These erasers are a marvel and just $2.65 for a 4 pack
If you are not also a bindery, you better make friends with one. A good bookbinder can make the difference between a book that looks like it really belongs in the town dump and one which can take its place proudly in a collector's cabinet. I lust after the bookbinder's skills, but do not have them; fortunately, on Cape Cod we have Talin Bookbindery (www.talinbookbindery.com). Jim and Pam, a brother-and-sister partnership, do incredible work and create their own marble papers, which they sell to other binderies (these marble papers are works of art suitable for framing.) What I really like about working with them is they have great pleasure in their craft; this is not the kind of place you just drop your stuff off at, although I suppose, you could. Plan on spending some time to discuss your project and ask questions. They are very generous in sharing their knowledge.
The United States Post Office is my other favorite thing. Shipping costs can make or break booksellers. In an ideal world I would like to use UPS or FedEx for their reliability and door-to-door tracking, but for our mid-range business the costs are too prohibitive for all but the high-end sales. The USPS offers a few products which I have found outstanding:
The Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelope.
The Priority Mail Flat-Rate Box.
The Global Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelope.
You have to really love the flat-rate series, particularly the book-sized products: the Priority Mail flat-rate envelope, the new and very exciting Priority Mail flat-rate box, and their international cousin, the Global Priority mail flat-rate envelope. While the two envelopes provide virtually zero protection to books on their own, we've found that they successfully transport paper and bubble-wrapped books (sometimes even with cardboard inserted for extra support). At $3.85 and $7.70, respectively, with no weight limit for the Priority Mail products within the United States, they enable us to provide better service and even shave a few dollars from our costs. We always use Global Priority mail, unless the shipment exceeds 4 lbs. As a small publisher we manufacture our books so that, if possible, they will slip seamlessly into these envelopes.
For larger international shipments we use the little-known USPS m-bag service (look for Volume Discount Mail at www.usps.com). This service, begun in post-World War II, was designed to ship large amounts of books in a discrete, personally tagged mailbag, which still pleasantly surprises our overseas customers. At $9.90 for 11 lbs. to the U.K., and up to 66 lbs. per bag, it is one of the true shipping bargains.
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.")
