NELSON ALGREN'S CHICAGO
Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1988. First Edition. Hardcover. Presentation copy, inscribed by Art Shay to Hugh Hefner on the title page and again on page 34, below Shay's 1968 portrait of Hefner in his Chicago mansion. Also, laid in is a typed letter signed (TLS) written by Shay to Hefner on February 14, 2000. Shay mentions this book and his two contributions to Playboy before concluding: "I've had a pretty good career- but still wish Maurice English had never appeared to pre-empt your 'Chi' magazine...I'd have still been working for you..." Accompanied by a letter of provenance from the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation. In an interview with the Capital Gazette following Hefner's death in 2017, Shay (1922-2018) recalled, "When Hugh Hefner was getting started he asked me to come work for him. He liked my pictures and was going to publish a magazine called 'Chi.' A professor named Maurice English beat him to it, and Hefner's second choice was Playboy." Quarto. Original black cloth binding, with silver titles. Negligible production error to the front hinge, with a minor crease to the front flap of the dust jacket; otherwise very good. Very good / Very good. Item #68892
ISBN: 025201586X
Price: $750.00