May 25: Landmark Abolitionist Material and Americana at Sotheby's New York
- by Thomas C. McKinney
Highlighted Americans from Sotheby's Two Centuries of American History: Highly Important Letters and Documents
The last item I'd like to bring to your attention is also the most contemporary and the last lot of the sale. Lot 94 is an Autograph Retained Draft Letter Signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1968, as Governor of California, in which he specifically states he will not "present myself as a candidate" for the presidency. This letter precedes his eventual election by twelve years, but dates to the beginning of his interest in the office. He did ultimately declare himself an active candidate in 1968, but was late to the game. The act did however help bring Reagan to national prominence and made him a serious candidate in 1976 and 1980, ultimately winning election in the latter year. This small piece of history is estimated $3,000-5,000.
Two Centuries of American History: Highly Important Letters and Documents will take place Wednesday, May 25th, 2016, at 2:00 PM eastern time. As previously stated, the catalog is not available online at this time. It should be made available both in print and on Sotheby's website in the very near future. For the time being, any information related to the sale can be found under the upcoming auctions page of Sotheby's Books & Manuscripts department. Exhibition dates and times (eastern) for the sale are the following in New York:
Sat, 21 May 16, 10:00 AM-05:00 PM
Sun, 22 May 16, 12:00 PM-05:00 PM
Mon, 23 May 16, 10:00 AM-05:00 PM
Tue, 24 May 16, 10:00 AM-05:00 PM
Wed, 25 May 16, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
If you intend on bidding, registration with Sotheby's is required, which can be done here. This has the additional benefit of being able to track the sale as well.
Sotheby’s, July 14: Henry De La Beche. "Awful Changes," 1830. $6,000 to $9,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 11]. Flight Plan, Complete Original Printing Signed by Buzz Aldrin. $5,000 to $8,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: Thomas Alva Edison. Documents Establishing and Ending the Edison Electric Railway Company. $20,000 to $30,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: Richard P. Feynman. Feynman's Lectures on Gravitation 1-16, Including the Original Transcriptions of Lectures 12-16 by Morinigo and Wagner, With Richard Feynman's Manuscript Notations, 1971. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 9]. A Group of Manuals and Mission Documents used by Stuart Roosa as a member of the Astronaut Support Crew. $5,000 to $8,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [BYTE: The Small Systems Journal]. A collection of early foundational issues of Byte: The Small Systems Journal, with rare hardcover editions. $5,000 to $8,000.
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Inundation papyrus. P.Michael 4, the ‘Inundation papyrus’, a geographical account of the Nile near Canopus, in Greek, remains of two columns from a manuscript scroll on papyrus, Egypt, second century CE. £12,000-18,000
Forum, July 16: Book of Hours, use of Sarum, manuscript on vellum, 6 full-page miniatures, with famous Middle English inscriptions, Southern Netherlands for the English market, [c.1430]. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Qu'ran, Arabic manuscript on burnished, stencilled, and gold-flecked paper, 447ff., Sultanate Gujarat, Ahmadabad, [after 1411 but no later than 1442]. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Turner (William). A New boke of the natures and properties of all wines that are commonly vsed here in England, rare first edition of the first English book on wine, By William Seres, 1568. £20,000-£30,000
Forum, July 16: Spenser (Edmund). The Faerie Queene. first edition, Printed [by John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, 1590. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Shakespeare (William). The Comedie of Errors, extracted from the first folio, Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, 1623. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Fleming (Ian). Casino Royale, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1953. £40,000-60,000
Forum, July 16: d'Agoty (Jacques-Fabien Gautier). Anatomie de la Tête, first edition, Paris, chez le Sieur Gautier, 1748. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 16: Martial Arts.- Lee (Bruce). 'Praying Mantis style' Kung Fu book, containing numerous annotations, diagrams and graphs in Bruce Lee's hand, c. 1960. £50,000-70,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Warre (Capt. Henry James). Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory, first edition, rare hand-coloured issue, 1848. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Norie (John William). The Marine Atlas, or Seaman's Complete Pilot for all the principal places in the known world..., 1826. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Mao Tse-tung.- Kim Il-sung.-[Note book for visitors from China to Korea], signed by Mao and Kim, [Beijing, 1954]. £10,000-15,000
