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  • The Steinbeck Auction of Spring 2007
  • James M. Dourgarian (bio)

As a seller of rare and collectible books, I receive a lot of catalogues from booksellers and auction houses. Every once in a while I find a wonderful surprise. I still remember sitting in my office in 1980 and opening Brad Morrow's catalogue of the Harry Valentine Collection of John Steinbeck/Steinbeckiana. My eyes got huge as I stared in wonderment, page after page. I was stunned by the breadth of the collection, its condition and rarity—even its uniqueness.

I had a similar reaction to the catalogue I received from Bonhams and Butterfields for an auction of books February 18, 2007. There was a curious portrait of a man on the front cover. It looked familiar, but I didn't recognize it as, indeed, a portrait of Steinbeck by his friend, Mahlon Blaine, a fact I discovered when I thumbed through the catalogue and reached lot No. 303. There followed a series of lots entirely devoted to Steinbeck, including Blaine's portrait and many other items, the vast majority of which came from the estate of his older sister, Elizabeth Ainsworth. I knew that Stanford University had acquired the "Rogers Collection," a compilation of books and items from close family members. It was apparent to me that the first editions listed for auction on February 18, inscribed to his sister in many cases, might be the last of the close family copies to come to the marketplace. [End Page 111]


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The McBride First Edition of Cup of Gold with Dust Jacket by Mahlon Blaine.

The Bonhams and Butterfields auction was an effort by the heirs of Elizabeth Ainsworth (she died in 1992) to raise money to renovate the family home in Pacific Grove. Of the forty-five lots, forty came from the Ainsworth estate. One was Cup of Gold, the McBride first edition with the garish dust jacket (also illustrated by Mahlon Blaine), inscribed to his sister. The book is extremely difficult to find in the first edition, especially with the dust jacket, but finding a copy that was inscribed, and to his sister? Well, this was heady stuff. Then there was The Pastures of Heaven, inscribed to his sister in Spanish, also with its dust jacket. There was a copy of The Grapes of Wrath. And Cannery Row. And East of Eden. And then there was the Mahlon Blaine portrait of Steinbeck and four lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton, drawings made for the Limited Editions Club edition of The Grapes of Wrath: Ma Joad, Pa Joad, Casy, and that haunting drawing of Rose of Sharon. Each was inscribed to Steinbeck by Benton. [End Page 112]

Virtually every Steinbeck title was represented, including a copy of Nothing So Monstrous that was one of six purchased directly by Steinbeck with his name printed as the subscriber. He then added an inscription to his sister and her husband in his own hand. The only book that seemed to be missing was Saint Katy the Virgin. Then I remembered my conversation with Mrs. Ainsworth's daughter several years ago. She had told me that "Mother" had all the books except Saint Katy. It seems the book's title scandalized Steinbeck's rather conservative sister, so John simply didn't give her a copy. According to her daughter, she rued that decision later.

For the most part the books weren't in pristine condition. They were reading copies, not objects to be horded like jewelry. Their importance for collectors lay not in their condition, but in their being family copies.

The Bonhams and Butterfield auction was exciting, but badly timed. The Fortieth California International Book Fair, sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, was held on February 16, 17, and 18 in San Francisco. Thus, the auction was to take place on the last day of the biggest antiquarian book fair in the world. I believe that may have kept selling prices down, although one book, The Grapes of Wrath, brought a "hammer" price of $40,000. The auction house commission brought the final selling price to $47,800, a world record. [End Page...

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