Rare Book Monthly Articles - December - 2016 Issue

Back from the Brink:  The Trial of Episcopacy

Back from the Brink: The Trial of Episcopacy

I recently purchased a copy of The Trial of Episcopacy printed in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1817.  There is no author as such but in the author’s place it reads Reported by R. C. C., A. M. [in pencil noted “otherwise known to be Reverend Dr. William Smith”].  This book was posted on eBay with minimal description and a parenthetical notation that the author is actually John Reed.  It was interesting.   Here is the listing:   Trial of Episcopacy reported by R.C.C., (John Reed).  An acceptable 4 x 6 inch leather hard cover printing from P. S. Potter in Poughkeepsie. N.Y.  Leather 1st HC (...

The Caren Archive in The Trump/Kardashian Age?  Collection to be Sold

The Caren Archive in The Trump/Kardashian Age? Collection to be Sold

Extraordinary Collection of Historical Paper will either be saved/sold intact in 60 days or there will be a Stream of Caren Auctions Ala Sir Thomas Phillipps on Horizon   Eric is a 50 something w...

Old Books / New Editions. Part III of III. New Work on Margaret Cavendish’s "The Blazing World" (1666;  2016)

Old Books / New Editions. Part III of III. New Work on Margaret Cavendish’s "The Blazing World" (1666; 2016)

Welcome to this third and final installment in my Guest Series on new editions of 17th-century women writers. This last essay discusses an extraordinary figure whose writings are a rich weave of in...

Books Missing Over Half a Century Found in Deceased Man's Cabinet

Books Missing Over Half a Century Found in Deceased Man's Cabinet

Some very old books, overdue for a very long time, were recently discovered in the back of a locked cabinet in Wimbledon. They had been missing from the London Library since the 1950s. A spokesman ...

Sendak Foundation Outscores the Rosenbach 252-88 in Battle Over Children's Author's Estate

Sendak Foundation Outscores the Rosenbach 252-88 in Battle Over Children's Author's Estate

A bitter dispute between two of the heirs of famed children's author Maurice Sendak has come to a conclusion, at least until/unless the Connecticut Probate Court's decision is appealed. The war was...

From Champlain to Boissel de Monville, A travel books sale in Paris.

From Champlain to Boissel de Monville, A travel books sale in Paris.

Samuel Champlain was in Paris the other day, and since he had come with his iconic map of New France, many people came to see him. In fact, the showroom at Drouot was overcrowded with various trave...

Fonsie Mealy:  a compelling Sale on December 13th

Fonsie Mealy: a compelling Sale on December 13th

Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers of Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland is set to conduct a major sale in the rare books, manuscripts, and works of art categories on December 13th in Dublin, Ireland.  Those...

Some Collectible Holiday Gift Books

Some Collectible Holiday Gift Books

Most historians say the creation of a book specially written to be given as a holiday gift started with Charles Dickens. When A Christmas Carol first appeared in 1843 it started a trend of holiday ...

Dorothy Sloan:  An important Auction on December 15 & 16 in Texas

Dorothy Sloan: An important Auction on December 15 & 16 in Texas

Dorothy Sloan:  An important Auction on December 15 16 in Texas   Dorothy Sloan, the Texas based auctioneer and dealer in rare and important Americana, is holding a two day auction of important ...

Dec. 2-4: Neal Auction Company's Louisiana Purchase Auction

Dec. 2-4: Neal Auction Company's Louisiana Purchase Auction

This month, Neal Auction Company, an auction house based in New Orleans and operating since 1983, is hosting its annual Louisiana Purchase Auction. While not a company focused solely on rare books,...

Another Library Plans to Sell Books to Raise Funds, But This Time With a Twist

Another Library Plans to Sell Books to Raise Funds, But This Time With a Twist

Another case of a library seeking to pare its collections for financial reasons comes from Newcastle Upon Tyne, in England's northeast. This is a story we have heard before, though this time it has...

Two sales Dec. 7 at Bonhams: History of Science & Voices of the 20th Century

Two sales Dec. 7 at Bonhams: History of Science & Voices of the 20th Century

If you happen to be in New York on December 7, Bonhams has two superb reasons to stop by their location on Madison Ave. At 11am, 98 lots of History of Science and Technology will be up for bidding,...

Stolen Comics Recovered When Thief Attempts to Sell Them

Stolen Comics Recovered When Thief Attempts to Sell Them

The rare book trade has an extensive system in place to locate stolen books when the thief attempts to sell them. Organizations such as America's ABAA and similar groups overseas provide informatio...

The Perfect Gift Book:  99 Versions of Gooey Buttercake

The Perfect Gift Book: 99 Versions of Gooey Buttercake

If you are looking for a book to give to someone you care about, but not so much that you want to spend a lot of money on them, we have discovered the perfect book. It is cheap ($12.95), useful (a ...

Fourteen New Catalogues Reviewed This Month

Fourteen New Catalogues Reviewed This Month

This month we have 14 new bookseller catalogues to review. From America, the George S. MacManus Co. has a selection of material pertaining to the Civil War. Old West Books focuses on the American W...

