H.P. Kraus Reference Library<br>At Auction This Month
- by Michael Stillman
H.P. Kraus. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Tuesday afternoon’s second session begins with History Reference followed by Literary Reference. Many fields are covered under History Reference, such as bibles, religion, bibliophiles, the book trade, photography and travel. Literary reference is broken into many countries, including America, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, plus certain types such as classical.
Next is a category called “National and Subject Catalogues.” Here we find lots like #325 and 326, each containing 16 items dealing with anonymous authors and those using pseudonyms. $800-$1,000 and $1,200-$1,500. Lot 338 consists of 26 titles pertaining to children’s books. $1,200-$1,500.Lot 340 has 6 items about dictionaries while lot 367 includes 12 titles about gastronomy. $500-$700 and $1,000-$1,500.
Item 439A is The National Union Catalogue. Pre-1956 imprints. This monumental work is described as “The most extensive general bibliographical compilation of all times” (Breslauer & Folter 169). It consists of 754 volumes with over 12 million entries. $7,000-$10,000.
Session three on Wednesday morning covers the topics of Journals and Illuminated and Illustrated Manuscripts. Wednesday afternoon’s session four includes Book Illustration and Art Reference; Science, Medicine, and Natural History; and Early Printing and Typography. Among the latter is lot 796, Johann Christian Wolf’s Monumenta typographica, a first edition of the first bibliography of printing. $400-$600.
The fifth and final session on Thursday morning offers an enormous collection of auction, dealer, and other book catalogues. These are primarily American, English, French and German catalogues. Many of the individual lots are substantial collections in themselves.
For example, lot 889 is a collection of about 600 book and related auctions from Christie’s London between 1856 and 2003. $1,000-$1,500. Lot 1019 offers 285 catalogues from 1938-1970 from Parke-Bernet Galleries, with another 300 Parke-Bernet/Sotheby’s New York catalogues from 1970-2003 in lot 1020. $1,500-$2,500 and $500-$700.
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary pair of books from George Washington’s field library, marking the conjunction of Robert Rogers, George Washington, and Henry Knox. $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary letter marking the conjunction of George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: Virginia House of Delegates. The genesis of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. $350,000 to $500,000.
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: (Gettysburg). “Genl. Doubleday has taken charge of the battle”: Autograph witness to the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by fourteen maps and plans. $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: President Lincoln thanks a schoolboy on behalf of "all the children of the nation for his efforts to ensure "that this war shall be successful, and the Union be maintained and perpetuated." $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9d2762bc-9f26-47ef-96de-1c28070e19f6.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.")