AbeBooks has released the list of its Top 10 most expensive sales for 2023. As the largest book selling site in the world, “Abe” sells millions of books. Lots of people shop for lower priced copies for reading, but there is a brisk trade going on at the upper end of the market. You just need a very high credit card limit to pull these off. There is everything here from a single page to a large collection, with a range from a serious economics scholar to a cartoonist represented. Here they are.
9 (tie). Calvin and Hobbes: “Let's Go Exploring,” by Bill Watterson. From 1995. Amazingly, the strip only ran from 1985-1995 though it is still popular in reruns and books today. This is a large color proof of the last Sunday Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, signed by the cartoonist. He sent these out to a small selection of newspapers that carried the strip as a thank you. Sold by Manhattan Rare Book Company. $35,000.
9 (tie). The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot. Published in 1922. The first U. S. edition, with the dust jacket. One of the most influential works of 20th century poetry. Sold by Magnum Opus Rare Books. $35,000.
8. The New Review. A complete run, 17 volumes 1889-1897. The important avant-garde magazine that ceased publication in 1897. Sold by Between the Covers Rare Books. $40,000.
7. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. This is a set of first editions of the seven books of fantasy tales. Sold by Raptis Rare Books. $45,699.
6. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. Complete set of 12 first editions of the rare sailing adventures. Sold by Peter Harrington. $45,900.
5. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Be careful what you wish for. From 1891, the large paper “edition de luxe,” published three months after the trade edition. Number 115 of 250 copies signed by the author. Sold by Shapero Rare Books. $46,875.
4. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. A 1778 second edition that is scarcer than the first. Sold by Charles Agvent. $62,500.
3. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. From 1855, the author had to pay for the printing himself. Derided when first published, it is now seen as perhaps America's most important collection of poetry. Sold by Whitmore Rare Books. $75,000.
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. A first edition of the first Harry Potter book. This one was owned by the Edinburgh Public Library, Rowling's hometown. Sold by First and Fine. $85,620.
1. Thomas Pynchon collection. A collection of 246 items relating to novelist Thomas Pynchon. Sold by Clouds Hill Books. $125,000.
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Galileo Galilei. Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo tolemaico, e copernicano. Firenze, 1632
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Saverio Manetti. Storia naturale degli uccelli. Firenze, 1771-76
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Fortunato Depero. Depero futurista. Rovereto, 1927
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Nicolas Visscher. Atlas minor sive totius orbis terrarum contracta delineat ex conatibus. Amsterdam, circa 1649-95
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Andreas Vesalius. Anatomia. Addita nunc. Antiquorum Anatome. Venezia, 1604
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Tristan Tzara and Salvador Dalì. Grains et Issues. Parigi, 1935
June 25, 2026
Doyle, June 25: Houdini's biography, boldly signed. $3,000 to $5,000.
Doyle, June 25: A volume from Abraham Lincoln's library, signed just before heading to Washington for his inauguration. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, June 25: A very early Confederate recruiting manual belonging to the chief commissary in Lee's Army. $600 to $800.
Doyle, June 25: Rare hand-colored lithographs of the life of Napoleon. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, June 25: The "Holster Atlas" of the American Revolution. $5,000 to $8,000.
Doyle, June 25: Jewish ceremonies in fine hand-colored engravings. $7,000 to $10,000.
Doyle, June 25: A very rare work on Turkish military costume. $1,000 to $1,500.
June 25, 2026
Doyle, June 25: The most important illustrated work on the Mexican-American War. $10,000 to $15,000.
Doyle, June 25: The finest illustrated book on Afghanistan. $10,000 to $15,000.
Doyle, June 25: Henry Justice Ford St. George rescues the Princess from the horrible Dragon. $2,000 to $3,000.
Doyle, June 25: A rare work of Prussian Army uniforms under Frederick William II, with exquisite hand-colored engravings. $800 to $1,200.
Doyle, June 25: Lenny Bruce typed letter signed to a Village bohemian during his obscenity trials, with a manuscript note and drawing. $300 to $500.
Doyle, June 25: Schiff's scarce Shanghai Sketchbook. $300 to $500.
Doyle, June 25: The first accurate published representation of the American flag. $2,000 to $4,000.
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 123. Celebrate 250 Years of Independence with Original Stars and Stripes (1790) Est. $1,400 - $1,700
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 20. Keulen's Spectacular Chart of the World Featuring California as an Island (1728) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 42. Schedel's Ancient World Map with Fantastic Humanoid Creatures (1493) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 591. Matching Set of 3 Stunning Globe Gores of Eastern Asia from Coronelli's 3.5 Foot Globe (1688) Est. $5,500 - $7,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 9. Speed's Popular World Map with Allegorical Representations of the Elements (1651) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 168. First Separate Map of Kansas & Nebraska Territories (1854) Est. $5,500 - $7,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 43. Only Macrobius Map with Britain Attached to Europe (1515) Est. $800 - $950
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 250. Rare Map of Boston and One of the Earliest Maps of the Revolutionary War (1775) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 79. Schenk's Uncommon Map Featuring Two Figurative Title Cartouches (1696) Est. $1,200 - $1,500
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 681. Hand-Colored Image of the Annunciation to the Shepherds (1502) Est. $800 - $950
Sotheby's Book Week 2 June - 9 July
Sotheby’s, June 25: Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations, on its 250th anniversary. $180,000 to $250,000.
Sotheby’s, June 17: Fontana, Lucio. Concetto Spaziale. 1967. Leporello en papier doré. Bel exemplaire signé. €4,000 to $€,000.
Sotheby’s, June 25: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”. $150,000 to $200,000.
Sotheby’s, June 25: Washington, George (as First President). Washington decries “an ostentatious imitation, or mimickry of Royalty” in his Presidency. $250,000 to $500,000.
Sotheby’s, June 17: Lope de Vega. Rare manuscrit autographe signé de la préface dédicatoire de "El Cardenal de Belen" (le cardinal de Bethléem), pièce composée en 1610. €40,000 to €60,000.
