Rare Book Monthly

Articles - January - 2008 Issue

Rare Book Review Awards for 2007 Announced

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Favourite Rare Book Store and Dealer of the Year

Favourite Rare Book Store honors went to one of the oldest and most established booksellers on earth – Maggs Bros. There are certainly many others worthy of this honor too, but who can argue with Maggs? Commenting on the selection, Ed Maggs said, "We're delighted with the news. I know we can be thought to present a somewhat intimidating facade to the world, but once you get through the door we try hard to be friendly and helpful." From the other side of the Atlantic, runners up included the late Heritage Book Shop and Manhattan Rare Books, while English sellers Sam Fogg, Old Cinema Bookshop, Shapero Rare Books, and Brighton Books drew many votes. The award for favourite dealer went to Peter Harrington, while runners up included the 19th Century Shop, Bernard Shapero, Maggs, William Reese, Broadhurst, Rick Gekoski, Nigel Williams, the Map House, Paul Foster, E M Lawson, and all the way from Australia, Hordern House.

Auction House of the Year

The winner here is Sotheby's London, and this probably reflects a British bias, since runners up included Sotheby's Paris and Sotheby's New York. Add to the runners up Christie's New York and South Kensington, Bonham's London and Oxford, Bloomsbury London, Swann's (New York), PBA Galleries (San Francisco), John Nicholson and Dominic Winter. "This means a lot to the Book Department at Sotheby's," Stephen Roe, of Sotheby's is quoted as saying. "We have a great team and they all deserve it."

Best Catalogues of the Year

This was the final category, and the award went to another venerable old bookseller, Bernard Quaritch. There were lots of runners up here - Marlborough, Shapero, Maggs, Peter Harrington, Nigel Williams, Howes, Ken Spelman, Hordern House and William Reese. Also, there was a special mention for the humor of Between The Covers and Lame Ducks. It should be noted that votes may have been motivated by different factors, either quality of the presentation or quality of the works offered.

The Rare Book Review itself is an esteemed institution, having been founded in 1974 as the Antiquarian Book Monthly Review. You may visit their website, and sign up for a subscription if you like, at www.rarebookreview.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • ALDE, Apr. 8: GUEVARA (ANTONIO DE). Histoire de Marc-Aurèle, Empereur Romain, vray miroir et horloge des Princes. Paris, Pierre et Galliot du Pré, frères, 1565. €3,000 to €4,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: HEURES DE LA VIERGE. Horæ in laudem beatissimæ virginis Mariæ ad usum Romanum. Paris, Charles L'Angelier, 1556. €4,000 to €5,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: MONTAIGNE (MICHEL DE). Les Essais. Édition nouvelle, trouvée après le deceds de l'autheur… Paris, Abel L'Angelier, 1595. €6,000 to €8,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: [ROJAS (FERNANDO DE)]. Celestina, tragicomedia di Calisto et Melibea, tradotta de lingua castigliana in italiano idioma… Venise, 1531. €2,000 to €3,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: CAMÕES (LUÍS DE). Os Lusiadas. Lisbonne, Pedro Crasbeeck, 1613. €2,000 to €3,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles, Roger Velpius & Huberto Antonio, 1611. €6,000 to €8,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: LA FONTAINE (JEAN DE). Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris, Denys Thierry et Claude Barbin, 1678-1694. €6,000 to €8,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid, Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. €3,000 to €4,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: DIDEROT (DENIS) ET JEAN LE ROND D'ALEMBERT. Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Paris, 1751-1765. €15,000 to €20,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). Les Laboureurs. Poème tiré de Jocelyn… Lyon, J. A. Henry, 1883. €8,000 to €10,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. Livre de prières tissé d'après les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe siècle. Lyon, [A. Roux], 1886. €5,000 to €6,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Books, Manuscripts & Objects from Three Important Collections
    Open for Bidding 2-17 April
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: [Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun]. Le Roman de la Rose, [Geneva or Lyons, c.1481], first printed edition of the most important medieval French vernacular poem. £200,000 to £300,000.
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Castiglione. Il libro del cortegiano. [Venice], April 1528, first edition, in a magnificent binding by Jean Picard for Jean Grolier. £100,000 to £150,000.
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Jacobus de Cessolis. Schachzabelbuch, Strasbourg, 1483, von der Lasa copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: World Championship, 1972. A collection of 84 press photographs of the famed match between Spassky and Fischer. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Ben Franklin. Autograph letter signed, to Lord Shelburne, British Prime Minister, during peace negotiations, November 1782. £15,000 to £20,000.

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