Description: This auction includes two copies of Menotti by John Gruen. One is signed by John Gruen and by Gian Carlo Menotti. This is one of two copies that were specially bound by renowned Spanish/Mexican bookbinder Fernando Lopez Valencia, who was born in Madrid in 1905. (front end paper is stamped Lopez Valencia in the lower corner.) All of the letters included in this auction are photocopies, with the exception of a handwritten note informing the book's owner that Mr. Menotti would meet her at Julliard. (There is also a handbill from December 1980 where the New York premiere of Menotti's THE HERO was being performed at Julliard so I will venture to say that this is when she was able to meet Menotti and this is what the hand written note refers to.) All other references to letters and notes are referring to photocopies. There is a note from the author John Gruen to the book's owner, thanking her for sending him a deluxe bound copy of the book and asking her to thank the bookbinder. He discusses his wife, artist Jane Wilson, and also his 20 year old daughter Julia, who is now the executive director of the Keith Haring Foundation. That letter was dated 1979. Copies of a handwritten note to Gruen from our owner suggests that he personally had Menotti sign and inscribe the book for her and then he also signed it. It appears that she was so thrilled, she had the book rebound and then had a second copy bound for Gruen as a "thank-you" for getting this copy signed. (It would appear that Menotti's signature was remembered by him and allowed for her to finally meet him at Julliard two years later.) There is also a copy of the thank you letter that the book owner sent to Menotti. In it she refers to hoping that she can live up to being one of his "Swiss Amahl's". Luckily for me I can now understand part of the inscription from Menotti. Menotti's signature is dated 1978. The book is a stated first printing. Nice provenance for the signatures. CONDITION: There is light scuffing to the leather surface, with some edge and corner wear to the leather (photo 10). End papers are decorated (photo 4). There is a bookplate on the blank end paper that I can't connect to anyone in the story (photo 4). There is also minor waviness to the blank end papers added by the binder Lopez Valencia. There is some discoloring to the exposed page edges. The boards are slightly bowed due to all of the additional papers that were stored in the book (also photo 10). I am also including a first printing of the book in its original trade format with dust jacket. If not for the obnoxiously large bookstore stamp on the front endpaper (Photo 9), the book would be in fine condition. (photos 7-9) I obtained these from two different places and just happened to see the trade edition when I was about to list the leather one. Just to make it a bit more interesting: Fernando López Valencia was a renowned Spanish/Mexican bookbinder of the 20th century. Born in Madrid in 1905, López Valencia studied for seven years at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Madrid and the Escuela Nacional de Artes Gráficas. He was active in the Socialist Youth of Madrid during the 1920s and later served in the Spanish Civil War. Exiled to Mexico in 1939, López Valencia became an important figure in Mexican bookbinding. In addition to teaching and doing work for the rare books collection at the National Library of Mexico, López Valencia executed bindings for prominent intellectuals and a number of Mexican presidents. López Valencia also created bindings for limited edition publications by the Galeria de Arte Misrachi in Mexico City: Siqueiros (1965), containing original art by the famous Mexican social realist painter David Alfaro Siqueiros and featuring a mosaic binding by López Valencia, and Zuniga (1969), a catalogue raisonné of Francisco Zuniga featuring an innovative binding designed and executed by López Valencia. So, this was one of two copies bound by Lopez Valencia (photo 12) I know nothing of the girl who the book was signed for, so I am not including her name anywhere here in the listing though it is visible in the photos. I utilize a third party EBAY supplied shipper for international sales. This is part of the Global Shipping Program. Please note the actual shipping cost before purchasing. That is not my shipping fee and I neither receive it nor know what the amount is. I have no control over import fees that may be charged. Please do not commit to "buy it now" until you have seen the shipping amount that you will be charged. Thank you. For International Buyers: Media Mail shipments only. Please note that, although you are likely paying very high shipping costs to have this item sent to you, I am not charging those costs. In the case of books, I utilize "media mail" to get the box to the third party shipper. "Media mail" is a very SLOW speed mailing process reserved for books and records that are potentially very heavy. If you can not wait for my shipment to reach the third party shipper at a very slow pace, please contact me before purchasing and I can add a faster (and more expensive) alternative to the listing to get the item to the third party shipper. 7bag MEDIA MAIL: The USPS allows books, records and other media to be mailed at a cheaper price than typical mail. It tends to be a much slower mailing process than standard mail. 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Price: 115 USD
Location: East Norwich, New York
End Time: 2024-10-21T22:46:20.000Z
Shipping Cost: 7.63 USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Special Attributes: 1st Edition
