SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BOOKS ARE VALUABLE, BUT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY
IT'S THE INTIMATE CONNECTION, OF OWNING A BOOK WITH ENHANCED PROVENANCE; WHICH SOMETIMES HAS A FUNNY STORY ATTACHED
I ONCE OWNED, FOR WHAT ONLY TUR NED OUT TO BE A COUPLE OF WEEKS, A TEXT WRITTEN AS A CHRONICLE OF A MINNESOTA DIVISION, OF THE FEDERAL ARMY, IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. IT WAS SIGNED BY A MEMBER OF A SOLDIER'S FAMILY, IDENTIFIED IN THE BOOK. I HAD, AND SOLD, A BOOK SIGNED BY ACTOR, JAMES MASON. IT DIDN'T LAST LONG. IT WASN'T ALL THAT LONG AGO, I SOLD A BOOK, WRITTEN BY CANADIAN AUTHOR, ROBERTSON DAVIES. WHAT WAS ODD ABOUT THIS BOOK, WAS THAT THE AUTHOR, ASKED TO SIGN THE TITLE PAGE, BY THE PURCHASER, ACTUALLY CROSSED OUT HIS PRINTED NAME, BELOW THE TITLE OF THE STORY, THEN IMPRINTED HIS SIGNATURE DIRECTLY BENEATH. I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY HE DID THIS, WHEN I CAME UPON A SECOND BOOK AT THE SALE, DONE EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. SO I BOUGHT THEM BOTH.
I HAVE QUITE A FEW SIGNED "VINYL CAFE" BOOKS, BY CBC STORY-TELLER, STUART MCLEAN, AND AN EQUAL NUMBER BY MY OLD FRIEND, WAYLAND "BUSTER" DREW, FORMERLY OF BRACEBRIDGE, WHO WROTE BOOKS SUCH AS "SUPERIOR; THE HAUNTED SHORE," WITH PHOTOGRAPHER, BRUCE LITTELJOHN, "BROWN'S WEIR," WHICH HE CO-WROTE WITH HIS WIFE, GWEN, AND SOFT COVER BOOKS INCLUDING "HALFWAY MAN," AND "WILLOW," WHICH HE WROTE INTO BOOK FORM, FROM THE MOVIE SCRIPT, OF THE SAME NAME. HE WAS ANOTHER OF MY AUTHOR FRIENDS, WHO GAVE ME A HUGE BOOST IN CONFIDENCE, BY OFFERING IMPORTANT CRITIQUES THAT I STILL ADHERE-TO TODAY. I HAVE A COUPLE OF SIGNED AND INSCRIBED CANADIAN HERITAGE BOOKS, PUBLISHED BY HISTORIAN CHARLIE HUMBER, AS PART OF A SPECIAL SERIES, THAT OFFERED WELL RESEARCHED, BIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVES, WITH TITLES SUCH AS "LOYAL SHE REMAINS." I GOT TO KNOW CHARLIE FROM MY DAYS AS EDITOR, OF THE MUSKOKA LAKES-GEORGIAN BAY BEACON, WHERE CHARLIE AND HIS FAMILY HAD A COTTAGE. THROUGH THE YEARS AND MANY OTHER CONNECTIONS WITH HISTORIAN FRIENDS OF MINE, I SHARED A LOT OF HERITAGE CHATS WITH THE GOOD MR. HUMBER. ONE OF MY MOST IMPORTANT OF THESE CANADIAN HERITAGE BOOKS, IS THE BIOGRAPHY SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY ARCHIVIST, HUGH MACMILLAN, TITLED, "ADVENTURES OF A PAPER SLEUTH," WHICH I HAVE REFERRED TO MANY TIMES IN THESE BLOGS. HUGH GAVE MANY IMPORTANT INSIGHTS ABOUT COLLECTING CANADA'S PAPER HERITAGE. IT WAS HUGH WHO PUSHED ME TO WRITE THE BIOGRAPHY OF OUR MUTUAL BOOK COLLECTING FRIEND, DAVE BROWN, OF HAMILTON; OF WHICH I FOLLOWED THROUGH, AND SOLD EVERY COPY PRODUCED. THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS, AND ONES THAT WERE MEMORABLE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, OVER A LONG PERIOD OF COLLECTING BOOKS AND OLD PAPER. I KEEP THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN PERSONALLY INSCRIBED TO SUZANNE AND I, AS REMINDERS OF JUST HOW MANY FRIENDS WE'VE HAD IN THE AUTHOR-COMMUNITY; AND HOW MANY HAVE SAT DOWN TO DINNER WITH US, SO WILLING TO SHARE THEIR AMAZING STORIES. THE BOOKS OF COURSE, HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT VALUE, CONSIDERING THEIR PROVENANCE. BUT THE STORIES SUZANNE AND I HAVE, SHARING EVENING CHATS WITH HUGH MACMILLAN, AND DAVE BROWN, ARE JUST PRECIOUS. I WISH YOU COULD HAVE BEEN THERE.
