To Kill a Mockingbird.

LEE, Harper.

$32,500.00

Item Number: 133817

Barnstable, MA: Crane’s Duplicating Service, for J.B. Lippincott Company,, 1960.

Rare advance reading copy of the first edition of Harper Lee’s classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel signed by three actors from the 1962 film and with a two page autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Harper Lee declining the invitation to participate in a documentary film about her novel. Octavo, original wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by three actors from the film on the pastedown and front free endpaper, “Bonnie Great Weekend My Best Wishes Phillip Alford ‘Jem'”, “To Bonnie Sincere regards Brock Peters ‘Tom Robinson'”, and “Bonnie, Thank you so much for all your help this week. Please stay in touch. You are now a member of our family. Sincerely Mary Badham ‘Scout.'” With an autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Harper Lee which reads in full, “3 September ’97 NYC but on the way South! Dear Ms. Lafave: I am sorry to be so long in writing you, but Claudia Johnson sent your letter to my NY address where I signed for it on my way out of town. I’m back here now, but only until Saturday, when I return to Monroeville for the winter. I must say no to your kind request. I simply do not grant interviews, & loathe talking about myself, and the prospect of participating in a documentary film fills me with dread. You may not realize it, but in the five years since you visited there, Monroeville has developed a new industry – tourism, with Harper Lee the main attraction. They’ve even produced a map, showing where the houses of my neighborhood used to be! I cannot tell you of the cynicism of the whole operation and the embarrassment it causes me. Monroeville is now a perfect example of Faulknerian prophecy: in the South, the Snopeses shall prevail, Faulkner was breathtaking in the accuracy of his observations. (That might be worth looking into for a film, although it requires a re-reading of the Snopes trilogy!) Why even return, you may well ask. Because of family, that is the one and only reason. I did so love the Eudora Welty film. She, of course, is my favorite American writer and the film itself seemed perfect of its kind. Thank you for it, and for thinking of me in similar terms! Sincerely, Harper Lee.” With the original transmittal envelope addressed in Harper Lee’s hand and postmarked September 4, 1997. The recipient, Bonnie Lafave is an American documentary filmmaker and producer. In the early 1990s Lefave reached out to Alice Lee to see if she could assist her in arranging a meeting with Harper Lee to discuss the production of a documentary film about the place of To Kill a Mockingbird in American culture. She met with Alice at her law office in Monroeville and was told that Nelle “preferred a quiet life” and would not want to participate, however, she was welcome to send her a letter. Some time later, Lefave began to correspond with writer and scholar, Claudia Durst Johnson, who had a warm relationship with Ms. Lee. In 1997, Claudia was attending a conference about To Kill a Mockingbird in Virginia and suggested that Lefave attend also. She brought with her her advance reading copy of To Kill a Mockingbird to share with Claudia which she impulsively asked three members of the cast of the 1962 film adaptation who were also in attendance, including Mary Badham who played Scout. After the conference, Lefave wrote a careful letter to Ms. Lee which Claudia forwarded to her for her consideration. Lee kindly responded with her own letter, and not surprisingly, declined to participate in the documentary. In near fine condition. An exceptional example of this rarity, printed before the first trade edition appeared and was swiftly acknowledged as one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century, with fine provenance, and offering remarkable insight into Lee’s deep personal thoughts regarding the reception of her great work.

To Kill a Mockingbird became an immediate bestseller and won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The New Yorker declared it "skilled, unpretentious, and totally ingenious". It has gone on to become of the best-loved classics of all time and has been translated into more than forty languages selling more than forty million copies worldwide. Made into the Academy Award-winning film, directed by Robert Mulligan, starring Gregory Peck. It went on to win three Oscars: Best Actor for Gregory Peck, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, and Best Screenplay for Horton Foote. It was nominated for five more Oscars including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mary Badham, the actress who played Scout. In 1995, the film was listed in the National Film Registry. In 2003, the American Film Institute named Atticus Finch the greatest movie hero of the 20th century. In 2007 the film ranked twenty-fifth on the AFI's 10th anniversary list of the greatest American movies of all time. It was named the best novel of the twentieth century by librarians across the country (Library Journal).