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<b><center>Swann Auction Galleries<br>Printed & Manuscript African Americana:<br>March 30, 2023</b><b>Swann March 30:</b> Victor H. Green, <i>The Negro Motorist Green Book,</i> New York, 1949. $10,000 to $15,000.<b>Swann March 30:</b> Papers of pianist-composer Lawrence Brown relating to Paul Robeson & more, various places, 1925-54. $5,000 to $7,500.<b>Swann March 30:</b> Freedom Summer archive of civil rights activist Karen Haberman Trusty, Atlanta & elsewhere, 1963-64. $5,000 to $7,500.<b>Swann March 30:</b> E. Simms Campbell, <i>A Night-Club Map of Harlem,</i> New York, 1933. $8,000 to $12,000.<b>Swann March 30:</b> Archive of letters from the sculptor Richmond Barthé to a close Jamaican friend, various places, 1966-85. $25,000 to $35,000. -
<center><b>Gonnelli<br>Auction 41<br>Books, Autographs & Manuscripts<br>March 21st-23rd 2023</b><b>Gonnelli:</b> Nabokov, <i>Lolita,</i> 1955. First edition, mint copy. Starting price 1900€<b>Gonnelli:</b> Marinetti, <i>Zang Tumb Tuuum,</i> 1914. First edition. Starting price 1600€<b>Gonnelli:</b> A collection of <i>Playboy,</i> starting price from 20€<b>Gonnelli:</b> Kepler, <i>Dioptrice,</i> 1611. First edition. Starting price 9500€<b>Gonnelli:</b> Barbault, <i>Les plus beaux Monuments de Rome,</i> 1761-1766. Starting price 5500€<b>Gonnelli:</b> Watson, <i>Dendrologia Britannica,</i> 1825. Starting price 380€ -
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<b><center>Koller Auctions<br>Books & Autographs<br>29 March 2023</b><b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> DADA - <i>Cabaret Voltaire.</i> A collection of artistic and literary contributions. Edited by Hugo Ball. CHF 5,000 to 8,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> EXPRESSIONISM - <i>Der Sturm.</i> Weekly magazine for culture and the arts. Almost complete suite from the years 1910 to 1932. CHF 20,000 to 30,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> LISBON EARTHQUAKE - <i>Augsburg collection of copper engravings of Lisbon. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Hamilton, William. <i>Campi Phlegraei. Observations on the Volcanos of the Two Sicilies as they have been communicated to the Royal Society of London.</i> Naples, 1776-1779. CHF 50,000 to 70,000.<b><center>Koller Auctions<br>Books & Autographs<br>29 March 2023</b><b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Leonardi, Domenico Felice. <i>Le Delizie della villa di Castellazzo descritte in verso dall'abbate Domenico Felice Leonardi lucchese fra gli Arcadi Ildosio Foloetico.</i> Milan, 1743. CHF 12,000 to 18,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Zwingli, Huldrych. <i>Von erkiesen und freyhait der speisen. Von ergernusz und Verbößerung. Ob man gewalt hab die speyß zu etlichen zeyten verbieten [...]</i>. CHF 2,500 to 4,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> HENDRIK VAN VULLENHOE, UMKREIS. Benedictional and other texts for Johannes von Venningen, Bishop of Basel. Latin manuscript on parchment. CHF 50,000 to 80,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Gujer, Hans Rudolf. Master typist's book by Hans Rudolf Gujer from Wermetschweil (Wermatswil). German manuscript on paper. CHF 3,000 to 5,000.
Rare Book Monthly
Comic Book Sells for $317,200
The June 1938 issue of Action Comics introduced Superman to the world.
By Michael Stillman
These are tough times to get the best prices for your books, but as we know, every rule has its exception. On March 13, the first comic book featuring Superman went under the hammer at the Comic Connection. Eighty-nine bids later, the June 1938 edition of Action Comics was sold for $317,200. For those calculating, this was something like a 317 million percent return on the original price of 10 cents. The previous owner reportedly paid a little more than a dime for it... 35 cents, back in the 1950s. This is sobering news for all of those mothers who told their children to stop wasting their money on comic books.
Not yet a star, Superman's name does not appear on this comic's cover. However, even then we could see the extraordinary powers that would make Superman a superstar in the years ahead. The caped crusader, red cape flowing in the wind, is seen lifting a car and smashing it against a rock, to the amazement and terror of some fleeing bystanders.
The buyer was John Dolmayan, drummer for the rock band System of a Down. The band is noted for some strange songs, but nothing so strange as paying 317 grand for a comic book. Disorder! Disorder! Dolmayan runs Torpedo Comics, an online comic selling website, and reportedly said the purchase was on behalf of an unidentified client. If I spent $317,000 for a comic book, I wouldn't want to be identified either. There are only around 100 copies of this first Superman comic still in existence. It's time to check out those old comics in the attic to see if there might be 101.