WHEN I BO0K-HUNT, I DO LOOK FOR SIGNED COPIES, BECAUSE IN MY SHOP, THEY HAVE BECOME QUITE AN ATTRACTION. THESE AREN'T THE ONLY BOOKS I BUY, BUT I MUST ADMIT THEY DO FASCINATE ME. IT'S VERY SELDOM THAT I LEAVE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY BEHIND, AT A BOOK SALE, OR THRIFT SHOP. OBVIOUSLY, THE REPUTATION OF THE AUTHOR, PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE EQUATION. THE BIGGER THE REPUTATION, THE LARGER THE INVESTMENT VALUE OF THE BOOK. THEN THERE ARE THE SENTIMENTAL FAVORITES, LIKE PAUL RIMSTEAD'S "COCKTAILS AND JOCKSTRAPS." I'VE GOT A HALF DOZEN OF THOSE, BECAUSE HE WAS MY FAVORITE NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST.
SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BOOKS HAVE ALWAYS FASCINATED ME. YOU PROBABLY FIGURED THIS OUT, FROM PREVIOUS BLOGS, AND YESTERDAY'S OVERVIEW OF GENERAL STONEWALL JACKSON'S BIOGRAPHY, WHICH WE BELIEVE, WAS SIGNED BY A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER UNDER HIS COMMAND. IF YOU MISSED YESTERDAY'S BLOG, YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK IF YOU WISH. FOR TWENTY YEARS, I'VE BEEN ACCUMULATING SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BOOKS, BUT NOT JUST FOR EXTREME PROFIT. THAT'S A BONUS, BUT I JUST LIKE BUYING AND SELLING BOOKS WITH PROVENANCE; I HAPPEN TO THINK IT'S NEAT TO HAVE A BOOK THAT WAS IN THE HANDS OF THE AUTHOR, EVEN FOR A SHORT TIME, WHO THEN APPLIED HIS SIGNATURE, AND POSSIBLY A LITTLE MESSAGE. A REAL JEWELL? THE BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT "THE BAND," ENTITLED "ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE" SIGNED BY ITS MEMBERS. WE SOLD THAT ONLINE FOR AROUND THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS. TODAY IT'S PROBABLY CLOSER TO FOUR HUNDRED, IN GOOD CONDITION.
SIGNED BOOKS, WITH AUTHOR INSCRIPTIONS, SEEM MORE FULFILLING AND EXCITING, TO ME, AND TRUTH BE KNOWN, I LIKE READING THESE EDITIONS MORE THAN THE SAME BOOK, WITHOUT AN AUTHOR'S PERSONAL IMPRINT. SO I WILL TURN DOWN A LOT OF GOOD BOOKS, THAT WOULD NORMALLY CATCH MY ATTENTION, TO BUY A MORE EXPENSIVE SIGNED COPY, OF A BOOK HAVING SOMEWHAT LESSER SIGNIFICANCE. THIS MAY SEEM WILDLY CRAZY, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE MANY HUNDREDS OF SIGNED EDITIONS, AND IT'S WHAT YOU DEEM IMPORTANT TO YOUR COLLECTING INTERESTS, IT DOES MAKE PERFECT SENSE. I'VE EXTENDED THIS INTO PHOTOGRAPHS AND JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED. FOR QUITE A FEW OF MY SIGNED ARTICLES, THERE ARE STORIES ATTACHED. IN SOME CASES, IT'S THE REASON THE BOOK HAS TO BE PASSED DOWN TO FAMILY MEMBERS, AND NOT OFFERED FOR SALE IN THE SHOP. IN THE NEWSPAPER BUSINESS, I KNEW QUITE A FEW AUTHORS, AND OFTEN DID REVIEWS WHEN THEIR BOOKS WERE PUBLISHED. SO I WAS GIVEN QUITE A FEW SIGNED COPIES FOR MY COLLECTION. VERY FEW OF THESE HAVE GONE UP IN VALUE, EXCEPT WHAT THEY MEAN TO OUR FAMILY, AS LITERARY KEEPSAKES.
