Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES. Red-Shouldered Hawk. London: R. Havell, Jr., 1829. $2,000 - $3,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: STEWART, WILLIAM DRUMMOND, SIR. Altowan; or, Incidents of Life and Adventure in the Rocky Mountain... New York, 1846. PRESENTATION COPY. $800 - $1,200
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: WILLUGHBY & RAY, JOHN. The Ornithology of Francis Willughby in three books... London, Martyn, 1678. $800 - $1,200
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: SUSAN B. ANTHONY. Autograph Quotation Signed, on equal rights "for men and women," Rochester, 1898. $1,000 - $1,500
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN. Autograph Letter Signed integrally to Le Comte de Milly arranging a meeting with M. Broignard, Passy, 1778. $10,000 - $15,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: FRANKLIN, JEFFERSON, & ADAMS. Mansucript Signed by all three architects of the American ideal, requesting a Treaty of Amity and Commerce. $750,000 - $1,000,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. Endorsement Signed, a pardon for a Confederate soldier, February 6, 1865. $4,000 - $6,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: NAPOLEON FORMALLY RATIFIES THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE. Document Signed ("James Monroe," "Robt. R. Livingston" and "Barbé-Marbois"). $100,000 - $200,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: JAMES MONROE ON THE DIFFICULTIES OF JAY'S TREATY. Autograph Letter Signed to Thomas Pinckney, Paris, January 17, 1795. $15,000 - $25,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: GIDEON WELLES FIRST HAND ACCOUNT OF FORT PICKENS AND FORT SUMTER ON THE EVE OF CIVIL WAR. Autograph Manuscript, 44 pp, c.1870. $4,000 - $6,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: SIGNED BY BORGES. Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings. 1962. First book publication in English. $4,000 - $6,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: LORENZO DOW TURNER'S COPY. LOCKE, ALAIN. The New Negro: an Interpretation. 1925. $1,000 - $1,500
Forum Auctions A Visual and Historical Voyage into the Ottoman World: The Library of a Gentleman 14th November
Forum, Nov. 14: Preziosi (Amedeo). Stamboul: Recollections of Eastern Life, first edition, Paris, Lemercier, 1858. £6,000 to £8,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Mayr (Heinrich von). Malerische Ansichten aus dem Orient. Vues Pittoresques de l'Orient, first edition in the original 10 parts, Munich, Paris & Leipzig, [1839-40]. £10,000 to £15,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Lewis (John Frederick). Illustrations of Constantinople, made during a Residence in that City &c. in the Years 1835-6, first edition, [1838]. £6,000 to £8,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Dodwell (Edward). Views in Greece, first edition, ordinary format, Rodwell and Martin, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Cassas (Louis François). [Voyage Pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phoenicie, de la Palæstube et de la Basse-Égypte], 3 vol., first edition, [Paris], [1799]. £8,000 to £12,000.
Forum Auctions A Visual and Historical Voyage into the Ottoman World: The Library of a Gentleman 14th November
Forum, Nov. 14: La Chappelle (Georges). Recueil de Divers Portraits des Principales Dames de la Porte du Grand Turc, first edition, Paris, 1648. £8,000 to £12,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Fossati (Gaspard). Aya Sophia Constantinople as recently restored by order of H.M. the Sultan Abdul Medjid, first edition, ordinary format, 1852. £6,000 to £8,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Pertusier (Charles). Promenades Pittoresques dans Constantinople et sur les Rives du Bosphore, 4 vol., inc Atlas, first edition, Paris, H. Nicolle, 1815-17. £6,000 to £8,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Brindesi (Jean). Souvenirs de Constantinople, first edition, [Paris], [1855-60]. £4,000 to £6,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Le Bruyn (Cornelius). Voyage au Levant, first French edition, Delft, Henri de Kroonevelt, 1700. £3,000 to £4,000.
Desa Unicum, Nov. 13:Chronograph Wristwatches. Precious memories of the 20th Century / Cronografi da Polso. Preziose Memorie del XX Secolo, 2013. €3,000 to €5,000. Starting Bid: €10.
Desa Unicum, Nov. 13: Lanthemann, Joseph. Modigliani 1884-1920. A Catalogue Raisonné, Barcelona, 1970. €320 to €380. Starting Bid: €10.
Desa Unicum, Nov. 13: Warhol, Andy. The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (from A to B and back again), New York, 1975. Signed by the author. €500 to €600. Starting Bid: €10.
Desa Unicum, Nov. 13: Vitali, Lamberto. Morandi: Catalogo Generale. I & II, Mediolan, 1983. €1,100 to €1,300. Starting Bid: €10.
Desa Unicum, Nov. 13: Goldstein, Ann. Christopher Wool, Los Angeles, 1998. €320 to €380. Starting Bid: €10.
