![[Americana.]](/_next/image.jpg?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg2.bonhams.com%2Fimage%3Fsrc%3DImages%252Flive%252F2006-09%252F22%252F7332891-4-1.JPG%26width%3D650&w=2400&q=75)
Katie Allen
Associate Specialist
This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in
Lot 18
AN ANNOTATED MANUSCRIPT OF BREAKING THE SURFACE: THE GREG LOUGANIS STORY. LOUGANIS, GREG and ERIC MARCUS. Typed Manuscript with Annotations, marked "First Draft" of Breaking the Surface,
14 September 2023, 12:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$768 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Books & Manuscripts specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Claire Tole-Moir
Head of Department
AN ANNOTATED MANUSCRIPT OF BREAKING THE SURFACE: THE GREG LOUGANIS STORY.
LOUGANIS, GREG and ERIC MARCUS. Typed Manuscript with Annotations, marked "First Draft" of Breaking the Surface, 316 pp, 4to, New York, September 7, 1994, some spotting to title page and a few preliminary leaves. WITH: 32 pp of photo layouts annotated. AND WITH: Advance uncorrected proof, marked "18" in pen, in printed wrappers, signed by Louganis.
LOUGANIS'S GROUND-BREAKING MEMOIR, IN WHICH HE COMES OUT AS HIV+.
After the 1988 Olympics, Louganis retired from diving and pursued an acting career. One of his most memorable roles was as the character Darius in the Paul Rudnick play Jeffrey, about a gay man's quest to find love during the AIDS epidemic. Darius is a Broadway dancer with full-blown AIDS who lives every day with joy and purpose. It was a role that spoke deeply to Louganis, and one which won him accolades as a performer. It also brought him that much closer to coming out publicly. Worried about his future, he did not want to be one of those celebrities (Rock Hudson, Liberace) who either came out at the end of their lives or never came out at all. He wanted to come out with dignity and on his own terms. He explains at the end of his memoir: "Part of the motivation behind doing this book was the sense that maybe my story could make a difference in other people's lives. I knew it would make a big difference in my life by letting me get out from under all the lies and half-truths" (p 394).
An acquaintance in New York put Greg in touch with coauthor Eric Marcus, and within weeks the two had a proposal, an agent and a contract for Breaking the Surface. During the writing process, Louganis also made an appearance at the 1994 Gay Games, which was his very public coming out day. The book itself, however, would be the venue for Louganis to discuss his HIV+ status and the backstory behind his incredible Olympic journey. Its publication marks the moment he transitioned from one of the greatest Olympic athletes of all time to an activist and icon for LGBTQ+ and HIV+ communities.
This first draft manuscript is a bit of a palimpsest: parts of it are a xerox of an earlier copy annotated by another reader (perhaps an editor). Over those notes, however, are Greg's markings answering questions from other readers, as well as copyediting marks.
LOUGANIS'S GROUND-BREAKING MEMOIR, IN WHICH HE COMES OUT AS HIV+.
After the 1988 Olympics, Louganis retired from diving and pursued an acting career. One of his most memorable roles was as the character Darius in the Paul Rudnick play Jeffrey, about a gay man's quest to find love during the AIDS epidemic. Darius is a Broadway dancer with full-blown AIDS who lives every day with joy and purpose. It was a role that spoke deeply to Louganis, and one which won him accolades as a performer. It also brought him that much closer to coming out publicly. Worried about his future, he did not want to be one of those celebrities (Rock Hudson, Liberace) who either came out at the end of their lives or never came out at all. He wanted to come out with dignity and on his own terms. He explains at the end of his memoir: "Part of the motivation behind doing this book was the sense that maybe my story could make a difference in other people's lives. I knew it would make a big difference in my life by letting me get out from under all the lies and half-truths" (p 394).
An acquaintance in New York put Greg in touch with coauthor Eric Marcus, and within weeks the two had a proposal, an agent and a contract for Breaking the Surface. During the writing process, Louganis also made an appearance at the 1994 Gay Games, which was his very public coming out day. The book itself, however, would be the venue for Louganis to discuss his HIV+ status and the backstory behind his incredible Olympic journey. Its publication marks the moment he transitioned from one of the greatest Olympic athletes of all time to an activist and icon for LGBTQ+ and HIV+ communities.
This first draft manuscript is a bit of a palimpsest: parts of it are a xerox of an earlier copy annotated by another reader (perhaps an editor). Over those notes, however, are Greg's markings answering questions from other readers, as well as copyediting marks.