FLW signed book

[Paul Ringstrom]

https://www.shopgoodwill.com/auctions/O ... 84917.html

[DRN]

I'm skeptical.....
A Google image search of Wright's signature:

https://www.google.com/search?q=frank+l ... 67&bih=659

I'm guessing the inscription in the book may be a quote by Wright written possibly by the book's owner or someone who gifted the book to another person, and not actually by Wright's own hand.

[jmcnally]

I'm skeptical.....

I agree. Fortunately, there is enough written that someone can analyze it all. Of course, despite that opportunity, there have been 23 bids so far.

[KevinW]

That looks nothing like Wright's signature.

[SDR]

. . . and, that doesn't sound like a Wright quotation, either -- does it ?

SDR

[jmcnally]

I used to sell rare Beatles records at fan conventions back in the 1980s/90s. People would ask dealers how much a set of 4 Beatles autographs were worth. The answer was generally along the lines of "$2000 for the real ones, and $1000 for a set of fakes."

Invariably, the customer would pause and then ask "why would anyone pay $1000 for a set of fakes?"

And the stock answer was "I don't know, but I see it happen all the time."

__________

How much is a fake FLW autograph worth? As of tonight, $399.

[DRN]

It seems a given that the handwriting and signature are not those of Wright, but I'm intrigued as to how or why this was made. In looking at the phrases written on the title page:

"The 4 freedoms in the Atlantic Charter is no better than what any well behaved slave is entitled to."
(a mash up of Roosevelt and Churchill?)
"If every person in America had one acre of land they all could live in Texas."
(I've heard that before, but haven't bothered to do the math to check it.)
"The producer produces for the producer-anarchy"
"Democracy must realize that it must produce for the consumer."
"An architect must build to meet the personal needs of the customer."

I'm seeing similarities to the notes one might take of catchy phrases uttered during a lecture. But why take notes on the title page of a book? Was the book on someone's person at a lecture on 3/22/1945? Did Wright give a lecture on 3/22/1945? Why take this relatively unrelated book to a Wright lecture....was it a student's textbook? I could see Wright refusing to autograph a book that was not his own, particularly one from Harvard. If an autograph was sought, why not have Wright sign the page with his work printed on it? (Great early pic of Suntop, BTW.) I'm guessing this may not have been intended by its creator to deceive...was it?

With the reference to the Lone Star State, one wonders if the owners of a certain pilot's lounge built in the 1940's will purchase this for their "historical" site.

[SREcklund]

With the reference to the Lone Star State, one wonders if the owners of a certain pilot's lounge built in the 1940's will purchase this for their "historical" site.

Ouch ...

[Roderick Grant]

Would FLW have bought this book? Would he have written such comments in another person's book? Would he have bothered to sign another writer's book at all?

Nevertheless, caveat emptor.

[jmcnally]

The auction ends tonight. We'll see how broadly Barnum smiles.

I'm guessing an unadorned copy of this book isn't worth $399, and all the value is found in the fake autograph.

[jmcnally]

incidentally, I don't think this was an intentional fake (or it would have some fabricated provenance to go with it, and a better autograph). This is what happens when imaginations run wild after finding an unknown item at an estate sale.