Saturday, March 18, 2006

Frances Steloff And The Gotham Book Mart

Frances Steloff and her Gotham Book Mart in New York City were essential instruments of exposure for Henry Miller in America. Not only did she carry copies of The Booster on her store racks, she also distributed copies of Tropic Of Cancer before it was legal to do so in the USA.

Henry Miller met Frances ("Fanny") Steloff during his visit to New York in 1935. Gotham Book Mart (at 51 West 47th Street) was a natural point of interest for Miller, having established itself as the foremost seller of avant-garde literature in New York. Since the store opened in 1920, Steloff and her husband (1923) Davis Moss were known to subvert literary censorship, by carrying banned works, such as DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterly's Lover in the late 1920's.

Upon Miller's return to Paris in 1936, he maintained contact with Steloff by mail. In 1937, she took an order of The Booster to sell in the shop. By 1939, they were writing to each other regularly (many of these letters can be found in the Miller collection at the NYPL). In February 1939, Henry jotted down a reminder in his Paris Notebook "Do water-colors for Gotham Book Mart!!" (Ref. Item 50)

From Dearborn's Happiest Man Alive: "'I have ceased warring against the world' [Miller] wrote Frances Steloff in 1939. He believed in a greater force than himself, he told her. He was, he said, certain that destiny held something better in store for him, that it was his fate to reap his just reward rather late in life. 'For the moment,' he wrote, 'I am posied, like a bird, not certain in which direction to take off.'"

The direction he soon choose was Greece, for which he needed cash. He sold 20 first editions of Tropic Of Cancer and fifteen Black Spring to Gotham Book Mart, but they were intercepted by U.S. Customs in June, by which time Henry had already spent the $200 sent to him by Steloff.

Copies of Tropic of Capricorn made it into the shop and sold for a hefty $10 each. Somtimes smuggled copies of Cancer made it through. In 1940, a thousand illicitly-printed copies of Tropic Of Cancer (the 'fake Mexican' "Medusa" versions) were partly funded by Steloff and distributed under-the-table through Gotham Book Mart.

Steloff's desk at Gotham was next to the shelves of Oriental mysticism and philosophy. These subjects interested her greatly and somtimes worked their way into dialogue with Henry. While Miller was in Greece, she sent him a copy of The Secret Doctrine by Madame Blavatsky.

Miller found himself back in New York in 1940. Steloff offered him much personal support: not only did she allow him to use Gotham Book Mart as his mailing address, she also sent books by his request to his long-unseen daughter Barbara; she also got him work by hooking him up with people who were offering a dollar a page for pornography (allowing him to make some easy cash and write the much-revised basis for Quiet Days In Clichy).

Steloff would continue to turn favours for Miller, Nin, and countless other writers in the years that followed (for example, in 1942, she gave Anais $100 to put toward a printing press.)

Those interested in Frances Steloff and the Gotham Book Mart would be wise to track down the following items, which I had no access to: Wise Men Fish Here: The Story of Frances Steloff and Gotham Book Mart (1965); We Moderns: Gotham Book Mart (1940); the documentary Memoirs Of A Bookseller (1987). In 1976, Miller and Nin wrote a tribute to her called The Ineffable Frances Steloff.

Steloff and Gotham documents exist in two collections: the New York Public Library (Steloff/ Gotham), and especially the Frances Steloff Papers at the Lucy Scribner Library at Skidmore College. A few on-line tributes offer only a few biographical details: joycesociety.org; anaisnin.com; adeleart.com. A list of books published by Gotham may be found at AbeBooks.

Steloff died at age 101 in 1989. Those wishing to visit the Gotham Book Mart should note that the current store has been at a new location (16 East 46th Street) since 2004 [story of its sale].

The photo of Steloff in the banner art is from the Bill Yoscary collection. The photo of Steloff with the cat is from the Adele Aldridge collection. The photo of the Gotham front window was taken by Elisa Breton (wife of Andre Breton) in the mid-1940s. [Thanks Pierre!].

13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to note that the bookstore is now gone.

