Well, dear readers, I am happy to report that yesterday was pretty much a happy day to be happy, except for the endless gunk and the still weak voice, which I really need to get better soon. Still, the happy won out handily. I only got six and a half hours of sleep, got up at nine and answered a lot of e-mails, then got some comments on the flap copy and began to clean that up. It was better, but still seemed off to me. So, I waited to get the second opinion and ideas. Meanwhile, I got a wonderful e-mail at eleven-thirty that contained some potentially VERY good news should it all go according to Hoyle, so listen up Hoyle, we NEED it go to a VERY successful conclusion. The road to this potentially VERY good news began a year ago, and has slowly progressed, step by step – there’s really only one more step to turn potentially into reality and I pray it happens quickly. I did a quick run to the mail place and picked up a package that contained a very rare book that I’d placed with Heritage Auctions almost ten years ago. Somehow, it never got listed and I completely forgot about it until they found it and contacted me about returning it and one other item they found that had also not gotten listed. That item is larger and will probably take another week to ship. The book is a first edition of Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson, who is actually two people who wrote together under that name. So, why is so rare? Because it was the source material for Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil. I have only ever seen two copies of this book in all my collecting years and ironically, they were at the same book fair at either the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium or near the airport, can’t remember which. One was a really beat up copy going for $3,500 and one was the copy I got, for considerably less, although still pricey. This was probably back in 2010. My copy was in much better condition. The jacket had several long, closed tears on the folds with the flaps, but there was nothing missing – no chips or chunks out at all, so when you have a Brodart on it it presents beautifully, with a completely unfaded spine. Right now, there are exactly two copies on the ABE – a pretty ratty one for $1500, and I believe the same other copy I saw at that book fair that was going for 3,500 but which now is going for 4,500 – same seller. I would like to believe that mine would go for that larger amount, but who knows.
The poster is Josef von Sternberg’s Morocco, starring Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich. This is a one-sheet sized poster – well, not really – it’s a painted reproduction by the amazing Igor Edelman, who was the premiere poster restoration guy that most intelligent collectors went to. He could take and damaged poster with chunks missing, and paint in the missing parts so you’d never know. Back around 1990, I commissioned him to paint the Morocco one-sheet and he did an amazing job, so I’m happy to get that back.
I was going to stop at CVS for Claritin-D but decided not to. I had fried catfish for food with potato salad as the side – very good, from Uncle Andre’s. Then I got one of the needed modern major miracles, so that was great. See what I mean about a happy day? Then I got the other suggestions for the flap copy, and I rather liked several of them a lot, which mostly involved making it less awkward and moving things around. I did those and suddenly it started to feel good to me. The only bad stuff was my hoarseness, which I’m praying will get better today and tomorrow – if not, I have to get a prescription of those pills Robert Yacko took to help his hoarse voice, most of which is prednisone. Then I finished season two of Shooter – there’s something really wrong with how they’re adapting it, as Bob Lee Swagger, who starts out being unstoppable, is continually bested by the villain at every turn and who begins to look weak, weaker than I ever remember him being in the books. And it’s just odd reversing the order of the books, but what do I know? Anyway, I’m into it this far so I’ll finish it up, although thirteen episodes is really gilding the lily. Then the guy from the back house said he’d go to our nearby CVS to get me Claritin-D, Ricola, and more Ny-Quil. Of course, they were completely out of Claritin-D – they never get enough and during allergy season they’re the worst. Every other CVS has it. Ridic. So, he got me the Ricola and Ny-Quil. Very sweet of him. Being without the Claritin-D, I did two sprays in each nostril, which is what they recommend, although it’s written so poorly that I didn’t really know if they meant one squirt twice a day or two squirts once a day. I did the latter and hope that’s correct.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll hopefully finalize the flap copy, I’ll pray for more modern major miracles, I’ll eat something at some point, but mostly I’ll continue to rest my voice and hope I get it back normal sooner than later. Then I’ll make a show order, but I don’t think I’ll write the commentary until the weekend.
The rest of the week is hopefully finally getting fully over the crud and gunk, and doing whatever needs doing.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, hopefully finalize the flap copy, pray for more modern major miracles, eat, rest my voice and hopefully get it back to normal sooner than later, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the most you’ve ever spent on a single book? I would hate to tell you my answer, so I won’t. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a happy day to be happy.