H.P. Kraus Reference Library<br>At Auction This Month
- by Michael Stillman
The H.P. Kraus store on 46th Street, New York. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
By Michael Stillman
Starting on November 18, 2003, and running through November 20, one of the most important book auctions of the past several seasons will be taking place at Sotheby’s in New York. Entitled “The Celebrated Reference Library of H.P. Kraus,” Sotheby’s will be auctioning one of the most complete reference collections ever put together. It affords collectors, librarians, and booksellers a rare chance to build or add to their own reference libraries.
H.P. Kraus was one of the major booksellers of the second half of the 20th century. Emigrating from Austria just before the start of the Second World War, he set up shop in New York, where he sold books until his death in 1988. The shop was then run by his widow, Hanni Kraus, until she passed away early this year.
Hans Kraus was no ordinary bookseller. Two things stand out about his business. One is that he was noted for the immaculate condition of his material. You didn’t go to Kraus to buy material in fair or good condition. This is where you bought material that was mint. And, his material was mostly very old, much of it incunabula.
The second thing that Kraus was noted for was his massive reference library. He gathered virtually every reference work available in the field of books. It is from this immense collection that the Sotheby’s auction draws. It is unlikely we will be seeing another offering of reference works this extensive any time soon.
The Kraus auction will take place in five sessions over three days. Morning sessions take place at 10:15 on all three days, Tuesday-Thursday, November 18-20, while afternoon sessions are limited to November 18 and 19 at 2:00. Material will be on exhibit at the H.P. Kraus store Thursday, November 13 – Monday, November 17, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. except 1:00-5:00 on Sunday, November 16. The auctions take place on the second floor at Sotheby’s, New York.
It would be impossible to do more than mention a few scattered items in this extensive collection. There will be 1,088 lots offered for sale, but this doesn’t begin to indicate the quantity of material as most lots contain multiple titles. There are around 17,000 items in all. Lots are sorted into different categories, such as bookbinding, American bibliography, cartography and catalogues. Lots in a category are all auctioned in the same session, enabling bidders to focus on material of interest to them.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
