BUKOWSKI 1963 - It Catches My Heart in It's Hands - w/ Original painting & poem (1 Viewer)

mjp

Founding member
I don't have any doubt that this is a Bukowski "painting," but what do you make of the written words?

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The words are written with a silver pen that looks like the same one used in the "painting." But it doesn't look like Bukowski's hand to me. It would certainly seem that it is, but it's unusual to say the least. I know we've talked about him writing by hand in lowercase before, but I can't find that thread at the moment. It just looks off to me.

Scott Harrison believes it's worth $10k because of the "painting," and because it includes a (trimmed) poem manuscript. And apparently because Saint John Martin owned (and signed?!) it. I'm not sure how Martin's ownership of a book he didn't publish doubles (or more) its value, but then I'm not as well-versed, expert, experienced, level-headed, reasonable and not-at-all-crazy as Harrison is.
 
Funny, how the seller starts talking about Abebooks and their astronomical prices on books by Hemmingway, Salinger and Fitzgerald, because we all know most of those book prices are not realistic. Besides, you can't compare the prices on books by different writers. That's like comparing apples and oranges.
 
I recall reading in a letter that Bukowski found writing with the silver pen very difficult. FWIW, I think that is his work.
 
Scott Harrison believes it's worth $10k because of the "painting," and because it includes a (trimmed) poem manuscript. And apparently because Saint John Martin owned (and signed?!) it. I'm not sure how Martin's ownership of a book he didn't publish doubles (or more) its value, but then I'm not as well-versed, expert, experienced, level-headed, reasonable and not-at-all-crazy as Harrison is.
this guy Harrison is a total load.
I wouldn't buy anything from this clown on principle.
 
A copy of It catches is worth maybe $1000 (or less), so what's a copy worth with a tipped in painting worth? $3000, maybe?
The poem manuscript is not connected to the copy of It Catches, I believe, and poem manuscripts usually sell for $1500 at the most. Then there's the flyer and the letter from Webb. The flyer is not that rare and I have no idea what the Webb letter is worth - maybe $500 at best? So, putting it all together we're looking at a value of maybe $5000, or maybe $6000 on a good day. That's still a far cry from the $10.000 the seller wants.
 
The hand writing seems odd to me as well. Even the message itself doesn't sound like Bukowski to me - it sounds like someone trying to sound like Bukowski.

I do think the art is his, and the silver color from the writing is also present in the painting. It's certainly strange, though.
 
this guy Harrison is a total load.
I wouldn't buy anything from this clown on principle.
I've purchased from him several times over the past several years. A seller of the highest integrity and I don't regret a single move. But he does tend to over-value certain items such as this. But you need to judge a seller on more evidence - and perhaps realize that it's simple to spew stupidity over the internet.
 
I don't know what @willrodgers problem is with Scott Harrison, but if you think anyone who harbors antipathy toward him is just spewing stupidity, then I guess I'm really stupid.

Having said that, it's true that as a seller of things he is fair and reasonable. Toward most people.
 
forgive me for saying - that glare-y photo doesn't help - but that's an awful painting.

and why would he inscribe it sideways?
 
I’ll say one thing about Scott, he hustles, and I mean that in the sense that he works at it.

I primarily do business with three really great book sellers, two of which are in California. They are honest, sincere, responsive, reasonable, and a whole lot more nice adjectives. But for the life of me, I don’t know how they stay in business. Times have changed so much in the collectible book selling market, I don’t know how they make it. The rent alone must kill them, but then you have taxes, overhead, and all the rest that comes with having a physical storefront. If they went out of business tomorrow, I honestly couldn’t feel sorry for them because they are not hustling on eBay like Scott is. If for no other reason, if they sold on eBay, it might draw more people into their stores.

Maybe these guys are doing just fine for reasons I’m not aware of. But it sure wouldn’t hurt them to sell some of their stuff on eBay instead of exclusively on Abe, which is basically worthless because there are few pics, too much inventory for a normal person to navigate through, and descriptions that everyday people don’t understand.

Please do not take this as a dislike of Abe, bookstores, or anything else. It’s really just a comment on how different people do business. If I’m not mistaken, Scott had to close up shop in San Francisco because of the high rents. I do feel his prices are high and think he could make a lot more volume if he reduced them a bit, but I think he’s a bookseller who is adapting to the times.
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/312549243547

I wonder if the other one also came directly from Webb, as this note suggests this one did...

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Despite this being the second example, I would still say that Bukowski did not write those words.

The fact that there are no other examples of that handwriting anywhere in the thousands of manuscripts and letters that we've seen, and that the only two examples that we have seen are both from the same book give me the feeling that something is (was?) fishy down in New Orleans.

And it's not the gumbo! Get it? Get it?

It sure is an odd thing though.
 

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