ZANE GREY Popular Western author sells the movie rights to The Code of the West. Document signed: "Zane Grey", 1p, 8½x11. No place, but likely New York, 1924 October. In part: "For a valuable consideration, I, Zane Grey, of Altadena, California, hereby grant and assign to Famous Players-Lansky Corporation, a New York corporation, all the motion pictures rights in and to a certain story entitled The Code of the West written by me, and published in 'The Country Gentlemen' issues from April 28th to July 14th, 1923...." Issues and dates of copyrights are then listed and the document concludes with an understanding of the copyright agreement. Also signed: "KM Robertson" as witness.The film based on Grey's story was released in 1925. It starred George Bancroft and Constance Bennett. Over 100 movies were made based on the writings of the prolific writer of some 90 novels, 60 of them westerns.The Code of the West was published as a novel in 1934 and appeared in "Zane Grey's Western Magazine" in April 1950. Lightly creased, rust paper clip stains in upper left margin, stray ink marks in lower left margin. Overall, fine condition.

UPTON SINCLAIR Signed b/w photo of a smiling Upton Sinclair from the waist up in a suit and tie and standing in front of several bookshelves Photograph signed: "Upton Sinclair" in brown ink. Pencil notations in unknown hand on verso. B/w, 8x10 overall, 7½x9¼ image, one surface. American writer Sinclair (1878-1968) is best known for The Jungle, his 1906 novel exposing the horrors of the Chicago meat-packing industry. His other novels include The Money Changers (1908), King Coal (1917) and Oil! (1927). Sinclair was also active in politics, organizing the socialist EPIC (End Poverty in California) movement during the Great Depression and running for as Democratic candidate for Governor of California in 1934. In the 1940s, Sinclair wrote an 11-volume series about contemporary American character, "Lanny Budd", who travels through time and meets historical figures; Dragon's Teeth (1942) won the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Eight of his books have been adapted for film and TV, including There Will Be Blood (2007), which was based on Oil!.

DAN BLOCKER His rare signature on an inscribed photo of himself as "Hoss" Cartwright Photograph inscribed and signed: "Very best/wishes Stanley/Dan Blocker". B/w 8x10. Dan Blocker (1928-1972) portrayed Eric "Hoss" Cartwright (as shown here)on Bonanza from 1959 until his sudden death in May 1972 at the age of 43. Blocker had made his film debut in 1955 in Hook a Crook, and he also appeared as a guest star in several TV series, beginning in 1957. Blocker started and owned theBonanza steak housechain. Fine condition.

GIMBEL BROS.: ISAAC GIMBEL Department store magnate. Photo Mount signed: "Isaac Gimbel". Sepia, 11x15¼ overall, image 6x9 (two surfaces). Inscribed in another hand: "To Richard Gimbel/Affectionately/12/3/27". At bottom left of image photographer's imprint: "Pirie Mac Donald/Photographer-of-Men/New York". Isaac and his brother Jacob began their retail careers in the Palace of Trade, a store founded by their German immigrant father in Vincennes, Indiana. After opening branches in Milwaukee (1889), Philadelphia (1894) and New York (1910), Isaac and Jacob organized Gimbel Bros., Inc. (1922). Isaac served as President (1922-1927) and Chairman of the Board (1927-1931) of what had become the world's largest department store chain by 1930. His son Bernard, who joined the firm in 1907, succeeded him as President (1927-1953) and was Chairman of the Board from 1953-1966. Foxed at bottom margin, touching writing and signature. Light stain along upper blank right edge of mount. Photograph in fine condition, overall fine appearance.

PETER MAX. Photograph inscribed and signed: "To Ray -/Fisher/[sketch]/Max". B/w, 11x14. © 1970. Inscribed to the photographer, Ray Fisher, who took this photo. Peter Max, born in Berlin in 1937, spent most of his first ten years in Shanghai, and then traveled the world with his parents before immigrating to the US in 1953. Already an award-winning graphic artist and designer, Max burst on the cultural scene in the 1960s, first with his "psychedelic art" and then with a new concept, "cosmic art." Max, who works in many mediums, has been the official artist for the Grammy Awards, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the Woodstock Music Festival and 5 Super Bowls. He has decorated a Boeing 747, a Dale Earnhart racecar, and 265 murals on the US border. He has designed popular US and UN stamps, painted five US Presidents, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Mikhail Gorbachev and the Dalai Lama. He painted individual portraits of 356 firefighters who lost their lives heroically on 9/11, presenting these portraits to the families, and then at President Bush's request designed 356 more for the firefighters' memorial.

