MBN: THE MONTE BUBBLES NETWORK

Feb 9

Feb 5

OBI-WAN KENOBI'S CLOAK, DR WHO'S COAT, DEL BOY AND RODNEY'S BATMAN AND ROBIN COSTUMES, AND JAMES BOND'S SUITS GO UNDER THE HAMMER

THE ANGELS STAR COLLECTION - UK'S LARGEST AUCTION OF FILM & TV COSTUMES
AT BONHAMS

A remarkable collection of costumes created and supplied by Angels The
Costumiers, for some of the most iconic international film, television
and theatre productions in history will be sold at Bonhams in
Knightsbridge, London on Tuesday 6 March 2007, in what is believed to be
the UK's largest auction of film and television costumes.

More than 400 Angels outfits including Obi Wan's Cloak (Star Wars, Alec
Guinness £50,000-60,000), James Bond's Suits (e.g. Thunderball, Sean
Connery £30,000-40,000 & Tomorrow Never Dies, Pierce Brosnan
£4,000-5,000) and a selection of costumes (original and publicity) from
each of the Dr. Whos (ranging from £3,000-5,000), will be available to
collectors and amateur fans alike. Other lots in the Bonhams sale of
Angels costumes include the most prominent costumes from films such as
Braveheart, Titanic, Elizabeth, Indiana Jones, Highlander, Robin Hood:
Prince of Thieves, Evita, Superman & Harry Potter.

In recognition of the popular appeal of the items, and a world first in
terms of a viewing experience, Bonhams' saleroom will be turned into a
star's dressing room - allowing interested customers the opportunity to
try on selected costumes.

Tim Angel, Chairman of Angels, and fifth generation of the family firm
comments, "The joy of being in this business is that you know you are
creating something that will help an audience immerse itself in a
different world. Our costumes are famous for fulfilling the exact
requirements and needs of the film, and are researched and tailored to
the highest standard. Whether it is the cloak of a Jedi knight from a
galaxy far, far away, or the most elegant suit worn by Her Majesty's
best secret agent, our job is done if the audience are convinced by the
authenticity and effectiveness of the costumes shown on the screen. The
flip-side of creating such iconic costumes, that become so very famous
and so firmly associated with key movies, is that they can never be used
in other films or productions, nor can they be made available from our
fancy dress shop...for obvious reasons! With over a century and a half's
worth of costumes on the racks, each with ever increasing insurance
requirements, and space at a premium, it seemed the right time for us to
allow collectors and fans the chance to take home a piece of the movie
magic."

Jon Baddeley, Group Head of the Collector's Department at Bonhams
comments: "The Angels collection of film and television costumes is
without doubt the largest and most important archive of its type ever to
come to auction. It will give film fans world-wide the unique
opportunity to acquire clothing worn by their heroes in some of the most
famous British and international films made over the last 60 years. An
event not to be missed by any film aficionado."

ANGELS - SUPPLYING COSTUMES FOR A CENTURY AND A HALF

Angels, founded in 1840, is the world's longest-established supplier of
costumes to the film, theatre and television industry. Angels shop
became popular with theatre actors who, at that time, had to purchase
their own clothes and costumes for auditions and performances. It was
Morris Angel, the company's founder, who allowed actors to hire, rather
than buy their outfits - the first man to make such an innovation. With
the advent of cinema, the Angel family made their second major
diversification by supplying costumes to the fledgling movie industry
and, through primary company Angels The Costumiers, has continued to be
a quiet and constant success story within the British (and
international) film industry. Since 1946, when costumes supplied by
Angels received an Academy Award® for Laurence Olivier's Henry V, Angels
The Costumiers has supplied costumes to a further 26 movies that have
won Oscar®, for 'Outstanding Achievement In Costume Design' for work
undertaken on major international films including Lawrence of Arabia,
Star Wars, Titanic, Gladiator and most recently Memoirs of a Geisha. At
this year's Academy Awards®, Angels costumes are in the running again
for costumes supplied for Marie Antoinette and The Queen. Angels The
Costumiers is based in Hendon, and boasts a warehouse containing over a
million and a half costumes on five miles of hanging rails.

