This list has never been about bragging about collectible acquisitions...I
suspect we all have items in our respective libraries that would make many
among us envious. But we all restrain ourselves so the focus can remain on
genre discussion and not become a show-and-tell.
Having said that, however....I must share a recent purchase.
I picked up a 1st edition hardcover of Gil Brewer's THE RED SCARF, a novel
Bill Pronzini calls one of Brewer's two best: "There are some neat plot
turns, the various components mesh smoothly, the characterization is
flawless, and the prose is Brewer's sharpest and most controlled. Anthony
Boucher said in the New York Times that the book is the 'all-around best Gil
Brewer. . . a full-packed story.'"* It's in top-notch condition and, most
exciting, is signed by Gil Brewer.
I'd never seen a signed Gil Brewer book before, nor seen one up for sale;
booksignings were not the norm back then as they are these days, and
particularly not among authors of Brewer's pbo ilk. Brewer has always been
a particular favorite of mine, and while I'd always hoped to someday have a
signed Brewer, I'd also always suspected that such an acquisition would be a
longshot at best. To finally have such a book -- especially what is perhaps
his finest work, and in rare hardcover form -- among my collection is,
needless to say, pretty exciting.
To make matters even more intriguing, the book is from the estate of Harry
Whittington, another favorite of mine. Brewer has penned a long inscription
to his good friends, Whittington and his wife. The last line of the
inscription is poignantly ironic, knowing the dark tone of Brewer's books
and the dark, alcoholic spiral that ultimately ended his own career and
life.
Here are a couple shots of it:
http://home.comcast.net/~clinton65/IMG_4727(1).jpg
and
http://home.comcast.net/~clinton65/IMG_4732(1).jpg
Coming closely on the heels of another equally exciting acquisition, a
signed 1st hardcover of Charles Beaumont's THE HUNGER AND OTHER STORIES:
http://home.comcast.net/~clinton65/IMG_4719a.jpg
...this has been a month of very exciting additions to my library. Thanks
for allowing me to share.
Ron Clinton
*: http://www.mysteryfile.com/GBrewer/FW.html
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