Pacific Book Auction - A good place to do business
- by Karen Wright
Christina Geiger prepares for an auction.
They have an expert staff of thirteen people, most of whom have been with them for a long time. Administrators are Cameron Whiteman, President; Shannon Kennedy, VP of Client Services; Scott Evans, VP Operations & Technology; Rachel Frothingham, Client Services Associate; Justine Berkeley, Logistics Manager; and Larry Page, Shipping Manager. Then they have the book folk; Consignments, Appraisals and Cataloguing are done by Bruce MacMakin, Senior VP; George Fox, VP of Market Development and Senior Auctioneer; and aides, Thomas Lommen and Christina Geiger. When we were there, Christina was just doing her first big auction, and an awesome job she did!
"So tell me the process," I said to Bruce. "When a consignment comes in where does it go?" He said that the very first and most important thing they do, even before they accept a consignment, is talk to the consignee and get a feel for what books the person has to offer. There is no sense taking books that they know they can't sell. A lot of effort goes into each book in each consignment, so they are not looking for $5.00 books, but for higher end antiquarian and rare books. Sometimes when they accept an estate or big collection, they have to accept all the books, wonderful and not so wonderful. As Bruce put it; "PBA's interest is the same as the consignor's; we all need to make money."
Once they decide to take on a consignment, then PBA picks up or sends for the books, depending upon where they are located. They turn them over to their consignment department and the experts go through them and catalog them. The catalog contains the usual title, author, etc., and an excellent description of each book. Bruce said that they photograph approximately one in every 30 books, especially if they are real gems. In the meantime, all the books are also cataloged online. Once the print catalog is put together it is sent to their printer. "They can take the catalog and usually get it back to us in four days," Bruce told me. "We also put the catalog online and begin taking bids there."
Personally, I love the Category Watch that PBA offers. I have a very specialized bookstore and another job as well, so I don't have time, nor do I want to have to go through their entire catalog of fiction et al. to find my scarce, but wonderful books on architecture, travel, botany, cooking, or how to make jewelry. So when I signed up with PBA, I filled out the Category Watch form and now, when there are books in my arena of interest, they send me an email so I can check them out and bid if I want them.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
