Original 1975 The Incredible Islanders by Tim Moriarty — First Edition Multi-Signed Presentation Copy with Dozens of New York Islanders Autographs

MORIARTY, Tim (Timothy Andrew, 1923–2006), with special photography by Joe Bereswill and introduction by Richard Sorkin.

The Incredible Islanders.

[Garden City, New York]: Sorkin-Levine Sports Agency, Inc., 1975.

FIRST EDITION, MULTI-SIGNED PRESENTATION COPY. Trade paperback, 8 × 5 inches. Illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs by Joe Bereswill of Newsday. Cover price $4.95. Author’s presentation inscription to the inside rear cover; tipped-in autograph clippings to both inside covers; three full spreads of the rear “Autographs” pages densely signed by what appear to be dozens of New York Islanders players spanning the franchise’s mid-1970s expansion roster and Stanley Cup dynasty years (1980–1983).

Binding: Publisher’s pictorial wrappers in blue and yellow, the upper cover with title in stylized yellow lettering and a band of action photographs from the 1974–75 season; rear cover with Bobby Nystrom celebration photograph by Paul Bereswill of Newsday, captioned. Perfect-bound. Spine sound; covers with light edge wear and surface soiling consistent with handling and active use as an autograph book.

Condition: Good, as a signed and used autograph book. Wrappers intact with light wear and toning to extremities; spine firm. Inside covers with multiple original autograph clippings and signed scraps affixed by clear adhesive tape, with some tape staining and discoloration to surrounding paper. Interior text block clean. Three spreads of the rear “Autographs” pages heavily inscribed in blue and black ballpoint. Author’s presentation “Allen — Best Wishes” inscription to the inside rear cover, signed by Tim Moriarty.

Provenance: Originally inscribed to a recipient named Allen by the author. No accompanying letter of authenticity; signatures have not been submitted for third-party authentication (PSA/JSA/Beckett).

Tim Moriarty’s The Incredible Islanders is the first book-length account of the New York Islanders franchise, written by the Newsday beat reporter who covered the team from its 1972 expansion through its four consecutive Stanley Cup championships (1980–1983). Moriarty, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986 as recipient of the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for hockey journalism, here narrates the Islanders’ improbable 1974–75 playoff run — the series in which the third-year expansion club rallied from a 0–3 deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, a feat only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs had previously accomplished in NHL history. The volume was published by Richard Sorkin’s Sorkin-Levine Sports Agency, the Long Island player-representation firm whose roster at the time included several of the Islanders profiled within. Photography is by Joe Bereswill, longtime team photographer and uncle of Paul Bereswill, the Newsday staff photographer credited on the rear-cover image of Bobby Nystrom’s post-victory leap over the boards.

This particular copy was inscribed by Moriarty as a presentation to its original owner and subsequently carried, evidently over an extended period, to obtain player signatures — a use the book’s three printed “Autographs” pages explicitly invite. The result is a densely populated multi-signed copy bearing signatures across the rear autograph pages and additional signed clippings affixed to the inside covers. The signatures, in mixed inks and hands, are consistent in style and period with the Islanders’ mid-1970s through early-1980s rosters and include what appear to be members of the dynasty-era championship clubs. The book remains a substantial, period-correct artifact of Long Island hockey culture at the franchise’s historical peak.