LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 Heritage May Sign Comic Auction #824  / 

41001

Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck First Printing

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:10,000.00 USD Estimated At:40,000.00 - 60,000.00 USD
Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck First Printing
<B>The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck - First Printing - Brother Jonathan Extra IX Bookstand Edition (Wilson and Company, 1842) Condition: Apparent GD.</B></I> This is the earliest known sequential-art American comic book, therefore the significance is tough to overstate! Published 165 years ago, this rare gem is almost 100 years older than <B>Action Comics </B></I>#1 and it's a far scarcer item to boot -- less than a dozen copies have been confirmed to exist, several of which are owned by institutions and unlikely ever to be offered to collectors.<BR><BR>Swiss writer/artist Rodolphe Töpffer, considered the inventor of the modern comic strip, originated the work as <I>Les Amours de M. Vieux Bois in the late 1820s</B></I>, which was then pirated by Aubert in Paris in the 1830s. A few years later in 1841 this Aubert version was translated into English with a cover montage re-drawn for British publisher Tilt and Bogue by Robert Cruikshank. As Robert Beerbohm noted, "In a world where international copyright conventions did not exist, this was perfectly legal, if morally questionable."<BR><BR>The printing plates were then shipped over to New York City in 1842, and this edition was produced by the publishers of the newspaper <I>Brother Jonathan, </B></I>reformatted into what constitutes a modern comic book format as we recognize it today, printed in black and white and bound with string. Staple-binding and color printing weren’t an option in the 1840s! <BR><BR>The presentation of this copy befits its significance - it's in a beautiful archival presentation folder. Obviously no "high-grade" copy could be expected to exist for such an early item. This copy has a 2 ½-inch spine split, foxing is present, and there is a chip missing from the back cover. We have assigned this an "apparent" grade because of a meticulous conservation measure that was undertaken. As the conservation expert's notes state, "The paper and inks were not conserved. The missing sewing was replaced using cotton thread that was acrylic-toned (Winsor & Newton) to appear a light tan color."<BR>Overstreet notes that in 2005 a GD/VG copy and a VG copy each sold for $20,000. Overstreet 2006 GD 2.0 value = $1,800; FN 6.0 value = $5,400. Overstreet goes on to note, "In 2005, a FR copy sold for $10,000; a GD/VG for $20,000; and a VG for $20,000."<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Books & Catalogs (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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