We first met Walton Ford in 2002, shortly after he moved to the Great Barrington area. He came into the store one day to alert us to the publication of a new book featuring his art, Tigers of Wrath (Abrams). Being great fans of his work, we already had several copies in stock and Walton graciously signed them. When word got out that The Bookloft had signed first editions, the books nearly flew off the shelves. Walton was immensely appreciative of our promotion of and commitment to the book and he remains a great friend of the store. Tigers of Wrath is long out of print, but it continues to sell well – we had the foresight to purchase a large quantity of first editions, and Walton has signed each and every one!
Independent bookstores like The Bookloft (founded in 1974) have a staunch advocate in Walton Ford – he appreciates their indispensable role in community life. We are grateful (and proud!) that he considers The Bookloft “his bookstore.”
As Walton’s popularity has grown, so has his support of our store. This was clearly evidenced upon the release of the most recent book featuring his art, Pancha Tantra (Taschen). We had bought ten copies of this $1800 masterpiece, confident that it would be eagerly sought after by aficionados of Walton’s work. Subsequently, to our great dismay, two copies of the book were stolen – a significant loss to the store. When Walton heard about the incident, he promptly came over and offered to do an original drawing in each of the remaining books, knowing that it would significantly enhance their value. We were overwhelmed by his generosity. And what a sight to see this prodigious talent in action! As we looked on, he created eight original drawings of animals in about an hour. These very special first editions, needless to say, have already become important collectors’ items.
The Bookloft – Walton Ford friendship continues to flourish. We were thrilled to learn in 2006 that the Brooklyn Museum would mount a major exhibition, Tigers of Wrath: Watercolors by Walton Ford. So thrilled, in fact, that Bookloft owner Eric Wilska and store manager Mark Ouillette went to New York to see the show themselves. They walked away in awe. “It’s one thing to see Walton in the store on a regular basis talking about books,” Eric says, “but it’s totally different to see his work hanging, in all its glory, in a prestigious museum. It took my breath away.”
In yet another gesture of support for his bookstore, Walton insisted upon signing each of the one hundred copies of his 2009 calendar that we had purchased. They sold out immediately.
We hope you’ll stop by The Bookloft on your next visit to the Berkshires. Who knows?
You might run into Walton Ford himself! In the meantime, check our website www.thebookloft.com for information about the popular (less expensive) edition of Pancha Tantra, due in October 2009 from Taschen.
Tags: art, art and books, Great Barrington, Independent bookstores, The Bookloft, Tigers of Wrath, Tigers of Wrath (Abrams), Walton Ford