Originally Posted by
George at C-Springs
The auction says it is a presentation copy. According to the collectors site, and the compendium here, there were around 25 presentation copies which were unnumbered and without a slipcase. I wonder if that is what this actually is. The description does say there is a slipcase, but it is not pictured.
Can you submit questions to Heritage for clarification? Perhaps Donald Grant would know? When was the Gunslinger released? The date on the inscription could indicate if it was inscribed before or after release, and if before seems like Grant would know if this inscription was on #1, letter I or a presentation copy. Does anyone know what Dick's last name is?
Our only confirmed Presentation Copy is marked "Special" in the limitation. I think many folks use "Presentation Copy" when they actually mean inscribed, as this one is. What throws me is Whelan's signature way down low below his inscription; either he signed there normally and had space to add an inscription afterwards, or he knew ahead of time who it was going to be for; personally I think that's unlikely for a tip-in page, and besides if he knew then you'd think King would have known as well and inscribed in his signature block as well versus on the title page. Still, you might also think that if this actually was book #1 then the owner might be pre-known since it was going to be presented as something special.
I'll tell ya, if somewhere out there the DTI #1 collection is intact, that certainly questions what this book might be. Is it a Letter I? Maybe, but I doubt it ... you'd think they'd cross bars top and bottom. If it did start off life as a blank limitation copy and somebody wrote in a 1 to increase value, would they also go through the trouble of forging signatures? Or maybe this is the actual #1, and the copy in the complete set (if it still exists) used to a blank and somebody wrote in a 1. It does say that it comes with a slipcase, but you're correct in that no photos shown so is it an original or a replacement? If replacement, I'd then lean towards this being a blank copy that was inscribed and then the owner wrote in a #1. But all of this is just conjecture, what's really needed is provenance for the book; without that I wouldn't drop a penny on it.
Questions may absolutely be submitted to Heritage, they're very good about it actually and will update descriptions or even pull lots when there are questions.
Despite that this post might jeopardize my chances of winning HA’s The Gunslinger lot, I'll write it anyway.
First of all, this book is 100% authentic. There should be no doubt about it. Second, when was the last time there has been any research done to verify the current owner's (when listed) of a particular set? The original owner of set #1 was Harold (Hal) Kinney. He owned The Bookie book and comic store in Hartford, CT for more than 40 years. Unfortunately, Mr. Kinney passed away in late-September 2013. Almost 8 years for the set to be dismantled (perhaps one of the subsequent books was damaged, lost or stolen) ... or kept intact by an heir, or sold intact privately.
FYI -- The Gunslinger was published on 10 June 1982. This inscription was five weeks later. In my opinion, the inscription is to Richard (Dick) Fawcett. Fawcett was a school administrator in CT and the founder (or co-founder) of The August Derleth Society. Derleth was a prolific writer and a friend of H.P. Lovecraft and published many of Lovecraft’s works through his Arkham House publishing company. Now this gets interesting!
If this is #1, how did Hal Kinney get it? Did Fawcett trade with Kinney enabling Kinney to continue to receive book #1 in the Dark Tower series? It’s possible. Both are close to each other geographically and both are in similar book circles. Any trade could have occurred almost any time.
But there are also other clues that might dispute that. Those clues are readily available and could sway your opinion one way or another (number vs letter). King signed this book twice. Whelan signed this book ONLY as a presentation copy.
I have a couple of questions for Sam(antha) Sisler at HA regarding provenance but only insomuch as whether this was Dick Fawcett’s copy or Harold Kinney’s copy. I'm just waiting for her reply. Asking for the sales copy…I don’t think so. An auction house is bonded so both the buyer and seller are covered in the case of any error or mistake. Good luck bidding – but not too much!
John