Check out the definitive reference work on Trek signatures

I own a lot of Star Trek autographs. More than 150, some quite rare. And I am in awe of the collection assembled by lifelong Trek fan Gerald Gurian. He has hundreds of signatures, and he decided to share them with fandom by publishing the 468-page masterwork Autographs of the Final Frontier.

The book presents more than 450 autographs, but what’s really impressive is the breadth of the coverage. No one picking up a book like this would be surprised to see examples from William Shatner, George Takei or Gene Roddenberry, or even William Campbell, DC Fontana, or Ralph Senensky, but Gurian goes well beyond that. He has Max Kleven, a gladiator in Bread and Circuses; Arthur Batanides, D’Amato from That Which Survives; propmaster Irving Feinberg; Linwood G. Dunn, special effects photographer; matte painter Albert Whitlock; and hundreds of others.

The autograph book is actually Gurian’s fourth. His first published works are the three-volume To Boldly Go set, which presents rare production photos.

The autograph and production photos in this article were supplied by Gerald Gurian and used with his permission.

“I never thought I would author a book on Star Trek,” Gurian told me. “I posted some rare photos on my site (Star Trek prop, costume and auction authority) and that attracted the attention of Marc Cushman and his publishing team and they contacted me to ask if they could use some photos for his book series, These Are The Voyages.” Gurian was happy to have Cushman use his images but they were reproduced in black-and-white and mostly in a fairly small size, and “I thought it was a shame no one could see the colour versions.

“That led me to create the original three books, and then I thought it’s a shame I have not used the autograph material, and so that led to this book.”

About a dozen autographs in the fourth book come from other people but Gurian owns the rest. And he also included 500 of those rare behind-the-scenes photos.

I think of the book as a tribute to the cast and production crew and all of the guest and supporting actors of TOS. It’s a series that I literally grew up with and [it has given] me so much inspiration and enjoyment over the years. So the book not only provides some biographical information on all those key folks but also provides fans with a little greater insight into their personal sides, through some of their behind-the-scenes writings and interactions, like a Fred Phillips Christmas card to Bob Justman or the Nimoy Deadly Years memo.

And, from a fan perspective, I think it’s cool to see many of those handwritten accounts from the guest stars that elaborate on some of their TOS filming experiences, and, in general, the book is a good reference. Plus, the inclusion of quite a large number of rare, behind-the-scenes photographs from the filming of the episodes hopefully makes the volume even more enjoyable for fans.

What is it about autographs?

I asked Gurian why fans collect autographs. He says it’s all about a personal connection to the celebrity.

Even a simple signature allows a fan to feel a more intimate bond of association with a much admired actor or athlete or historical figure than, say, owning a mass-market trading card or photograph or figurine, since the signature was actually created directly by the person. And if it was obtained in-person, then there are all of those additional memories of personally interacting with the individual and obtaining the autograph. For more sophisticated items such as handwritten letters or other correspondence and documents, there is of course further valuable historical insights that could be derived.

Gurian is right. James Doohan was a guest at one of the first conventions I attended, and I decided not to get his autograph. I didn’t want to hand over the few dollars I had for a scrawled signature. Then, watching the fans, I realized they weren’t paying for the actual signature; they were getting a few minutes to chat, and the signed photo was a reminder of that time. I bought a 5×7 from Doohan (because it was $2 cheaper than an 8×10) and I have always been glad I did. See also my chat with Nichelle Nichols over her Ebony magazine cover.

The book was published in 2018 and at that time Gurian already owned perhaps the most extensive collection of Star Trek autographs. But a lot is not always enough. “I have acquired some additional ones since publishing the book,” he told me. Because collectors collect. We can’t help it.