Every now and then I think I ought to start a regular feature like some blogs do — call it, in imagination, Autograph Hound Saturdays.
And only because I know that Arch-Autograph Hound Brian Leno, whose holdings I’m sure could amaze and delight week after week, month after month, year after year, cycle after cycle. The guy has a lot of autographs. But even one mere autograph item per week might feel like a chore, and now that Brian is retired why would he want to take on another task?
On the other hand, he wrote today to say: “You know, now that I’m retired, I have a little more time to go through my stuff once again. Found a Barbara Steele auto that I absolutely don’t remember ever getting. Makes me wonder what awaits if I ever really start digging. The reason I started looking this morning was because I was attempting to find my Chester Gould signature. Found it and it’s a dandy.”
The images he selected to send along were the front and back of a photo of a young friend and correspondent of H.P. Lovecraft to another young friend and correspondent. Alfred Galpin — Galpinius — to Frank Belknap Long — Young Belknapius. By the 1960s date, neither still young, but the Lovecraft Circle abided.
Brian explained: “Was going through some of my stuff this morning and came upon this, which I kind of forgot I had. Don’t know if I’d ever shown this to you. It’s a photo owned by Belknap Long of Alfred Galpin and his wife. On the back, which I’ll also send, is Galpin’s inscription to Long. The photo is in pretty battered shape and along with it I have a signed statement from Marc A. Michaud from Necronomicon Press stating ‘It was purchased from a special sale of Long’s library held by Necronomicon Press in February, 1995.’ Looks like the photo might have been injured in some tug-of-war spat between Long and his wife.”
