Scholars can study what Ernest Hemingway was reading and what influence it might have had on his fiction because all of his books remain at the Finca Vigia in Cuba, which is now a museum. After Updike died, his extensive book collection was sold to a local book dealer, so it will be a little more difficult for scholars to do their work. But pieces from that collection are appearing now on eBay, sold by Manchester by the Book, the Manchester, Mass. used book store that bought the Updike books in bulk.

The gem of this batch (and yes, The John Updike Childhood Home would love it if someone bought the set and donated it to us) is Updike’s set of Albert Camus Notebooks Vols. 1-2, with one of the volumes heavily annotated in Updike’s handwriting.

Book collector Herb Yellin founded Lord John Press in 1976 in order to publish special limited editions of authors’ works, including a great many by John Updike. Although he died in 2014, Yellin’s extensive collection of Updike books is now being sold online by Between the Covers, a rare book store located in Gloucester City, N.J.

Search “John Updike” on eBay and sort from highest to lowest and the first item to pop up is Yellin’s collection of 438 foreign language signed first editions of John Updike, which is being sold in bulk and carries a whopping price tag of $32,000. The John Updike Childhood Home would love to have these, but it’s a little out of our league. For collectors, Between the Covers has individual Updike items as well, all signed and some very scarce.

Fans of John Updike know that his books, especially signed ones and first editions, continue to be highly collectible and available from numerous dealers. But in Cape Town, South Africa?

Yep.

Rare Collections of Cape Town is currently selling 72 Updike volumes, many of which somehow came from the collection of Philadelphia lawyer and Updike fan Albert J. Raman. “John Updike and Albert obviously got to know each other very well over the years,” Rare Collections’ Christo Snyman said. “Many of the signed books have notes referencing their ‘friendship,’ ranging from John saying thank you for the golf balls Albert sent him to a thank you on behalf of his wife for some compliment given.”

If society members type “UPDIKE” in the Promo Code window, they will get a 30 percent discount. Be aware that shipping is $45, whether one volume or 10. Shipping will be via tracked courier and takes around 4-10 days. Here’s the link. Members are welcome to email Christo (christo@rarecollections.co.za) with any questions.

Herb Yellin, who published multiple Updike poems and short stories as part of his Lord John Press offerings, turned up on eBay as a collection of 438 foreign language editions of Updike’s signed 1st editions that are being offered for sale at $32,000.

These days everyone seems to be going after a pay-off, when years ago such collections would have been donated to the Houghton or The John Updike Childhood Home archive.

We wish Herb well—though it would have been nice to have been able to display some of those books at the museum the society is creating.

Somewhere in a Guardian article about a recent auction of Sylvia Plath miscellany there’s a comparative mention of the value of author typewriters, and Updike’s name comes up:

“. . . a proof of The Bell Jar, complete with her corrections, sold for £60,000; her own first edition of the novel, poignantly signed and dated “Christmas 1962”, a few weeks before her death, went for £70,000; and the typewriter on which she wrote it, a mint green Hermes 3000, for £26,000. This puts Plath’s typewriter comfortably above Jack Kerouac’s, also a green Hermes, which pulled in $22,500 (£16,000), and John Updike’s $4,375 (£3,110) — but below the £56,250 paid for Ian Fleming’s gold-plated Royal and the stunning $254,500 (£181,000) for Cormac McCarthy’s humdrum Olivetti.”

According to the unsigned Books Blog article, Plath is so hot right now that “Even Wordsworth and Napoleon couldn’t compete with Plathinalia going under the hammer this week—including clothes, a typewriter and her thesaurus.”

The positive takeaway for Updike collectors and, more importantly, those inclined to purchase and donate items to The John Updike Childhood Home, John Updike items remain affordable.

Cloud Hill Books of New York City is selling a collection of inscribed and signed Updike first editions from the library of Theodore Vrettos and his wife, Vassile. Darren of Cloud Hill Books writes, “The Vrettos were residents of Peabody, Mass. In addition to being social acquaintances of John and Martha Updike, Vrettos was Updike’s regular golfing partner [until his death in 2004] and also a consultant for Greek characters and text in Updike’s stories and novels. After attending Tufts College and Harvard University, Vrettos taught creative writing at Salem State College and was director of the Writers’ Conference at Simmons College for 13 years. He was also the author of a number of fiction and non-fiction works, including Hammer on the Sea (1965), A Shadow of Magnitude: The Acquisition of the Elgin Marbles (1974), Origen: A Historical Novel (1978), Birds of Winter (1980), Lord Elgin’s Lady (1982), The Elgin Affair: The Abduction of Antiquity’s Greatest Treasures and the Passions It Aroused (1997), and Alexandria: City of the Western Mind (2001).

Here is the list of first editions for sale:  john-updike-first-editions-from-the-library-of-theodore-vrettos

The John Updike Society won’t be bidding because our funds are tied up with the house restoration, but if an Updike fan or Secret Santa would like to purchase one or two to donate for rotating display in The John Updike Childhood Home, items #15 and #49, with interesting content inscriptions, certainly would be nice additions to our museum-in-progress!