Charlie Watts' book collection to be auctioned

He was champion known arsenic the drummer for the Rolling Stones, but distant from the signifier Charlie Watts was an avid collector of modern literature.

His room contained dozens of uncommon archetypal editions, including signed archetypal editions of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound Of The Baskervilles.

Now, 2 years aft his death, immoderate of those gems volition beryllium enactment up for auction.

The drummer's postulation of jazz memorabilia is besides being sold.

Christie's, which is hosting the auction, volition show the highlights successful New York, Los Angeles and London up of the merchantability connected 28-29 September.

The signed transcript of Gatsby leads the auction, with an estimated terms of £200,000-300,000.

Fitzgerald dedicated the publication to MGM Screenwriter Harold Goldman, with whom helium worked connected the 1938 Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh drama A Yank In Oxford.

The inscription reads: "For Harold Goldman, the archetypal 'Gatsby' of this story, with acknowledgment for letting maine uncover these secrets of his past".

Also for merchantability is simply a impervious transcript of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, which the writer sent to friends for their comments successful 1944. Waugh aboriginal made respective changes to the novel, including rewriting the ending and changing immoderate names.

The archetypal variation of the Sherlock Holmes' escapade Hound Of The Baskervilles is signed with the comment: "I perambulated Dartmoor earlier I wrote this book," a notation to the book's setting.

Other highlights see uncommon and archetypal editions of books by Agatha Christie, PG Wodehouse and James Joyce.

"He took large pleasance successful owning these things," says Paul Sexton, who wrote Watts' authorised biography, Charlie's Good Tonight.

"He valued his clip astatine location and helium would work connected the road, truthful lit was a precise important portion of his make-up."

He added: "I don't deliberation helium acquired them due to the fact that helium knew they would go valuable, helium conscionable took a immense restitution successful owning these large works and tracking down, with the assistance of experts, archetypal archetypal editions."

Books weren't the star's lone passion. He besides collected memorabilia from the American Civil War, antique silverware, vintage cars, drum kits and adjacent a wardrobe of Edward VIII's Savile Row suits.

But his life's biggest obsession was jazz. Growing up successful Wembley, helium and his lifelong person Dave Green saved each their wealth to bargain 78rpm records by Jelly Roll Morton, Johnny Dodds, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

One of his favourites was Walkin' Shoes by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, featuring the drumming of Chico Hamilton, who Watts tried to emulate by taking the cervix disconnected a banjo and playing the assemblage with ligament brushes.

He started collecting jazz recordings and related ephemera successful his teens, and that lone accelerated erstwhile the Rolling Stones started making money.

"He was hugely influenced not conscionable by the dependable of jazz, but the look of jazz, arsenic well," says Sexton.

"If idiosyncratic was wearing a peculiar garment connected 1 of their classical medium covers, past helium had to person that shirt. It was wholly informed by his astir leader worship of these musicians... due to the fact that helium conscionable didn't deliberation of himself arsenic their equal."

"His emotion of jazz ne'er near him," adds Green, who called Watts' postulation "truly astonishing".

Some of those items are present being sold by the precocious musician's estate, with a peculiar absorption connected his favourite saxophonist, Charlie Parker.

Among the tons are Parker's Associated Musicians Membership Card, his contracts for the Alto Break sessions and a brace of Down Beat awards from 1952.

George Gershwin's annotated people for Porgy and Bess volition besides beryllium showcased, with an estimated terms of £10,000-15,000.

Further Jazz tons see 2 scores by Irving Berlin - Songs from Top Hat and Songs from Follow the Fleet - inscribed to Ginger Rogers; and 2 inscribed soft scores by the influential cornetist Leon 'Bix' Beiderbecke.

But portion Watts was an avid collector of euphony memorabilia, helium could ne'er rather wrapper his caput astir the thought of radical buying Rolling Stones' artefacts.

"I deliberation helium thought they were a spot mad," says Sexton. "He ne'er bought into the the mythology surrounding the Rolling Stones.

"At the extremity of the day, really, it was inactive a occupation for him - arsenic overmuch arsenic it was 1 helium was precise arrogant of."

The auction volition instrumentality spot successful 2 parts, a unrecorded merchantability astatine Christie's office successful London connected 28 September, and an online merchantability that runs from 15 to 29 September.

Highlights volition beryllium enactment connected show successful Los Angeles from 25 to 29 July, New York from 5 to 8 September, and London from 20 to 27 September.