Until a few years ago a book collector could expect the New York ABAA Book Fair to draw the cognoscenti from around the world in early April. Well, that was then and this is now and the ABAA’s New York Fair is now a March event to accommodate scheduling conflicts.
Since that change took effect the auction houses in the New York area have slowly recalibrated their calendars to reflect the large and unique audience the show attracts. This year about twenty auctions are scheduled, some to take place in New York and others to be beamed in.
Here are the auctions in books, manuscripts, maps and ephemera in the New York area currently scheduled in March. Most houses will provide opportunities to examine upcoming material.
Swann Galleries:
1 March Vintage Posters Featuring Highlights from the Gail Chisholm Collection
8 March Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books
13 March 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings
22 March Autographs
29 March Printed & Manuscript African Americana
Bonhams
9 March Extraordinary Books and Manuscripts
21 March Fine Books and Manuscripts including Slyvia Plath and Ted Hughes
28 March Prints and Multiples
Sothebys
2 March Prints & Multiples
13 March Original Film Posters Online
14 March The Political Cartoon Collection of Jeffrey Archer
22 March Dessins de la Collection Christian et Isabelle Adrien
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary pair of books from George Washington’s field library, marking the conjunction of Robert Rogers, George Washington, and Henry Knox. $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary letter marking the conjunction of George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: Virginia House of Delegates. The genesis of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. $350,000 to $500,000.
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: (Gettysburg). “Genl. Doubleday has taken charge of the battle”: Autograph witness to the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by fourteen maps and plans. $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: President Lincoln thanks a schoolboy on behalf of "all the children of the nation for his efforts to ensure "that this war shall be successful, and the Union be maintained and perpetuated." $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.