Patricia Ahearn, wife of Allen and partner with him in Quill & Brush and in their well regarded guides to book collecting and book values, passed away at the end of May.
The details of her and Allen’s careers have already, like dandelion seeds, been cast to the four corners with obituaries and memorials that remember her passing and acknowledge her life. She had a good run, some 77 years, and was brave in her battles with cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Her death speaks to the impinging reality that besets the entire rare book community. It is a field once young that now gently ages toward last book fairs, last customers and last sales. And in this there is nothing to complain about. The stalwart IBMer is walked out in their sixties and teachers rarely still regale classes by 70. But booksellers, for them there is no statute of limitations, just days on calendars that have more decades than other professions. And this is fortunate for involvement keeps us young.
Allen contributed these thoughts a few days ago:
“I want to thank you for remembering Pat and the kind words.
It's true that our business allows us to continue working at something we like, well passed our mental expiration dates in some cases. Certainly the business was something that helped me get through the three years we cared for Pat. I couldn't work 8 hours a day, maybe 3 or 4. But, I'm lucky to have a large family that gave us support throughout these years.
We received a large number of cards, letters and messages that showed how well so many people remembered her. This helped and also brought many memories that made us tear up when recalling past good times.
I'm not in any hurry to make any major decisions but will let things play out until something becomes obvious or a choice has to be made. The house is large as many of you know and I think I'll put it on the market next spring. My daughter Beth Fisher and I will continue the business.”
Life, when lived well, is doing what you like. By this standard, Pat Ahearn lived well, very well and she will be missed for her laugh and her smile.
Link to Quill & Brush and comments on the passing of Patricia Ahearn
ALDE, Apr. 8: GUEVARA (ANTONIO DE). Histoire de Marc-Aurèle, Empereur Romain, vray miroir et horloge des Princes. Paris, Pierre et Galliot du Pré, frères, 1565. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: HEURES DE LA VIERGE. Horæ in laudem beatissimæ virginis Mariæ ad usum Romanum. Paris, Charles L'Angelier, 1556. €4,000 to €5,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: MONTAIGNE (MICHEL DE). Les Essais. Édition nouvelle, trouvée après le deceds de l'autheur… Paris, Abel L'Angelier, 1595. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [ROJAS (FERNANDO DE)]. Celestina, tragicomedia di Calisto et Melibea, tradotta de lingua castigliana in italiano idioma… Venise, 1531. €2,000 to €3,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CAMÕES (LUÍS DE). Os Lusiadas. Lisbonne, Pedro Crasbeeck, 1613. €2,000 to €3,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles, Roger Velpius & Huberto Antonio, 1611. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: LA FONTAINE (JEAN DE). Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris, Denys Thierry et Claude Barbin, 1678-1694. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid, Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: DIDEROT (DENIS) ET JEAN LE ROND D'ALEMBERT. Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Paris, 1751-1765. €15,000 to €20,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). Les Laboureurs. Poème tiré de Jocelyn… Lyon, J. A. Henry, 1883. €8,000 to €10,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. Livre de prières tissé d'après les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe siècle. Lyon, [A. Roux], 1886. €5,000 to €6,000.
Sotheby’s Books, Manuscripts & Objects from Three Important Collections Open for Bidding 2-17 April
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: [Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun]. Le Roman de la Rose, [Geneva or Lyons, c.1481], first printed edition of the most important medieval French vernacular poem. £200,000 to £300,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Castiglione. Il libro del cortegiano. [Venice], April 1528, first edition, in a magnificent binding by Jean Picard for Jean Grolier. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Jacobus de Cessolis. Schachzabelbuch, Strasbourg, 1483, von der Lasa copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: World Championship, 1972. A collection of 84 press photographs of the famed match between Spassky and Fischer. £2,000 to £3,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Ben Franklin. Autograph letter signed, to Lord Shelburne, British Prime Minister, during peace negotiations, November 1782. £15,000 to £20,000.