FOR EXAMPLE, I WANTED TO BUY A NEW BOOK THAT WAS BEING RELEASED BY CANADIAN ART EXPERT, DAVID SILCOX, AT THE DAVID MIRVISH BOOK SHOP IN TORONTO, QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO. THIS WOULD BE THE SECOND BOOK, BY SILCOX, THAT I OBTAINED, THANKS TO HIS BROTHER KEN, AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE FROM BRACEBRIDGE. KEN AND I WERE CANOE PARTNERS YEARS AGO, AND BECAUSE OF MY INTEREST IN CANADIAN ART, I WAS ALWAYS NATTERING AT HIM, ABOUT WHAT DAVID WAS UP TO, IN TERMS OF HIS RESEARCH. DAVID HAS DONE SOME AMAZING WRITING WORK ON SUCH ARTISTS AS TOM THOMSON, DAVID MILNE, THE GROUP OF SEVEN, AND CHRISTOPHER PRATT. I THINK HIS LANDMARK BOOK WAS "TOM THOMSON; THE SILENCE AND THE STORM," WHICH HE CO-WROTE WITH CANADIAN ARTIST, HAROLD TOWN. I HAVE TWO COPIES IN MY THOMSON COLLECTION. KEN USED TO GO DOWN TO THE BOOK SIGNINGS, AND I COULD CON HIM INTO BUYING ME SIGNED AND INSCRIBED COPIES. ALWAYS A KIND ASSOCIATE, KEN WOULD RETURN WITH A NICE FRESH COPY, ALWAYS HAVING DAVID'S INSCRIPTION WHICH MEANT A LOT TO ME. THE LAST BOOK, ON THE GROUP OF SEVEN, GOT EXPENSIVE FOR KEN, WHEN IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING HIS BROTHER TO SIGN MY COPY, THE CITY OF TORONTO TOWED HIS CAR AWAY, FROM IN FRONT OF THE STORE. OOPS. EVERY TIME I LOOK AT IT, I THINK ABOUT THAT OCCASION, AND IT ALWAYS GIVES ME A CHUCKLE; THE SNICKER I COULD NEVER LET LOOSE IN FRONT OF KEN, BECAUSE THE TOWING CHARGE, AND IMPOUNDING, POSSIBLY COST HIM A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS. KEN AND I HAD A SUBDUED LAUGH ABOUT THE WHOLE AFFAIR. I PAID HIM FOR THE BOOK, AND HE SAID, WELL, "THERE'S THE MOST EXPENSIVE BOOK I EVER BOUGHT," IN PART, REFERRING TO THE COST INCURRED PARKING IN THE WRONG PLACE. HE DID POINT OUT, THAT HE READ THROUGH IT FIRST, BEFORE HANDING IT OVER. FAIR ENOUGH.
