Return To Oz! Part 2 Of The Joel Harris Collection Of Oziana & Children’s Books Goes Up For Bid
Turner Auctions + Appraisals Features Over 195 Lots on Friday, December 10
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA, NOVEMBER 26, 2021 – Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Return to Oz: Part 2 of the Joel Harris Collection of Oziana & Children’s Books on Friday, December 10, 2021. The sale offers over 195 lots of first edition and vintage books, showcasing an enchanting and extensive selection of Oz books. It was curated by Mr. Harris, who is the Director of Special Publications of the International Wizard of Oz Club, as well as an author, long-time collector, and San Francisco Bay Area estate planning and probate attorney.
The Oz series was created by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), a prolific American author best known for his children’s books. His first Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was released in 1900; in the introduction, the author stated the book “…was written solely to pleasure children today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heart-aches and nightmares are left out.” In total Baum wrote 14 books in the Oz series – plus 41 other novels, 83 short stories, and more than 200 poems and 42 scripts. Some works were written under various pseudonyms, including Edith Van Dyne and Laura Bancroft, whose books are also offered in this sale. Other books by the author include L. Frank Baum’s Juvenile Speaker, The Boy Hunters in Yucatan, Phoebe Daring, Prince Mud-Turtle, The Sea Fairies, and others.
After Baum’s death, a number of other authors built on and continued the famous Oz stories that he founded. These include Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill, Jack Snow, Rachel R. Cosgrove, Gina Wickwar, and others. Their Oz books are also featured in this auction.
Among the Oz highlights in this sale are a rare, limited-edition Oz, the 100th Anniversary Edition; and a deluxe The Wonderful Wizard of Oz pop-up illustrated by Robert Sabuda. Other featured pop-up books are Pinocchio and Jack the Giant Killer and Other Tales.
Books by other acclaimed authors were collected by Mr. Harris’s late wife Christine. Among these highlights are noted A. A. Milne books: a fine first British edition of The House at Pooh Corner in the original dust jacket; The Christopher Robin Story Book; and Now We Are Six.
Other noteworthy books in the sale include a quadruple-signed Disney Bambi collectors set; a signed Odyssey of Homer, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth; Two Bear Cubs by Robert D. San Souci; a signed, special artist’s edition of Miracle in Seville by James Michener; Peter Parley’s Universal History, on the Basis of Geography by Nathaniel Hawthorne, in two volumes; a signed first edition of a scarce Jack London title, Theft; several first editions by Christopher Paolini, including Eragon; and books and sets by several Caldecott Medal winners.
Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins its online auction on Friday, December 10, 2021, at 10:30 am PDT; sale items are available for preview and bidding now. The auction is featured live on multiple platforms: LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Bidsquare, iCollector, and Turner Auctions + Appraisals’ free mobile app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Apps (“Turner Auctions”). All are easily accessed through ‘Upcoming Auctions’ at the company’s website: www.turnerauctionsonline.com/upcoming-auctions/.
Here are some highlights of the upcoming sale (see details in the online catalog):
Lot 8: Deluxe Sabuda Limited Edition Pop-Up Wizard of Oz, #13 of 50 copies; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz illustrated by Robert Sabuda. Books of Wonder 2001. Green cloth stamped in gold with matching slipcase. Limited-edition pop-up mounted on covered, signed, and numbered by Sabuda, which is not included in the regular edition. Matching slipcase with silk ribbon and mounted metallic metal envelope containing a signed/numbered print of the Wicked Witch, not included in the regular limited edition. Includes an additional signed/numbered print of the Wicked Witch in green, signed by Sabuda #108/150 with matching mat, sealed, not included in the regular limited edition. No previous auction prices could be discovered. Also includes a first trade edition, as-new and still sealed. Fine as-new in original shipping box. Estimate $1,500-$2,500.
Lot 88: Fine First British Edition of The House at Pooh Corner in dust jacket by A.A. Milne, illustrated by E.H. Shepard. Methuen 1928 first UK edition. Pink cloth boards stamped in gold. Original salmon dust jacket. Pink and black illustrated endpapers, and illustrations throughout by Shepard. About fine in fine dust jacket. Small gift inscription and toning to rear free endpaper, a line of toning to rear free endpaper (toning where jacket edge touches the book. Estimate $2,000-$3,000.
Lot 92: Two Bear Cubs by Robert D. San Souci, with original full page watercolor painting, illustrated by Daniel San Souci. Yosemite Association and Children’s Limited Editions Club 1997 1st signed Limited Edition, signed by both San Soucis. Brown illustrated boards with matching dust jacket. Custom green slipcase with color print of the bear cubs. Book number #190/200. Also included is the original full page watercolor painting by San Souci for page two of the book depicting mother bear and the two bear cubs. Image measures about 8” x 9”. Fine. Estimate $800-$1,200.
