The Historical Auction Series No.2 The H. Bradley Martin Sale 1989-1990
An incredibly valuable set today.
In that spirit, here’s a revealing quote by David Kirschenbaum, printed in the Introduction to the Americana part of the Martin catalogue [Sale 5972/The Martin Library, Part VII: Americana/The Library of H. Bradley Martin/Highly Important Printed and Manuscript Americana (Wednesday, January 31, 1990)]:
As each component of the Martin Library is catalogued and its individual treasures revealed, the remarkable vision of Bradley Martin becomes more apparent. The Americana collection is no exception. It was the smallest section in terms of the number of items, but in importance it easily stands with the others. Of course this would be true even if it contained only its two most important items, George Washington’s own copy of The Federalist and one of the twenty-three surviving copies of the first printing of the Declaration of Independence.
Beyond these, the Library’s works of printed Americana, complemented by a few carefully chosen manuscript items, mark other epochal periods in the life of the nation, from the discovery and exploration in Richard Hakluyt’s Voiages to Frederick Jackson Turner’s penetrating study of her expansion, The Significance of the Frontier in American History. The Colonial period is represented by important works of Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards, and Benjamin Franklin; the Revolutionary War is marked not only by the Declaration of Independence but also by the Treaty of Paris that concluded the peace between the United States and Great Britain; the expanding frontier and its native inhabitants are brilliantly delineated in the works of Karl Bodmer and George Catlin.
Of the forty-three printed books presented here, seventeen are found in the Grolier Club’s One Hundred Influential American Books, and two, the incomparable Federalist and the Turner, were the copies exhibited at the Club in 1947. Another measure of the collection’s stature is its parallel with the holdings of Thomas W. Streeter, surely the most celebrated collector in the field. Twenty-eight of the works offered were also part of the extraordinary sale of the Streeter collection in the late 1960s.
The Martin Library was assembled over a forty-year period, and for much of that time Bradley and I were in almost daily communication about the books he had bought and those he was considering. Other bookmen sometimes joined our discussion, most frequently Gordon Ray, who was part of a regular Thursday threesome at Gino’s restaurant on Lexington Avenue. As his reputation grew, Bradley received virtually every catalogue published. He gave each serious consideration, but it was impossible to “sell” him anything. He determined the course of his collection, filling in gaps or branching out only with copies that met his exacting standards….
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. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
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>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.")
