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Lot #436
Ira Levin Signed Book and Typed Letter Signed

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Estimate: $800+
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Description

Sought-after signed book: Rosemary's Baby. First edition, first printing. NY: Random House, 1967. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.5, 245 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in black felt tip, "To Matt Stiller, With all good wishes, Ira Levin, 11/1/91." The Dr. Nicholson J. Eastman epigraph on the page adjacent to the copyright page has been struck through.

Included with the book is a TLS from Levin, one page, 8.5 x 11, November 1, 1991, in part: "It's interesting that someone crossed out the epigraph in this copy of RB. Shortly after the book became a best seller, Dr. Eastman complained to Random House, and the quote—for which no one had bothered to seek permission—was eliminated from subsequent printings. Years later a knowledgeable lawyer told me that we could have kept it in on the basis of 'fair use.' I've always regretted that Random House caved in so readily, the quote being so apt. Maybe this was Eastman's copy, or perhaps the one used for typesetting the paperback edition." In overall fine condition, with slight wear to dust jacket, mainly to edges and spine. This first edition presentation copy of Rosemary's Baby is made all the more desirable by its fascinating correspondence relating to this particular copy and to Levin's now classic novel which, like its famous film adaptation, has definitely withstood the test of time. Ex. Otto Penzler.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Fine Autograph and Artifacts Featuring Classical Music
  • Dates: #661 - Ended April 12, 2023





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