3:42 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just read that what remains of the Gotham Book Mart's collection has been donated to the University of Pennsylvania. Here's the NY Times article:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/gotham-book-mart-holdings-are-given-to-penn/?emc=eta1

5:03 am  
Blogger chenlina said...

chenlina20151120
michael kors outlet
jordan retro
coach outlet
ugg sale
michaek kors outlet online
michael kors outlet online
canada goose
michael kors outlet
oakley outlet
kevin durant basketball shoes
the north face outlet
michaek kors outlet
uggs on sale
abercrombie
canada goose jackets
ray ban sunglasses
jordan 11s
mont blanc legend
cheap ray ban sunglasses
uggs sale
ugg boots
coach outlet
michael kors outlet
swarovski outlet
timberland outlet
timberland outlet
air jordans
michaek kors handbags
louis vuitton handbags
coach outlet store online
canada goose outlet
louis vuitton outlet
louis vuitton outlet
jordan retro
burberry outlet
oakley sunglasses
canada goose jackets
jordans for sale
mont blanc pens
louis vuitton handbags

3:13 am  
Blogger Unknown said...

air jordan 13
new york jets jerseys
cleveland cavaliers jerseys
los angeles clippers jersey
tods shoes sale
miami dolphins jerseys
hollister canada
air max uk
nike free 5
chicago bears jerseys
patriots jerseys
titans jersey
nike free running
abercrombie and fitch
nike roshe run shoes
bills jerseys
giuseppe zanotti outlet
nike soccer shoes
puma shoes
denver broncos jersey
air max 2014
lacoste pas cher
kansas city chiefs jersey

atlanta falcons jersey
texans jerseys
ferragamo shoes
mac cosmetics
ravens jerseys
boston celtics jerseys
jacksonville jaguars jersey
abercrombie and fitch
linyuan0511

5:59 am  
Blogger Unknown said...

05028wangjuan9
redskins jerseys
nike free run
baltimore ravens jersey
nike outlet
seattle seahawks jersey
air max 2014
nike foamposite
golden state warriors jersey
raiders jerseys
mizuno shoes
chicago blackhawks jerseys
philadelphia eagles jerseys
cincinnati bengals jersey
cleveland browns jerseys
denver broncos jerseys
seattle seahawks jerseys
chicago bears jerseys
boston celtics jersey
celine outlet online
los angeles lakers
tods shoes
air max uk
cincinnati bengals jerseys
lions jerseys
kansas city chiefs jersey
tommy hilfiger uk
detroit lions jerseys
minnesota vikings jersey
miami heat jerseys
san diego chargers jerseys

1:27 am  
Blogger Unknown said...

moncler outlet
cheap nike shoes
jordan pas cher
louis vuitton outlet stores
coach outlet online
ed hardy clothing
gucci outlet
hollister uk
longchamp pliage
basketball shoes
20161122lck

2:15 am  
Blogger raybanoutlet001 said...

michael kors outlet store
birkenstocks
los angeles clippers
michael kors outlet
true religion jeans
cheap michael kors handbags
michael kors handbags clearance
oakley sunglasses
lebron shoes

2:20 am  
Blogger Unknown said...

http://www.kobebasketballshoes.us.com
nike air huarache
michael kors outlet store
nike air max
timberland boots
michael jordan shoes
prada sunglasses
longchamp
adidas superstar shoes
jordans for cheap
20170606

1:20 am  
Blogger raybanoutlet001 said...

ray ban sunglasses
boston celtics
nike huarache
dallas cowboys jersey
nike outlet
cleveland browns jerseys
rolex watches
gucci sito ufficiale
cheap ray bans
michael kors outlet
2017.6.14

3:26 am  
Blogger chenmeinv0 said...

kevin durant shoes
france world cup jersey
michael kors borse
converse
marc jacobs
kobe 10
chloe handbags
nike air huarache
polo lacoste
nike air max
2018.3.5xukaimin

10:37 pm  
Blogger Unknown said...

www0906

kate spade outlet
kate spade
ray ban sunglasses
ralph lauren polo
canada goose jacket
air max 90
hermes belt
nike tn
ed hardy uk
pandora charms

10:34 pm  
Blogger New Pak Tv said...

Pinoy Tv Recap
Pinoy Lambingan
Kissasian
Bigg Boss 14

11:42 am  
Blogger yanmaneee said...

off white nike
moncler
moncler
supreme
supreme new york
moncler jackets
yeezy
air jordan 1
yeezy
curry

10:14 am  

Post a Comment

<< Home