Doyle‘s November 25 auction of rare books includes a diverse and inviting array of material in many subject areas. As is usual with our sales, there is a strong component of Americana. This includes maps (several of the Carrington Bowles charts of America are included), as well as manuscript material. This last category includes a wealth of Western Americana, with such intriguing offerings as a fine Custer letter, an album of Pat Garrett’s retained correspondence from his time as a collector of customs at El Paso, Texas, and an exceptional range of material relating to Western outlaws and the frontier. Also included are several intriguing flags, including a cavalry guidon of Civil-War vintage with a presentation to General Grant and his wife Julia. A final component of the Americana section is an extraordinary manuscript that describes the colonization of Venezuela in 1528 by a group of conquistadors associated with the German bankers who had helped underwrite the efforts of Charles the First of Spain in his successful quest to become Holy Roman Emperor.
Early printing in the sale includes two printed Books of Hours produced in Paris during the first decade of the 16th century by Thurman Kerver and Gillet Hardouyin, respectively. A number of interesting 16th to 18th century works on the natural sciences are also included. Among these is a copy of Engelbert Kaempfer‘s rare first treatise on the natural history of Japan, published in Lemgo in 1712. A copy of Cesar Vecellio’s 1590 treatise on costume in the first edition nicely rounds out the section.
Autograph material in the sale includes several pieces by Ernest Hemingway, including a fine typed letter signed to his friend the famed Idaho sporting guide Taylor “Bear Tracks” Williams, with several fine signed photographs from the same source. Also, among the autographs is a fine typed letter signed by Albert Einstein, discussing the writings of the eminent economist Henry George, whose work Einstein admired.
Fine bindings include a copy of the Doves Press Sonnets of Shakespeare, one of 15 copies on vellum, bound by the Doves Bindery; and a magnificent copy of Shelley‘s Prometheus unbound, the first edition of 1820, in a jeweled binding by the famed London binders Sangorski and Sutcliffe. The first portion of a group of private press books that we will be offering over several sales includes a copy of the Cresset Press Apocrypha, one of the 30 copies printed on special paper with a signed suite of all the wood engravings. A small section of illustration art offers two fine Charles Addams drawings, and an early Schulz drawing for Charlie Brown, done in 1953.
A selection of literature, including some fine Samuel Beckett items, rounds out the sale.
Here's a link to it!
Edward Ripley-Duggan Vice-President, Rare Books and Manuscripts Department 212-427-4141, ext 234
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers 175 East 87th Street New York, NY 10128 Doyle.com
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.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
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…
![<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.")
![<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.")
