Gekoski on Woolf

Another day at Rare Books School, another rarity in women’s writing.

Today we had the very great privilege of visiting Rick Gekoski in his relatively new, and certainly beautiful, premises in Bathhurst Mews.

Following on from a seminar with Angus O’Neill (Omega Bookshop) on scarcity, rarity and the effects of supply and demand, we headed West to learn from the master, and the major lesson was that although ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ do exist when it comes to pricing the sort of unique items in which Gekoski has specialised for over 25 years, it can be hard to know when you are on sure ground. As Rick said “I could have the price right but still not find a buyer.”

As well as sharing some of the anecdotes and charm for which he is (rightfully) so famous, Rick took us through an exercise in attempting to price four items he currently has in stock. My partner Kerry and I were working on a first edition of D.H. Lawrence’s Love Poems and Others, which he had inscribed to Jessie Chambers’ sister May Holbrooke and her husband Will. From the description on Abe Books:

First edition, first state (Roberts A3). Author’s presentation copy inscribed on the title-page: “To May and Will [Holbrooke] from D.H. Lawrence.” The recipients were Jessie Chambers’ sister and her husband. Given that Jessie broke relations with Lawrence after (what she regarded as) the betrayal of Sons and Lovers, published later the same year, it is very likely that this inscription is contemporary with publication of the book. As such, it is probably the earliest obtainable Lawrence inscription, as presentation copies of the first two novels (The White Peacock, of 1911, and The Trespasser, 1912) are exceedingly rare. (I can recall only one instance on the market in the last thirty years, although another inscribed copy of Love Poems and Others sold at auction in 1998.) A fine copy in worn and stained dustwrapper. Bookseller Inventory # LAWRD14734

Compared to some of the other groups, we were quite lucky – Gekoski had plenty of Lawrence bibliographies and biographies we could use, and we were able to locate the “May” in the “To May and Will” of the inscription quite quickly in a volume of Lawrence’s letters. Pricing was still quite tricky, but as a librarian I comfort myself that I don’t need to sell books for a living.

Much, much harder to price was the photo of Virginia Woolf and friends commemorating their ‘Dreadnought hoax’. Varying slightly from the version in the National Portrait Gallery, Gekoski’s copy, which resembles the one above, though his is in better condition, is closer to the Harvard version, if this flickr photo is to be believed. Almost impossible to price – who is the audience? Is it more appealing than a signed portrait of Woolf in more usual dress? Would Dreadnought and other Navy collectors be interested? Does our modern-day attitude to ‘blacking up’ detract from the value? Or is the story of Woolf and friends trying to trick their way onto the best military vessel of its day romantic enough to outweigh all other considerations.

Actually, when I think about it, the great Rick Gekoski didn’t just teach us that valuing unique items is hard; he taught us that romance and the spine-tingle we feel – the visceral nature of some documents / books – is what bookselling is all about. ‘Love is the drug‘ as Roxy Music sang …