All posts by Debs

To Kill A Mockingbird signed by Harper Lee

Harper Lee has been the focus of massive media attention recently with the publication of Go Set A Watchman, the sequel to her Pulitzer Prize winning To Kill A Mockingbird. Surprisingly,  a recent attempt to sell some personal letters at auction fell flat, although there seems to be considerable renewed interest in snapping up a rare signed first edition of her well-loved first novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

Personal letters of Harper Lee fail to sell at auction | Books …
http://www.theguardian.com/culture
After much advance press coverage, and in a year of unprecedented interest in the private life of Harper Lee, six personal letters of hers on sale at Christie’s on Friday have failed to sell at auction. The six letters were addressed to Lee’s architect friend, Harold Caulfield, and dated between … The letters were also signed with comic pseudonyms, including “the prisoner of Zenda.” In the last six months Lee has been the subject of many headlines, most of them relating to …

Harper Lee’s ‘Go Set a Watchman’ sells over 1 million in first week …
Rand Daily Mail, on Mon, 20 Jul 2015 08:11:15 -0700
Harper Lee’s unexpected new novel “Go Set A Watchman” has become the fastest selling book in the history of publisher HarperCollins, with more than 1.1 million copies sold in North America in the first week, the company said on Monday. The novel was …

 Be Suspicious of the New Harper Lee Novel – Jezebel
http://jezebel.com/
Two and a half months after the death of Harper Lee’s sister (and lawyer) and 55 years since the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, HarperCollins has announced the summer release of Go Set a Watchman, the elusive …

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James Joyce signed copies go under the hammer

If there was ever any doubt about just how valuable an investment in signed first editions can be, the numbers associated with James Joyce signed copies in an upcoming  Bonhams auction on June 24th should put paid to them. The books come from the library of  a “deceased Irish collector” who lived in the United States and include gems such as a signed first edition of Ulysses and a rare Henri Matisse illustrated edition.

First editions: ‘Ulysses’ signed by James Joyce, (€82000-€110000)
Irish Times, on Fri, 12 Jun 2015

The top lot is a first edition copy of Ulysses, published in Paris in 1922, and estimated at £60,000-£80,000 (€82,000-€110,000). The copy is catalogued as “First Edition, Number 282 of 750 copies on ‘hand-made paper’, from an edition limited to 1,000 copies” and is inscribed: “To Lewis Galantière James Joyce Paris 11 February 1922”. …

Rare Henri Matisse-Illustrated Edition Of Ulysses Under The Hammer
ArtLyst, on Thu, 11 Jun 2015

Another notable lot in the auction includes a signed first edition of Ulysses, which was given to Lewis Galantiere, an American translator of French literature, who was living in Paris when he met the Irish author. The February 11, 1922 copy, which is

Continue reading James Joyce signed copies go under the hammer

Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ Book Signing Tour

If you believe, like many, that the release of Hillary Clinton’s new book Hard Choices and related book tour is a prelude to her 2016 presidential bid, now is a great time to snap up a signed copy. Here’s a round up of how the tour has been going.

A surprise visitor stops by Hillary Clinton’s book signing – CBS News

2 days ago Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor dropped by Clinton’s book signing at a Costco warehouse in suburban Virginia, and surprised the …

Saturday at Costco: Hillary Clinton and Sonia Sotomayor … – Politico

2 days ago This was Clinton’s fourth store signing since her book went on sale on June 10, and her events have attracted as many men as women, and …

Watters’ World Goes to Hillary Clinton’s NYC Book Signing | Fox …

13 hours ago Jesse Watters went to Hillary Clinton’s book signing in New York City to ask attendees about the former secretary of state.

Continue reading Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ Book Signing Tour

True You signed by Janet Jackson

The five-time Grammy Award-winning international superstar and member of one of the world’s most famous celebrity families Janet Jackson has recently been thrilling fans at meet and greet book signing sessions for the launch of her autobiography, a guide to personal growth and self-esteem – True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself.

Fans queued around the block for the chance of seeing their idol at Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue in New York last Saturday. Watch one lucky admirer’s encounter in the video below:

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First Step 2 Forever signed by Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber signing and photo event at The Garage, London, December 2010
Justin Bieber signing and photo event at The Garage, London, December 2010 a photo by hmv_getcloser on Flickr.

Just as we thought celebrity memoir authors couldn’t get any younger, along comes teen heartthrob singer songwriter Justin Bieber, who at the ripe old age of 16, published an autobiography – Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story.