Rare Book Monthly

  • Heritage, May 13: Isaac Asimov. I, Robot. The dedication copy, inscribed to John W. Campbell, Jr.
    Heritage, May 13: Aldous Huxley. Brave New World. A fine copy, in a brilliant dust jacket.
    Heritage, May 13: Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author.
    Heritage, May 13: Robert A. Heinlein. Stranger in a Strange Land. A fine copy, signed by the author.
    Heritage, May 13: Jules Verne. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. Exceedingly rare true first American edition, first issue.
  • Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 16. Blaeu's world map on a polar projection in contemporary color (1695) Est. $5,500 - $7,000
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 55. Illuminated lunar globe produced in East Germany (1977) Est. $750 - $900
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 594. Rare and decorative De Jode map of Africa (1593) Est. $7,500 - $9,000
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 127. The first printed map to focus on New England and New France (1565) Est. $4,500 - $5,500
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 298. Rare Texas oilfield map (1920) Est. $3,000 - $3,750
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 656. Bible leaf with hand-colored image of Adoration of the Magi (1450) Est. $1,800 - $2,100
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 9. Blaeu's magnificent carte-a-figures world map (1641) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 214. Rare edition of view of the world from Silicon Valley (1984) Est. $600 - $750
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 34. Fascinating Japanese satirical map published just prior to WWII (1938) Est. $1,400 - $1,700
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 181. German edition of Catesby's scarce and important map of the Southeastern US (1755) Est. $3,750 - $4,500
    Old World Auctions (April 22): Lot 625. Complete set of Covarrubias's "Pageant of the Pacific" (1940-39) Est. $1,200 - $1,500
  • Jeschke Jádi
    Rare Book Auction 159
    Saturday April 25
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 1153 Gerhard Mercator u. Jodocus Hondius. Atlas sive cosmographicae. Amsterdam, Hondius, 1606.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 1378 Martin Höhlig, Collection of 100 photographs Berlin im Licht, 1928.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 192. Fragment of a late medieval liturgical music manuscript. 14th century
    Jeschke Jádi
    Rare Book Auction 159
    Saturday April 25
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 1394 Auguste Salzmann. Jérusalem. 40 salt paper prints. Paris, Baudry, 1856.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 1143 Deluxe edition of Prince Waldemar of Prussia's travelogue about Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. Berlin, 1853.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 1225. Koch-Gruenberg. Indianertypen (Indiantypesin the Amazon). Berlin 1906.
    Jeschke Jádi
    Rare Book Auction 159
    Saturday April 25
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 862. Cornelis Ploos van Amstel. Viro Amplissimo Nobilissimo. Amsterdam 1765.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 549. Francisco de Goya. Los desastres de la guerra. 80 Etchings. Madrid, 1923.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 1033. Rösel von Rosenhof. Natural History of Frogs. Nuremberg, 1815.
    Jeschke Jádi
    Rare Book Auction 159
    Saturday April 25
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 13 Pomponius Mela. Cosmographi. Venice, Renner 1478.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 526 William Shakespeare. Hamlet. Cranach Press, 1928.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 25: Lot 1022. Eugen Johann Christoph Esper. Butterflies Leipzig, 1829-1839.
  • Swann
    Fine Books Featuring Focus on Women
    April 23, 2026
    Swann, Apr. 23: Thomas Heywood. An Apology for Actors. London: Printed by Nicholas Okes, 1612. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Swann, Apr. 23: Illuminated Islamic Devotional Manuscript. 19th century. Approx. 90 leaves with gilt-decorated title and 2 full page miniatures of Mecca and Medina. $800 to $1,200.
    Swann, Apr. 23: Antiphonal in Latin. Manuscript on Parchment. Cologne, early 16th century. $7,000 to $9,000.
    Swann
    Fine Books Featuring Focus on Women
    April 23, 2026
    Swann, Apr. 23: Mohammed ibn Jafir Albategnius. De Scientia Stellarum Liber. Bologna: Victor Benati, 1645. $8,000 to $12,000.
    Swann, Apr. 23: Frank Herbert. Dune. Fine First Edition. Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1965. $5,000 to $7,000.
    Swann, Apr. 23: William Shakespeare. Five Plays from the Second Folio. London: Thomas Cotes for Robert Allot, 1632. $6,000 to $8,000.
    Swann
    Fine Books Featuring Focus on Women
    April 23, 2026
    Swann, Apr. 23: John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men. New York: Covici-Friede, 1937. First edition, first issue. $800 to $1,200.
    Swann, Apr. 23: Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities. With an A.L.S. London: Chapman and Hall, 1859. First edition, first issue. $1,200 to $1,800.
    Swann, Apr. 23: Ursula K. LeGuin. The Left Hand of Darkness. Inscribed First Edition. New York: Walker and Company, 1969. $800 to $1,200.
    Swann
    Fine Books Featuring Focus on Women
    April 23, 2026
    Swann, Apr. 23: L. Frank Baum & Ruth Plumly Thompson. Five First Canadian editions including Ozma of Oz; The Emerald City of Oz; Glinda of Oz; [and others]. $1,000 to $1,500.
    Swann, Apr. 23: Corita Kent. Different Drummer. 1967. Color screenprint; signed "Corita" in pencil on the lower edge. $1,000 to $1,500.
    Swann, Apr. 23: Bible in English. Tyndale-Taverner Translation. The Bugge Bible. The Holye Bible. London: Imprinted by John Daye and Willyam Seres, 1549. $1,500 to $2,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Précieuses reliures d’une bibliophile
    Collection Georgette J. Salles
    Open for bidding 8-29 April
    Apr. 8-29: Delaunay, Sonia — Blaise Cendrars. La Prose du Transsibérien. 1913. €120,000 to €180,000.
    Apr. 8-29: Picasso, Pablo — Georges Hugnet. La Chèvre-feuille. 1943. €80,000 to €120,000.
    Apr. 8-29: Schmied, François-Louis ─ Joseph-Charles Mardrus. Cantique des cantiques. 1925. €30,000 to €50,000.
    Apr. 8-29: Bonnard, Pierre — Paul Verlaine. Parallèlement. 1900. €30,000 to €50,000.
    Apr. 8-29: Derain, André — Guillaume Apollinaire. L’Enchanteur pourrissant. 1909. €20,000 to €30,000.

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