Re: A life sentence worth a thousand words
citycabn (citycabn@gateway.net)
Mon, 25 Oct 1999 09:39:15 -0700
will wrote:
>
>Having just received my 1963 Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature,
>I would have to say that Salinger collected a body of criticism that makes
>his "section man" distaste for crit and love love of the amateur reader a
>bit more complex. Afer all, Salinger initiated "The Salinger INdustry"
>with his writing and I think he's linked to it in some ways that extend
>the life of Salinger's work.
will, would you care to expand re the above?
>
>BTW, I held a first ed, no dedication RHTRBC&SAI in near perfect condition
>in my hands, but couldn't reach te thousand bucks in my pocket to pay for
>it...
>Is it crass to value Salinger's books for their rare book costs or simply
>part of his literature?
Personally, as a former sufferer of bibliomania (though I fear it lies
dormant), I would say collecting in its pure form is an act of homage and a
method of time-travel. The physical object transports one back to the
moment in time when the book first made its entrance onto the world's stage.
It carries an odd and intoxicating jolt. ( And soon can get out of hand and
take control of one's charge cards. :) ) Just last month--and this is a
five-dollar story--I was at my local library benefit and met up with a near
pristine copy of Life magazine, the one with the large spread on JDS just as
"F&Z" was being published. Swoosh: I was back there in the fall of 1961 and
it was BIG NEWS that the Recluse of Cornish was publishing a book after
*eight* years! We have a photo of him walking along his wood-woven fence in
his bathrobe, a picture of his mailbox and even his dog (the dog of
Westport?). It was fun to hold it, and for five bucks, yes, it was cheap
enough to take home and put on the shelf with the handful of New Yorkers
that contain the original publications of the Glass Stories.
I believe all honest rare book dealers caution their customers only to
collect books that they love, for there is no guarantee that any book will
hold its value. Now at a thousand could mean in 30 years not even holding
at a grand. (The Catcher I feel is the "safest investment" in the JDS rare
book realm, for it is sought not only by JDS collectors but collectors of
"American lit. high spots." But remember: condition, condition, condition.)
I highly recommend to the book fiends on the list, if they don't already
know of it: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes and the Eternal
Passion for Books written by Nicholas Basbanes. Or, as my wife said one
night seeing it on the nightstand, "Oh, he got the title wrong. It should
be An Expensive Madness."
--Bruce