HEARST COLLECTION 623 INCUNABULA 1467-1500/SIGNED ARMAND HAMMER LETTER/RARE 1942

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HEARST COLLECTION 623 INCUNABULA 1467-1500/SIGNED ARMAND HAMMER LETTER/RARE 1942 WITH LETTER FROM ARMAND HAMMER & TELEGRAPH/ILLUSTRATED AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF INCUNABULA, 1467-1500. PRESENTED BY GIMBEL PROTHERS, NEW YORK. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE HAMMER GALLERIES, no date [1941]. Scarce, First Edition. With letter from Armand Hammer. This famous catalogue describes the most important private collection of incunabula, those acquired by William Randolph Hearst. This book was prepared. by Maurice Sloog under the direction of Hammer Galleries and it contains 623 priced incunabulae, with detailed descriptions and many illustrations. During the 1920sand early 1930s Hearst was by far the largest collector of fine arts and other rare and collectible items, but when he was near bankruptcy in the late 1930s he had to sell off many of his prized possessions. This book offers an incredible collection of rare early books, at unbelievably low prices. Laid into the book is an original telegram from Frederic Gimbel offering the entire collection of books to the Brooklyn Medical Society of the County of Kings, in June 1942. There is also an original letter to the director of the Library of that Medical Society, Mr. W. Draper, offering him the entire collection of incunabula for half the listed prices. This letter came from Armand Hammer, the famous entrepreneur and philanthropist. Published 70 years ago, this book is now long out of print and rare. This association copy, with the letter and the telegraph should be more valuable. Such a nice copy is not likely to come up for sale again soon on ebay. According to wikipedia: " Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 [2 ] – December 10, 1990) was an American business tycoon most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum , a company he ran for decades, though he was known as well as for his art collection, his philanthropy, and for his close ties to the Soviet Union .Thanks to business interests around the world and his "citizen diplomacy," Hammer cultivated a wide network of friends and acquaintances. Late in life, he would brag that he had been the only man in history friendly with both Vladimir Lenin and Ronald Reagan .[ citation needed ]Hammer remains a controversial figure because of his ties to the Soviet Union , which led to speculation that he was disloyal to the United States . During his lifetime, some also objected to him on the grounds that he had made an illegal campaign contribution to U.S. president Richard Nixon . Because of his tight control of Occidental Petroleum, Hammer has been blamed for the company's misdeeds, including environmental pollution, alleged mistreatment of workers, and four SEC investigations into financial improprieties. [citation needed ]Hammer hungered for publicity, and was the subject of major magazine and newspaper profiles from the 1920s through his death in 1990. He appeared frequently on television, commenting on international relations or agitating for research into a cure for cancer . As of 2008, he has been the subject of five biographies — in 1975 (Considine, authorized biography), 1985 (Bryson, Coffee table book ), Weinberg 1989, Blumay 1992, and Epstein 1996 — and two autobiographies (1932 and a best seller in 1987). His art collection [3 ][ 4] and his philanthropic projects [5 ] were the subject of numerous publications as well...."--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavo- sized softcover book; 626 pages of text and many illustrations. Very Good condition: no torn or missing pages, marginal notations and 'sold' stamps on many books; no ownership markings. Original publisher's softcover binding, with some fraying and wear. A solid and attractive copy of this scarce item. Please look through my other auction listings- I have listed many scarce and unusual books this week on ebay. Please bid on more than one book, because I will be happy to reduce shipping costs for multiple purchases. Media mail postage within the United States would be $4 for this item and $1 f... read more

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