Lee, Harper | First edition, presentation copy

Lee, Harper

To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: J.D. Lippincott, 1960

8vo. Publisher's green cloth-backed brown boards in pictorial dust-jacket with the author's photo by Truman Capote on rear panel; spine slightly cocked, some wear to dustjacket at extremities. 

First edition, presentation copy, inscribed "To Helen with love, Nelle" on the flyleaf. This copy belonged to Helen Van Meter; Lee was a close friend to the Van Meter family, as she and Helen's sister, Marcia, maintained a close relationship over 70 years. They met in New York City and continued their friendship at a distance when Lee moved back to Monroeville, Alabama. While later signed copies of To Kill a Mockingbird are occasionally seen, truly contemporary presentation inscriptions by Harper Lee are very rare. As it was given to such a close friend, this is an exceptional example.

Truman Capote's blurb on the wrappers reads: "Someone rare has written this very fine first novel, a writer with the liveliest sense of life, and the warmest, most authentic humour. A touching book, and so funny, so likeable." To Kill a Mockingbird quickly became a classic of American literature and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. Its place in pop culture was strengthened by the enormous success of the 1962 film adaptation.

PROVENANCE

Helen Van Meter (inscription)