Paying Tribute to an Honorable Legacy: A Visit to the Firm of H.P. Kraus, Inc.
Incunabula
He came into the shop and told us that he had seen thus and such mentioned or referred to in a reference book and asked if this or that book was or is on the market. Many potential clients come in like that, having read about a book in a reference book and wanting to know more about it, or wanting to own a copy, or even a particular copy.
MAF: We consider one of our chief roles here to expand our client’s knowledge. We conduct a lot of conversations with clients. We also encourage them to read auction catalogues, and we provide advice on upcoming auctions. We’ll tell people yes we’ve seen it, no we don’t advise buying it, or the reverse. That’s why we get our ten percent [dealer fee for providing advice on auctions.]
JL: Back to Mr. Kraus and his legacy for a moment, one thing that occurs to me that we haven’t yet mentioned is that Mr. Kraus had a kind of romantic passion for history. That passion informed his taste. There would be something about a manuscript that excited him. He didn’t necessarily know what it was. His experts – the people, the staff he surrounded himself with – would affirm or deny his instinct. But most of the time his instinct was right on the mark, even if he himself wasn’t exactly sure why.
AT: I’ve seen that skill in people before, although not often. That’s the sign of a true bookman, or bookwoman.
MAF: I’d like to get back to something that was just touched on: the people that my father surrounded himself with. We rely heavily on our staff here at Kraus, and we set high standards for them. Which I must say they continually meet. We have about four and a half full time bibliographers at present. When we’ve had a big collection, we sometimes bring in more people as needed. Our bibliographers are crack researchers and are all multilingual: they have to be able to handle the type of books we deal in. As for languages, Latin is a must; whatever else you bring to the tea party is fine.
AT: I have a question about the way in which you conduct business. In your father’s book he sometimes describes partnering with other dealers to raise the funds to buy a specific piece or collection. Do you ever do that today?
MAF: Not really. When we decide to buy, it’s usually our own decision, not a decision that we make with other dealers.
AT: Can we talk a bit about the current market for antiquarian books and manuscripts? Some people feel that the market is stable or even expanding; others feel that it’s been hit hard by this nationwide recession, for lack of a better word. What’s your opinion in general about the stability of the rare book buying and selling market?
JL: Well, it’s sort of like the art market. Prices vary with the times.
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.
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 29th January 2026
Forum, Jan. 29: Plato. [Apanta ta tou Platonos. Omnia Platonis opera], 2 parts in 2 vol., editio princeps of Plato's works in the original Greek, Venice, House of Aldus, 1513. £8,000-12,000
Forum, Jan. 29: Book of Hours, Use of Rome, In Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum, [Southern Netherlands (probably Bruges), c.1460]. £6,000-8,000
Forum, Jan. 29: Correspondence and documents by or addressed to the first four Viscounts Molesworth and members of their families, letters and manuscripts, 1690-1783. £10,000-15,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 29th January 2026
Forum, Jan. 29: Shakespeare (William). The Dramatic Works, 9 vol., John and Josiah Boydell, 1802. £5,000-7,000
Forum, Jan. 29: Joyce (James). Ulysses, first edition, one of 750 copies on handmade paper, Paris, Shakespeare and Company, 1922 £8,000-12,000
Forum, Jan. 29: Powell (Anthony). [A Dance to the Music of Time], 12 vol., first editions, each with a signed presentation inscription from the author to Osbert Lancaster, 1951-75. £6,000-8,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 29th January 2026
Forum, Jan. 29: Chaucer (Geoffrey). Troilus and Criseyde, one of 225 copies on handmade paper, wood-engravings by Eric Gill, Waltham St.Lawrence, 1927. £3,000-4,000
Forum, Jan. 29: Borges (Jorge Luis). Luna de Enfrente, first edition, one of 300 copies, presentation copy signed by the author to Leopoldo Marechal, Buenos Aires, Editorial Proa, 1925. £3,000-4,000
Forum, Jan. 29: Nolli (Giovanni Battista). Nuova Pianta di Roma, Rome, 1748. £6,000-8,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 29th January 2026
Forum, Jan. 29: Roberts (David). The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, & Nubia, 3 vol., first edition, 1842-49. £15,000-20,000
Forum, Jan. 29: Blacker (William). Catechism of Fly Making, Angling and Dyeing, Published by the author, 1843. £3,000-4,000
Forum, Jan. 29: Herschel (Sir John F. W.) Collection of 69 offprints, extracts and separate publications by Herschel, bound for his son, William James Herschel, 3 vol., [1813-50]. £15,000-20,000
![<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [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.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9d2762bc-9f26-47ef-96de-1c28070e19f6.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [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.")
![<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Plato. [<i>Apanta ta tou Platonos. Omnia Platonis opera</i>], 2 parts in 2 vol., editio princeps of Plato's works in the original Greek, Venice, House of Aldus, 1513. £8,000-12,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/df7dd9ac-f0d0-4cb3-a44d-2731758530e4.png "<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Plato. [<i>Apanta ta tou Platonos. Omnia Platonis opera</i>], 2 parts in 2 vol., editio princeps of Plato's works in the original Greek, Venice, House of Aldus, 1513. £8,000-12,000")
![<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Book of Hours, Use of Rome, In Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum, [Southern Netherlands (probably Bruges), c.1460]. £6,000-8,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/c40bad29-8cb5-4347-a0fd-5361d39e84a5.png "<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Book of Hours, Use of Rome, In Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum, [Southern Netherlands (probably Bruges), c.1460]. £6,000-8,000")
![<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Powell (Anthony). [<i>A Dance to the Music of Time</i>], 12 vol., first editions, each with a signed presentation inscription from the author to Osbert Lancaster, 1951-75. £6,000-8,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/b7fdee12-4803-4d32-9330-a5729091cb92.png "<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Powell (Anthony). [<i>A Dance to the Music of Time</i>], 12 vol., first editions, each with a signed presentation inscription from the author to Osbert Lancaster, 1951-75. £6,000-8,000")
![<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Herschel (Sir John F. W.) Collection of 69 offprints, extracts and separate publications by Herschel, bound for his son, William James Herschel, 3 vol., [1813-50]. £15,000-20,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/a06cc0dd-7619-45e9-b155-5ad75ed7b2e5.png "<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Herschel (Sir John F. W.) Collection of 69 offprints, extracts and separate publications by Herschel, bound for his son, William James Herschel, 3 vol., [1813-50]. £15,000-20,000")