Anne Rice's antique dolls up for auction

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ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 2 (UPI) -- The antique doll collection of author Anne Rice is going up for sale in Chicago in July, Theriault's auction house said Wednesday.

Rice penned the popular gothic horror novels "Interview with the Vampire," "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned."

The dolls she collected for more than 20 years are to hit the auction block at a sale July 18.

"I never purchased a doll simply because it was an antique, or the handiwork of a famous doll artist. I purchased only dolls which I loved and found to be beautiful and interesting ... dolls I loved to look at," Rice said in a statement. "I must dream that they will go to loving homes, and loving contexts in which they will continue to have vitality and charm for new people. I'm sure that they will find devoted new owners. They're too beautiful to go wandering alone, without history, in the world. A doll is reborn every time a new person sees that doll. Dolls are immortal. They can live forever if they are passed on down the generations with love and care."

"While society places high regard on the collections of noted figures -- we rarely see a collection which has, as well, been an integral part of this person's work," added Stuart Holbrook, president of the Maryland auction house Theriault's. "Anne Rice did not just 'collect' the beauty of antique dolls, she shared them in her writings and harvested this passion as part of her talent."

Rice did not say why she has decided to sell the dolls now.