The Historical Auction Series No.2 The H. Bradley Martin Sale 1989-1990
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The sale was set up very wisely, with the strongest material out of the gate with a bang. The Audubon material was its strong suit, and it realized huge prices. They were smart to start things out with a bang, getting the big bucks for the big birds. They definitely started with their best foot forward.
[On “sleepers” in the Martin sale:] In terms of sleepers, there were many throughout the sale. One that I think of is lot 37 in the Audubon sale. This was described as “after Audubon,” but it seemed later on that Audubon might well have had a hand in it. Tom Taylor, an Austin bookseller and the buyer of that lot, made that case pretty convincingly later on. But that’s what happens in a big sale like this; seemingly little things get overlooked, especially in a “name” sale where there are such obvious big-ticket items; it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks. This one lot was overlooked by literally everyone, except for the buyer. This goes to show you that sleepers can take place in absolute public, in the eye of the hurricane. Another place where there were many sleepers was in Part V, the mixed Ornithology section. There were lots of great items there, but you had to really know the field and study the catalogue to find them.
[On unsolved mysteries in the Martin sale:] There were some mysteries to the Martin sale, also. For instance, Washington’s copy of The Federalist, one of the top items in the Americana part of the sale. To this day, I don’t know anyone in the book world who knows who purchased this item. Simply nobody knows who bought it. It’s mind-boggling.
[On the environment of the Martin sale:] The atmosphere of the Martin sale was very competitive. All of the Bradley Martin sales – and I think that I went to all parts, at least all parts in New York [one part was held in Monaco, the French Literature part] –were very competitive.
[On bidding and credit at the Martin sale:] Another very interesting aspect of the Martin sale was the willingness the house had to extend very long terms of credit to dealers bidding in the sale. After all, what did they have to lose? It wasn’t like Mrs. Martin was looking for a dollar for her next meal. By extending very long terms of credit to buyers, the house in some way assured that bidding would be vigorous. Of course, some of these dealers who had credit extended to them ended up in credit trouble, but that’s another story and one not for this article…
[On the dispute about the will and the dissolution of the collection:] Bradley Martin lunched out for years on people courting him about getting his collection. He had ample opportunities to place books in collections. There is no ambiguity there. They courted him and so they thought it [his library] was going to them. Some perhaps thought so with reason, like the Morgan, which actually served as a temporary repository for some of his holdings. And in the end, some of these people and institutions perhaps felt aggrieved. But clearly Martin chose not to donate the library to any specific institution, when he clearly could have done so.
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.")
