Paying Tribute to an Honorable Legacy: A Visit to the Firm of H.P. Kraus, Inc.
Incunabula
when you’re dealing with books with a number of zeros hanging off of the book.
AT: You make a good point. Still, some people feel that the book world has been forever changed by the introduction of the internet as a book buying venue.
MAF: I don’t feel that the book business can be conducted impersonally, as it is on the net whether it’s eBay or a specialized book site or what have you. These people [the internet book sellers] don’t have the knowledge, the research – which, by the way, we pride ourselves on. Physical descriptions of books, and accurate physical descriptions at that, are paramount as well.
AT: I agree. I think that there is no substitution for good research and advice, especially when you’re buying a book on a certain level. I also think that – and I wrote about this recently in an article about buying and selling books on eBay – there are many hazards to buying books on the net. For instance, even if your seller is well intentioned, how do you know that he or she knows enough about condition to accurately recognize it and describe it?
MAF: Exactly. Let me show you one of our book descriptions. [Furnishes what she describes as a typical description.] They all follow the same formula: first you get a complete physical description of the book, then comes a paragraph or more with complete historical and other information about the item, then come the citations, which lead you to the sources of our information and offer you places from which to do further research. This is true of each and every one of our descriptions. Our bibliographic team researches each book down to its finest point and summarizes the results of that research for you.
AT: This is an amazingly full and thorough description. I’ve heard about your descriptions for years and I know that many book dealers use your catalogues as reference materials, but this is the first time in a long time that I’ve seen one of your descriptions up close. I have to admit that this is one of the most complete and completely researched descriptions I’ve seen in ages, and take that from one who reads auction catalogues all the time and was a descriptive cataloguer for many years.
MAF: Well, this is as I said a typical description for us. [Mr. Lipton nods in agreement.] We have very high standards not just for our books but for our bibliographers as well. People who sell on eBay are not likely to furnish you with any sort of description of this nature. They don’t have the knowledge, the background. There’s too much “I don’t know exactly what this is, but it looks old” going on on eBay. Plus the people who sell on eBay don’t have reputations to uphold [as traditional booksellers do], so you may get into a situation where the book arrives, you’re not satisfied with the book, and they’re not willing to take it back.
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.")