NEW YORK YANKEES: 1961 Color 37¼x25 printed limited edition #799 out of 1000 image of the 1961 New York Yankees. Large Printed Image signed: by Hall of Famers "Mickey Mantle", "Yogi Berra", and "Whitey Ford" and Manager "Ralph Houk", "Bill Skowron", "Hector Lopez", "Bill Stafford", "Jesse Gonder", "John Blanchard", "John Sain" (coach), "Clete Boyer", "Bobby Richardson", "Jim Coates", "Billy Gardner", "Bob Turley", "Ryne Duren", "Ralph Terry", "Art Ditmar", "Bud Daley", "Bob Hale", "Joe DeMaestri", "Tom Tresh", "Tex Clevenger", "Deron Johnson", "Hal Reniff", "Al Downing", "Jack Reed"," John James", "Luis Arroyo", "Rollie Sheldon", "Bob Cerv", "Earl Torgeson" and "Danny McDevitt". Color, 37¼x25 overall, image 35¼x21 (one surface). Also signed by the artist of the original painting: "Ron Lewis" at the lower right. Numbered Limited Edition #799 in a series of 1000. The Yankees defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games to win the 1961 World Series. Fine condition.

ROBERT DUVALL Paramount guarantees Duvall will be paid by Coppola for appearing in The Godfather, Part II. Contract signed: "Robert S. Duvall" for Chekuee, Inc. and "Robert Duvall" as employee, 2p, 8½x11, separate sheets of a photocopy of the contract authentically signed in ink. (Beverly Hills), 1973 June 20. Contract in the form of a letter to Chekuee, Inc., signed by a representative of Paramount Pictures Corporation, "accepted and agreed to" by Duvall as both the president and employee of his corporation. Only the first and last (4th) pages are present. Begins: "You are concurrently entering into an agreement with Francis Ford Coppola Productions, Inc. (Producer) relating to the furnishing by you of the services of Robert Duvall (Employee) in connection with the motion picture entitled 'THE GODFATHER - PART II'. In connection therewith, this will confirm our understanding as follows: 1. Subject to the provisions hereof, the undersigned hereby guarantees the payment to you by Producer of all sums which may become due to you under the aforesaid agreement....

BOB CRANE 5¼x3½ image, shown on set with six fellow members of the Hogan's Heroes cast Photograph inscribed and signed: "To Hirsch - Best Wishes/from Hogan/Bob Crane". B/w, 5¼x3½. Shown with fellow Hogan's Heroes cast members Werner Klemperer, John Banner, Richard Dawson, Robert Clary, Ivan Dixon and Larry Hovis. Crane (1928-1978) was twice nominated for an Emmy in his role of Colonel Robert E. Hogan in the popular television sitcom Hogan's Heroes (1965-1971). Crane had earlier been a drummer and disc jockey. After Hogan, he appeared in a few films, including the title role in Disney's Superdad (1973), and had several TV guest roles. He was murdered in 1978. Crane's life and death are fictionally portrayed in the film Auto Focus (2002), a portrayal from which his family strongly dissents. Ink notes (unknown hand) on verso. Corners lightly creased. Fine condition.  

WARREN G. HARDING Warren G. Harding signs a typed quotation in black ink. Typed Quotation signed: "Warren G. Harding" as 29th U.S. President, 1p, 6x4. Dated in another hand at lower left, in pencil: "Nov. 3, 1921". In full: "We hear much of the traditions of famous universities, but if we look into them we commonly find that they concern men, men who have stamped their personalities, who have given of their generous natures, who have colored the intellectual atmosphere about them." Woodrow Wilson, the only U.S. President who was also a University President (Princeton University, 1902-1910),commented thatHarding had "a bungalow mind".Harding never completed college, leaving Ohio Central College, Iberia, Ohio at the age of 17, before graduation. Fine condition.