s and 70s. The parody features cowboys at the Circle 69 Ranch, a medicine man named Squirming Ass, and more.
From the back cover:
A Rollicking and Invigorating Best-seller!
. . . a satirical blend of elements from Holliday’s C.A.M.P. series, Amory’s Loon Songs trilogy, and the works of Dr. Seuss. What evolves is hilarious and inimitable . . . an inspiring guffaw. It will leave every reader quaking with mirth, especially, secretly, those who can indeed laugh at themselves for recognizing the . . . FRUIT OF THE LOON.
A 1930s children's book all about dogs. Of course I could not resist...
The Dog Book.
Witten by Albert Payson Terhune
Illustrated by Diana Thorne
Published by Saalfield Pub. Company; First edition (1932)
A cute bear illustration from "Paddington Takes the Air"
Written by Michael Bond
illustrated by Peggy Fortnum
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company; 1970
"Hondo" is a 1953 Warner Bros. Western film directed by John Farrow and starring John Wayne and Geraldine Page. The screenplay is based on the July 5, 1952 Collier's short story "The Gift of Cochise" by Louis L'Amour. The book "Hondo" was a novelization of the film also written by L'Amour, and published by Gold Medal Books in 1953. The supporting cast features Ward Bond, James Arness and Leo Gordon.
The shoot went over schedule, and Farrow had to leave the production as he was contractually obligated to direct another movie. The final scenes featuring the Apache attack on the circled wagons of the Army and settlers were shot by John Ford, whom Wayne had asked to finish the film; Ford was uncredited for this work. [Source: Wikipedia]
From the back cover:
"When I read Louis L'Amour exciting novel I knew I had to play Hondo Lane in a motion picture. In the man Hondo, I found the very spirit of the old West.
"I hope, in my new movie, HONDO, I have portrayed some of his high courage, quiet strength and resolute honor."
-- John Wayne
"John Wayne did capture Hondo's great qualities, in James Edward Grant's excellent screen play. Read this fine novel -- then see John Wayne's 3D movie, HONDO."
-- The Editors
1898 edition of Tom Sawyer. Duplicate of 1875 first edition. Not in good shape unfortunately. I think I got it for $3.
“Captains Courageous” is a coming-of-age tale of fishing off the New England coast. It is the story of Harvey Cheyne, a spoiled rich kid, who stumbles overboard an ocean liner and is rescued by fisherman Manuel Fidello off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and brought aboard a small fishing boat. There he meets Disko Troop, captain of the fishing boat, who refuses to take the young man back to port but agrees to take him on as part of the crew against Harvey’s wishes. Over the course of the novel, Harvey befriends the captain’s son Dan and has some sense knocked into him. Dan helps the arrogant, overly pampered Harvey become a hard-working, self-reliant man at sea.
“Captains Courageous” is also an excellent portrayal of life in the Gloucester fishing fleet of Massachusetts, written while the newlywed Kipling lived in Vermont. Although Kipling lived in Vermont several years and was married to an American this is his only novel with entirely American settings, themes and major characters. The American edition of the book is dedicated to James Conland, M.D., of Brattleboro, Vermont. Dr. Conland had brought the Kiplings elder daughter into the world and had been a member of the Massachusetts fishing fleet. It is he who took Kipling to explore the wharves and quays of Boston and Gloucester.
Considered one of the great sea novels of the 19th century, “Captains Courageous” was made into an excellent Victor Fleming film in 1937 starring Freddie Bartholomew (Harvey Cheyne), Spencer Tracy (his rescuer Manuel Fidello),
Lionel Barrymore (Captain Disko Troop) and Mickey Rooney (Dan Troop).
Car: Lotus Emira V6 First Edition.
Engine: 3456cc V6.
Power: 400 BHP.
Year of manufacture: 2022.
Date of first registration in the UK: 7th December 2022.
Place of registration: Not kmown.
Date first MOT due: 6th December 2025.
Date of last V5 issued: 30th January 2023.
Date taken: 1st June 2024.
"A Picture History of India" is a richly illustrated history book that was originally published in Britain by the Oxford University Press as part of the Oxford picture histories. I love the elephant illustration on the cover.
100th Anniversary Edition
Brussels Motor Show
Autosalon Brussel
Salon de l'Auto Bruxelles
Brussels - Belgium
January 2023
From the back cover:
Blaize Carew was an ex-cowpoke who traded his saddle for a sheepskin. He thought he was ready for a peaceful life. But as soon as Blaize tried to set himself up as a doctor in Kicking Horse, he found the countryside rocking with a blood-hungry feud. Every small farmer for miles around was battling for his life against the ruthless power of the big ranchers and a corrupt deputy sheriff. And when Blaize chose to fight with the farmers, he got his warning:
"YORE TIME IS COMIN', CAREW!"
Blaize Carew had never run in his life. This two-fisted medic welcomed a battle to a finish, even though six-gun death waited for him at every turn of the trail!
Art by J. Allen St. John
Tarzan finds an outpost of European knights and crusaders from a "forbidden valley" hidden in the mountains. His lion ally Jad-bal-ja puts in an appearance late in the book.
