• <center><b>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>30th March 2023</b>
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Roman binding.- Pindar. <i>Olympia, Pythia, Nemea, Isthmia,</i> translated by Johannes Lonicer, contemporary Roman binding by Niccolo Franzese, Basel, 1535. £40,000 to £60,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Raverat (Gwen). Comprehensive album of 530 wood engravings, circa 1909-1950. £40,000 to £60,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Hemingway (Ernest). <i>Fiesta,</i> first English edition, first impression dust-jacket, 1927. £15,000 to £20,000.
    <center><b>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>30th March 2023</b>
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Fleming (Ian). <i>Casino Royale,</i> first edition, first impression, 1953. £12,000 to £18,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Dickens (Charles). <i>Great Expectations,</i> 3 vol., first edition, first impression, Chapman and Hall, 1861. £10,000 to £15,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Campbell (Colen) & others. <i>Vitruvius Britannicus, or The British Architect...,</i> 5 vol., vol.1-3 later editions, vol.4 & 5 first editions, [?1731]-31-67-71. £10,000 to £15,000.
    <center><b>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>30th March 2023</b>
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Geography.- Mela (Pomponius). <i>Cosmographia, sive De situ orbis,</i> Venice, Franciscus Renner de Heilbronn, 1478. £8,000 to £12,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> America.- [?Espinosa y Tello (José)]. <i>Relacion del Viage hecho por las Goletas Sutil y Mexicana en el Año de 1792,</i> 2 vol. including Atlas, first edition, Madrid, 1802. £8,000 to £12,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Australasia.- Péron (Francois) and Louis-Claude de Saulces de Freycinet. <i>Voyage de Découvertes aux Terres Australes,</i> 5 vol. including Atlas, second edition, Paris, 1824. £8,000 to £12,000.
    <center><b>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>30th March 2023</b>
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Botany.- Curtis (William). <i>The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed,</i> 83 vol. in 62, 1794-1956. £8,000 to £12,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Darwin (Charles).- Lecky (W.E.H.) <i>The Rise and Influence of Rationalism in Europe,</i> 2 vol., Darwin's copy with inscription "Charles Darwin 1865", pencil marginalia and pencil notes, 1865. £7,000 to £10,000.
  • <b><center>Swann Auction Galleries<br>Printed & Manuscript African Americana:<br>March 30, 2023</b>
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> Victor H. Green, <i>The Negro Motorist Green Book,</i> New York, 1949. $10,000 to $15,000.
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> Papers of pianist-composer Lawrence Brown relating to Paul Robeson & more, various places, 1925-54. $5,000 to $7,500.
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> Freedom Summer archive of civil rights activist Karen Haberman Trusty, Atlanta & elsewhere, 1963-64. $5,000 to $7,500.
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> E. Simms Campbell, <i>A Night-Club Map of Harlem,</i> New York, 1933. $8,000 to $12,000.
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> Archive of letters from the sculptor Richmond Barthé to a close Jamaican friend, various places, 1966-85. $25,000 to $35,000.
  • <center><b>Gonnelli<br>Auction 41<br>Books, Autographs & Manuscripts<br>March 21st-23rd 2023</b>
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Nabokov, <i>Lolita,</i> 1955. First edition, mint copy. Starting price 1900€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Marinetti, <i>Zang Tumb Tuuum,</i> 1914. First edition. Starting price 1600€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> A collection of <i>Playboy,</i> starting price from 20€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Kepler, <i>Dioptrice,</i> 1611. First edition. Starting price 9500€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Barbault, <i>Les plus beaux Monuments de Rome,</i> 1761-1766. Starting price 5500€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Watson, <i>Dendrologia Britannica,</i> 1825. Starting price 380€

Rare Book Monthly

Articles - May - 2014 Issue

Christies May 21st in London: in the embrace of history

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Christie’s has a long and storied history of formidable auctions, and the material they offer meets a very high standard. This month, Christie’s London’s Valuable Manuscripts and Printed Books continues the trend as one hundred and twenty-one lots featuring many significant people and events are offered for sale on May 21st.

