Abraham Lincoln's 1864 victory speech, courtesy of Christie's.
Poe's first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems, published in 1827, was #13. $662,500. Then come two early printings of the Declaration of Independence at #12 and #11. $698,500 and $722,500. And, that takes us to the Top 10 highest prices paid at auction in 2009.
10. The North American Indian, 20 portfolios and 20 text volumes, by Edward S. Curtis. This is the copy put up for sale by Delaware's Wilmington Institute (public) Library to support its physical plant and endowment. $775,000.
9. Les Voyages du Sieur de Champlain... an exceptional copy of the first edition of Champlain's voyage to America. $780,000.
8. Livy's Decades, a French translation from the original Latin, in an illuminated manuscript on vellum dated 1440. $790,716.
7. An autograph manuscript from Edgar Allan Poe containing the first 8 stanzas of For Annie. $830,500.
6. Silver Mining in Bohemia, a 15th century illuminated miniature showing the entire mining process. $958,484.
5. Cosmographia of Ptolemy, a 1482 edition from Ulm, the first atlas printed outside of Italy and the first with modern maps. $976,012.
4. Essais, first edition of Michel de Montaigne's groundbreaking work published in 1580. $995,995.
3. Das Buch Von Kaiser Sigmund, an account of Emperor Sigismund by diplomat Eberhard Windeck, an illuminated manuscript circa 1440-50. $1,817,356.
2. An autograph letter from George Washington to his nephew Bushrod, dated 1787, where the General and future first President argues in favor of the proposed U.S. Constitution. $3,218,500.
1. An autograph manuscript of Abraham Lincoln's 1864 election victory speech. $3,442,500.
Note about the Top 500: We have included, along with the obvious - books - manuscripts (including pre-printing illuminated manuscripts, author's original drafts, personal letters and other handwritten or signed items), artwork only with a clear connection to books (such as original drawings used as illustrations in books), broadsides and other printed material, and ephemeral items with a clear connection to the world of books and manuscripts.
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…
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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.
![<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.")