ANOTHER ONE OF MY IMPORTANT KEEPSAKES, IS THE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE EDDY SHACK BIOGRAPHY, BY WELL KNOWN SPORTS WRITER, ROSS BREWITT. (I STILL READ HIS COLUMNS EVERY WEEK) ROSS AND I HAD BECOME GOOD FRIENDS, AFTER I MET HIM ONE SNOWY WINTER NIGHT, IN DOWNTOWN BRACEBRIDGE, WHERE HE WAS RELEASING HIS LATEST BOOK. I THINK IT WAS BEING HELD AT "READERS' WORLD," NEAR THE DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC LIGHTS ON MANITOBA STREET. THIS WAS BACK IN THE MID 1990'S. I DID A REVIEW OF THE BOOK FOR A COUPLE OF LOCAL PUBLICATIONS, AND I KNOW QUITE A FEW MATES WHO PICKED UP COPIES AS A RESULT. ONE OF THE BOOKS, THAT I GOT AUTOGRAPHED, WAS "THE LAST MINUTE OF PLAY," AND I LIKED IT SO MUCH, THAT I BOUGHT COPIES FOR MY FATHER AND SUZANNE'S DAD AS BIRTHDAY PRESENTS. OVER MANY NAGGING CONVERSATIONS, ROSS AND I HAD FOR YEARS AFTER, I ALSO SUGGESTED THAT HE CONSIDER FINISHING A BIOGRAPHY, THAT TORONTO SUN COLUMNIST, PAUL RIMSTEAD HAD BEEN WORKING ON, SHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEATH. RIMMER HAD SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATED WRITING A BIOGRAPHY OF FORMER TORONTO MAPLE LEAF, EDDY "CLEAR THE TRACK" SHACK, AS THEY WERE CLOSE FRIENDS. BREWITT, IN MY OPINION, HAD A SIMILAR PERSPECTIVE ON SPORTS AND LIFE, AND I FOUND MANY PARALLELS IN STYLE BETWEEN HIM AND RIMSTEAD. SO I JUST SUGGESTED IT WOULD BE AN IDEA, IF HE WAS LOOKING FOR A NEW BOOK PROJECT, TO CONSIDER TALKING TO EDDY, TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY INTEREST. I DON'T THINK I'VE BEEN HAPPIER, IN MY WORLD OF BOOKS, THAN WHEN I FOUND OUT ROSS AND EDDY, (THEY HAD KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR A LONG TIME BEFORE THIS) HAD AGREED TO WORK TOGETHER, TO PUBLISH A LONG OVERDUE BIOGRAPHY. THE NIGHT OF THE BOOK SIGNING, ROSS INVITED ME TO TORONTO TO ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES (ANY TIME YOU'RE WITH EDDY, IT'S A MEMORABLE OCCASION), BUT IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST SNOW EVENTS OF THE SEASON. AS I WAS DRIVING A CAR THAT WEIGHED THE SAME AS A GOLF BAG AND CART, IT DIDN'T TAKE ME MORE THAN A FEW MILES, TO FIGURE OUT I WAS GOING TO DIE IN THIS STORM, IF I WENT ANY FURTHER. BUT I GOT A COPY OF THE BOOK ANYWAY, AND I'VE ALREADY GIVEN IT TO SON ROBERT, AS A LITTLE HEIRLOOM IN ADVANCE. I THINK RIMSTEAD WOULD HAVE BEEN PLEASED BY THE OUTCOME OF THE BOOK, HONORING HIS OLD PAL EDDY SHACK.
ONE OF MY MOST COVETED BOOKS, IS A SOFTCOVER EDITION, OF JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO'S "EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES - PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF THE PARANORMAL IN CANADA." MY FRIEND JOHN, A REVERED PARANORMAL RESEARCHER, KNOWN AS CANADA'S "MASTER HUNTER GATHERER OF STORIES," SENT ME THE BOOK, INSCRIBED TO SUZANNE AND I, FROM "RUTH AND JOHN, FOR BEDSIDE READING." AS I'VE NOTED PREVIOUSLY, I WROTE A PIECE FOR ONE OF JOHN'S BOOKS, MANY YEARS AGO NOW, INVOLVING MY PARANORMAL EXPERIENCES IN THE FORMER MCGIBBON HOUSE, IN BRACEBRIDGE. HE HAD READ THE FULL PAGE FEATURE, I HAD WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED, IN THE HERALD-GAZETTE, WHICH I DECIDED TO RE-PRINT SEVERAL WEEKS AGO IN THIS BLOG. MINE WASN'T A BIG CONTRIBUTION FOR JOHN, BUT IT DID INITIATE A FRIENDSHIP, THAT INSPIRED ME TO BEGIN WRITING ABOUT MUSKOKA AND ALGONQUIN GHOSTS, IN THE LATE 1990'S. JOHN SUGGESTED I COMMENCE SUCH A PROJECT, AS THERE WAS A MARKET FOR THIS MATERIAL. HE EVEN PENNED THAT POIGNANT ADVICE IN ANOTHER TINY-FORMAT BOOK HE SENT ME, ON