The Arthur Ronnie Collection: Books & Autogaphs

Auction Details

Blacksparrow Auctions is pleased to present The Arthur Ronnie Collection: Books and Autographs, to be held on Sunday, February 10, 2013, at 11am PST. James Gray Gallery at Bergamot Station Art Center in Santa Monica, CA will host the live auction. Public preview is available from February 4 to 9, also at James Gray Gallery.

This is an unprecedented selection of over 200 lots assembled by an individual collector who personally interviewed many of the authors and obtained autographs for over 70 years throughout his career as a newspaper reporter and as a publicist in the entertainment field. The collection features presidents, explorers, aviation, and Hollywood entertainment. A few of the many highlights include:

• Under the North Pole: The Wilkins-Ellsworth Submarine Expedition, Lincoln Ellsworth’s copy
• 20 hrs. 40 min. Our Flight in the Friendship. The American Girl, First Across the Atlantic by Air, Tells Her Story, Amelia Earhart’s personal copy with piece of fabric from the Friendship
• The Fun of It: Random Records of My Own Flying and of Women in Aviation, Amelia Earhart’s copy with her bookplate and signature, as well as the signatures of other early aviatrixes
• The Spirit of St. Louis, Presentation Edition signed by Charles A. Lindbergh, T. Claude Ryan, Otto W. Timm, and Bud Gurney
• WE. The Famous Flier’s Own Story of his Life and his Transatlantic flight, together with his views on the future of Aviation, Signed Limited Edition, additionally signed by T. Claude Ryan, Otto W. Timm, and Bud Gurney
• Memoirs by Harry S. Truman, both volumes inscribed
• The White House Years: Waging Peace, 1956-1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Signed Limited Edition
• Listen! The Wind and North to the Orient, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, each book signed by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles Lindbergh

Complementing the signed books is a group of signed color lithographs, including a who’s who of early and pioneer aviators such as Charles Taylor, Grover Loening, Douglas Campbell, William Bishop, Gianni Caproni, Richard E. Byrd, A.V. Roe, Ruth Law, Ernest Hall, Jacqueline Cochran, Charles Lindbergh, Katherine Stinson, Henri Farman, and many more.

The featured item of the sale is a 2-volume set of The Lafayette Flying Corps (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1920, First Edition). A presentation copy, signed and inscribed by James N. Hall and Charles Bernard Nordhoff to Dr. Edmund Gros, “For Doctor Gros, with warm regards, James N. Hall, Chas. Nordhoff, Tahiti, Oct. 14, 1927.” It is additionally signed by five surviving members of the Corps who signed on their respective biographical pages: Henry Batchelor (page 113), Edward Hinkle (page 267), Charles Kinsolving (page 301), William Wellman (movie director, page 483), and Herman Whitmore (page 487). Slipcase and dust jackets intact.

Dr. Gros was an American doctor in Paris who was instrumental in organizing the Lafayette Escadrille. Young men from neutral America during World War I were recruited to come to France and fly in the Escadrille in combat against the Germans. When America entered the war, the Lafayette Escadrille became the Lafayette Flying Corps. This is a cornerstone of any serious aviation collection. It is rare to find the books in such fine condition, and especially desirable with the signatures of Hall, Nordhoff, and Flying Corps members.

Interested bidders will be able to bid live in-person, by telephone, via absentee, and on the Internet as facilitated by iCollector. A print catalog will be available for purchase at blacksparrowauctions.com.
Items are as is. Please call us at (323) 250-3980 or email us at blacksparrow@haxbee.com for condition reports or any general inquiry.
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SIKORSKY, Igor I. - The Message of the Lord's Prayer201 - SIKORSKY, Igor I. - The Message of the Lord's Prayer
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Ivan Obolensky, Inc., (1963). First Edition, first printing. Octavo (8 ½ X 5 ¾ in., 215 X 146 mm). 87 pages. Burgundy paper covered boards...
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SIKORSKY, Igor I. - The Story of the Winged-S202 - SIKORSKY, Igor I. - The Story of the Winged-S
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Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1938. First Edition. Octavo (8 ¾ X 6 in., 223 X 154 mm). 266 pages. Blue cloth, spine and front board lette...
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SIMMONS, Walter - Joe Foss, Flying Marine203 - SIMMONS, Walter - Joe Foss, Flying Marine
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E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York, 1943. First Edition. Octavo (8 ¼ X 5 ¾ in., 210 X 147 mm). 160 pages. Brown cloth, spine and front...
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SMITH, Dean C. - By the Seat of My Pants204 - SMITH, Dean C. - By the Seat of My Pants
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Little, Brown and Company, (1961). First Edition. Octavo (8 ¼ X 5 5/8 in., 210 X 142 mm). 245 pages. Blue cloth, spine lettered in white. Very ...
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SOUTHERN, Neta Snook - I Taught Amelia to Fly205 - SOUTHERN, Neta Snook - I Taught Amelia to Fly
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Vantage Press, (1974). First Edition. Octavo (8 ¼ X 5 ¾ in., 210 X 145 mm). 169 pages. Red cloth, spine lettered in gilt. Near Fine. Hinge...
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SPRINGS, Elliott White - Above the Bright Blue Sky: More About the War Birds206 - SPRINGS, Elliott White - Above the Bright Blue Sky: More About the War Birds
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Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1928. First Edition. Octavo (7 ¾ X 5 ½ in., 197 X 140 mm). 275 pages. Pictori...
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Estimate : 100.00 - 200.00
Sold to K*********y for (100.00 + 18.00BP) = 118.00
 
