Modern Literature from Peter Harrington

Here is another man who had an alcohol problem, which he frequently incorporated into his roles on film. Item 107 is W. C. Fields' Fields for President, with drawings by O. Soglow. This is a collection of essays by Fields in the vein of political speeches. It was published in 1940, as Franklin Roosevelt was reelected to a third term (Fields was not in the running). Fields is noted more for his acting than his writing, reprising the role of the hard-drinking, kids and dogs hating curmudgeon, which was not entirely unlike the comedic Fields. £1,250 (US $2,105).

W. C. Fields was up to something else as well in 1940, the release of the movie My Little Chickadee, in which he played a starring role. His costar was Mae West. West, like Fields, was no spring chicken, and not a classic beauty, yet she managed to play the provocative female roles based on the force of her personality. In real life, however, she was not like the cavalier Fields, but a performer intensely focused on her career. To create her image, she wrote a book, which was turned into a play and then a movie in which she starred. Her book was Diamond Lil (which became a film under the title She Done Him Wrong). It was originally published in 1932. Item 383 is a 1949 edition, inscribed by West to Walter Petrie, an actor with whom she performed many times. £1,750 (US $2,946).

Peter Harrington may be reached at +44 (0)20 7591 0220 or orders@peterharrington.co.uk. Their website is www.peterharrington.co.uk