Lot 1: Oz the Hundredth Anniversary Celebration, edited by Peter Glassman. Rare limited-edition with 31 autographs. Books of Wonder 2000 first signed/limited edition. #53 of 100 copies of sale. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, Janell Cannon, Tomie dePaola, Jerry Pinkney, Paul O. Zelinsky, Uri Shulevitz, Trina Schart Hyman, William Joyce, Richard Egielski, Diane Goode, Leo and Diane Dillon, Mark Teague, Jules Feiffer, Kinuko Craft, Kay Chorao, Michael Foreman, Mark Buehner, Peter Sis, Bruce Degen, Chris Van Allsburg, Michael Hague, Troy Howell, Richard Jesse Watson, Lloyd Alexander, and Eric Carle. Additional text by Madeleine L’Engle, Robin McKinley, Ann M. Martin, and Natalie Babbitt. Signed by all 31 contributors on a special limitation page. Green cloth with color plate by Sendak in matching slipcase stamped in gold. Fine – as new condition. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500.
Lot 185: Miracle in Seville by James Michener, illustrated by John Fulton. 1995 Special Artists Edition #39/100, signed by Michener and Fulton. Yellow hardcover bound with dark blue cloth, pasted illustrated cover label. Matching dark blue slipcase with cover label and silver sword closure. Includes signed drawings of Michener and Fulton numbered 39/100, together with a matching illustrated chapbook, a postcard signed by Fulton, publication information and other ephemera. Fine. Estimate $1,000-$1,500.
Lot 193: Peter Parley’s Universal History, on the Basis of Geography by Nathaniel Hawthorne, two volumes (complete), published by the American Stationers Company, Boston, 1837. 58 First edition, second printing. Clark A3.1.b; BAL 7582; Loker, 27. Violet brown cloth stamped in gold, professionally rebound. This copy was a gift to the Cotuit Library by the children of Alice Lowell Ropes and James Hardy Ropes; Alice was the granddaughter of Samuel Griswold Goodrich, the original publisher of the Peter Parley books. Alice’s father Edward Lowell was the brother of George Lowell, to whom this copy is inscribed on the front free end paper. A very good set, tasteful Ex-Libris of the Cotuit Library on the front pastedowns. Estimate $1,200-$1,500.
Lot 81: Wyeth’s signed/limited The Odyssey of Homer, translated by George Herbert Palmer, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. Houghton Mifflin, 1929 first limited edition #322/550. Signed by both Palmer and Wyeth on tipped sheet after the title page. Original teal cloth stamped in gold. Leather half spine. Illustrated endpapers and 16 tipped-in tissue guarded color plates. Very good, but for edgewear to cloth and discolored spine with chipped spine label. Estimate: $800-$1,200.
Lot 85: Quadruple-signed Disney Bambi collectors set. Walt Disney’s Bambi, The Story and The Film together with Bambi, The Flip Book, the story of the making of the film “Bambi,” the main volume with text by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, artwork in both volumes by Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Marc Davis, and Maurice Noble, published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 1990. Both books are signed by all four of the artists. The main volume fine in a near fine dust jacket, the flip book is fine. Estimate $750-$1,000.
Lot 65: L. Frank Baum’s Juvenile Speaker by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright. Reilly and Britton, 1910 first edition. Original tan cloth stamped in black, red, and white. Ads in the back for Baum’s Twinkle Tales, Road, Land, Ozma, Dorothy and the Wizard, and John Dough and the Cherub. Very scarce title. Good or better copy. Front hinge inexpertly repaired but tight, lacks front free end paper. Spot on spine, bits of discoloration on covers. 1915 inscription on ownership page. Estimate: $400-$600.
Lot 74: Twinkle and Chubbins: Their Astonishing Adventures in Nature-Fairyland by L. Frank Baum writing as Laura Bancroft. Reilly and Britton, 1911 first edition. Illustrated in color by Maginel Wright Enright throughout. Original tan cloth stamped in black, red, and green. Combines into one volume Mr. Woodchuck, Bandit Jim Crow, Prairie-Dog Town, Prince Mud-Turtle, Twinkle’s Enchantment and Sugar-Loaf Mountain. Very scarce title. Very good, solid copy. Some light offsetting to illustrations, a few small spots. Estimate: $200-$300.
Lot 27: The Hungry Tiger of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson, illustrated by John R. Neill. Reilly & Lee. 1926 1st edition. Illustrated with 12 color plates and numerous black & white drawings. Original dark gray/green cloth, pictorial cover label; black & white pictorial endpapers. Very good or better, with a little rubbing to cover and top of spine. Estimate: $200-$300.