Fourteen lots of medieval and renaissance manuscripts begin the catalogue, and they won’t all break the bank. The first lot, The Adoration of the Magi, an illuminated manuscript presenting a miniature on a leaf from a Book of Hours dated c.1450, is estimated $8,300-13,000. Another lot that caught my eye is a Bible produced in 13th century England. I found myself considering the events that happened in England during the manuscript’s existence: the arrival of the Black Death in England, the separation of the Church of England from Rome, the Wars of the Rose, and Shakespeare all come to mind. As lot 06, the Bible is estimated $17,000-25,000.

One of the few lots in the sale falling under the category of Americana is also one of the most significant offered. The Codex Chimalpahin and Historical Works for Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl are three volumes related to Aztec Mexico and contain major unpublished original accounts about native life, society and politics in Prehispanic and 16th century New Spain. Two authors, both of Nahua (Aztec) descent, offer an immensely rare and comprehensive perspective from the indigenous side that is otherwise not available to private collectors. Estimated $500,000-830,000, these volumes are not for the faint of heart, or the light of wallet.

While the preceding manuscript lots may be older, many of the items under the autograph letter and manuscripts section command higher prices. A veritable who’s who of important and high profile composers and their autograph letters and manuscripts are on display. Bach? A section of the composing score of church cantata BWV 188, ‘Ich habe meine Zuversicht,’ is available as lot 15. It is estimated $250,000-330,000. Perhaps you prefer Beethoven? The following lot, #16, is an autograph letter signed to the pianist and composer, Charles Neate, and is estimated $50,000-83,000. The following lots include the likes of Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, and Mendelssohn.

The big names continue to flow after the composers wrap up. Dickens, Einstein, Freud, Leibniz, and Planck are among those with autograph material available. A small section dedicated to Alan Turing and 20th century mathematics is also included. Turing was a name that I was, until recently, unfamiliar with. However, a movie about him, The Imitation Game, is due to release this year and brought him into my scope of knowledge. His autograph, which according to Christie’s has never before been offered at auction, is offered, as well as his own personal copies of two volumes on specific mathematic concepts.

Under the nineteen lot section on Russian books and manuscripts, significant publications from Russia make appearances. Six lots of material by Dostoevsky are here, including the first edition of Crime and Punishment (in Russian, of course). It is estimated $10,000-15,000 as lot 52. But the most significant item here is Apostol [Acts and Epistles], published by order of Ivan IV for the various churches built in Muscovy and Kazan under his watch. This is the first edition of the first dated book printed in Moscow from 1564. Only one other copy of the same edition is known, being held by the British Library. As lot 50, it is estimated $170,000-250,000.

Western European books are grouped together in a sizeable 35 lot portion of the sale. Many of the items are incunabula or were printed at the beginning of the 16th century.  Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica, the best surviving account of the mythical story of Jason and the Argonauts, is estimated $15,000-20,000 as lot 70. Another highlight of the section is lot 80, Albrecht Durer’s Passio Christi [The Small Passion], a first edition of a complete set of Durer’s most extensive series that includes 36 woodcuts and is estimated $20,000-30,000. With these items and the other material offered in mind, the diamond of the section is undoubtedly lot 99—a presentation copy of Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations from 1776. No other like copies have been seen in the rooms for over 40 years. Considering both the rarity and the significance of the content, it’s not surprising to see a six-digit estimation of $120,000-170,000.

The final lots of the sale fall more broadly under the categories of cartography, topography, and natural history. Francis Frith’s Egypt, Sinai, and Jerusalem: A Series of Twenty Photographs, c.1858-1860, is offered in its first edition and is considered one of the most important 19th century photobooks. Frith’s photographs contained within, particularly his views of the Pyramids, were groundbreaking for the period and are the works he is best known for. The large volume, measuring nearly 2 ½ feet wide and 1 ¾ feet tall, is listed as lot 108 and estimated $120,000-170,000. For collectors of maps, two copies and different editions of Abraham Ortelius’ Theatrum orbis terraru. –Parergon. –Nomenclator ptolemaicus atlas are being sold under lots 114 and 115. Both are entirely colored by hand and contain over 150 maps. Neither are entirely complete—lot 114, the 1601 edition, is missing a single map, and lot 115, the 1603 Latin edition, is missing two.