Below are selected highlights:
 
STAR WARS
One of the star lots in the sale is original Obi-Wan 'Ben' Kenobi's
cloak worn by Sir Alec Guinness in the masterpiece science fiction
adventure, Star Wars (1977). Obi Wan Kenobi is one of the most prominent
characters in the Star Wars saga. Whilst the character is central in the
recently filmed prequels (Episodes I-III), starring Ewan McGregor in the
role, the character first appeared in the first installment of the saga,
Episode IV, A New Hope. Sir Alec Guinness gave a remarkable performance
as the ageing Jedi knight in Episode IV and resumes his role in the
other sequels.
When Star Wars was first released in 1977, thousands of people flocked
to cinemas to watch what was to be the sci-fi epic that would redefine
the genre.  Alec Guinness starred with Carrie Fisher, and the then
'little known' actor, Harrison Ford. Produced by Gary Kurtz and written
and directed by George Lucas, this classic epic of good versus evil was
the highest-grossing movie for twenty years and continues to enthral
audiences worldwide.
This original cloak, an integral part of this world of excitement and
mystery is estimated at £50,000-60,000. Also from Star Wars is an
imperial commanders uniform, estimated at £8,000-10,000.

DR. WHO
Costumes representing Dr Who include the original Tom Baker coat,
Patrick Troughton trousers and Christopher Eccleston's  leather jacket
all worn in the series.  The remaining outfits  were worn by the actors
for promotional reasons but not worn on set. 

Tom Baker, the fourth incarnation of the Doctor, exploded onto our
television screens in 1974, unmistakable with his mass of teeth and
curls. Baker came to resemble a comic hitchhiker, with his long overcoat
Victorian jackets and overlong woolly scarf.

The complete outfit made for Tom Baker includes a maroon wool topcoat,
three pairs of trousers (tweed, grey wool and dark grey cotton), striped
waistcoat, three felt hats and a striped scarf, and is estimated at
£1,200-1,500.  A wine coloured 3/4 length coat, complete with two large
added pockets for the Doctor's jelly beans and sonic screwdriver used by
Baker in various episodes of Dr. Who (including some Dalek Episodes), is
estimated at £8,000-10,000.

A Patrick Troughton outfit (the second Dr. Who) comprises full-length
fur coat, tailcoat, checked trousers, shirt, tie, handkerchief and
bandanas.  Known for his scruffy appearance, Troughton played a much
quirkier Doctor. The producers and writers behind the programme wanted
the Doctor's second incarnation to be a contrast to first Doctor,
William Hartnell's 'Victorian Headmaster' mode of attire. Therefore,
Troughton was unveiled as, in his words, the "Cosmic Hobo," an eccentric
exemplified by his unusual combination of garments, and in particular
his long hair coat.

The third Doctor Who, John Pertwee, is represented through the
promotional outfit consisting of black cape coat, burgundy velvet
jacket, black cravat, and sonic screwdriver.  Pertwee took the character
of the doctor in a different direction from the 'Cosmic Hobo' of before,
Pertwee opting for being a dandy with a twist: he was a master of
Venusian Karate and became a Doctor to rival James Bond with his
ingenious gadgets and quick wit, Victorian tailcoats, deep purple velvet
jackets, capes and scalloped shirtfronts.

A promotional outfit for the fifth Doctor, Peter Davidson, is
represented with a beige and orange-edged single breasted top coat,
stripe trousers, cricket jumper, white shirt and straw hat, estimated at
£1,200-1,500.

An promotional outfit worn by Sylvester McCoy - the seventh Doctor Who -
including a cream linen jacket, grey pinstripe trousers, shirt, tie,
pullover, scarf, shoes, cravat and hat, is estimated at £1,200-1,500. 

After a 16-year absence of the series, Christopher Eccleston returned as
the Doctor.  In the sale is the original black leatherette jacket
estimated at £3,000-4,000.   
 
JAMES BOND

Several outfits feature from James Bond 007.

Sean Connery's dinner jacket worn in Thunderball in 1965 will be sold.
Made in blackwool and lined with burgundy satin,this jacket is estimated
at £30,000-40,000. 

Original outfits worn by Pierce Brosnan in three of the films he starred
in from 1995 to 1999 will feature. From GoldenEye (1995) is Brosnan's
Brioni grey three piece-suit (£8,000-10,000), a similar blue suit
(£5,000-6,000) and a cream linen suit (£8,000 -10,000).

