The Henry Wiggen Quartet of Baseball Novels – 3 Signed by Author Mark Harris.
Lot 227. The Henry Wiggen Quartet of Baseball Novels – 3 Signed by Author Mark Harris. Wiggen was a fictional pitcher for the “New York Mammoths” and the subject of four baseball novels by Harris: “The Southpaw” (1953), “Bang the Drum Slowly” (1956), “A Ticket for a Seamstitch” (1957), and “It Looked Like For Ever” (1979). Born on July 4, 1931 in Perkinsville, New York, Wiggin joined the Mammoths in 1952. His teammates nicknamed him “Author” because he was always writing. In fact, in three of the four novels, he is presented as the author on the title page, with Harris in a supporting role, such as: “Punctuation freely inserted and spelling greatly improved by Mark Harris.” Besides being an actual novelist, Harris worked as a university professor and journalist. Here are his four novels, all hardbacks, in chronological order: “The Southpaw,” 1953 stated first edition, ex book, f+ to g dust jacket, mint 9 flyleaf signature. “Bang the Drum Slowly,” 1956 stated first edition, ex-m book, vg-ex dj, unsigned. “A Ticket for Seamstitch,” 1957 stated first edition, vg book, no dj, gem mint 10 flyleaf autograph, personalized and dated Sept. 28, 1995. And “It Looked Like Forever,” 1979, ex-m book, vg+ dj, mint 9 signature on the flyleaf. Harris passed away in 2007. Winning Bid $75.
