What autographed books do you own?

When I first opened my hard-cover edition of “Mostly Harmless”, I was chagrined that someone had defaced it by scribbling on the title page. Days later, I discerned a “D” and an “A” and realized this was meant to pass for an autograph. I think some books were left over from an in-store visit, but the store management couldn’t quite bring itself to promote them as signed copies.

Tell your mom that she needs to at least visit Fort Worth again if she’s gonna write more books set in this city. The old Tandy Center is no longer recognizable. I haven’t been back there since they quit offering free parking and subway rides into the center…

I have autographed copies of American Gods (hardcover, even) and The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon and Maus by Art Spiegelman

I only have a few, but I have one that I’m mighty proud of: a copy of Dave Barry Slept Here signed by Dave to “Mr. Chuckletrousers”.

Beat THAT!

I have a copy of “A Lesson Before Dying” autographed by Ernest Gaines. He signed my book (and everyone else’s) as follows: "Nice meeting you (name). Then his name and the date. He was incredibly warm and nice - he called me a chatterbox because I was talking to my professor (who’s a friend of his) earlier.

Saving Grace by Lee Smith
Unarmed But Dangerous by Hal Crowther
I got both the same day. The authors were doing a book tour together. Lee Smith was definitely the darling.

Feersum Endjinn, Iain M. Banks.
His Majesty’s Starship, Ben Jeapes.

And I have a copy of Doctor Who and the Green Death signed, not by the author, but by Tom Baker.

I only have one book autographed, a copy of the place/date Pearl Jam photo book that I happened to buy at a show in Seattle because the girl in the merch booth was selling it for the wrong price. I got their guitarist (McCready. :slight_smile: ) to sign it when he came out before the show and the venue was still prety empty.

I had “fabulous furry freak brothers” comic number 1 signed by Gilbert Shilton
He also did a little “fat freddys cat” doodle on it for me.

To my ever lasting shame I sold when times were hard.

oAMADEUSo - please don’t be so hard on yourself. My dad had 10 first editions signed by John Steinbeck - East of Eden, Tortilla Flat (first Modern Library), The Moon is Down, Travels with Charley, etc. - and sold them to fund a new bathroom. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, but that still pains me.

I also had a friend who had, as a family heirloom, a signed first US edition of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. It was stolen from his car when he was 20 and shlepping stuff around during college. He didn’t quite realize what he had at the time.

Yo, TW, I saw that in your sig!

I have only three autographed books, but I hope I made up in quality what I lack in quantity.

Parliament of Whores by P. J. O’Rourke
The Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy
L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy

Interesting characters, both of those guys. I’m glad I got to chew the fat with them for a while.

I have three, none of which I procured myself.

  1. *Wouldn’t It Be Nice * by Brian Wilson. My brother got this at a book signing for me so it is inscribed to yours truly.

  2. A collection of horror stories edited (and signed) by Dennis Wheatley. I can’t remember the name of the book but I bought it at an antiquarian bookstore in Stockholm. It was just there on the shelf with the other English titles.

  3. A signed and numbered copy (458 of 1500) of Children of Dune by Frank Herbert.

**Girl’s Poker Night ** by Jill Davis. Its on one of the bookplate thingies.

**Kevin Henkes ** Several of his books. children’s books ,all of which I highly recommend, especially, **Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse **. Very Nice guy.

From The Age

Sorry,the above link is for Harry Potter value. Approx. YMMV. Taxes and Title are extra.

If you have spare money You can buy an entire signed hard cover, first edition, HP collection to book 5.

First edition of The Illustrated Man signed by Ray Bradbury.

I have a dictionary autographed by Dan Quayle.

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot by Al Franken
All the Trouble in the World by P.J. O’Rourke (Funny story, it’s actually signed to my friend Kevin who had borrowed the book and taken it with him to college in N.Y. P.J. signed it “Possession is 9/10ths of the law.”)

A fantasy novel called The Fifth Ring, by a first-time writer named Mitchell Graham. Having read the book, though, I find it singularly unlikely that it will ever experience a metioric rise in value. I bought it at a library fundraising sale for $1.00 .

I have a few.

In the “inscribed to me” category, I have a copy of Angus Mowat’s Carrying Place. Somewhat rare, since Angus Mowat didn’t write many books–certainly not as many as his son Farley, whom most Canadians know as quite a prolific author.

Next is Lowering the Boom, by former Toronto Maple Leaf defenceman Bobby Baun. It is Baun’s autobiography, and he was kind enough to present me with a copy when we met a few years ago.

And there’s my copy of The Mayflower Madame by Sydney Biddle Barrows. The fact that the inscription was made out to me raised some questions from my wife when she found it on my shelf, but in actual fact, I had attended a talk on small businesses at which Ms. Barrows was a speaker, and she autographed it for me there.

In the “not inscribed to me” category, I have a signed copy of Paul Gallico’s Love Let Me Not Hunger, which I found at a used bookstore. He thanks the person of the inscription for their help and support, but having read much of Gallico’s work, I’m happy just to have his autograph in one of his books. It’s a good read too.