All in all, Christie’s London’s Valuable Manuscripts and Printed Books contains a large assortment of significant material covering a wide range of subjects and time. For serious collectors of European and Russian material, your attention is practically mandatory.

 

Here is a link to the sale.

Rare Book Monthly

  • <b><center>Stargardt Autographenhandlung<br>Autographs: Literature, Music, Art, Science, History, Theatre & Film<br>March 28, 2023</b>
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Autograph album leaf signed, 1826. €9,000 to €12,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Franz Kafka: Autograph letter unsigned, 1924. €15,000 to €20,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Torquato Tasso: Autograph poem signed, no date. €12,000 to €16,000.
    <b><center>Stargardt Autographenhandlung<br>Autographs: Literature, Music, Art, Science, History, Theatre & Film<br>March 28, 2023</b>
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Charles Darwin: Autograph letter signed, 1866. €4,500 to €6,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Albert Einstein: Autograph letter signed, 1933. €6,000 to €8,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Heinrich Hertz: Autograph manuscript signed, 1889. €18,000 to €24,000.
    <b><center>Stargardt Autographenhandlung<br>Autographs: Literature, Music, Art, Science, History, Theatre & Film<br>March 28, 2023</b>
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Giambattista Bodoni: Autograph letter signed, 1787. €900 to €1,200.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Francisco de Goya: Autograph letter signed, 1789. €18,750 to €25,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Martin Luther: Notes from his desk, no date. €30,000 to €40,000.
    <b><center>Stargardt Autographenhandlung<br>Autographs: Literature, Music, Art, Science, History, Theatre & Film<br>March 28, 2023</b>
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Ludwig van Beethoven: Autograph letter signed, 1816. €22,500 to €30,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Gustav Mahler: Foto portrait signed and annotated, 1907(?). €7,500 to €10,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Bed?ich Smetana: Autograph letter signed, 1883. €4,500 to €6,000.
  • <b><center>Koller Auctions<br>Books & Autographs<br>29 March 2023</b>
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> DADA - <i>Cabaret Voltaire.</i> A collection of artistic and literary contributions. Edited by Hugo Ball. CHF 5,000 to 8,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> EXPRESSIONISM - <i>Der Sturm.</i> Weekly magazine for culture and the arts. Almost complete suite from the years 1910 to 1932. CHF 20,000 to 30,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> LISBON EARTHQUAKE - <i>Augsburg collection of copper engravings of Lisbon. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Hamilton, William. <i>Campi Phlegraei. Observations on the Volcanos of the Two Sicilies as they have been communicated to the Royal Society of London.</i> Naples, 1776-1779. CHF 50,000 to 70,000.
    <b><center>Koller Auctions<br>Books & Autographs<br>29 March 2023</b>
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Leonardi, Domenico Felice. <i>Le Delizie della villa di Castellazzo descritte in verso dall'abbate Domenico Felice Leonardi lucchese fra gli Arcadi Ildosio Foloetico.</i> Milan, 1743. CHF 12,000 to 18,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Zwingli, Huldrych. <i>Von erkiesen und freyhait der speisen. Von ergernusz und Verbößerung. Ob man gewalt hab die speyß zu etlichen zeyten verbieten [...]</i>. CHF 2,500 to 4,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> HENDRIK VAN VULLENHOE, UMKREIS. Benedictional and other texts for Johannes von Venningen, Bishop of Basel. Latin manuscript on parchment. CHF 50,000 to 80,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Gujer, Hans Rudolf. Master typist's book by Hans Rudolf Gujer from Wermetschweil (Wermatswil). German manuscript on paper. CHF 3,000 to 5,000.

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