CT River Book Auction
September 9 at 6 pm
South Congregational Church at 949 Main Street, South Glastonbury, CT 06073
www.ctriverbookauction.com
860-908-8067

SOUTH GLASTONBURY, CONN. — Connecticut River Book Auction will offer a signed Elizabeth Catlett print titled “The Survivor” with a signed copy of The Art of Elizabeth Catlett at its September 9 auction. This African American graphic artist and sculptor was born in Washington DC in 1915 and is best known for her powerful depictions of Black women.

She was the granddaughter of slaves. Her mother, though trained as an educator, could only find employment washing floors and checking wraps at a dance hall after her husband’s early death. Eventually and with the help of friends, her mother got a job as a truant officer. To state the obvious, life was not easy for Catlett. Nevertheless, this remarkable woman transcended these circumstances and persistent racial discrimination to pursue a career as a gifted teacher and accomplished artist.

Perhaps, one can better understand her artistic motivation by looking at her life during adolescence and early adulthood. A brilliant and talented individual, she graduated Howard University with honors, but Howard was not her first choice for undergraduate study. She had wanted to go to the Carnegie Institute of Technology but was not admitted because of her race. Later in life, while studying at the University of Iowa and because of her race, she was not permitted to live or socialize on campus. In 1946, she accepted a fellowship grant and traveled to Mexico and here occurred the last major unwarranted rejection of this resilient individual. What was that rejection? Because of her political support of workers on strike in Mexico, the US government deemed her an “undesirable” and prohibited her from reentering the United States. This action eventually led to Catlett renouncing her US citizenship and becoming a citizen of Mexico. Later in life and with a US government if not more appreciative at least begrudgingly recognizing her artistic contribution to social justice, she chose and was able to renew her US citizenship.

By the beginning of this century, these earlier described injustices were acknowledged and attempts made to right wrongs. For instance, in 2008 Carnegie Mellon University awarded Catlett an honorary doctorate degree. In 2017, the University of Iowa from where she graduated with a MFA but could not live named a residence hall in her honor.

In 1984, Samella Lewis authored the book The Art of Elizabeth Catlett, and Catlett contributed a signed and numbered limited edition print titled “The Survivor.” Both the book and print numbers 402/1000 match. What makes this copy desirable is that in most instances the roughly 9½-by-7½-inch print has been removed. Elizabeth Catlett died in Mexico at age 96 in 2012.

Joining this very special book about a very special person will be a large group of children’s lots by Baum, Seuss and others. Fiction by Steinbeck, Gore Vidal and Hemingway, photography, history and numerous signed volumes insure that this will be an enjoyable evening.

This auction will be conducted at the South Congregational Church, 949 Main Street. For information, 860-908-8067 or www.ctriverbookauction.com.

September brings with it not only cooler nights but the riches of the recent growing season. Pumpkins, butternut squash, apples and more are to be found at farm markets. For book enthusiasts, library sales are in abundance and auction activity increases as leaves show signs of color change. In celebration of meteorological fall, we invite to peruse the following.
Photography and art are well represented in this auction. Here are six examples of the books available: “The Art of Elizabeth Catlett,” Lewis (1984) a limited edition. This copy is signed andhasthesigned/numberedprint“Survivor.”“HereFarAwayPhotographsfromtheYears 1964-2011,” Sammallahti (2012) 1st edition, “Pieter Bruegel the Complete Works,” Muller & Schauerte (2018) 1st edition in dj and its original cardboard carrying case. Also to be found are: “Desert Cantos,” Misrach (1987) 1st edition in dj, “Measure of Emptiness Grain Elevators in the American Landscape,” Gohlke (1992) 1st edition in dj and the Marine Artist James A Mitchells original pen and ink drawing of the schooner Gen. Banning which was used to create a limited edition lithograph.
Most of our auctions are rich in children’s books and this one is no different. Here are a few examples of that: “The Purple Prince of Oz,” Thompson (circa (1932) later printing in dj, “The Giant Horse of Oz,” Thompson (1935), “Tik-Tok of Oz,” Baum (1920) early issue with colored plates and “The Gnome King of Oz,”Thompson(1927)1stedition.laterstatewithcoloredplates. Not interested in Baum, then how about Dr. Seuss; “If I Ran the Circus.”This is a 1st edition, 2nd printing with its dustjacket. In the category of fine printing and fiction we have: “The Book of Christopher Columbus A Lyrical Drama inTwo Parts,” Claudel (1930) limited edition #210/350 copies signed by the author and the artist, “A Reprint of the Reed and Cadwalader Pamphlets with an Appendix,” Reed & Cadwalader (1863) limited printing of 199 copies. Or how about the “History of Susanna,” a limited edition of 400 copies issued by Grabhorn Press with illustrations by Mallette Dean. As an aside, In the past year we have received three large consignments numbering thousands ofworksoffiction.Herearecoupleofvolumesthatshouldinterestcollectors:“Lincoln,”Vidal (1984)1steditionsignedindj,“CanneryRow,”Steinbeck(1945)1stedition,2ndissueindj,“Life on the Mississippi,”Twain (1883) 1st edition, mixed state, and “Angle of Repose,” Stegner (1971) 1st edition in dj.
A recent consignor loved signed books. Here are a few of the signatures to be found in this auction: Carl Reiner, Steve Forbes, Walter Cronkite,Tom Seaver, Aldo Leopold, Jim Abbott, Keith Hernandez, Tommy Lasorda, Paul Tibbets. and Eddie Fischer.
Add to this, Marine Artist James A. Mitchell prints, from 1932 a large colorful “Descriptive Map of the Region within One Hundred Miles of the Capital of the United States”, several attractive leather sets and an interesting mixture of ephemera and you have the makings of an enjoyable September evening.
For more information on this Friday, September 9th book auction to be held at the South Congregational Church, 949 Main Street, South Glastonbury, CT 06073 visit www.ctriverbookauction.com or callTom at 1-860-908-8067.