In GoldenEye, a new Bond for the 1990s was created, when Pierce Brosnan
took over as 007.  The long-established house of Brioni in Rome,
supplied him with their famed look of style and elegance. Brioni has a
stipulated way of tailoring their suits with a minimum of 185 steps to
produce the finished article which creates an ageless fashion statement.
The grey Brioni suit was used extensively throughout the film, most
memorably in the scene between Alec Trevelyan and Bond in the disused
communist statue park.  A black dress, shoes and jacket, from GoldenEye
as worn by Famke Jansen is estimated at £3,000-4,000.

In Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Brosnan donned the Bond mantle again.
Brosnan's leather jacket, black roll neck sweater, black ski jumper and
green combat trousers (£8,000-10,000), and a blue cotton shirt, black
sweat pants and blue canvas deck shoes (£4,000-5,000), as worn in the
film, continue the Bond theme.

A ski suit worn by Brosnan (£6,000-8,000) and a wine coloured ski suit,
with fur-lined hood, worn by Sophie Marceau (£1,200-1,500), will be
sold, as well. These items featured in the third Brosnan instalment, The
World is Not Enough (1999).

Outfits worn by Roger Moore - James Bond from 1973-1985 - include a navy
battle dress jacket, complete with commanders epaulettes and inner
pocket for the Walther PPK (£3,000-4,000), made for The Spy Who Loved Me
in 1977. This jacket was used in the finale of the film during the
battle between Bond and the Stromberg operatives on the super-tanker. 

In addition, a 'false front' for a Naval Commander's jacket, from The
Spy Who Loved Me is estimated at £800-1,200.  The item features in the
scene where Bond travels to Atlantis from the American submarine. The
garment was used to give the impression that Bond is fully clothed under
his wetsuit.  Military berets, navy crew jackets and trousers, from The
Spy Who Loved Me, as worn by the Stromberg crew, in the finale of the
film, estimated at £800-1,000 can also be seen.  A Showgirl outfit made
for the circus girls in Octopussy (1983) ranges from £400-600 per item
and a Drax personnel jumpsuit, from Moonraker (1979) is £800-1,200.

MISCELLANEOUS OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Also in the sale are the amusing Batman and Robin suits used on Only
Fools and Horses (£4,000-5,000) that were worn by David Jason and
Nicholas Lyndhurst as the Trotter brothers, Derek and Rodney. The series
has won countless awards and is ingrained into the British culture with
many classic gags and quotes. Recently, the Batman and Robin sequence in
the Episode Heroes and Villains (1996) was voted in the top ten of
memorable comedy moments on British television. These classic costumes
were designed by Robin Stubbs.

A grey linen overcoat, from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
(2004), as worn by Gary Oldman as Sirius Black is estimated at
£3,000-4,000; whilst a snake effect lycra dress and a blue lycra sequin
effect catsuit (estimated at £500-600) from Spice World (1997), as worn
by Victoria Adams (Beckham) and a red sequinned dress as worn by Mel B
(Melanie Brown) with boned corset top (estimated at £150-200) also come
up in this sale.

Several outfits worn by Madonna in the Eva Peron film biography Evita
(1997), are on auction including: a stone coloured coat, blouse and
skirt (£500-700), a black silk patterned dress with a mint coloured and
peach coloured slip (£400-500), a green coloured dressing gown, white
satin and peach satin slip (£300-400) and a navy blue wool suit and
blouse (£400-500).

Other female costumes in this sale, include items worn by:  Kirsten
Dunst, Ava Gardner, Jane Horrocks, Kate Hudson, Gemma Jones, Joanna
Lumley, Sophie Marceau, Andie McDowell, Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore,
Alanis Morrisette, Christina Ricci, Helen Slater, Joan Sims, Meryl
Streep, Rachel Weisz, Kate Winslett and Catherine Zeta Jones.

Male actors whose costumes are featured include -  Richard Attenborough,
Christian Bale, Stephen Berkoff, Orlando Bloom, Dirk Bogarde, Kenneth
Branagh, Richard Burton, Robert Carlyle, John Cleese, Sean Connery,
Billy Connolly, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Johnny Depp, Ralph
Fiennes, Colin Firth, Errol Flynn,  Harrison Ford, Stephen Fry, Mel
Gibson, Sir John Gielgud, Alec Guinness, Charlton Heston, Benny Hill,
Dustin Hoffman, John Hurt, Sid James, Val Kilmer, Jude Law, Johnny Lee
Miller, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Robert Mitchum, Roger Moore, Laurence
Olivier, Al Pacino, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed,  Peter Sellers, Dick
Van Dyke and Ray Winstone.

