Comic Literature: 3 works - photo 1
Comic Literature: 3 works - photo 2
Comic Literature: 3 works - photo 3
Comic Literature: 3 works - photo 4

Comic Literature: 3 works

Lot 356
29.09.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 4 032
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1029007
Lot 356 | Comic Literature: 3 works
Estimate value
£ 2 000 – 3 000
A group of three volumes, comprising:

E F BENSON (1867-1940). Mapp and Lucia. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1931.
First edition, in the rare dust-jacket, of a comic novel which satirises the rivalries between upper-middle-class women in an English village. Octavo. (A very few spots.) Original blue cloth, titles and author’s and publisher’s device stamped in black to upper cover and spine (extremities lightly rubbed, a few white speckled marks, spine sunned); original dust-jacket (rubbed, particularly to spine, several closed tears and chips, some repaired on verso with tape, long tear along fold of lower flap); housed in modern blue cloth clamshell box.

LOOS, Anita (1888-1981). Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1925.
First edition of a comic novel epitomizing the Jazz Age, the inspiration for the 1953 film starring Marilyn Monroe. Presentation copy, inscribed by both the author and her mother. Octavo. 31 illustrations by Ralph Barton (occasional spotting). Original red cloth, spine and upper cover lettered in gilt (extremities very lightly rubbed); original dust-jacket priced at $1.75 (rubbed and stained, a few chips to edges). Provenance: David Tomlinson (authorial presentation inscription to front free endpaper) — Charles and Eleanor (gift inscription to front free endpaper, from Minerva Ellen ‘Minnie; Smith, the author’s mother) — Hollywood Bookstore (bookseller’s ticket to rear pastedown).

WELLS, H. G. (1866-1946). The History of Mr. Polly. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1910.
First edition of a comic novel about an ordinary middle-aged man tired of his dreary existence. Hammond A6; Currey p.519. Octavo. 5 leaves of ads at end, including ‘Trepanned’ by Masefield, aditional loosely inserted sheet of publisher’s ads. Dated April-December 1910 Colour-printed frontispiece. Original green cloth, titles to spine in gilt on white ground double ruled in gilt, decorative green and white endpapers; original dust-jacket (somewhat tanned, a few small nicks, faint stain to bottom edge of lower panel).
Place of origin:United Kingdom
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
20.09.2023 13:00 – 17:00
21.09.2023 09:00 – 17:00
22.09.2023 09:00 – 17:00
23.09.2023 12:00 – 17:00
24.09.2023 12:00 – 17:00
25.09.2023 09:00 – 17:00
26.09.2023 09:00 – 17:00
27.09.2023 09:00 – 17:00
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.