Rare Book Monthly Articles - June - 2015 Issue

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When Collecting Ends

Recently at the New York Book Fair I saw two Albany maps that, although expensive, were very appealing.  I wanted to buy them.  As I often do when considering important material I asked others for their opinion and the endorsements were warm but somewhat cautionary.  This then inadvertently brought into focus what the final years of my collecting may entail, having to say no for no other reason than that there may not be enough time on the clock to overcome the markups I pay to buy.  Long ago I established the theory [and subsequently proved it] that the difference betwe...

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William Reese - Celebrates 40th Anniversary: The "expert's expert" known for his scholarship and finesse.

"Work hard for 20 years and then only buy things you've never seen before," says William (Bill) Reese, who will be 60 in July. Reese is one of the premier dealers in antiquarian Americana and consi...

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Books Stolen and Returned

A valuable book was somehow stolen from a locked case at a book fair in Bogota, Colombia, recently. How it was removed is a mystery to police. The book is a first edition of One Hundred Years of So...

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What is the “Rare Book Transaction History?”

One of the tabs you will see at the top of the page is for the “Rare Book Transaction History.” The name may be unfamiliar. Here is an explanation of a service that no one who buys/sell...

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Sotheby’s Fine Books and Manuscripts on 19 June in New York

Most, if not all, auction houses have general and subject sales.  A subject sale has one or more focus; general sales include material across a spectrum of categories and subjects.  Subje...

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Thirteen New Bookseller Catalogues Reviewed This Month

There are 13 new bookseller catalogues reviewed in this month's edition of Rare Book Monthly. There is a wide variety of material offered, and some of the presentations are as spectacular as the bo...

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Profiles in History: An Important Sale of Autograph Material and Other Items

Inherently unique and collectible, autograph letters and documents represent a special segment of the rare books, maps, manuscripts, and ephemera world. One auction house has built their business a...

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Former Textbook Seller Sentenced to 5+ Years in Prison

The former owner of a textbook selling website and operator of a massive bribery and theft scheme has been sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison. Corey Frederick, 44, of Los Angeles, pleaded ...

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Christies in London on June 9th: Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts including the Anthony Hobson Collection of Bibliography

There is nothing quite so appealing as a collection of bibliographies and auction catalogues that took a lifetime to collect and soon, over a scant few hours, will be again dispersed.  Such ma...

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Cayenne, The Dry Guillotine. Part 3/3: Jean-Jacques Aymé, Affliction of Job

 “I had loved the French Revolution with a passion,” confesses Jean-Jacques Aymé in his book Déportation et Naufrage de J.J Aymé (Paris, chez Maradan). But tha...

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Rudolph P. Laubenheimer: An Unusual Opportunity for they who think out-of-the-box

In the broad categories of books, manuscripts, maps and ephemera there are many ways to parse available material.  The most common ones are by subject, author, form and date range.  Less ...

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Conference Set to Address the Problem of Theft of Rare Books and Related Material

The British Library is sponsoring a major conference this month to tackle the large, though often under-the-radar problem of theft of rare books and related material. Scheduled for Friday, June 26,...

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Bonhams' Voices of the 20th Century, A Fascinating View

Featuring 159 lots, Bonhams New York’s sale of Voices of the 20th Century paints an interesting and compelling picture of an era that saw massive change worldwide. With a scope as wide as the...

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$1.3 Million Book Preservation Lab to be Built at the University of Washington

In an era when it seems too often we hear about libraries needing to sell off rare material as they can no longer afford to maintain it, an announcement from the University of Washington is most we...

