Rare Book Monthly

Articles - November - 2003 Issue

American Historical Fiction Chart

- by Bruce E. McKinney

The index is a road map.

The index is a road map.

American Historical Fiction	Prices Sixty-Five Years Ago	Inflation Adjusted to 2003
Mercedes of Castile; or The Voyage to Cathay, 1840	$20.00	$241.17
Onea. An Indian Tale, 1820	$35.00	$422.04
The Damsel of Darien, 1839	$20.00	$241.17
Montezuma; The Last of the Aztecs, 1845	$8.50	$102.50
Calavar; or, The Knight of the Conquest, 1834	$40.00	$482.34
The Infidel; or, The Fall of Mexico, 1835	$22.50	$271.31
The Flamingo Feather, 1887	$17.50	$211.02
Algic Researches. Indian Tales and Legends, 1839	$22.50	$272.31
The First Settlers of Virginia, an Historical…, 1806	$25.00	$301.46
My Lady Pokahontas, A True Relation…1885	$5.00	$60.29
To Have and to Hold, 1900	$50.00	$602.92
Standish of Standish & Betty Alden, The First Born,1889-91	$30.00	$361.75
Tales of the Puritans, 1831	$12.50	$150.75
Merry-Mount; A Romance of the Massachusetts…1849	$50.00	$602.92
Hobomok, A Tale of Early Times, 1824	$50.00	$602.92
A Peep at the Pilgrims in Sixteen Hundred Thirty Six, 1824	$25.00	$301.46
Hope Leslie; or, Early Times in Massachusetts, 1827	$35.00	$422.04
The Bay-Path: A Tale of New England…1857	$3.00	$36.18
Koningsmark, The Long Finne., 1823	$37.50	$452.19
The Scarlet Letter, 1850	$65.00	$783.80
King Noanett. A Story of Old Virginia…1896	$10.00	$120.58
Prisoners of Hope., 1898	$8.50	$102.50
Tales of the Spanish Seas, 1847	$30.00	$361.75
Naomi; or Boston, Two Hundred Years Ago, 1848	$7.50	$90.44
A Nameless Nobleman, 1881	$3.50	$42.20
The First of the Knickerbockers: A Tale of 1673, 1848	$10.00	$120.58
Mount Hope: or, Philip, King of the Wampanoags, 1851	$7.50	$90.44
The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish, 1829	$40.00	$482.34
White Aprons, 1896	$5.00	$60.29
Mogg Megone, 1836	$100.00	$1205.84
The Story of Tonty, 1890	$4.00	$48.23
Rob of the Bowl: A Legend of St. Inigoes, 1838	$40.00	$482.34
The Heart's Highway, 1900	$3.50	$42.20
Yonnondio, or Warriors of the Genesee, 1844	$20.00	$241.17
Nix's Mate: An Historical Romance of America, 1839	$40.00	$482.34
The Begum's Daughter, 1890	$5.00	$60.29
Captain Kyd; or, The Wizard of the Sea, 1839	$27.50	$331.61
Rachel Dyer. A North American Story., 1828	$45.00	$542.63
The Mississippi Bubble., 1902	$10.00	$120.58
The Knights of the Horse-Shoe;…1845	$150.00	$1808.76
The Yemassee. A Romance of Carolina., 1835	$150.00	$1808.76
The Water-Witch, or The Skimmer of the Seas., 1830	$285.00	$3436.64
Isadore: or The Captives of the Norridgwocks., 1846	$10.00	$120.58
Celuta; or, The Natchez. An Indian Tale., 1832	$75.00	$904.38

Rare Book Monthly

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. 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.
Heritage Auctions
Rare Books Signature Auction
December 15, 2025

Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.

Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.

Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.

Heritage, Dec. 15: Bram Stoker. Dracula. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897.

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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