Two original letters, hand-written by R. Crumb in pencil on 8.5" x 11" paper. Dated July 2 and 3, 2009. Signed "R. Crumb." Excellent condition. Crumb's 21st c. epistolary technique is as follows: his brother-in-law Alex prints out emails addressed to Crumb; the un-tech-savvy Crumb writes his response on paper; Alex transcribes the handwritten letter into email, sends the email to the correspondent and saves the letter. A collector has latterly made an exclusive deal to obtain Crumb's handwritten email drafts; thus, these "email letters" are now essentially off the market.
Together with "The AIDS Trap" brochure ("This Brochure has been Approved by the Board of Rethinking AIDS. The Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV/AIDS Hypothesis"). The brochure features Crumb art, and is signed "R. Crumb" in ink at bottom margin.
"...The articles you sent about the various hoaxes you've pulled off I found very interesting
Letter to a Mr. Skaggs, who impressed Crumb with tales of hoaxing the media ("I was amazed by how easily the media swallowed whole whatever was presented to them. There is high educational value in your pranks"). Crumb uses this as a segue to discuss a pet interest of his, the theory that "the H.I.V. 'hypothesis' is a giant fraud, though by now it's so deeply embedded in the bio-medical establishment that doctors and even scientists themselves simply accept it as a fact" (the following three lots likewise deal with Crumb's interest in this medical matter). The reverse side of the letter is a photocopied image of a very attractive, very naked lady; perhaps "sexted" to Crumb by an admirer? The second letter, dated the next day, includes Crumb's request for a copy of Skagg's DVD, and contains some rather personal questions about Skagg's sister, who died of AIDS: "Was she a heavy drug user?? Did she take the AIDS drugs, such as AZT?? This is not idle curiosity on my part... I'm trying to gather evidence for my own education on this subject."
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