Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
(800) 937-3880
SELL

Lot #3000
Beatles: George Harrison (2) Signed Books to Ravi Shankar

George Harrison's 1966 Christmas gift to friend and mentor Ravi Shankar—a two-volume set of the I Ching

This lot has closed

Estimate: $20000+
Sell a Similar Item?
Share:  

Description

George Harrison's 1966 Christmas gift to friend and mentor Ravi Shankar—a two-volume set of the I Ching

Signed books: The I Ching or Book of Changes, Vol. I and II. Later printings. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, 1965. Hardcovers with dust jackets, 6 x 9, totaling 771 pages. Signed and inscribed in black felt tip inside each volume in black felt tip to his friend and mentor, the sitar virtuoso Ravi Shanker: in the first volume Harrison writes, "To Raviji—with much love and thanks—George Harrison, 25.12.66"; in the second, he writes, "To Raviji—love from George Harrison, 25.12.66." Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG/G, with wear, sunning, and paper loss only to the dust jackets, including several repaired tears and a missing rear flap from the jacket for Volume II.

Harrison first met Shankar in London in 1966, and soon after traveled to India to study sitar with the famous Indian musician. It was the beginning of a long friendship and artistic collaboration, which inspired some of the Beatles' most iconic songs, brought Indian classical music to a much wider international audience, and influenced the trajectory of pop music writ large. The experience encouraged Harrison's interest not only in Indian music, but in Eastern philosophy more generally—explaining perhaps the choice of this translation of the Chinese philosophical classic, the I Ching, with a preface by the famous psychoanalyst C. G. Jung, who would appear on the cover of the Beatles' album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' in the following year.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Marvels of Modern Music
  • Dates: #667 - Ended June 22, 2023





This item is Pre-Certified by Real
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for (inquire for price)

*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.