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SPRINGS, Elliott White - Nocturne Militaire207 - SPRINGS, Elliott White - Nocturne Militaire
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New York, George H. Doran Company, (1927). Signed, Limited Edition. Octavo (7 7/8 X 5 ½ in., 200 X 140 mm). Black cloth, spine and front board ...
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Estimate : 100.00 - 200.00
Sold to K*********y for (100.00 + 18.00BP) = 118.00
 
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THADEN, Louise - High, Wide and Frightened208 - THADEN, Louise - High, Wide and Frightened
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Stackpole Sons, New York, (1938). Octavo (8 ½ X 5 ¾ in., 215 X 145 mm). 263 pages. Blue cloth, spine and front board lettered in black. Ve...
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Estimate : 100.00 - 200.00
Sold to a********o.. for (100.00 + 18.00BP) = 118.00
 
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THOMAS, Lowell and Edward Jablonski - Doolittle: A Biography209 - THOMAS, Lowell and Edward Jablonski - Doolittle: A Biography
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Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1976. First Edition. Octavo (8 ½ X 5 ¾ in., 215 X 145 mm). 368 pages. Dark red vinyl...
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THOMAS, Lowell - The First World Flight210 - THOMAS, Lowell - The First World Flight
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The First World Flight: Being the personal narratives of Lowell Smith, Erik Nelson, Leigh Wade, Leslie Arnold, Henry Ogden, and John Harding. Hough
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THOMAS, Lowell - The First World Flight211 - THOMAS, Lowell - The First World Flight
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The First World Flight. Being the personal narratives of Lowell Smith, Erik Nelson, Leigh Wade, Leslie Arnold, Henry Ogden, John Harding. Houghton
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TOLIVER, Col. Raymond F. and Trevor J. Constable - The Blond Knight of Germany212 - TOLIVER, Col. Raymond F. and Trevor J. Constable - The Blond Knight of Germany
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Introduction by Lt. General Adolf Galland. Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1970. First Edition. Quarto (9 ½ X 6 3/8 in., ...
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TOLIVER, Col. Raymond F. and Trevor Constable - Fighter Aces213 - TOLIVER, Col. Raymond F. and Trevor Constable - Fighter Aces
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The Macmillan Company, New York, (1965). First Edition, first printing. Quarto (9 3/8 X 6 ½ in., 240 X 165 mm). 354 pages. Blue cloth, spine an...
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Estimate : 200.00 - 300.00
Sold to K*********y for (150.00 + 27.00BP) = 177.00
 
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TOMLINSON, D. W. "Tommy" - The Sky's the Limit214 - TOMLINSON, D. W. "Tommy" - The Sky's the Limit
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Macrae Smith Company, Philadelphia, (1930). First Edition. Illustrated with photographs. Octavo (9 X 6 ¼ in., 226 X 159 mm). 289 pages. Embosse...
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Estimate : 200.00 - 300.00
Sold to k*********y for (150.00 + 27.00BP) = 177.00
 
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TURNER, Roscoe - Win Your Wings215 - TURNER, Roscoe - Win Your Wings
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Frederick J. Drake & Co., Publishers, Chicago, (1943). Two volumes. Octavo (9 X 6 ¼ in., 230 X 160 mm). 691, 426 pages. Blue cloth, spines ...
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VERDON-ROE, Sir Alliott - The World of Wings and Things216 - VERDON-ROE, Sir Alliott - The World of Wings and Things
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Preface by Major Oliver Stewart, M.C., A.F.C. Hurst & Blackett, London. No date, circa 1940. Octavo (7 ½ X 5 3/8 in., 192 X 137 mm). 270 pa...
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WAGNER, William - Ryan, the Aviator217 - WAGNER, William - Ryan, the Aviator
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McGraw-Hill Book Company, (1971). Quarto (11 1/8 X 8 1/8 in., 283 X 220 mm). 253 pages. Bright red cloth, spine and front board lettered in white. Nea
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WEAD, Frank - Wings for Men218 - WEAD, Frank - Wings for Men
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The Century Co., New York & London, (1931). First Edition, first printing. Octavo (9 X 6 in., 238 X 154 mm). 333 pages. Blue cloth, spine and fr...
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WELLMAN, William A. - Go, Get 'Em! The adventures of an American aviator in Lafayette Flying Corps219 - WELLMAN, William A. - Go, Get 'Em! The adventures of an American aviator in Lafayette Flying Corps
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The Page Company, Boston, 1918. First Edition. Octavo (7 ¾ X 5 3/8 in., 197 x 136 mm). 284 pages. Pictorial olive green cloth stamped in orange...
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WELLMAN, William A. - A Short Time for Insanity: an Autobiography220 - WELLMAN, William A. - A Short Time for Insanity: an Autobiography
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Hawthorn Books, Inc., Publishers, New York, (1974). First Edition, first printing. Quarto (9 3/8 X 6 3/8 in., 240 X 161 mm). 276 pages. Butterscotch c
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Estimate : 200.00 - 300.00
Sold to b********v.. for (175.00 + 31.50BP) = 206.50
 
