AbeBooks Releases Their List of the Ten Most Expensive Books for the Second Quarter of 2024
- by Michael Stillman
A virtual Lord Byron library.
AbeBooks has released their list of the Top 10 most expensive books purchased on their site for the second quarter of 2024, April-June. Collectors weren't holding back, the dollars flowing freely for a diverse collection of books and manuscripts. Here is that list of AbeBooks' ten most expensive books.
10. L'Antiquité Expliquée, et Représentée en Figures by Dom Bernard de Monfaucon. Published in 15 volumes with 1,296 plates in the early 18th century, the author was a monk best known for his studies of paleography and archaeology. Sold by Robert Frew. $15,000.
9. Chateaubriand by Jules Lemaitre. This copy is noted more for its association than the book itself. It was a gift from Edith Wharton to fellow writer Henry James. They were long-time friends. It is inscribed to James from “E. W.” In a letter James responded by thanking Wharton for two books, one being this copy of Chateaubriand. Sold by Peter Harrington. $15,900.
8. Yo, Judio (Me, Jew) by Jorge Luis Borges, published in the magazine Megafono in 1934. Borges responds to an attack on him from another magazine, one sympathetic to Nazism. This is his original manuscript. Sold by Chaco 4ever Books. $19,000.
7. Political, Miscellaneous and Philosophical Pieces by Benjamin Franklin. Published in 1779 and edited by British diplomat and Franklin friend Benjamin Vaughan, they encompass the American statesman's non-scientific writings up to that time. Sold by Peter Harrington. $19,100.
6. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce. Written over 17 years, this was Joyce's final work. This copy is a signed limited edition. Sold by TBCL The Book Collector's Library. $19,500.
5. Animal Farm by George Orwell. The animals are running the farm, and they can be as bad at doing it as humans. Sold by West Hull Rare Books. $21,000.
4. Autograph Manuscript Mes Secrets Sinematographiques (My Cinematic Secrets) by Salvador Dali, published in La Parisienne in February 1964. Michel Déon had to decipher Dali's unusual spelling, syntax, and phonetically written Catalan accent. Dali added two small sketches of Francis Bacon, grotesque and cubist. Sold by Adam Andrusier Autographs. $22,300.
3. It's A Battlefield by Graham Greene. A true first edition, the copy is signed and inscribed “Clive affectionately,” that being his friend actor Clive Francis. Sold by John Atkinson Books. $23,550.
2. Zur Farbenlehre (Theory of Colors) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Published in 1808, Goethe wrote of science as well as novels, this one challenging Newton's optics with a more subjective approach to color perception. Sold by Antiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH. $27,000.
1. Works of George Gordon Byron. A collection of 21 works in first edition by English poet Lord Byron. Sold by Biblioctopus. $80,000.
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.")
