£1,375
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs | 644
Auction: 23 June 2021 at 11:00 BST
Lanark. Edinburgh: Canongate Publishing, 1981. First edition, signed "Alasdair Gray 27th February 1981", original cloth, dustwrapper; another copy. First edition, inscribed "To Katie [Gardiner] (who knew it was coming) from Alasdair 25th Feb 1981", original cloth, dustwrapper, faint dampstain at foot of wrapper, and slight discolouration at head of spine; The Book of Prefaces. London and New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2000. First edition, presentation copy "To Katy [Gardiner] from Alasdair here in Hamilton Park Avenue Sunday 28 May 2000", with a fine full-page portrait of Katy Gardiner, on verso of blue front free endpaper, dustwrapper; Poor Things. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1992. First edition, presentation copy, "from he of old Riddrie too, Alasdair Gray for Katie [Gardiner] on Tuesday 8 December 1992, here in 17 Lothian Street, I mean Road, no I mean house" with stylised portrait of sky, sun, moon and stars, dustwrapper spine a little faded; 1982. Janine. London: J. Cape, 1984. First edition, presentation copy "To SUSAN [Boyd] from Alasdair, June 1984, hoping she will find it forgivable after all: if only for the anarchist binding", dustwrapper slightly soiled and slightly faded; Sixteen Occasional Poems 1990-2000. Glasgow: Morag McAlpine, 2000, 2 copies, first editions, both inscribed, the first "To Susie [Boyd] with love -a wee toaty book, at last from Alasdair", the second "To Katy [Gardiner] from Alasdair, because 1 good wee book of verse deserves back another wee verse book, at least, 12th May 2000", both original wrappers; Working Legs. Glasgow: Dog and Bone, 1997, 2 copies, First editions, both inscribed, the first "To Susie [Boyd] from Alasdair that she need not buy one 12.12.1997", the second "To Katy [Gardiner] that she need not buy one 10.12.1997", both original wrappers, the second very slightly faded; Why Scots should Rule Scotland. Canongate. 1997, First edition, inscribed "To Katy [Gardiner] from Alasdair 10th April with love", original wrappers; Unlikely Stories, Mostly. Edinburgh: Canongate Publishing, 1983, First edition, presentation copy "To Sue [Boyd] from * Christmas 1983" [the asterisk is placed next to his printed signature], dustwrapper slightly discoloured; Old Negatives. London: J. Cape, 1989. First edition, presentation copy "To Susie [Boyd] with love from Alasdair", original wrappers; Mavis Belfrayge. London: Bloomsbury, 1996. First edition, presentation copy "TO KATIE [Gardiner] from Alasdair 16 May 1996", original cloth, duswrapper; A Life in Pictures. Edinburgh: Canongate, 2010. First edition, presentation copy to "Kate Gardiner, her book, says Alasdair with love 25.10, or rather 26th October 2010", original cloth, dustwrapper (14)
Note: Susan Boyd was the only child of Katy Gardiner and the author Edward Boyd, and half-sister of the vendor. Katy and Alasdair both went to Whitehill Secondary Schook in Dennistoun, ten years apart, and it was their art teacher who suggested to Alasdair that he get in touch with Katy in the mid 1950s because Alasdair was complaining that Riddrie was something of a cultural desert. Katy Gardiner was the vendor's mother's stage name which she used after separating from Eddie Boyd. The vendors took over the rent of Alasdair's huge Hill Street flat when he and his wife and young child moved to the ground floor in 1966.
For further information please follow these links:
Katy Gardiner - The Herald
Susan Boyd - The Herald