The post that shares the story of how the collector Nate Cooley uncovered several copies of Suttree and Blood Meridian and a denim jacket that may have belonged to Cormac McCarthy, has raised great interest along with some questions. Peter Josyph – artist, McCarthy scholar, author of three amazing books about him, and friend – has expressed doubts about the source and legitimacy of the material related to McCarthy acquisition and about the convenience to publish Nate’s story. I believe that his opinions are highly significant and deserve further discussions. Here they are, along with my answers.

PETER JOSYPH: Umberto – There is a big piece missing here. Cartons of books and clothing are not “found” in storage. Storage units are locked and opened only by their owners or their estate. Does it not appear to you that these materials might have been stolen, or, at best, acquired in an unethical fashion? I’m less interested in that denim jacket than in how this guy Carlos came to possess it. Something is drastically missing here in this little tale. You might at least want to check with the Estate to see whether there was ever a sale. I cannot enjoy this story until I know that.

UMBERTO LA ROCCA: Peter, you are right that we don’t know how Carlos acquired the books and clothing. Actually, you are wrong about the storages: for example, if the storage fees are not paid for a while, the stuff stored inside can be sold. It is perfectly legal. As far as we know, the main discoveries of McCarthy-related material in El Paso include that told by Nate Cooley and another involving hundreds of books once owned by McCarthy, stored in a facility and acquired by Jud Burgess, owner of Brave Books, some months ago. What perhaps you don’t know is that, a few weeks ago, Dennis, McCarthy’s brother and McCarthy’s estate administrator, visited Burgess and had a very friendly meeting with him. I don’t believe this meeting could have happened if the books had been stolen or, at the very least, acquired unethically. Therefore, my opinion is that you can peacefully enjoy the story. All best, Umberto.

PETER JOSYPH: Sorry, Umberto, but the business about opening up a storage unit if bills are unpaid is absolute nonsense in the case of Cormac McCarthy. The unit was fully operative when it was cleared by the Estate. It would have been totally corrupt for the facility to open it up for bidding on its contents and then closed as if nothing had happened. I know about the Brave Books acquisition and I have concerns about it – but that’s a different story. The article does not say that Brave Books sold all those books and the clothing to Carlos. So who did? And I still need to know how those materials made their way from the McCarthy storage unit to someone named Carlos. To be honest, Umberto, I am a little shocked at the ease with which this crazy tale is being accepted. I know storage: I’ve had books & art in storage for 25 years. I also know Dennis McCarthy: he is a dear friend of mine. But I am speaking now wholly for myself as a book lover and as someone about to publish his 4th book on McCarthy: this story has too many suspicious holes in it. Everything about you, your collecting, and this superb site is totally honorable. What I am saying is that this article raises, for me, serious questions about legitimacy of provenance of the materials it discusses that I’d love to have answered. My guess is that we will never know. In any case, thanks for all your fine work. Keep at it!

UMBERTO LA ROCCA: Dear Peter, thank you for the kind words about the website. Regarding the El Paso story, the fact that the unit was still active is something I hadn’t known, and it certainly deserves serious consideration. However, it is likely that the books and jacket acquired by Cooley and the box of books obtained by Burgess came from the same source. Therefore, in my opinion, they represent two chapters of the same story. When I learned of the amazing acquisition by the owner of Brave Books I had concerns too. My first concern was that the books from McCarthy’s library might be scattered rather than properly catalogued before being sold. I discussed this with Dianne Luce, Wesley Morgan and with Jud himself. As far as I know, he is cataloging the collection or, at the very least, is open to doing so. Of course, I was also concerned about the source of books and legitimacy of the purchase. I asked Jud if he would be willing to give an interview about it, either to publish on the website or to keep confidential. He politely refused because of privacy reasons. A few months later, I was informed that Dennis McCarthy had payd a very friendly visit to Burgess and had even inscribed a copy of his book to Jud. This provides strong evidence that the questions surrounding the source of the books were addressed, the issue of legitimacy resolved, and that there was no problem in sharing Nate’s story. I remain confident that it was the right decision. However, I agree: I’d love to know more about it as well. Since Nate Cooley, apparently, has only heard rumors about the original source of the material he acquired, it seems that only Jud Burgess and Dennis McCarthy could explain what really happened. I believe a clarifying statement from Dennis or the McCarthy estate would be highly appreciated. All the best wishes and I look forward to read your new book about McCarthy.