This is plate 24 in Gaspey’s “Book of the World,” which contains 35 full-page, hand-colored engravings. Colored engravings of that period were virtually always colored by hand with water colors.
"The Journey of Pietari and his Wolf" is a children's book about Pietari, a young child of ageless wisdom, who leaves his magical home in the primeval Meadow to help the Kind Wolf find the Heaven Wolf, his twin brother.
The Journey of Pietari and his Wolf.
by Kaarina Helakisa.
Published by La Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; First edition 1991
This is a wonderful 1970s book by the great Arnold
Lobel about different types of imaginary and fantastical birds such as the Ice-Cream Cone Coot and the Shuttercluck.
“Uncle Remus” is a collection of animal stories, songs, and folklore from African-Americans in the South. Uncle Remus is a former slave who serves as a storytelling device, passing on the folktales to children gathered around him. Br’er Rabbit is the main character of the stories, a likable character, prone to tricks and trouble-making, who is often opposed by Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear.
The stories have inspired at least three feature films. The first and best known is Walt Disney’s “Song of the South,” released in 1946. The film combined live action with animation and it starred James Baskett, a vaudeville and radio actor, as the unforgettable Uncle Remus. The film's depiction of black former slaves, and of race relations in Reconstruction-Era Georgia, has been controversial since its original release, with a number of critics – at the time of its release and in later decades – describing it as racist. Consequently it has never been released in its entirety on home video in the United States. [Source: Wikipedia]
Who can possibly forget this song from the film:
From the book “Flight: An Epic of the Air” by Irwin R. Franklyn. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, (1929). First Photoplay Edition, with scenes from the film.
“Flight” is an adventure and aviation film directed by Frank Capra. The film stars Jack Holt (as gruff Gunnery Sergeant “Panama” Williams, U.S. Marine Corps pilot), Lila Lee (as Navy nurse Elinor Murray), and Ralph Graves (as Corporal “Lefty” Phelps), who also came up with the story, for which Capra wrote the dialogue. Dedicated to the United States Marine Corps, the production was greatly aided by their full cooperation. [Source: Wikipedia]
From the back cover:
VENGEANCE!
Jonathan Fontaine swore it . . . in the smoking remains of his homestead, over the charred, mutilated body of his young daughter.
He had gone East but now was back in Arizona with a specially equipped rifle. And he had a fresh lead on the Indian -- the one who had worn a necklace of human fingers and The Iron Shirt.
For this book, Ray Bradbury creates an ingenious framework for tying together a collection of short stories. The Illustrated Man is a wanderer whose entire body is a living canvas of exotic tattoos, which isn’t so unusual in 2014 but was quite weird and disturbing in the 1950s. What’s even weirder is that the tattoos come alive and each proceeds to unfold its own story. This book has remained in print since its publication in 1951, testimony to the broad appeal of Bradbury’s work.
From the back cover:
They sent Sergeant Gorse back -- lashed aboard his own mount. The bay carried him -- upright and staring -- across the parched, hostile wasteland to the very gates of Fort Bellew.
He had six arrows in his back. They had slit him open from neck to thigh, filled him with a stinking, unspeakable mess, and sewed him back together with gut.
This was the savage challenge of Asesino, warrior chief of the Chiricahuas.
Before the sun rose again the gates of Fort Bellew would swing open and its men would ride out after Asesino -- down the trail that led to glory -- or death!
An adorable drawing from the 1940s children's book "Susannah the Pioneer Cow," illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham
Susannah the Pioneer Cow.
Written by Miriam Evangeline Mason.
Illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham
Published by Macmillan Co (1941)
Illustration on the back cover of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition Program Booklet.
“One of the most attractive and beautiful features of the Exposition will be the electrical illumination. By an entirely new system of flood lighting a soft, restful, yet perfect light will pervade the courts at night, revealing in wonderful clearness the facades and walls of the palaces and the natural colors of the shrubbery and flowers. By peculiar and novel lighting devices the statuary and mural paintings will be made to appear with even heightened effect. Concealed batteries will project powerful yet softened rays of light that will cause tens of thousands of specially prepared glass ‘jewels,’ hung tremulously upon the towers, to flash and scintillate like great diamonds, emeralds and rubies. At a point on the bay shore will be erected apparatus that will weave in the night sky auroras of ever-changing color. Altogether the spectacle will be interesting and wonderful and never to be forgotten.” [Accompanying description]
This is plate 34 in Gaspey’s “Book of the World,” which contains 35 full-page, hand-colored engravings. Colored engravings of that period were virtually always colored by hand with water colors.
“A girl delinquent leads a teen-age gang to violence – and tragedy!”
From the back cover:
“The Beat Generation”
It started at a wild beach party – with emotions rising to a fever as the bonfire leaped in the darkness, and the hot jazz pounded out of the phonograph . . .
And it ended in the cold, early hours of the morning, when mayhem and robbery led to STARK VIOLENCE – and TRAGEDY!
