BEHOLD THIS WOMAN - INSCRIBED TO AYN RAND
New York: D. Appleton-Century Company, Inc., 1947. First Edition. The Philadelphia author's third novel, a bizarre paean and cathartic payback to his estranged wife, Elaine Astor. The novel tells the story of Clara Ervin, a manipulative, calculating, and cold-blooded woman who systematically emasculates and ruins her husband, as well as several other men, before meeting a violent death. We know of but a handful of books inscribed by Goodis, all stemming from the period he worked for Warner Brothers Studios, who had him under contract from 1942-1948. His association with Rand overlapped with her time at Warner Brothers, where she worked from 1943-1947, after they paid for the film rights to The Fountainhead and contracted her to write the screenplay. While we find no mention of Goodis in Rand's collected correspondence (Letters of Ayn Rand), the community of authors working for Warner Brothers (as opposed to those who were just screenwriters) was very tight in those days, and it's at least likely the two would have gravitated towards each other. And while I've never seen a copy of The Fountainhead inscribed to Goodis, hope springs eternal. Hubin, p.168. Item #4141
First Printing. Octavo (20cm); light gray cloth, with titles stamped in black on spine and front cover; dustjacket; [vi],281,[1]pp. Inscribed by the author to Ayn Rand on the front endpaper: "April 6, 1948 / To - Ayn Rand - with deep respect and admiration for a magnificent writing talent / David Goodis." Faint lean, gentle sunning to spine and board edges; Very Good+ to Near Fine. In a supplied dustjacket, unclipped (priced $2.75, with some sticker residue over printed price), gently sunned at spine and lower edge of front panel, with light wear to extremities, and a few tiny nicks and tears; Very Good+.
Price: $10,000.00