Love him or hate him, it’s difficult to ignore the Canadian-born celebrity whom The Guardian described as “more influential online than the Dalai Lama or US president” – when he turned 17 a few days ago on 1st March, Twitter was swamped with messages from his adoring fans and those same fans turned out in their thousands, some camping on the street overnight to be first in the queue, for the chance to meet and greet the star and have a copy of the memoir signed in person at book stores across the globe.

Packed with picture spreads and original Tweets from Bieber, First Step 2 Forever is clearly a must have for the super-fan and a signed book investment for collectors. Certainly one reviewer on Amazon claims that it’s “the best book in history”, but I think the rest of us might take that claim with a pinch of salt!

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Susan Boyle meets and greets fans at London book signing!


Susan Boyle SuBo
Originally uploaded by another_shoot

If you’re looking for a Christmas gift this year, there’s bound to be somebody in the family who would surely enjoy a copy of Susan Boyle’s new CD The Gift alongside a copy of her recently published autobiography – The Woman I Was Born To Be.

The shy Scottish singer was in London this week to meet and greet hundreds of fans of all ages who queued outside Waterstone’s, in Piccadilly, for the chance to chat to her and have their copy of the autobiography signed by the star herself!

As is clear from the video below, SuBo’s overnight success hasn’t gone to her head and she seems delighted to meet her fans and greet them all individually!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k87Gh585UTA

Tony Blair cancels book signings amid antiwar protests

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has joined the ranks of numerous politicians to have written their memoirs after leaving office. Since the release of “A Journey” earlier this month, however, Blair’s tour of personal appearances and book signings have been accompanied by antiwar demonstrators and angry protests. His announcement that he will donate all profits from the autobiography to the Royal British Legion – the charity which cares for injured servicemen – has also divided public opinion.

The New York Times reported this week that he had even been forced to cancel appearances:

After Antiwar Protest, Blair Cancels Appearance

By RACHEL LEE HARRIS
Published: September 6, 2010

The former British prime minister Tony Blair has cancelled the next book signing of his new memoir, “A Journey.”

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Books Authored and Signed by American Presidents

By David Thoreau

In recent years there has been a growing audience for books authored and signed by American Presidents. This article explores some of the most common books authored and signed by modern American presidents.

One of the earliest American presidents to author a book was Thomas Jefferson and his only full-length book known as Notes on the State of Virginia. Originally written in 1782 and published anonymously in Paris, Notes on the State of Virginia contains Jefferson’s political philosophy interspersed with geographic descriptions of the State of Virginia. Signed copies bearing Thomas Jefferson’s autograph are known to exist but are exquisitely rare.

More recently, Calvin Coolidge gained notoriety as a syndicated newspaper columnist after his career in politics. His autobiography was published in 1928 and copies bearing the inscription “Cordially Calvin Coolidge” in blue ink occasionally appear on the autograph marketplace.

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Cookery books signed by Julia Child selling like hotcakes!

Whilst Julia Child (1912-2006) may have turned American cuisine on its head through what was, in the 1960s, the revolutionary idea of introducing the ideals of the French cooking school to middle America, she was until very recently, far less of a household name in the UK and Europe. Her award-winning cookbooks couple with numerous series of television shows in a career which spread over four decades, became the model to which all future “TV Chefs” the world over would aspire – in essence she invented the idea of taking sophisticated cuisine and making it accessible to a wide audience. In a country that Europeans often wrongly see as a burger-guzzling nation, Julia Child was a woman who instilled passion into the food culture of the United States and beyond, often through the sheer force of her personality.

Without doubt one of her most famous cookbooks and one that is considered something of a seminal publication is Mastering the Art of French Cooking. First published in 1961 by Knopf it was followed by a second volume in 1970. Praised for many of the things we now take for granted in a cookery book, such as clear illustrations and easy to follow instructions, the book is still in print to this day. Child’s second book, The French Chef Cookbook, was a collection of the recipes she had demonstrated on a television show of the same name. When the series went into colour television this was reflected in her fourth book, From Julia Child’s Kitchen, which was illustrated with her husband’s photographs. Julia Child’s last book , an autobiography My Life in France, was published in 2006 although sadly, she didn’t live to see it in print.

And so we come to 2009, and Mastering the Art of French Cooking is top of the bookseller charts again thanks to the movie Julie & Julia, directed by Nora Ephron and starring none other than Meryl Streep as Julia Child. Based on the eponymous book by the blogger Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams in the movie) who set herself the staggering task of cooking all 524 recipes from the book and kept a daily blog of her culinary adventures.

Needless to say vintage copies of any cookery books signed by Julia Child are suddenly highly collectible!

signed Julia Child, 5, 267, “”