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WELLS, Linton - Around the World in Twenty-Eight Days221 - WELLS, Linton - Around the World in Twenty-Eight Days
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Houghton Mifflin Company, 1926. First Edition. Autograph Edition, Number 29 of 375 copies. Signed by the author. Octavo (8 3/8 X 5 5/8 in., 212 X 145
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WHITEHOUSE, Arch - Legion of the Lafayette222 - WHITEHOUSE, Arch - Legion of the Lafayette
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Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1962. First Edition. Octavo (8 ½ X 5 ¾ in., 216 X 146 mm). 338 pages. Pale blue clot...
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WILLIAMS, Major Al - Airpower223 - WILLIAMS, Major Al - Airpower
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Coward-McCann, Inc., New York, (1940). Octavo (8 ¾ X 6 in., 220 X 152 mm). 433 pages. Blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt. Very Good, with sligh...
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WISE, David and Thomas B. Ross - The U-2 Affair224 - WISE, David and Thomas B. Ross - The U-2 Affair
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Random House, New York, (1962). First Edition, first printing. Octavo (8 ½ X 6 in., 218 X 152 mm). 269 pages. Dark blue cloth, spine lettered i...
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Estimate : 100.00 - 200.00
Sold to J******r for (100.00 + 18.00BP) = 118.00
 
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The Games of the Xth Olympiad Ð Official Report225 - The Games of the Xth Olympiad Ð Official Report
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Published by the Xth Olympiade Committee of the Games of Los Angeles, 1933. First Edition. Thick Folio (12 ¼ X 9 ½ in., 310 X 241 mm). [81...
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ANOBILE, Richard J. [Editor] - James Whale's Frankenstein - Signed by Boris Karloff226 - ANOBILE, Richard J. [Editor] - James Whale's Frankenstein - Signed by Boris Karloff
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Universe Books, New York, (1974). First Edition, first printing. Quarto (11 X 8 ¾ in., 285 X 223 mm). Black cloth, spine and front board letter...
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Estimate : 400.00 - 600.00
Sold to a*******s for (300.00 + 54.00BP) = 354.00
 
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BURROUGHS, Edgar Rice - Tarzan and the Golden Lion, Photoplay Edition signed by Boris Karloff227 - BURROUGHS, Edgar Rice - Tarzan and the Golden Lion, Photoplay Edition signed by Boris Karloff
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Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York, (1924). Octavo (7 5/8 X 5 ¼ in., 180 X 134 mm). 333 pages + 9 pages of advertisements. Orange cloth...
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HOOVER, J. Edgar - Masters of Deceit: The Story of Communism in America and How to Fight It228 - HOOVER, J. Edgar - Masters of Deceit: The Story of Communism in America and How to Fight It
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Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1958. First Edition. Octavo (8 ½ X 5 ¾ in., 215 X 146 mm). 374 pages. Red cloth, spine and front board s...
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Estimate : 100.00 - 200.00
Sold to J******r for (100.00 + 18.00BP) = 118.00
 
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PERSHING, John J. - My Experiences in the World War229 - PERSHING, John J. - My Experiences in the World War
Blacksparrow Auctions
Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York, 1931. Author’s Autograph Edition. Limited to 2,100 copies, signed by John J. Pershing, of which this is copy Nu
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Estimate : 200.00 - 300.00
Sold to E*****s for (150.00 + 27.00BP) = 177.00
 
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REEVE, Arthur B. and John W. Grey - The Master Mystery - Houdini Photoplay Edition230 - REEVE, Arthur B. and John W. Grey - The Master Mystery - Houdini Photoplay Edition
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New York, Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, (1919). Octavo (7 5/8 X 5 ¼ in., 193 X 133 mm). 304 pages + 10 pages of advertisements. Dark red cl...
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Estimate : 400.00 - 600.00
Sold to w**********k for (300.00 + 54.00BP) = 354.00
 
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WEBB, Alexander Stewart - Webb and His Brigade at the Angle Gettysburg231 - WEBB, Alexander Stewart - Webb and His Brigade at the Angle Gettysburg
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J. B. Lyon Company, Printers, Albany, 1916. First Edition. Quarto (10 ¾ X 8 ¼ in., 275 X 210 mm). 123 pages. Dark blue buckram, spine and ...
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