Lot 84: The Pop-Up Jack the Giant Killer and Other Tales, with pop-up illustrations by Harold Lentz. Blue Ribbon Books, 1932 first edition in jacket. Color illustrated board, color endpapers, thick volume. Scarce original illustrated dust jacket. Four color pop-ups in good working order. Book is bright, tight, and clean with a touch of darkening. Jacket has some chips and creases. Some cracking starting at pages, typical for this edition. Very good, bright copy in good to very good dust jacket. Estimate: $400-$600.
Lot 70: The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by John R. Neill. Reilly & Britton, 1911 1st edition, 1st state. Light green cloth with textured pictorial paper cover label in full-color on metallic-gold background, central design shows three faces. 12 duotone plates with iridescent ink and numerous black & white drawings by John R. Neill. First state with front cover label illustrating the heads of the 3 principal characters. The first volume in the “Trot” series, which Baum hoped would replace Oz. The Sea Fairies is one of his most imaginative books, especially with the beautiful iridescent plates. Bienvenue & Schmidt p. 244. Very good. Spine faded. Scratches on front cover. Edgewear. Small spot on pages 54-55 and 64-71. Estimate: $200-$300.
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ABOUT JOEL HARRIS AND HIS COLLECTION
Born, raised, and living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Joel Harris received his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from California’s University of Santa Clara. He has been an estate attorney for 30 years and is a State Bar Certified Specialist: estate planning, trust & probate law. But his extensive professional career is even superseded by his personal hobby – a passion for collecting all things Oz that has lasted over 45 years.
This enthusiasm and quest was triggered very young – in about third grade – by his elementary school librarian, Ms. Nina Fohner, who introduced him to The Wonderful World of Oz. Between the story and the visuals, young Joel was hooked. When his school ran out of books in the Oz series to read, he cajoled his parents to drive to bookstores in search of new material. Mr. Harris notes he has “the collector gene,” entranced both then and now by reading old and beautiful books with colored illustrations, book plates and end papers. As he says, “the older they are, the prettier they are,” the more he likes them.
As Mr. Harris got older, he began to buy and sell Oz books, meeting book dealers at his local recreation center and working for The Book Lady to set up her booth at book shows, for which he was paid in books. In fact, he self-financed his first trip to Europe in high school with proceeds from his Oz book dealings!
Mr. Harris considers himself an “advanced collector,” noting that his hobby “is not at the normal level.” With Christine, he owned the Clayton Bookshop for many years, and has attended myriad book shows in the U.S. and abroad to enhance his collection. He was also a consultant to Storyopolis, a popular children’s bookstore in Southern California, now closed. Of particular note and pride is Mr. Harris’s invitation by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) to showcase his personal Oziana collection at the 52nd California Book Fair, the annual show for dealers of rare and antiquarian books, when the organization commemorated the 100th anniversary of the death of L. Frank Baum in 2019.
Furthermore, as a member of the International Wizard of Oz Club for over 40 years, Mr. Harris has been its Director of Special Publications for over 20 years. As the program’s supervisor, he edited and published numerous special editions for the Oz Club – newer books that are limited editions of only 26 copies. These are designated for special purposes and members of the Oz Club and are not available for outside purchase. Unlikely to have been offered previously at auction, some of these books are featured in this sale, including The Wicked Witch of Oz and Toto of Oz.
Mr. Harris built his Oz collection over many years, traveling to Europe, buying at auctions, and purchasing collections from Oz Club members and the organization’s private auctions. (Although he generally did not find much at estate sales, he notes that, during one recent Christmas, he came across books that sold for 25 cents. Digging through the offerings, he found a Harry Potter book with a J. K. Rowling autograph, Dan Brown books with a signed personal letter from Brown to the book’s former owner, and two custom copies of Eragon. For $20 he bought a whole tub of books – valued at over $5,000!)
Amassed over more than four decades, Mr. Harris’s collection reflects beautiful and special items that are unusual, not only treasured by children but adults as well. As with all of us, COVID-19 has given Mr. Harris a lot of extra time at home: sheltering in place, he used the time to organize and curate his collection to prepare it for sale. In Part 2 of his collection’s sale, fans of Oziana and Pooh will continue to be delighted!
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ABOUT TURNER AUCTIONS + APPRAISALS
Based in South San Francisco, Turner Auctions + Appraisals was founded by Stephen Turner to expand and complement the capabilities of Stephen G. Turner Associates, an auction and appraisal consulting firm founded in 2004. Turner Auctions + Appraisals presents online auctions in diverse categories of personal property (www.turnerauctionsonline.com). Among them are Fine Arts, Decorative Arts, Asian Arts, Toys, Jewelry, Militaria, Ethnic Arts, and others. The company offers a range of auction and appraisal services for buyers, sellers, and collectors. Online auctions are held several times a month. Working with leading live and online auction houses on the West Coast since 1991, Turner is a professional appraiser of personal property and seasoned auctioneer. His areas of expertise include fine art, decorative arts, antiques & residential contents. The company welcomes consignments and appraisals.
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