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June 3, 2004

James Castle Treasure Found In Stack Of Used Books

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Photo credit: The Early Attic and Idaho Center for the Book   The box of tattered books and catalogs purchased for $10 at a Caldwell estate auction didn�t look like anything out of the ordinary. But what Pat Coey and Patti Bowyer, owners of The Early Attic antique store in Idaho City, found upon closer inspection was a lost treasure � four undiscovered books by Idaho�s self-taught autistic artist James Castle. The books� authenticity has been confirmed by Castle expert Sandy Harthorn of the Boise Art Museum and Tom Trusky, Boise State University English professor, Idaho Center for the Book director and Castle book expert. Coey and Bowyer purchased the box for the catalogs, which contain the type of old advertisements that sell well in antique stores. At first glance, the contents looked �pretty rough,� Coey said. �We thought a kid had drawn in the book. We�re lucky we didn�t throw it in the wood stove.� On closer examination, something didn�t look quite right � the number of drawings, the detail, the rough frame around the sketches. Although neither one of them was familiar with Castle�s work, they both remembered hearing about him and his penchant for found objects. A thought began germinating in their heads � What if these drawings are the work of James Castle? It took several more months before their suspicion was confirmed. During that time, the books were displayed in their shop, labeled as �possible works by James Castle� and tagged at $3,500, a price Coey said was �off the top of our heads.� That price has since been rescinded. Trusky estimated the value of one of the books, a U.S. History textbook from Idaho Territory days, at more than $25,000. �The young artist has altered the book that once belonged to his aunt, Agnes Scanlon, illustrating it with scenes from his parents� Garden Valley general store and post office, circa 1915,� Trusky said. How the books got to the auction is a mystery � the family that sold them has no recollection of any ties with Castle or his family. But for Coey and Bowyer, the find is every antiquer�s dream come true. �When [Trusky] told us how much they were worth, our jaws just fell to the floor,� Coey said. �I�ve been doing this for a little over 30 years and this is the first time I�ve found anything that could potentially be worth a lot of money. This is everybody�s dream, but you never think it�s going to happen to you.� The four books join a rare collection of 20 Castle works known as Icehouse Books, the earliest and only datable Castle works known. On loan to the Idaho Center for the Book for a traveling Castle exhibit, the books, now known as The Early Attic Collection of the Works of James Castle, are currently being stored in the climate-controlled archives at Boise State�s Albertsons Library. They will be unveiled at an international conference this fall on the East Coast. -30- Contacts Tom Trusky Idaho Center for the Book 208 426-1999 Pat Coey and Patti Bowyer The Early Attic 208 392-9544 Media Contact Kathleen Craven communications and marketing 208 426-3275

Last reviewed on Thursday, July 21, 2005