Farmer is more than a taboo breaker... he is a story teller of high artistry - Sam Moskowitz

I have had several (ok two) requests to verify that a signature in a book is actually that of Philip José Farmer. While I am not an expert in handwriting (you should see mine) Farmer's signature is fairly distinctive.

Fellow PJF fan Craig Kimber pointed out to me that Farmer's earlier signatures had a printed capital J while the later signatures use a cursive capital J. I checked through my stuff and all of the books that were signed in 1995 had the cursive J. I found two items in my collection that had the printed capital J.

Currently the best information I have, from Chris Schendel, is that stuff he signed in 1977 had the printed J and stuff he signed in 1980 has the cursive J.

1977 and older signature:


1980 and newer signature, I saw him do it myself so I know it's real:


Farmer's most famous, if not infamous, pen name is Kilgore Trout. Don't buy that signed copy of VENUS ON THE HALF-SHELL unless the signature looks like this. I have two magazines and four books signed "Kilgore Trout" and all have the distinctive K and T:


Do you have a book signed by Phil with an interesting inscription? If so please send it in like these below:

Mark Abrahamson shares this terrific sample which includes a sketch of a trout:


Phil's longtime friend Bob Barrett shares these three inscriptions:



In A FEAST UNKNOWN


In THE ADVENTURE OF THE PEERLESS PEER



 Farmer collector Russell Wright shares his collection of humorously inscribed books:

An association copy of THE GREEN ODDYSEY inscribed to Forrest J Ackerman:


An inscription about the publisher in TONGUES OF THE MOON:

An inscription about the publisher in A PRIVATE COSMOS:

Three inscriptions on two pages in DOWN IN THE BLACK GANG:

An association copy of DOC SAVAGE: HIS APOCALYPTIC LIFE inscribed to editor David Hartwell:

A postcard and an inscribed copy of THE ADVENTURE OF THE PEERLESS PEER:

An association copy of THE GRAND ADVENTURE inscribed to Robert Block:

An association copy of ESCAPE FROM LOKI inscribed to science fiction bibliographer Sheldon Jaffery:

An inscribed copy of NOTHING BURNS IN HELL with a reference to Y2K: