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THBStephen V. Benet (1898-1944) American, Signed Copy of Johnny Pye and the Fool Killer
About Seller
522 South Pineapple Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
United States
Sarasota Estate Auction specializes in a wide variety of furniture, antiques, fine art, lighting, sculptures, and collectibles. Andrew Ford, owner and operator of the company, has a passion for finding the best pieces of art and antiques and sharing those finds with the Gulf Coast of Florida.
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
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About Auction
LiveMar 30, 2025
Over 900 lots will be offered in day 2 of our 2 day auction weekend! There are multiple lots of important fine art from landscapes and etchings to old masters and portraits. We have a Lifetime Collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Lalique, and Steuben Glass, Antique Maps, Oriental Rugs, Sterling Silver, Imperial Embroidered Chinese Robes, Rare Books, Old Master Paintings, and more! Sarasota Estate Auction sarasotaestateauction@gmail.com
View Full Catalog (951)
- Lot Description
Stephen V. Benet (1898-1944) American, Signed Copy of Johnny Pye and the Fool Killer. The title of this book is Johnny Pye and the Fool Killer, a limited edition written and signed by Stephen Vincent Benet, one of the great American poets and writers of the 20th century.
Size: 9 1/4 X 6 1/4 in.
#6486 .
Stephen Vincent Benet (1898 - 1944) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He wrote a book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body, published in 1928, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and for the short stories "The Devil and Daniel Webster", published in 1936, and "By the Waters of Babylon", published in 1937. Johnny Pye And The Fool Killers first appeared in the Saturday Evening Poet in 1938 and then in book form.
Charles Child (1902 - 1983) was born in Montclair, New Jersey and died in Newtown, PA. After a brief career at Harvard, where he was art editor of The Lampoon, Child spent time traveling and studying in Europe and Asia, which contributed to his great versatility as an artist. He made portraits, murals, and landscapes, illustrated children's books and poems, and designed fabric.
The book is bound in blue cloth, with the title, author, and Countryman Press on the spine, blank endpapers with a thank-you note on the front flyleaf, the half-title, the limitation page, the title page with the imprint of the Countryman Press, the dates of 1937 and 1938 on the copyright page, and the text runs from page 9 to 78.
The limitation page also says the book is “printed in Janson on Archer paper from the design of Vrest Orton. It is signed by both author and artist and is limited to 750 numbered copies of which 700 copies are for sale. This is copy Number 10 …” with the bold signatures of Stephen Vincents Benet and Charles Child, and number 10 is early in the print run, which usually means the book has better print quality than later ones in the run.
The story is about an adopted boy who lives with abusive parents, and they make every attempt to embarrass him or put him down. He finally runs away and takes up with a variety of people, and he always seems to be trying to answer the question of “am I a fool?”, and he pays a high price for living with that in his heart. Eventually he meets the old scissors-grinder, who tells him if he can answer one question - when is a human being not like a fool - then he will set Johnny free and Johnny can enjoy eternal life. Johnny tries to answer that question wherever he goes, and the scissors-grinder is like the grim-reaper - Johnny feels like he is always being chased by death and meets death and disappointment too often in life. He falls in love with Susie March, they marry and have a child, another son dies from drowning, the scissor-grinder keeps coming back and Johnny still can’t answer the question. He outlives Susie, eventually the scissors-grinder comes by and Johnny can finally answer the question - a human will not be a fool when he is dead and buried - and the scissors-grinder tells him he is free and can enjoy eternal life, but by now, Johnny is over 90, and he decides he is too old and turns him down and decides to die. He is very honest with people and he’s let life pass him by.
The book measures 9 1/4 x 6 1/4 and is in very good condition, with a tight binding and clean pages and text, the two signatures on the limitation page are bright and bold, and the only real blemishes are a faded spine, light wear on the heel and crown, and shadows around the edges of the boards, like the book had been placed between two books on a shelf and sunlight got to the edges.
- Shipping Info
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SHIPPING INFORMATION·
Sarasota Estate Auction IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SHIPPING! BUYER MUST ARRANGE SHIPPING. All shipping will be handled by the winning bidder. Sarasota Estate Auction recommends obtaining shipping quotes before bidding on any items in our auctions. To obtain a quote, please email info@premiershipment.com. Be sure to include the lot you are interested in and address you would like the quote for. Refunds are not offered under any circumstances base on shipping issues, this is up to the buyer to arrange this beforehand.
BIDDER MUST ARRANGE THEIR OWN SHIPPING. Although SEA will NOT arrange shipping for you, we do recommend our preferred shipper Premier Shipping & Crating at info@premiershipment.com You MUST email them, please DO NOT CALLl. If you'd like to compare shipping quotes or need more options, feel free to contact any local Sarasota shippers. You can email any one of the shippers below as well. Be sure to include the lot(s) you won and address you would like it shipped to. Brennan with The UPS Store #0089 - 941-413-5998 - Store0089@theupsstore.com AK with The UPS Store #2689 - 941-954-4575 - Store2689@theupsstore.com Steve with The UPS Store #4074 - 941-358-7022 - Store4074@theupsstore.com Everett with PakMail - 941-751-2070 - paktara266@gmail.com
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- Size
9 1/4 X 6 1/4 in.