Desa Unicum, Nov. 13: Celant, Germano. Piero Manzoni, 1989. €320 to €360. Starting Bid: €10.
Desa Unicum, Nov. 13: Ernst, Max. Oeuvre-Katalog. Das Graphische Werk, Cologne, 1975. €420 to €480. Starting Bid: €10.
Doyle Stage & Screen November 14 & 15
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A studio-sanctioned Darth Vader Touring Costume from The Empire Strikes Back. $50,000 to $100,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: An original Al Hirschfeld's illustration of the cast of On Golden Pond. $4,000 to $6,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: The largest trove of personal Grace Kelly letters to come to market. $60,000 to $80,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: An Important Archive of Musical Manuscripts of Truman Capote and Harold Arlen's House of Flowers. $40,000 to $60,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: The archive of an original Merrily We Roll Along Broadway cast member. $5,000 to $10,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Jerry Herman's Yamaha Model C7 Ebonized Grand Piano. $6,000 to $9,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A large group of Jerry Herman musical posters. $300 to $500.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Group of awards presented to Jerry Herman. $300 to $400.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Six pages of original art for "The MAD Game of Basebrawl," a complete story published in MAD #167, pages 31-36, June 1974. $3,000 to $4,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A MAD book made for Al Jaffee, containing original art and writings from many MAD contributors. 2011. $1,200 to $1,800.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A Jaffee-themed MAD Fold-In - "What honor should the creator of the MAD Fold-Ins be given?" $800 to $1,200.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: MAD Fold-In - "What developing news story has many Americans totally transfixed?" $800 to $1,200.
Tim Boucher is a Canadian writer who has been toiling in obscurity for a couple of decades before hitting the wires recently with an odd achievement. He wrote 100 books in about 9 months. Not even the most prolific authors in history, such as L. Ron Hubbard and Barbara Cartland, reached that pinnacle. How did he do it?
The answer is he had a lot of help. That did not come from typical co-authors. His helper was AI – artificial intelligence. That is the wonderful “brain” that powers services like ChatGPT, the intelligence some fear will soon take over the world and possibly eliminate the human race if it feels we are in its way. Boucher may not be anticipating anything quite so apocalyptic from AI, but even he is concerned that it can be misused. If Nietzsche was right that God is Dead, killed by His own creations, then maybe AI will do the same to its creator.
Boucher hasn't become a totally passive observer to the books he writes. He favors science fiction and guides AI in his direction. His specialty is lore. Think of writers like Tolkien or Rowling. Their writing is built around fictional worlds, not real but consistently applied through a series of books. Boucher's 100 follow this pattern. They are not sequels or prequels, but are based on a common lore which ties them together.
It should also be noted that there are no great massive novels, no War and Peace among his books. They run 2,000 to 5,000 words. Additionally, they contain 40 to 140 images, also generated by AI. That's not quite a novel, maybe not even a novella. But, he does sell them, priced accordingly at $1.99 to $3.99. There are no best sellers here, and he depends on his day job, but it does provide a nice bonus on the side. I can't say whether his books are good or not. I haven't read them. I can't. I cannot read as fast as he writes. He told Newsweek it takes him about 6-8 hours to “write” a book, but has written one in as little as three.
AI is a wonderful tool. I determined that Hubbard and Cartland were particularly prolific authors by asking ChatGPT to list some. It took “Chat” just a few seconds. I have also asked “Chat” to write me some stories based on real people and it has willingly obliged. They weren't bad though I don't think they would qualify as great literature. They could compete with many pulp writers, though. AI can also create not-bad art and songs that probably match the quality of 90% of what you hear on the radio today. It will undoubtedly get better in time. It is all kind of creepy as it makes you wonder what that means for artists. But is it art if it is generated by a computer? And if not, what is it if it is better than what most “artists” create? Those are some difficult questions I don't know how to answer.
I think one place where AI still falls short is in creativity. ChatGPT gathers its answers from pre-existing data. It draws from what others created at lightening speed. Still, it is all derivative. Then again, most writing is derivative too, at least to some and usually a large degree. How much really is creative versus combining of what has came before, perhaps in new ways? Some people must be creating things that are truly new or else we never would move forward. Does creativity require, as my instincts tell me, a conscious mind, or will AI someday create things that are truly new?
I am certifiably old. High tech for me is knowing how to aim the TV antenna for best reception. Music came to me on the radio, AM no less. Books were always printed on paper. I will react to new technologies the way a young person does when you give them the keys to a car and watch what happens when they discover it has a stick shift. Still, I hope to hang around long enough to observe many more new advances of which I am in awe, but can only vaguely understand, and be able to remind the young how much harder life was for me and my generation.