170 First Editions, Property of Nicole and William M. Keck, at Bonhams
FAULKNER, WILLIAM. 1897-1962. The Sound and the Fury. New York: Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, 1929. Estimate: $10,000-15,000
New York – Bonhams is pleased to present The Property of Nicole and William M. Keck II at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale on June 13. The collection offers over 170 lots of first editions by authors Charles Dickens, J.R.R. Tolkien, William Faulkner, and also classic children’s books. All books will be sold without reserve to benefit charitable institutions around the world including Maryknoll Father and Brothers, bringing health clinics, schools and clean water to areas in Nepal; Harvey Mudd College tuition aid, thus adding to the existing William M. Keck II Scholarship Funds; The Julliard School of Music for tuition scholarship funds; and the UCLA Medical Center & Jules Stein Eye Institute to benefit ongoing research, to name a few.
William M. Keck II was the grandson of the legendary oil wildcatter, William Myron Keck, the family patriarch who created one of the country’s largest philanthropic institutions: the W.M. Keck Foundation. Known as “W.M.” to the family, Bill’s grandfather and sole namesake founded The Superior Oil Company in Coalinga, CA in 1921, which – following decades of growth – was sold to Mobil Oil in 1984. At the time of the sale, Superior Oil Company was the largest independent oil producer in the country. Bill’s grandfather originally established seven separate foundations to further education and research in the fields of science, engineering, and social welfare. Among the numerous grants distributed over the years, the W.M. Keck Foundation may be best known for the construction of the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, and for its original funding of the programming for Sesame Street.
