- 2 Frassetto Way - Lincoln Park, NJ 07035
The Peter Benchley Collection: Jaws, A Life of Writing, A Legacy of Ocean Conservation.
Lot 135:
Description
Collection of seven printed cartoons and illustrations sent to Peter Benchley following the release of Jaws, accompanied by a note from Wendy Benchley. All sheets have been trimmed from their original size and are mounted to foam board backings. Cartoons and illustrations include: W. Taylor Oughton (American, 1925-2018) caricature of Peter Benchley titled "No Problem." Arnold Roth (American, b. 1929) "Bargain Mania." Warren Miller (American, 1933-2019) untitled. Jim Berry (American, 1932-2015) printed Berry’s World cartoon dated 1975. Tony Auth (American, 1942-2014) beach scene dated 1975, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Two additional unsigned pieces include a Maws parody illustration and a drawing of a giant octopus overtaking a boat. Largest: 12 x 8 in.
By the summer of 1975, JAWS was no longer just a book or a film. It was a national joke and obsession, and the country’s best cartoonists couldn’t leave it alone. Taylor Oughton’s “No Problem…” says it all: Peter himself, tied to the stake over a roaring fire and bristling with arrows and hatchets, grinning and shrugging, the author under fire from every direction and not minding a bit.
Tony Auth of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who won the Pulitzer Prize the following year, drew a packed summer beach where every sunbather is reading JAWS, a JAWS billboard looms over the boardwalk, and the ocean is empty except for a buoy with a sign: VACANCY. Jim Berry’s Berry’s World, syndicated six days a week across the country, shows a frustrated writer at his typewriter, buried in crumpled drafts, snapping at the woman behind him: “Oh, yeah? Well, I’m glad I’m NOT Peter Benchley. What can Peter Benchley do for an encore?” Both artists inscribed their cartoons to Peter, Berry “with admiration and my very best wishes.”
Warren Miller of The New Yorker drew a crocodile in an armchair, reading JAWS and crying with laughter. Arnold Roth, later president of the National Cartoonists Society, walls a man in with towers of tinned fish and gives him a nightmare of a can lid with teeth rising beneath a swimmer, and inscribed it to Peter. An unsigned “MAWS” turns the famous poster upside down, sending a pack of crocodiles down on a lone diver, and a giant octopus quietly wraps a cabin cruiser at night while the crew snores below.
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 report:
The collection exhibits varying degrees of moderate to heavy paper toning and light foxing throughout. All pieces have been trimmed and are affixed to black foam board backings. The Maws illustration displays handling folds and creases. Minor scattered staining and handling wear is visible across several sheets.
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