92-a - A collection of seven books and pamphlets from the personal library of author Peter

A collection of seven books and pamphlets from the personal library of author Peter Benchley, primarily comprising historical biographies and political non-fiction. The group includes a three-volume selection of works by and about James Boswell and Samuel Johnson: Boswell: The English Experiment 1785-1789 by Irma S. Lustig and Frederick A. Pottle (McGraw-Hill, 1986); Samuel Johnson by W. Jackson Bate (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977); and Boswell's London Journal 1762-1763 (McGraw-Hill, 1950). The London Journal volume is bound in blue cloth with a "Vraye Foy" crest and features a handwritten blue ink inscription on the half-title page reading: "For Daddy - For being 34 and still upright - NAT November 13, 1950." Also included are David Halberstam's The Best and the Brightest (Random House, 1972), an Everyman's Library edition of Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson, and Surviving Terrorism by Dr. Joseph MacInnis (1988), which includes a back-cover blurb by Peter Benchley. The set is completed by a 1988 pamphlet titled Decline of the Dictator: Paraguay at a Crossroads. Largest copy: 9 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 2" From the personal collection of Peter Benchley (American, 1940-2006), acclaimed author of Jaws, accomplished diver, and prominent advocate for ocean and shark conservation. Proceeds from the Peter Benchley Collection will benefit five ocean conservation organizations: Peter Benchley Ocean Awards, WildAid, Beneath the Waves, Blue Frontier and Environmental Defense Fund. CONDITION: The collection shows varying signs of age and use. The Everyman's Library edition of The Life of Samuel Johnson has a heavily damaged dust jacket with significant tearing and paper loss along the edges and spine. Other hardcover volumes exhibit shelf wear, rubbing, and minor creasing to the dust jackets. The Paraguay pamphlet shows fading to the yellow covers. The London Journal volume exhibits light wear to the cloth binding at the head and foot of the spine. NOTICE TO BIDDERS: The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition. Photos are considered part of the condition report. Complete condition information is available by request, please request no later than 24 hours prior to the auction. All lots are offered and sold "as is", and Willow Auctions will not provide refunds based on condition. Timepiece movements, lighting and electrics have not been tested, and art has not been examined out of the frame unless otherwise stated.