An archive of arresting case files and memorabilia from Truman Capote's famed factual novel In Cold Blood is set to draw strong attention on August 31.
 Undoubtedly the most important copy of Capote's novel ever seen at auction |
Offered as a single lot, the collection contains an astonishing array of items relating to the brutal murders of the Clutter family - the high-profile case which Capote documented in his 1966 work. Capote compiled more than 8,000 pages of research in the six years it took him to write In Cold Blood, building strong - and often questionable - relationships with the convicted killers and case investigators in the process.
One of the main draws of the monumental lot is supplied by the personal archives of Harold Nye, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation officer placed in charge of the Clutter case. The archive includes various letters between Capote and Nye as he assists the author with his work, as well as Nye's personal notebooks from the investigation and crime scene photographs from the Clutter family home.
Also included is a first edition copy of In Cold Blood, which features a bold signature from Truman Capote and has been personally inscribed by the writer to Harold Nye. The work has also been signed by several case investigators as well as members of the cast from the 1969 film adaptation, making it undoubtedly the most important copy of the book ever seen at auction.
An estimate for the collection has not yet been decided; however a minimum bid of $20,000 has been set by the auction house. We expect it to more than double this mark, such is the close connection of the items to the author and the investigation.
In 2006, Capote's personal copy of In Cold Blood sold for $7,000, a 366.6% increase on its $1,500 high estimate.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a brilliant range of literary items currently on offer, including this signed, limited edition of Virginia Woolf's Orlando, which is available at a superb price.