The powerful, pulsating story of a teenage gang of jet-propelled kids who felt they had no future, nowhere to go – who were out for any fast kicks they could get in cheap liquor, violence and destruction . . .
An honest, unforgettable novel of that small segment of our youth – the new “Lost Generation” – tragically destroying themselves in the search for something, someone to belong to!
See “Juvenile Jungle” – a Republic presentation starring Corey Allen, Rebecca Welles and Richard Bakalyan.
"All in Line" is a collection of drawings and was Saul Steinberg's first publication (1945). Steinberg arrived in New York City in July 1942 after fleeing from Romania; within a few months he received a commission in the US Naval Reserve and was then seconded to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). He worked for the Morale Operations division in China, North Africa, and Italy. The pages of the book contain many of his adventures and impressions from the time abroad.
"Saul Steinberg (1914 – 1999) was a Romanian and American cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his work for The New Yorker, most notably View of the World from 9th Avenue. He described himself as "a writer who draws."-Wikipedia
Hide your gold and your women! Here comes Frisco Dougherty.
Through the tropical heat of the Java Sea, from island to island, from woman to woman, Frisco Dougherty followed the diamond trail. Cockney Jaske knew part of the answer, voluptuous Locheng knew more, a Chinese merchant knew it all. Hard-bitten Frisco had to hit it rich or end a derelict in Java’s ports.
Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Treatise on Painting,” the most important treatise on art to be written during the Renaissance, was actually compiled by Francesco Melzi, one of Leonardo’s pupils, around 1540. It circulated widely, first in separate manuscripts and later in printed books, and for centuries it was thought to have been written by Leonardo himself. Artists, scientists, and scholars including Galileo, read it avidly as an authoritative record of Leonardo’s thoughts. In the 19th century, when the artist’s original notes became available, scholars realized that the text poorly reflected Leonardo’s sophisticated ideas. The text was very influential nonetheless. For better or worse, it was the primary source for disseminating Leonardo’s art theory in Renaissance and Baroque Europe, from the mid-sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century.
[Source: www.treatiseonpainting.org/]
The little opossum on this cover is just too cute.
"Just the Thing for Geraldine"
written by Ellen Conford and illustrated by John Larrecq;
Published by Little Brown & Co; First Edition (1974)
Although Leni Riefenstahl's documentary film about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, called “Olympia,” has become an acknowledged classic, her book of photographs, “Schönheit im Olympischen Kampf” (Beauty in the Olympic Games), is less known but no less spectacular. Sometimes Riefenstahl relied on poses modeled on the antique Greek ideal… But far more original were her depictions of superbly athletic bodies soaring gracefully through the air and knifing effortlessly through the water. Riefenstahl applied certain devices characteristic of the new German photography – strong diagonals, tight croppings, and bird's-eye and worm's-eye views. No longer was the camera an earthbound witness; it took to the air and the water with the athletes. (Source: William A. Ewing, “The Body”).
Riefenstahl’s film “Olympia” documenting the 1936 Summer Olympics may be viewed on youtube:
Olympia Part 1: Festival of Nations
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLnGqMoNXRI
Olympia Part 2: Festival of Beauty
Quoting from the book (page 206):
Judy . . . calls, as she scrapes the butter on the loaf with every precaution against waste, and cuts it into slices, “you Charley, where are you?” Timidly obedient to the summons, a little girl in a rough apron and a large bonnet, with her hands covered with soap and water, and a scrubbing brush in one of them, appears, and curtseys.
“What work are you about now?” says Judy, making an ancient snap at her, like a very sharp old beldame.
“I’m a cleaning the upstairs back room, miss,” replies Charley.
“Mind you do it thoroughly, and don’t loiter. Shirking won’t do for me. Make haste! Go along!” cries Judy, with a stamp upon the ground. “You girls are more trouble than you’re worth, by half.”
"There passed a weary
time. Each throat
was parched, and
glazed each eye.
A weary time! a weary
time!
Now glazed each weary
eye,
When looking westward,
I beheld
A something in the sky."
William Andrew Pogány (1882-1955) was born in Hungary, studied art in Budapest, and worked in Paris briefly before moving to London in 1905 where he worked as a book illustrator for ten years. He moved to New York in 1915 and had success as a book illustrator and designer of stage sets and hotel interiors. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is one of Pogany’s best-known books. It is a bold artistic experiment in unifying text and images. Every page is elaborately decorated in Pogany’s distinctive style, which attempts to create a printed version of a medieval illuminated manuscript. He was responsible for the beautiful calligraphic text, green and mauve page decorations and borders, and the many black and white drawings and tipped-in plates in full color.
Either Robert Silverberg or Marion Zimmer Bradley is assumed to be the author of this novel. In 1959, publisher William Hamling launched Nightstand Books, an imprint for paperback original sex novels by authors working under house names. From 1961 on, Hamling's primary editor was Earl Kemp. Pseudonymous writers for Kemp/Hamling included Lawrence Block, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Harlan Ellison, Evan Hunter, Robert Silverberg and Donald E. Westlake. Hamling was one of the earliest publishers of gay-themed books.