Waverly on the 3rd: Rare Books with Maps and Atlases
- by Bruce E. McKinney
In a few days Waverly will be holding a Rare Books with Maps & Atlases sale. These are interesting events, a combination of serious descriptions and low estimates. Among the 461 lots there are various categories: The Medieval Literature Collection of Steven S. Evans [lots 1-34]; Children’s Books 35-84; Maps, Atlases & Views 85-128; Autographs 129-194; Fine Bindings 195-208; First Editions 209-258, Americana 259-307; Varia 308-420; and Illustrated Books 421-461. Auction houses have trouble these days getting the right balance of material, description and estimates. This sale looks right to me.
The estimates are low. Do not expect to get the better lots within the estimates. There is a growing school of thought that the audience will understand the actual value, which may be quite a bit higher than the high estimate. Maybe yes, maybe no. So to bid in this sale look at the auction records. They’ll tell you where the lots will likely land.
Many lots are complex, that is they contain more than one item and sometimes quite a few. Retail bidders often shun such lots but they often represent some of the best values. Look carefully at them.
Looking at the sale overall the categories of material are diverse, the polar opposite of the specialist sales that typically command a premium. The material in this sale may well equal what’s offered in specialist sales but because the range is broader both estimates and realizations tend to be lower. This suggests there will be some opportunities.
The general sales are fewer these days but continue to be important. The headlines tend to scream millions but the reality is that hundreds of thousands of very good books will cause barely a ripple in the public’s awareness as they pass through the rooms. That suggests there will be some bargains. There always are.
Whatever your view, if the sale is of interest you’ll need to move quickly. The sale is on December 3rd.
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.
