Signed by Rowling as Galbraith, with a Gold Ticket
The Silkworm
Publication: London: Sphere, 2014. First Edition.
Notes: The second Cormoran Strike novel, a crime fiction series written by the author of the Harry Potter books under a pseudonym.
456 pages.
Edition + Condition: First edition (first printing, stating "First published..." on the copyright page with no indication of later printings). A fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket (minor bumping to the top of the spine). If one is hypercritical, there is a bit of waviness to the page block. This copy is signed "Robert Galbraith" on the title page with a J. K. Rowling hologram on the facing page. These holograms are found on obvious forgeries (whether the holograms on the forgeries are also forgeries or whether they are real Rowling holograms that somehow escaped into the wild, I don't know). This obviously gives collectors pause. However, this copy comes with the Goldsboro Books golden ticket and the original invoice (and I acquired the book from the original buyer).
If you haven't heard the story, here it is: Rowling wrote the first book in the series, The Cuckoo's Calling, and decided to release it under a pseudonym, just to see how people would respond. Goldsboro Books, which specializes in signed new titles, asked if the author would sign 250 copies, not knowing that Galbraith was really Rowling. She agreed and signed the books and had them delivered to the bookstore. The previous owner of this copy of The Silkworm bought one of these signed copies of The Cuckoo's Calling, before it was known that Rowling was the author. As a thank you for her early supporters, Rowling also signed copies of The Silkworm, which were made available at cover price to the original buyers of The Cuckoo's Calling (she also signed other copies as well). Signed copies of the Silkworm are uncommon, and there were no more than 250 with the ticket, making the book with the ticket even scarcer than the original batch of signed copies of the first book. If you are concerned about forgeries with this title, and you should be, copies like this one with solid provenance and the ticket are the way to go.
Item No: #298967
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