Devon Gray to take Responsibility for Books and Manuscripts at Skinners
- by Bruce E. McKinney
Something to look forward to in the November Sale: The Mask, vols 1-4. Est. $800 - $1,200
New England was once on par with New York and Philadelphia in offering printed material at auction. As evidence, here is a list, drawn from “American Book Auction Catalogues – 1713-1934” by George McKay, of auction houses that have listed Boston as their home. It’s a long list.
Benjamin Adams, Frances Amory, T. M. Baker, Baker & Alexander, A Bowman, John Boydell, Samuel Bradford, Thaxter & Brodhead, Brown Brothers, Buckley & Bancroft, Alexander Carlile, Benjamin Church, Clark & Hatch, Cooley & Drake, Blake and Cunningham, Moses Deshon, Door & Allen, Edward L. Draper, Elias Dupee, Rowland Dyke, Joshua Eaton, Edwards and Foster, Benjamin Eliot, William Eustis, William Fallass, Thomas Fleet, Samuel Gerrish, John Gerrish, Daniel Goffe, Harrison Gray, William Greenleaf, Daniel Henchman, Hinkley & Kneeland, Thomas K. Jones, John Jutau, Henry Knox, Howe, Leonard & Co., Joseph Leonard, Leonard & Cunningham, Leonard & Peirce, Leonard & Co, Leonard & Bird, Joseph Lewis, Charles F. Libbie, C. F. Libbie, William K. MacKay Co., John Mein, Moffatt, Boston, William Nichols and Company, Andrew Oliver, W. C. Otis, Parkman & Hinkley, Peirce & Putnam, Charles H. Peirce & Co., Benjamin Perkins, Plympton & Marett, Proctor & Lowell, Edward Proctor, Joseph Russell, Russell & Clap, Robert G. Shaw, R. G. Shaw & Co., Frink Stratton, Ambrose Vincent, Whitwell & Bond, Whitwell, Bond & Co., Whitwell & Seaver, Savage & Winter, William Winter, and Yancey, Cudworth and Com’y.
Today’s list is very short.
In fact Boston has always been a book town and earned its storied reputation for what has passed through its auction rooms. In recent years the flow has drifted to New York and elsewhere. Ms. Gray intends to bend back the course and in so doing restore the sheen to Boston’s book auction history. In this endeavor we wish her the very best. The material is there.
The firm has two locations:
Skinner, Inc.
63 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-350-5400
Fax: 617-350-5429
Skinner, Inc.
274 Cedar Hill Street
Marlborough, MA 01752
Phone: 508-970-3000
Fax: 508-970-3100
The book department and Ms. Gray may be reached by email at dgray@skinnerinc.com or contacted by phone at 508-970-3000.
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.")
