The Collectors

In the Book Community

The major authorities in the antiquarian book community regard The Gianakos-Safos Collection as a definitive assembly of American literature. Above, Allen Ahearn, Patricia Ahearn, and Beth Fisher, antiquarian book dealers of Quill & Brush and authors of Collected Books: The Guide to Identification and Values–a leading tome in the rare book world–have signed a copy of their book to The Collection, noting what “a fine collection it is.” James Cahill, a leading specialist on Puiltzer Prize literature of Quintessential Rare Books, LLC, has called The Collection “a work of art…that museums don’t even have.”

The Collection has even aided the antiquarian book world with crucial first state point information and images of first editions so rare that they have never been depicted on the Internet. Tom Klein, manager of the website First Edition Points, has used images and information provided by The Collection to enrich the website’s inventory of knowledge.

Finally, This Collection would not be possible without the invaluable aid of several antiquarian book sellers and other leading authorities, who are listed in the Acknowledgments section below. The Collection is thus truly a reflection of passion for the history of American literature.

  • Larry James Gianakos

  • Larry James Gianakos and Emmy-winning actress Peggy McCay pose in Gramercy Park, New York before the statue of Edwin Booth

A lifelong collector of rare first editions, author and United States Presidential letters, and related ephemera, Larry James Gianakos’ gathering of Pulitzer Prize literature assembled over the course of almost four decades is now considered by many antiquarian booksellers to be definitive. A nationally acclaimed writer, historian, and lecturer, Gianakos has been considered the “preeminent historian of American entertainment broadcasting” (J. Fred MacDonald, Choice, June 1988), principally by way of his now classic seven-volume Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1947-2008 (Scarecrow Press). He has critically examined dozens of individual dramatic teleplays for several national communications journals, and most recently, authored the liner notes “Resurrection of an Era” for the premiere release of the Archive of American Television in conjunction with Koch/Lorber, named the best DVD boxed set of the year by the Huffington Post. Gianakos is a member of the Upper Great Lakes Chapter of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Warren High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame, and a lifetime member of The Players, Manhattan’s celebrated theatre organization.

  • Robert P. Safos

  • Robert P. Safos poses with Pamela Singleton (left), treasurer of Manhattan's celebrated theatre organization The Players, and Emmy-winning actress Peggy McCay at the headquarters of The Players in Gramercy Park, New York

A well-respected attorney with a successful law practice extending thirty-five years and counseling three generations of clients, Robert has been an assistant County Prosecutor, legal advisor to a large city planning department, and trustee in the United States Bankruptcy Court. Beyond his legal endeavors he has developed several large residential communities and commercial properties. He is the founder and president of a video production company. He has been a trusted advisor to many political officeholders as well as business owners. As a child he was exposed to a wide array of intellectual and artistic endeavors, embracing dance, music, the visual arts, and literature. He passionately believes that “every town needs a theatre,” having been himself drawn towards dramatic roles, as a youth assuming the role of Jim in the dramatization of the O Henry classic short story The Gift of the Magi. Accordingly, in 2011 he was made a member of The Players, the Manhattan celebrated theatre organization established by the quintessential thespian Edwin Booth in 1888.