UFO SIGHTINGS IN CANADA. AS I NOTED IN AN EARLIER BLOG, JOHN EVEN WENT AS FAR, AS WRITING AN OPENING COLUMN, FOR A LENGTHY MUSKOKA GHOST SERIES, I PUT TOGETHER, FOR BOB BOYER, SENIOR EDITOR OF THE MUSKOKA SUN; AND IT BECAME ONE OF THE BEST READ SERIES I'D EVER WRITTEN. MOST FOLKS, INTERESTED IN THE SPIRIT-KIND, WHO HAVE READ ABOUT CANADIAN PARANORMAL ACTIVITIES, KNOW THE NAME JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO, AS AN AUTHORITY ON THE SUBJECT. HAVING HIS SUPPORT HAS MEANT A LOT TO ME, OVER ALL THE YEARS SINCE, AND BELIEVE ME, I NEVER WRITE ANYTHING TODAY, ON GHOSTS OR "EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES," THAT I DON'T USE JOHN'S WORK AS A SECURE FOUNDATION TO BUILD UPON. HIS STANDARD OF RESEARCH IS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER, AND I HAVE READ HIS BOOKS SO MANY TIMES, THEY OBVIOUSLY ARE GETTING A LITTLE DOG-EARRED. I HOPE HE TAKES THIS AS A COMPLIMENT, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IT'S INTENDED. AS I PLAN TO WRITE MUCH MORE ABOUT LOCAL GHOSTS AND HAUNTINGS, I WILL CONTINUE TO USE RECALL HIS WORK FOR INSPIRATION. HE HAS SAVED SO MUCH SOCIAL / CULTURAL FOLK LORE AND FIRST HAND STORIES, THAT HIS WORK HAS BECOME AN ENTIRE WING OF CANADIAN HISTORICAL ARCHIVES. THANKS JOHN.
ANOTHER OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS, IS WILSON MACDONALD, ONE OF CANADA'S FINE POETS, FROM EARLIER IN THE 1900'S; A NAME MANY TODAY WON'T RECOGNIZE. NOW THAT IS A SHAME. MACDONALD, IN COMPANY OF OTHER WELL KNOWN CANADIAN WRITER / POETS, DURING THE 1920'S AND 30'S, SUCH AS BLISS CARMEN, AND SIR CHARLES G.D. ROBERTS, WERE YEARLY PARTICIPANTS AT THE MUSKOKA ASSEMBLY, FOR AUTHORS AND PHILOSOPHERS, HELD ON TOBIN'S ISLAND, LAKE ROSSEAU, NEAR THE VILLAGE OF WINDERMERE. MACDONALD WAS A FREQUENT GUEST AT A COTTAGE ON THE LAKE, KNOWN WELL BY MY WIFE'S FAMILY, AND I, BY ASSOCIATION, WITH LOTS OF RESOURCES, WROTE ANOTHER LENGTHY NEWSPAPER SERIES ON THE CANADIAN POET, PUBLISHED IN THE MUSKOKA SUN; PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE POEMS HE WROTE ABOUT SUMMERS IN OUR DISTRICT. OVER TIME, SUZANNE AND I BEGAN BUYING SOME OF HIS BOOKS OF POETRY, OF WHICH NINETY-NINE PERCENT ARE SIGNED AND INSCRIBED. NOT JUST WHAT WE PURCHASED. MACDONALD DID NOT, AS A RULE, SELL HIS PUBLISHED POETRY THROUGH BOOK STORES. HE SOLD THEM WHEREVER HE WAS GIVING A RECITAL, AND THAT MEANT, HE WOULD SIT AT A TABLE, AND PERSONALLY INSCRIBE THE BOOKS HE WAS SELLING. IF THERE WASN'T A LONG LINE-UP, HE WOULD EVEN SIT THERE AND PEN INTERESTING DESIGNS TO ACCOMPANY THE INSCRIPTION, EVEN TO THE POINT OF ILLUMINATING LETTERS, EVEN IN THE POETRY, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU LIKED. THE RARITY, AS FAR AS WILSON MACDONALD BOOKS, IS TO FIND ONE THAT ISN'T SIGNED OR INSCRIBED. THEY ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. HE WAS A GENEROUS MAN, AND HE LOVED TO VISIT SCHOOL CHILDREN ESPECIALLY, AND AT ONE TIME, HE WAS HUGELY OCCUPIED MAKING THE ROUNDS OF CANADIAN SCHOOLS, TO READ HIS POETRY. THE BOOK PICTURED ABOVE, WAS ACQUIRED BY NORMA CROCKFORD, (NORMA BUSTARD), ON OCTOBER 21ST, 1940. SHE KINDLY LOANED ME THE BOOK WHEN I WAS WORKING ON AN UPDATED FEATURE ON THE POET, BACK IN 2000. SUZANNE AND I HAVE MOST OF HIS BOOKS IN OUR COLLECTION, AND WE ARE ESPECIALLY FOUND OF "OUT OF THE WILDERNESS," BECAUSE IT CONTAINS SEVERAL IMPORTANT MUSKOKA POEMS, WRITTEN WHILE HE WAS PART OF THE MUSKOKA ASSEMBLY OF WRITERS. HE WAS A DELIGHTFUL MAN, ACCORDING TO ALL WHO KNEW HIM. WE ARE ALSO FORTUNATE TO OWN A 78 RPM RECORDING OF ONE OF HIS RECITALS.
