- 2 Frassetto Way - Lincoln Park, NJ 07035
The Peter Benchley Collection: Jaws, A Life of Writing, A Legacy of Ocean Conservation.
Lot 109:
Description
Doubleday Jaws First Edition Book Jacket, Mounted on Board for Peter Benchley’s (American, 1940-2006) 1974 novel Jaws. The illustration features the iconic cover art depicting a large great white shark rising toward a swimmer at the surface. The left edge of the print reproduces the book’s spine, including the title, author’s name, and the publisher mark for Doubleday. The piece is constructed of an offset lithograph on paper mounted to a 1/8 inch thick board. 24" H x 18" W x 1/8" D.
The cover of the book itself: Doubleday’s 1974 jacket for JAWS, front panel and spine together, printed large and mounted on board. Doubleday first tried an all-type black jacket. When Oscar Dystel of Bantam objected that without a picture no one would know what “Jaws” meant, the art director asked the illustrator Paul Bacon for a fish, then for a swimmer, to give it scale and a sense of disaster. Bacon drew a great shark rising toward a lone swimmer. Roger Kastel later repainted the image for the paperback, and it became the poster for the film. This is where the most famous image in the sale began.
From the personal collection of Peter Benchley (American, 1940–2006), acclaimed author of Jaws, accomplished diver, and prominent advocate for ocean and shark conservation.
Condition report:
Fair condition. Small losses and white scuffs are visible along the outer edges, primarily at the bottom and left sides. The black surface displays scattered light scratches and handling marks. The verso shows significant overall toning, scattered brown foxing, and moisture staining.
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