JK Rowling donates signed copy to The Little Auction That Could

Eyebrows of rare book and signature collectors will rise this fall when an extraordinary collection with a tender mission will be available for an online and live auction beginning November 9-24, 2009 (www.eBay.com ). Dubbed The Little Auction That Could (www.littleauctionthatcould.org), the 70+ collection includes signatures from some of the most iconic figures of our time, including President Barack Obama, John H Glenn, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling and Tiger Woods.

Volunteer mom Karla Preissman wanted to foster a love of reading among children living at Jensen Beach, Florida-based Hibiscus Children’s Center who have suffered from abuse and neglect. First, she helped create a library within the non-profit shelter and filled it with books and resources. To insure the

resources would be replenished and the library maintained, she came up with an idea. Why not ask famous people what books inspired them as a child and ask them to simply sign their names in a copy that would be auctioned for the benefit of the shelter?

What started off as a simple request has mushroomed into a wildly varied and fascinating glimpse of what some of the most famous people on the planet believed to be a motivating book from childhood. Other iconic figures, such as President Barack Obama, signed a book symbolic of his time in office — a first edition pop-up White House children’s book. The top 12 books will be auctioned live November 20 at the Lyric Theatre in downtown Stuart, Florida with author Carl Hiaasen headlining the event and nationally renowned book expert Nicholas Basbanes presenting.

Author and poet Maya Angelou submitted three signed books, one coming from her personal library called Story of Phillis Wheatley detailing the life of a slave turned poet during the American Revolution. How do you place a value on a collectible item like that?

According to the Professional Autograph Dealer Association (www.padaweb.org) website, the following key elements will determine the price: authenticity, condition, content, rarity and demand. For example, nearly 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln signed for the declaration of war against the south and today

the document is on the market for $850,000. Flash forward 100 years, and John F. Kennedy’s signature accepting his nomination for the Liberal Party in 1960 is on the market for $40,000. Imagine 100 years from now, what will be the value of the signature of our nation’s first African American, Nobel prize winning President while he was in his first term of office? Anyone’s guess.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based antiquarian book dealer and appraiser Robert Hittel believes, "Owning one or more books from this eclectic collection would be the cornerstone of anyone’s collection."

For the complete listing of signed books and information about bidding, go to www.littleauctionthatcould.org. To see the collection firsthand, visit the exhibition at the Elliott Museum in Stuart, Florida (www.elliottmuseumfl.org) beginning November 6 through November 29, 2009.

A sampling of celebrity signed books:

  • Jane Goodall, Tarzan (If only Tarzan had married the right Jane)
  • Maya Angelou, Story of Phillis Wheatley (To the winning bidder at Hibiscus Children`s Shelter, Joy! Maya Angelou; July 24, 2009)
  • Jason Taylor, Tom Sawyer (Read & grow!)
  • Sean Connery, Treasure Island (Best wishes)
  • Philip Knight, The Kid from Tomkinsville (Just do it!)

Related posts

Posted: November 4th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling

Do you have something to add to this post? Please leave a comment

Image: Once Walked with Gods book cover   Image: Alden Bell, author   Image: Gardens of the Moon, by Steven Erikson, book cover   Image: X-Isle book cover
Book of the Month   Interviews   Books you must read...   Competition
Once Walked with Gods
James Barclay
James Barclay's ELVES trilogy will tell the whole story of his immortal elven race, and will appeal to all fans of Tolkien and fantasy - this is a uniquely entertaining take on a fantasy staple perfect to bring new readers to Barclay.

 

Alden Bell
Allison Brennan
Paul Kearney
Karen Brooks
JR Mitchell
NK Jemisin
Holly Black
Chris Dolley
Alex Bell
Alison Goodman
  The Amulet of Samarkand
The Spook's Apprentice
Gardens of the Moon
A Game of Thrones
A Wizard of Earthsea
Ship of Magic
Assassin's Apprentice
The Colour of Magic
Duncton Wood
Tigana
  September 2, 2010 will see the publication of Steve Augarde's wonderful X-Isle in paperback. To mark the occasion Random House have very kindly given us three copies to give away as prizes in our latest competition.
Previous winners   Interview archive   Josh's top 8 fantasy list   Click here to enter!

Search

 

Pages

Show pages | Hide pages

Archive

Sub-genres

Meta