Live Online Now Thru Sept 13: Atlases, Maps, and Rare Books at Old World Auctions
- by Eliane Dotson
Although collectors typically come to Old World Auctions (OWA) for antique maps, the September sale also offers an outstanding selection of rare books. Included are atlases, history books, geography books, books on exploration, and even reference works. One example is the very rare first edition of Jeremiah Greenleaf's A New Universal Atlas, published in 1840. Although a reissue of David Burr's 1836 edition atlas of the same name, Greenleaf added two important and highly collectible maps of Texas, Wisconsin and Iowa. The map of Texas features an independent Republic of Texas with interesting boundaries and early county configurations. The map of Wisconsin and Iowa shows "Carvers Tract," a 10,000 square area of land that Jonathan Carver contended had been granted to him by the Sioux Indians. Overall the atlas contains 65 maps in beautiful, original full-wash color. The atlas is estimated at $5500-7000.
Other unique items are Samuel Griswold Goodrich's A National Geography, for Schools, which includes a removable, fan-shaped map of the world, and a seemingly mundane municipal report for the city of San Francisco that features a nefarious map of Chinatown locating all of the Chinese gambling houses, opium "resorts," "Joss Houses," and brothels. Goodrich's geography book is estimated at $350-450 and the San Francisco Municipal Report is estimated at $500-650.
Several highly sought-after 20th century pieces are included in the auction as well. There will be three different satirical serio-comic maps of Europe during WWI, as well as Ruth Taylor White's Our U.S.A. - A Gay Geography, which is filled with humorous pictorial maps of each US state. And for the first time, OWA will be offering a set of three USGS master copper plates for Doswell, Virginia, that were created in 1918. The copper plates are estimated at $1000-1500.
As always, OWA will offer hundreds of antique maps. There are no less than 50 maps by celebrated cartographer Abraham Ortelius, including his famous map of Iceland filled with sea monsters, and his rare two-sheet map of Egypt. Another featured item is Johan Michael Seligmann's Carolinae Floridae nec non Insularum Bahamensium, a German edition of Catesby's scarce and important map of the southeastern United States. For those with dwindling wall space, there will be dozens of miniature maps and maps from Mercator's Atlas Minor from regions all over the world.
Old World Auctions' September sale will feature over 800 lots of antique maps, charts, atlases, books, globes, and prints and will close on September 13. With such variety, there will be something of interest for every collector. And with OWA's long-standing expertise in the industry coupled with their 100% money-back guarantee on everything they sell, there is little risk in placing a bid. Please go to www.oldworldauctions.com to register and bid.
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.
