Arader Galleries Returns to the Rooms December 6th
- by Thomas C. McKinney
The Arader Galleries December 6th auction contains some magnificent material
Known for his dedication to the collection of maps in the Americana field, as well as his sizeable holdings of Audubon, Graham Arader and Arader Galleries present From Sea to Shining Sea: Art of America on December 6th, 2014, a sale of 197 lots. To be held at Beaux-Arts townhouse gallery in Manhattan, the auction will feature the works of John James Audubon from his iconic Birds of America and Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America; a selection of maps and views of New York; maps, views, and books related to the 50 States and the District of Columbia; and lastly, art of the American West, natural history works on paper, and sporting and marine art. Arader Galleries is known for holding only the highest quality of material, and you can expect this same standard within the material for auction.
Twenty-four lots of Audubon are available, ranging from lot 22, an imperial folio lithograph of the Camas Rat, carrying an estimate of $100 - $200, to lot 12, a first edition engraving with original hand-color of a Trumpeter Swan estimated $70,000 - $90,000. The material runs the gamut in price but each item is a sight to behold.
I expect my father to be bidding in the next section on New York maps and views. He has kept no secret that his collecting passion lies in his home state, and he has pursued related material with a voracity few, if any, outside the rare book field can understand. Fortunately for him, much of the material carry moderate to low estimates, and that will save him from my mother’s ire. Lot 38, a Map of the Province of New York, is estimated $4,000 - $5,000 while Colton’s Railroad & Township Map of the State of New York at lot 36 begins bidding at $250 with an estimate of $500 - $750. Graham, Bruce thanks you for bringing this material to auction.
The largest segment of the sale relates to material on all 50 states. Consisting of mainly maps and views, collectors of specific states and areas will have something to be joyous about this holiday season. Whether it’s Kansas, Alabama, or Ohio, there is material here with your name on it.
And finally, the remainder of the sale covers several topics ranging from the American West, to natural history, to sporting and marine art. Several works on native americans by Karl Bodmer as well as McKenney and Hall are particularly beautiful, as are the nature and botanical illustrations by artists such as John Gould, Edward Lear, Dr. Robert John Thornton, Maria Sybilla Merian, and Mark Catesby.
Arader Galleries bears a well-known reputation within the Americana world, and any time their material comes to auction, serious collectors around the world participate. If you’d like to join them this month, the sale begins December 6th, 2014 at 1pm ET. Bidding will be done in person, and online through three website—Live Auctioneers, Proxibid, and Invaluable. Online catalogs for the sale are also available at all three sites. Please choose your favorite and register with them to take part in the sale.
For more information on the sale, please contact loricohen@aradergalleries.com or call 215.735.8811.
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.