American History & Hollywood Legacies at Auction at Bonhams & Butterfields on February 18

Fine arts auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields will feature letters and historic documents from Hollywood legends and important figures on Sunday, February 18, 2007 as property from former US Presidents, noted writers, Hollywood icons and pop culture celebrities is offered to the highest bidders during the 500-lot auction of Fine Books & Manuscripts simulcast to Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

For the second consecutive year the auctioneer's books and manuscripts sale is timed to coincide with the California ABAA Book Fair, this year being held in San Francisco.  For San Francisco clients and Book Fair attendees, the San Francisco preview hours will be adjusted -- opening a day earlier - on Thursday, February 15, and open for extended hours: 9am-5pm on Friday and Saturday.  The auction features a wide variety of interesting material for private and institutional collectors, dealers and aficionados, from travel literature to art and fine press, to English and American literary highpoints, to Americana.

History buffs should vie for an important Jefferson manuscript on the auction block.  On March 4, 1805, Mr. Jefferson appeared in the Chamber of the United States Senate, where his re-election was officially declared, and the necessary oath administered to him.  On this occasion he delivered his second inaugural speech and Bonhams & Butterfields is pleased to offer the first silk broadside of that speech (est. $8/12,000).  One of only three known copies in existence, the inaugural speech is printed in two columns on silk and is noted as an exceptionally well-preserved example.  The only other surviving copies (as noted by Noble Cunningham in his recent monograph) are located at the Library of Congress and the University of Virginia.

The sale's Modern and Contemporary Literature section is anchored by 45 lots of Steinbeckiana, part I of an extraordinary collection of materials from the Estate of Elizabeth Ainsworth, John Steinbeck's older sister.  The offering includes an unprecedented run of virtually all of Steinbeck's major publications -- from Cup of Gold through America and Americans, each dutifully signed or inscribed by Steinbeck to his beloved sibling.  The collection is also noteworthy for an impressive grouping of drawings and illustrations presented to Steinbeck and his family from some of his most important collaborators, including Mahlon Blaine and Thomas Hart Benton.  <Please see separate release at www.bonhams.com/press >

The Art and Illustration section features 75 lots of illustrated works and fine press, including Ansel Adams' Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras, a rare collection from a projected edition of 150 -- many of which were destroyed in a warehouse fire.  The volume contains 18 gelatin silver print photographs, each signed by Adams, in individual letterpress folders.  Print titles include: The Face of Half Dome; From Glacier Point; Roaring River Falls; Monolith; El Capitan; Banner Peak, et al.  The highly coveted portfolio is estimated to bring $30,000 to 50,000.

Housed in an unassuming spiral notebook is an early partial draft of Truman Capote's screenplay adaptation of The Great Gatsby.  Capote, author of the 20th century classics Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood, passed away in the summer of 1984.  Property from his New York City and Palm Springs homes, and gifts given to his long-time friend Joanne Carson was offered and sold in the Bonhams New York sale of "The Private World of Truman Capote" in November 2006.  Capote was hired in 1971 by Paramount to write the third Gatsby screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece and labored over the script from September of that year until January of 1972.

This manuscript is a partial draft of that screenplay, comprising the first act of the film from the introduction of characters Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Daisy, and Jordan at their first luncheon, through Tom and Nick's train trip to the city, to the introduction of Myrtle and the raucous party at her New York apartment.  According to Bonhams specialists, Capote found the adaptation a challenge, but the draft on offer is both lyrical and dramatic.

On the back cover Capote has scribbled his Manhattan and Palm Springs addresses, as well as an address for Jack Clayton in England.  Clayton directed Capote's screenplay for The Innocents, and was hired for the Gatsby film at Capote's suggestion.  Although Capote was proud of the completed script, Paramount apparently was not.  Not long after delivery of the completed draft, Capote was removed from the project.  The never-produced script is estimated to bring $20,000 to $30,000. 

The sale's Travel section of is noteworthy for two first class regional collections: one on Egypt and Mesopotamia, and another on Hawaii.  The Egyptian material was assembled by a distinguished Northern Californian collector and is notable for the superb condition of most of the large folio volumes, with an emphasis on the magnificent archaeological illustrations of the period.

