The remarkable El Ateneo bookshop of Buenos Aires.
Libros del Pasaje was very interesting. They had lots of books, some of which were in English. They had a nice little café and bar at the back of the store and rolling ladders to reach the high book shelves. They are open late and very helpful. I didn’t buy anything there as I had already reached my limit for the day. One of the things we most appreciated about South American restaurants and bars is that they don’t hurry you up. You can sit at your table all afternoon or evening sipping their excellent wines or not-so-excellent coffee, talking among friends, reading a book or newspaper, and nobody glowers threateningly.
When we were in Portugal several years ago, we went to Lello’s, the purported “most beautiful bookstore in the world”, and I have to agree, it was incredible. But then we went to El Ateneo in Buenos Aires and it gave Lello’s a run for its money. It reminded me a little of Powell’s in Portland, only in a more grand setting. It was built in 1919, designed for the Emperor Max Glucksmann (1875-1946). Most of Buenos Aires top stars such as Enrico Caruso and the very famous “father of Tango,” Carlos Gardel, performed there. It later became a radio station and often featured celebrity tango singers. It closed for a number of years until it was rescued and became the second most beautiful bookstore in the world (in my humble opinion and theirs too). It is called the “Grand Splendid”, and it is aptly named. It’s in a grand old historic theater three stories high and packed with splendid new books. Most were in Spanish. The stage has become a coffee shop with yummy lemon squares and there are box seats, nooks, and crannies all over the place where one can sit in big overstuffed chairs to read for as long as one wishes to. My photos don’t begin to show the glamour of this joint, so go to www.boredpanda.com/buenos-aires-bookstore-theatre-el-ateneo-grand-splendid and feast your eyes. I wanted to just lie down on the floor and stare up at the incredible artwork on the ceilings. Michelangelo would have felt right at home. I bought tango bookmarks with beautiful, leggy tango ladies on them for my male partners in our book co-op. The ladies got penguin paraphernalia from the Falklands. I also found a set of gorgeous Spanish Tarot Cards for my Spanish speaking customers. They will treasure them, knowing they came from Argentina.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
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Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
