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Articles - January - 2003 Issue

Paying Tribute to an Honorable Legacy: A Visit to the Firm of H.P. Kraus, Inc.

Item 20 in Catalogue 185, Schoener, Terrae descriptio, 1515

Item 20 in Catalogue 185, Schoener, Terrae descriptio, 1515


if you go back to his roots as a book seller in Europe. And so I’d like to focus this interview on Mr. Kraus’s legacy and also still discuss H.P. Kraus’s current place in the bookselling world, for you are very much in the present as well as the past. In fact, if anything you are a bridge between the prototypical old bookselling traditions of early twentieth century Europe and America and the bookselling traditions of today. I’d like to explore that place and that juxtaposition. And so now, after my long speech, I’d like to turn to you, Mrs. Folter, to start this conversation about H.P. Kraus’s place in history as well as its pace in the present.

MAF: Wow. Why don’t we just start with introducing ourselves and thanking you for coming here and wanting to do this story. [Business cards are exchanged and titles are affixed to names.] We’re happy to cooperate with AE and we were frankly glad when AE approached us about including our Catalogue #185, which commemorates the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of the New World, in the AE Bibliographic Database. [Editor's note: AE subscribers may access the Kraus Catalogue #185 by searching the Bibliographic Database in the Advanced Search mode and entering "Kraus" in the Database Source field. The records are accompanied by images.]

AT: Is there anything you’d like to say about this catalogue, which AE greatly appreciates your making available to our subscribers?

MAF: Just that it’s a comprehensive one focusing on the anniversary of Columbus’s discovery that is still being used by researchers to this day.

AT: As are many of your catalogues, which are legend in the book business.

MAF: Thank you. [Momentarily excuses herself, so conversation continues between AT and JL.]

AT: Now that we have some time together, maybe you can tell me more about what you do here and what your specialties are.

JL: Certainly. When I first came here I dealt mainly with manuscript material. My specialty is the history of science as reflected in manuscripts. But I soon started dealing with books as well. Now as a bibliographer I do a bit of everything. This includes being in charge of our computer system, which we use amongst other purposes to retrieve our books, as they are shelved according to space rather than by any other sort of order. But they all cross reference in the computer and that’s how we find our material. That’s one of the reasons we discourage browsing in the shop and encourage client appointments: browsing can be frustrating as the shelves are seemingly in disorder, although they’re in order to us. By meeting with us in an appointment setting we can discuss your interests beforehand and have some books or book descriptions ready for you to look at when you come in.

[MAF reenters and our talk shifts.]

Rare Book Monthly

  • Books & Autographs
    Wednesday 25 March
    Koller, Mar. 25: KAFKA, FRANZ, SCHRIFTSTELLER. Eigenh. Brief mit Unterschrift. Prag, 20. Oktober [19]15. CHF 30,000-40,000.
    Koller, Mar. 25: EINSTEIN, ALBERT. Zwei eigenhändige Briefe an Ernst Gabor Straus, unterschrieben "A.E" bzw. "A. Einstein". [Princeton], [19]45. und [1950]. CHF 30,000-40,000.
    Koller, Mar. 25: HORTENSE DE BEAUHARNAIS, MUTTER VON NAPOLEON III. Album aus ihrem Besitz mit 69 Aquarellen und Pinselzeichnungen in Sepia oder Grau… CHF 14,000-18,000.
    Koller, Mar. 25: ZOOLOGIE - ORNITHOLOGIE - Seligmann, Johann Michael. Verzameling van uitlandsche en zeldzaame Vogelen. Teile 1-8 (von 9) in 2 Bänden. Mit 421 prächtig altkolorierten Kupfertafeln. CHF 14,000-20,000
    Koller, Mar. 25: BOTANIK - Berlèse, Lorenzo und Johann Jakob Jung. Iconographie du genre camellia... 3 Bände. Mit 300 Farbstichtafeln "a la poupée.” Paris, [1839-]1841-1843. CHF 12,000-18,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026
    25 March 2026
    Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- Andrews (H.C.) Coloured Engravings of Heaths, 4 vol. in 2, first edition, [1710,--94]-1802-1809-[1830]. £10,000 - £15,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Butterflies.- Cramer (Pierre) and Caspar Stoll. De Uitlandsche Kapellen voorkomende in de drie Waereld-Deelen…,, 5 vol., Amsterdam & Utrecht, 1779-91. £8,000 - £12,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Voyages.- Darwin (Charles) and others. Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle, 3 vol. in 4, including Appendix to vol.2, first edition, 1839. £8,000 - £12,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Butterflies.- de Graaf (Willem Diederik Vincent). [Inlandsche Kapellen in beeld], 170 fine original watercolours, [Enkhuizen], [1800-40]. £8,000 - £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026
    25 March 2026
    Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Dresser (Henry Eeles). A History of the Birds of Europe, 9 vol., including supplement, first edition, by the author, 1871-96. £6,000 - £8,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Zoology.- Felines.- Elliot (Daniel Giraud). A Monograph of the Felidæ or Family of the Cats, first edition, for the Subscribers, by the Author, [1878]-1883. £25,000 - £30,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Frisch (Johann Leonard). Vorstellung der Vögel Deutschlandes, 2 vol., first edition, Berlin, Friedr. Wilhelm Birnsteil, [1736]-1763. £40,000 - £60,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Gould (John). The Birds of Great Britain, 5 vol., first edition, by the author, 1862-1873. £30,000 - £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026
    25 March 2026
    Forum, Mar. 25: Pomology.- France.- Poiteau (A.) Pomologie Française. Recueil des Plus Beaux Fruits cultivés en France, 4 vol., Paris, 1846. £30,000 - £40,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- [Robin (Jean)]. Histoire des Plantes, nouvellement trouvées en l'Isle Virgine…,, 1620; with Geoffrey Linocier L'Histoire des plantes, second edition, 1619-20. £3,000 - £4,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Asia.- Japan.- Siebold (P.F. von). Nippon. Archiv zur Beschreibung von Japan, 7 parts in 6 vol., first edition, Leyden, [1832]-1852. £35,000 - £45,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Asia.- Valentijn (Francois). Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën..., 5 vol. in 8, first edition, Dordrecht [&] Amsterdam, 1724-26. £8,000 - £12,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- Australia.- Redouté (P.J.).- Ventenat (Étienne Pierre). Jardin de la Malmaison, 2 vol.,, Paris, 1803-04[-05]. £30,000 - £40,000.

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