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Rare Book Monthly

  • 67e5e161-231e-4eb7-ba3f-1aa0f4f084a0 A1fb3301-a313-4ac9-a3e5-699ca58f46c0 B5fc1980-d237-4460-a876-1e0f114b4cd1 781c4bfa-7c60-4dd9-9eaa-f2756d9322fd 0ad0929d-b32f-48ab-bd65-4889cacfd575 4e75d21a-5ad1-4519-a37a-d4118b340f98 6ba1f6b1-ebd0-4401-a92f-1415c920a733 E542c682-78ce-444a-ab3e-02b383c31d4d A2003445-fe95-4b5c-84cd-56b07028c5c7 Ca9e21b3-bf98-46b5-a718-041af4adba74 0c59407c-98b3-4905-a94b-f1c51535b335 1d881866-67cd-469f-b096-10bbde9c62ca
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Ian Fleming, <i>Goldfinger,</i> first edition, inscribed to Sir Henry Cotton, MBE, London, 1959. Sold for $25,000.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Joseph Brant, Mohawk Chief, ALS, writing after pledging support to King George III against American rebels, 1776. Sold for a record $35,000.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Sonia Delaunay, <i>Ses Peintures</i> . . ., 20 pochoir plates, Paris, 1925. Sold for a record $13,750.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Diana, Princess of Wales, 6 autograph letters signed to British <i>Vogue</i> editor, 1989-92. Sold for $10,400.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Alexander Hamilton, ALS, as Secretary of the Treasury covering costs of the new U.S. Mint, 1793. Sold for $12,500.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Benjamin Graham & David L. Dodd, <i>Security Analysis,</i> first edition, inscribed by Graham to a Wall Street trader, NY, 1934. Sold for $20,000.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> George Barbier & François-Louis Schmied, <i>Personnages de Comédie,</i> Paris, 1922. Sold for $9,375.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Alphonse Mucha, <i>Ilsée, Princesse de Tripoli,</i> Paris, 1897. Sold for a record $13,000.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Ralph Waldo Emerson, <i>The Dial,</i> first edition of the reconstituted issue, Emerson’s copy with inscriptions, Cincinnati, 1860. Sold for a record $3,250.
  • 41762b67-0e9f-4819-9928-f274b1d66164 00a97b32-fb7e-4d6a-abf4-03072bc5d7c8 E33f3021-fb82-4490-9f5c-ea8ea03e8f9e 8e714c17-84dd-49c1-b975-7c02a5fe14db 2232ebd9-eb7e-4b98-b7ed-87afe8cc4c0e 01e79aeb-47f6-4488-b5e1-e8bb2d1f21ba 1fb70d5a-f20d-41b2-aac3-313797961416 7f074fe4-9e0d-45cc-99e4-eefb0e2419b5 F6d6e462-3bdd-421d-b27c-1d301ede5d46 2c167402-201b-425d-9000-65f06a41f288 Afb9b9e6-bfd5-4eb0-89b7-6a28f5aac16e A1271155-c5da-4456-b90d-f961c8906bf3 54541c4a-2a74-4762-ab20-e89159e1c3b0
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Darwin, Charles. <i>On the Origin of Species.</i> Presentation Copy. Sold for $500,075.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Darwin, Charles. Autograph Letter Signed, 3 pp, negotiating the 2nd American edition with Appleton. Sold for $21,325.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Hemingway, Ernest. Autograph Letter Signed, 8 pp, Paris, 1924, to his father discussing Bullfighting, Stories, and his new baby. Sold for $25,075.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Shakespeare, William. <i>Corialanus.</i> London, 1623. 1st printing [Extracted from the First Folio]. Sold for $50,075.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Swift, Jonathan. <i>Gulliver's Travels.</i> London, 1726. 1st edition, Teerink's A edition, fine, large copy. Sold for $21,325.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Fitzroy, Robert. Autograph Letter Signed to agent Thomas Stilwell, informing him of the progress of H.M.S. Beagle. Sold for $17,575.
    <center><b>Bonhams<br> Property from the Collection of Nicole and William R. Keck II</b>
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Shakespeare, William. <i>Sonnets.</i> 1901. 2 volumes. Printed on vellum and illuminated by Ross Turner, bound by Trautz-Bauzonnet. Sold for $13,825.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Beardsley, Aubrey. <i>The Birth, Life, and Acts of King Arthur.</i> 1893-94. 2 volumes. Contemporary painted vellum gilt by Chivers. Sold for $5,325.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Assisi, St. Francis. <i>The Canticle of Brother Sun.</i> Illuminated on vellum, for the Grolier Society. Sold for $7,575.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Rackham, Arthur. <i>Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.</i> 1/500 copies signed by Rackham. Sold for $4,825.
    <b>Bonhams, Jun 13 results:</b> Proust, Marcel. <i>Du coté de chez Swann.</i> 1st edition, 1st issue. Inscribed by Proust. Sold for $8,825.

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