The Hawaiiana collection is the fruit of 30-years' labor by a prescient collector, and includes many highpoints as well as obscure regional imprints, many of which have never appeared at auction.  The volumes feature an assortment of Hawaii-related subject matter from the 1800s including first editions, rare publications, scarce works, and invaluable early reference materials.  Subject matter varies from journals, dictionaries of the language, grammar, historical battles, political events, Hawaiian royalty, island law, native traditions and culture, to timelines for the period 1736 to 1869, birth and death dates of important personages, ship and missionaries arrivals, nature and oceanic studies and philatelic reference.  Authors featured within the lots include: Samuel Chenery Damon, James Jarvis Jackson, Chauncey Bennett, John Coulter, F.D. Walker, Walter Murray Gibson, and Andrews Lorrin.  Estimates for the Hawaiiana works range from $600 to $3,500. 

Additional sale high points include a typed, signed Raymond Chandler letter dated June of 1951, reviewing a CBS contract to adapt the writer's "Marlowe "character to television.  Though Chandler had authorized radio adaptations of his works, and even a CBS radio series ("The Adventures of Philip Marlowe," 1948-1950), he was loathed to allow the network to create a television series around the character. 

In this letter, he expresses his anxieties to his literary agent Eddie Carter.  In part: "They give no undertaking to protect the character or even to use their best efforts... they specifically reserve the right to change the character. I'm not sure I could go for that... these shows are all the same... the people who write them, direct, and produce them have no wit, no imagination, and no style...  Television is a third-rate medium..."  Eventually "Marlowe" did make his way to the small screen, but not until after Chandler's death, and not on CBS.  The letter is estimated to bring $1,000 to $1,500.

Additional highlights from the February sale include: Oval Office documents from former President James Monroe (est. $1/1,500), pencil doodles from then Governor Ronald Regan completed during a 1968 meeting regarding re-opening San Francisco State College (estimates range from $1,500 - $2,500); an illustrated volume of works by Diego Rivera, including an original drawing by the artist (est. $3/5,000); an Oscar Wilde autograph letter on card to Pierre Louys, bound in a copy of Salome (est. $6/8,000). 

Many first editions will also be offered, both early and modern, with titles of great interest featuring Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson, George Eliot's Adam Bede, Robert Herrick's Hesperides: or the Works both Humane & Divine, Jonathan Swift's Caelia's Revenge, and Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, as well as a fine selection of Dickens in parts.  

Also on the block are several fine works from the Arion Press; Rouault and Baudelaire's exquisite edition of Quatorze planches graves pour les fleurs du mal; Marc Chagall and Paul Eluard's Les Dur Desir du Durer... with an original drawing by Chagall; and original artwork of the "Cat in the Hat" by Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss), the Peanuts character "Marcie" by Charles Schultz, and several original drawings by Maurice Sendak.

"To Beth, my sister, whose light is clear."
John Steinbeck Archive on the Auction Block
at Bonhams & Butterfields

Works of art, first editions and presentation copies from the Estate of
Elizabeth Steinbeck Ainsworth to be offered on Feb. 18

Fine arts auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields is pleased to announce the
sale of an incredible John Steinbeck archive collected by his late
sister and to be offered at auction during the Fine Books & Manuscripts
sale in San Francisco and Los Angeles on Sunday, February 18, 2007. 

Fresh to market, the collection offers an unusual glimpse into the
personal and private world of one of the best known and most widely read
American writers of the 20th century.  The February auction is timed to
coincide with the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco, offering Steinbeck enthusiasts, Bay Area collectors and
international bibliophiles attending the Fair an opportunity to purchase
more than 40 lots of timeless first editions and works of art once owned
by John Steinbeck and his family.

Often considered an exponent of the Naturalist School, Steinbeck
populated his works with struggling characters while drawing on
contemporary events and current conditions in the first half of the 20th
century.  His body of work reflects his wide range of pursuits and
interests -- including jazz, marine biology, politics, history,
philosophy and myth. 

The 1962 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Steinbeck produced an
astounding body of work in his lifetime including literary pieces such
as Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940), both of which
examine the lives of the working class and migrant worker during the
Great Depression. 

Seventeen of Steinbeck's highly celebrated works, including Cannery Row
(1945), The Pearl (1947), and East of Eden (1955), went on to become
feature films and Steinbeck himself achieved success as a Hollywood
writer, garnering an Academy Award® nomination for "Best Writing" for
Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1945). 

