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.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