SOME OF MY OTHER SIGNED COPIES, FOUND IN NORMAL FLEA MARKET, YARD SALE, THRIFT STORE RAMBLES, INCLUDE BOOKS BY CANADIAN AUTHOR, TIMOTHY FINDLEY, MAX BRAITHWAITE (WHO WROTE FROM A COTTAGE ON BRANDY LAKE, NEAR PORT CARLING), W.O. MITCHELL, MORDECAI RICHLER, AND A.J. CASSON, OF THE CANADIAN GROUP OF SEVEN, MARGARET ATWOOD, AND MIKE FILEY, ONE OF TORONTO'S WELL RESPECTED HISTORIANS. I LIKE THE WORK OF THESE AUTHORS, WITHOUT THEIR BOOKS HAVING TO BE SIGNED FIRST; BUT, WITHOUT SHAME, I HAVE TO ADMIT, A SPECIAL INTEREST, KNOWING THESE FINE FOLKS HELD THE BOOKS IN THEIR HANDS, WHILE SIGNING AND INSCRIBING THEM. IT'S THE WAY, YOU MIGHT SAY, I'VE MORPHED PERSONALLY, AS A BIBLIOPHILE / COLLECTOR, IN OVER THIRTY YEARS OF BURYING MYSELF IN THE PRINTED WORD.
ON THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE TRAIL
ALWAYS LOOK IN BOOKS FOR THAT LITTLE EXTRA
I just wanted to share a little "hunt and gather" discovery today, made during a little travel-time adventure, down the road just "a smidgeon more than a tad." When I talk with budding collectors, still a little green, in the industry they have taken an interest, the first lesson I offer them, is the sage advice that was passed on to me, when I was starting out……"Never resign yourself to the hearsay of others, that the treasure is all gone." You just have to keep plugging along, as they say, and find the internal fortitude to carry on the antique hustle. And yes, it does pay off. I think it was Punch Imlach, of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who lived by the motto, "The price of success is hard work," or something like this. Well I think it was Punch who said it, and if he did, it was at a time when the Leafs were Stanley Cup contenders and winners. It doesn't really matter who said it. The point is, it is a workable strategy, that pays dividends. I've employed this ethic for as long as I've been in the antique profession. I quit looking for stuff when there is nothing left to dig through, excavate, pull out of attics, or haul out of either the water or the embrace of mother earth.
The point is, finding antique and collectable treasures isn't easy, but it's definitely a reward for expending the effort…… to pursue, hunt down, what is rumored, to be in short supply. Nonsense. It's plentiful out there, like the song "Big Rock Candy Mountain." There are gumdrops everywhere, if you are truly interested in finding them. The problem for many antique hunters I know, of the younger generation especially, is that they give up way too soon, and sooth their weary mind and body by stating with confidence…."There's just nothing out there." Well sir, you all know what this means to a scrounger like me? There's more left for me to find. Consider today's little gem, which I consider a nine out of ten……a ten actually being a signed painting, by well known Canadian artist, Charles Comfort. I will get this one day.