Poignant inscriptions grace several of the lots on offer.  A first
edition beige cloth issue of Tortilla Flat (1936) features an
inscription on the front pastedown: "For my dear sister Elizabeth
without whom I should never have known of the people about whom this
book is written.  John Steinbeck."  Additionally, this lot also bears
the signature of Elizabeth Ainsworth on the front free endpaper (est.
$6/8,000), an extraordinary association copy. 

 "Never before has such an extensive run of first editions signed or
inscribed by Steinbeck been offered at auction at one time, let alone
with such important family provenance," acknowledges Dr. Martin Gammon,
Specialist, Books and Manuscripts Department at Bonhams & Butterfields.

John Steinbeck's Nothing So Monstrous: A Story (est. $3/5,000) will also
be offered.  This first separate edition/presentation copy is inscribed
and one of six copies prepared for Steinbeck out of a complete edition
of 370.  Not recorded in the bibliographies, this is one of a mere
handful of copies with Steinbeck's name on the customized colophon page.
It is the rarest separate printing of a Steinbeck work.

Their Blood is Strong, with illustrations by Dorothea Lange, is
inscribed with a heart flourish on its title page to Steinbeck's first
wife Carol Henning Steinbeck Brown whom he married in 1930 (est.
$2/3,000).  The text is a non-fiction account of the plight of
California's migrant workers and was created to raise funds for the
Simon J. Lubin Society, predating Grapes of Wrath.  Most surviving
copies of Steinbeck's books inscribed to his first wife are in the C.
Michael Barrett collection at the University of Virginia, although this
copy migrated into his sister's collection.

An exceptional copy of Steinbeck's The Pastures of Heaven is also on
offer this February.  Inscribed on its front pastedown in Spanish to his
sister Elizabeth, he wrote: "A mi hermana Isabel parquer ella esta una
madre.  John Steinbeck."    Glued to the front free endpaper is a rare
copy of an advertising circular ("The Neatest Trick of the Year") issued
by Robert O. Ballou to promote the remainders, including quotes from
some reviews for the work.  The circular was evidently sent by Steinbeck
to his sister with the book, and is possibly the only surviving copy of
this important early piece of ephemera.

Artist and illustrator Mahlon Blaine was an important figure and
contributor to John Steinbeck's early literary career.  They met
prophetically on the freighter Katrina on which the author had booked
passage to New York City through the Panama Canal.  Steinbeck had
graduated from Stanford and was eager to start his writing career in
Greenwich Village.  Standing at the railing, John remarked spontaneously
to the passenger next to him: "Isn't 'Iowa by the Sea' beautiful?"  To
which Blaine replied-- "My God, you speak English!"- amazed to find an
English speaker (with a clever sense of humor) amidst the mostly
immigrant crew.  On arriving in New York, they lived on different floors
at the Parkwood Hotel and explored the city together.  Blaine was
impressed with some of John's stories and introduced him to an editor he
worked with at Robert McBride & Co., the eventual publishers of Cup of
Gold.  Blaine would subsequently design the dust jackets and endpapers
for both Cup of Gold and To a God Unknown.

Mahlon Blaine's close-up facial portrait of John Steinbeck entitled
"JO...HN" captures Steinbeck in a confident, striking pose, staring down
the viewer with an unblinking glare.  Possibly one of the earliest
artistic portraits of Steinbeck, the pastel and crayon on black
construction paper work appears to be the only known example by Blaine,
one of his most significant early collaborators.  It certainly must have
been prized by Steinbeck to remain in the possession of his family for
such a length of time (est. $4/6,000).

Several pastel and crayon works of art by Mahlon Blaine will also be
offered, as well as inscribed lithographs by Thomas Hart Benton from his
celebrated contributions to The Grapes of Wrath.

Other highlights from the February 18 sale include: an early partial
draft of the screenplay adaptation of The Great Gatsby by Truman Capote
(est. $20/30,000); a rare and highly coveted copy of Ansel Adams' first
publication Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras (est. $30/50,000); a
copy of the first silk broadside of President Jefferson's Second
Inaugural speech (est. $8/12,000) - one of only three known copies in
existence; a major archive of shipping records from a pioneering early
19th century maritime family (est. $10/15,000) and a somewhat scathing
typed, signed Raymond Chandler letter dated June 1951, reviewing a CBS
contract to adapt the Marlowe character to television (est.
$1,000/1,500).

The illustrated catalog is available online for review and purchase at
www.bonhams.com/us.  Previews open in Los Angles on Feb. 9-11 and in San Francisco Feb. 16-18, 2007.