Something of Value

Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company Inc, 1955. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good. Schwartz, Daniel. 8vo. 566 pp. Rust cloth backed in black, lacking dust jacket. Association copy, inscribed by Ruark in blue ballpoint to ffep: "For Izetta Jewel / No 1- / Rex's favorite gal and a big deal in La Jolla / Sincerely / Robert Ruark." Laid in are 2 typed letters from Ginny (Virginia) Ruark, the author's wife: one addressed to "Rex" is signed in blue ballpoint and dated January 3; apparently sent to accompany a gift of "personally hand-shot little feathered friends." In the note addressed to "June," Ginny sends her apologies for the gift, stating: "I imagine unplucked pheasants are just what you need." News-clipped article by Robert Ruark pasted onto front paste down, recounting a bullfight Ruark attended with Ernest Hemingway. One paragraph of the article, typed in bold, states: "I am writing this piece for Rex Smith of American Airlines, who was supposed to come over with us this year, the bum, and who couldn't, the bum. He went to Mexico instead, so I got to tell him what I and Papa saw in Pamplona. End of personal message to R. Smith, the bum." Also laid in is a single, excised, gathering of leaves (ffep, half title, pp 31-32 of text) from another of Ruark's books, "Grenadine's Spawn," inscribed (in brown ink): "Para Tio Rex / Ole! Torero! / Roberto -" In addition to bullfighting, Ruark shared a love of big game hunting with Hemingway, and spent much of his career writing about him. Ruark's friend Rex Smith, Vice President of American Airlines and former newsweek magazine editor, married
the actress Izetta "June" Jewel- not to be confused with her actress mother, also named Izetta Jewel. Additionally laid in is a handwritten 8.5 x 11 in. autograph note, likely edits to the text, as well as a small card invitation (2.5 x 4 in.) to the White House, May 20, 1948, addressed to Mrs. Izetta Jewel Miller (June's mother). Toning opposite newsclipping, rear dust jacket panel excised and pasted onto half title page, front panel and both DJ flaps cut and laid in. Overall, a unique and deeply personalized copy steeped in associations.