Rare Book Monthly

Articles - October - 2025 Issue

Exhibits, Talks and Symposium - Upcoming and Ongoing London, Austin, Philadelphia

London: A free exhibition of 60 books from the Royal College of Physicians Museum is on view through July 23, 2026.

London: A free exhibition of 60 books from the Royal College of Physicians Museum is on view through July 23, 2026.

LONDON

Royal College of Physicians Museum

A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE - 500 Years of Book Collecting

Through July 23, 2026



The Royal College of Physicians Museum, 11 St. Andrews Place, London hosts a new free exhibition 'A Body of Knowledge: 500 years of book collecting at the Royal College of Physicians'. 



The event which runs through July 23, 2026, features 60 rare and early printed books from the RCP Heritage Library and artefacts from the history of printing. It is accompanied by a new site-specific art installation by Catherine James. James' work 'Making visible' foregrounds the contributions of women to the history and composition of the RCP Heritage Library. 



*  View 'A Body of Knowledge' online here 

Visit in person at the RCP at Regent's Park, London. Usual opening hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. Visitors are advised to check the website in advance for any closure dates.

*  Exhibition events and activities will be listed throughout the run on the RCP Museum website: 

*  Please contact the RCP museum to book a guided tour of the exhibition with an expert guide: 

*  Teaching sessions with rare materials from the RCP collections are also available on request: please contact me directly if you are interested in bringing a student group

 

London: A free exhibition of 60 books from the Royal College of Physicians Museum is on view through July 23, 2026



AUSTIN, Texas

Ransom Center, University of Texas

SNL LIVE FROM NEW YORK - The Lorne Michaels Collection



The exhibit at the Ranson Center based on the archives of legendary television producer Lorne Michaels is ongoing through March 15, 2026. Live from New York: The Lorne Michaels Collection explores his remarkable career, from his early writing on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In to his pivotal role in shaping Saturday Night Live and beyond. Key moments from SNL's history are highlighted, especially its role in reflecting and shaping societal discourse on politics, culture, and identity. Featuring sketches, behind-the-scenes photos, annotated scripts, and rare materials from SNL, as well as Kids in the Hall, 30 Rock, Mean Girls, ¡Three Amigos!, Wayne's World, and more. This exhibition highlights Michaels's enduring influence on comedy and culture.

This exhibition is guest curated by Steve Wilson. Learn more about the Lorne Michaels Collection here.

 

Television producer Lorne Michaels is shown with Ray Charles in this 1977 photo from the Lorne Michaels Archives at the Ransom Center.


PHILADELPHIA

Penn Libraries - Kislak Center

Exhibit: REINVENTING ARISTOTLE and related Symposium



Reinventing Aristotle at the Penn Libraries Kislak Center from Oct. 3, 2025 to Jan.16 2026 introduces Aristotle as a historical figure who has changed profoundly and unexpectedly over time. The public is invited  to consider “The Philosopher” in his many forms and to reflect on how his life and work have served simultaneously as an inspiration and source of ridicule for many centuries. It is up to us to invent Aristotle for the 21st century — a task best undertaken in dialogue with this colorful history. 

Curated by Lynne Farrington, Director of Programs and Senior Curator of Special Collections, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania Libraries; Hannah Marcus, Professor of the History of Science and Faculty Director of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, Harvard University; Eva Del Soldato, Associate Professor of Italian Studies, University of Pennsylvania. 

A November symposium related to the Aristotle exhibition hosted by the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies announced that registration is open for the 18th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age this year titled Interpreting the Ancients to be held in person and online Nov. 20-22. This year's symposium centers on the ongoing conversations with antiquity held across the pages of manuscripts, before and after the age of print. Embracing a transnational perspective, speakers will explore how the material media of transmission influenced the reception of ancient authors and contributed to their reinterpretation, reinvention, and rediscovery over the centuries.

All are invited to attend. The symposium will be held in person at the Kislak Center and the Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, with an option to join virtually. Click on the link for more information  registration and program details 

 

An Aristotle exhibit is ongoing at the Kislak Center - Penn Libraries from Oct. 3 through Jan.16, 2026. Register now for a related symposium on Nov. 20-22.

 

Rare Book Monthly

  • 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.
  • Leland Little, June 12: The First Illustrated Edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
    Leland Little, June 12: John Morton, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Signed Pennsylvania Land Survey.
    Leland Little, June 12: The Scarce Jansson Edition of a Remarkable Early View of London.
    Leland Little, June 12: Signed Limited Edition of The Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
    Leland Little, June 12: Faden’s Important and Scarce Map of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution.
    Leland Little, June 12: William J. Tate (NC, 1869-1953), Archive of the "Original host to the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk.”
  • 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

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