In a favorite antique shop, we haunt in the southern climes, I was on my way out of the shop, contented with our find of yet another, mint condition Singer "feather-weight" sewing machine, that Suzanne uses for specialized craft and quilting projects, and for an outstanding price. These units can sell for upwards of three hundred and fifty dollars. In fact, we saw one, not too long ago, at a local charity shop for this amount. These are working machines, so we aren't as concerned about profit margins, as these will both be earning their keep, as Suzanne develops new projects for using her collection of vintage fabrics. She collects old fabric from sales all around the region, to be used for quilt repair and other restoration jobs. For you information, the Singer we purchased today was obtained for about one hundred and sixty bucks. There is no problem getting a fifty percent profit on this outstanding, well built machine.
As I passed the book shelf, one more time, before heading out the shop door, (I always check twice, as an obsessive quality and quantity), I spotted a biography, in the Canadian artist series, Number 2, on "Charles Comfort," one of my favorite national artists. This particular 1976 hardcover release (with dustjacket), was published by Gage, of Canada, and was prepared by Margaret Gray, Margaret Rand and Lois Steen. I have a parallel book on A.J. Casson, (two in fact), signed by the artist. The note included in this book on Charles Comfort will explain the Casson book. The inside cover page, was inscribed as follows: "Autographed expressly for Phil Ambrose with kindest regards, Charles Fraser Comfort." While this is a nice inscription with provenance, it was the sheet of paper included with the book, that makes this text far more significant. I'm afraid this was missed by the book seller. It's what we look for, out on the hunt. The "sleepers."The note reads as follows:
"Your order for the A.J. Casson Book will be filled as soon as possible. About the middle of February Dr. Casson fell and broke his right wrist. Hopefully he will be able to sign the books in another month of so." It is signed "C.A.G. Matthews" and dated March Ist, 1977. The significance of this note, outside of the fact it reveals an injury sustained by Casson, one of the Group of Seven artists (who replaced Frank "Franz" Johnson), is that it is a letter from the head of one of Canada's best known commercial printers, especially as relates to art……"Sampson and Matthews, of Canada," widely respected by the art community throughout many decades of the 1900's. This is a substantial find, and for an original eighteen dollar investment, will have a market value of about $150, with this provenance included. The book is in excellent condition. Two great finds, in an associate's antique shop. Add to this, a great buy on a 1950's standing ashtray, with an elaborate glass base, and brass carrying handle, plus a half dozen important cookbooks for our ever-growing collection, and I would say it was a really good day out on the hustings. And we enjoyed our usual date with New York Fries on Highway II, which has become somewhat of a tradition in the past twelve years, of hunting and gathering in that general direction.
The antique business is always full of exceptions, and amazing adventures. You have to put in the work to pull in the benefits. There are lots of benefits. You know I wouldn't lie about this.
Thanks so much for joining me today. It's always nice to have you along for the ride. Lots more antique adventures to come. I've saved up some of my best stories for the coming months.
In tomorrow's blog, I'd like to offer a more in-depth and revealing biography, about the wild (if not crazy) challenge we have entered into, to create a unique and high quality cook book reference collection, which as a business will be known as "Suzanne Currie's Cookery Nookery," because we like strange names…..to match our own eccentricities. This will be the most significant challenge we have ever faced in the antique trade, and we've got two months to prepare for its July Ist opening, in our present shop in uptown Gravenhurst. It will coincide with Suzanne's one year retirement from teaching at the end of June. I'm legendary for challenging our family with enormous, virtually impossible projects, but this one is the king…..and with any kingdom making, there are lots of precarious moats to fall into, for both the collector and investor. We are having a good time hunting for old and rare cookbooks, and of course, handwritten recipes, of which we have a large inventory at present…..certainly good enough to start our reference collection (and sales) with……as a base to build upon. We have already had folks offering us vintage cookbook collections for free, in memory of their kin, knowing it will be used and shared by foodies in general, in the coming years. Now this is exciting….and one adventure after another. Every day presents a new challenge and a new discovery. It's never been a better time for us, to be in the middle of this dynamic, historic, storied profession…..than now. And we're enjoying every minute. We hope you will share this with us…..because that's what will make it the best it can be. See you again soon.
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