For the week ending Saturday April 13^th 25 auctions were archived to the AED; 10 denominated in US dollars, 7 in British pounds and 8 in euros.  Turnover was a brisk $33,236,447 as 5,055 of 6,483 lots offered sold.  Auction houses around the world but particularly auctions in New York brought their “A” games this week in a show of force reinforcing the impression that the stars are aligning for the auction world.  The world is changing.  Meanwhile the New York Book Fair at the Armory had a strong weekend with many of the world’s leading dealers, institutions and collectors chatting over the capricious weather, eyeing gems and discussing whether a discrete discount on the rare and exceptional was possible.  For a few days anyway the future of the rare and collectible world has seemed not in doubt at all.  The world changes but the fundamentals of taste, desire and discernment that have driven collecting for the past two hundred years still converge on appointed weekends, permitting those with the gifts to understand and the patience to parse possibilities, opportunities to acquire complex printed and manuscript materials that the great dealers bring to such events.  The show in short was knee deep in reasons to celebrate.  Stirring the free flowing martinis on opening night too was news that Sotheby’s was exhibiting the Old South Church’s copy of the 1640 Bay Psalm at their New York headquarters and that they will parade it to sundry exhibitions before hoisting it in their rooms in New York on November 26^th to send it, the 11^th known copy of the first printed book in British North America and the only copy to come up at auction since 1947, on to an institution or collector.  This will be the event of the fall season.

The results this week as garnered from the 25 sales archived over the past seven days:

7 Sales reached a million dollars:

Christies.  Books and Manuscripts on April 9^th:  $15,842,126

Christies.  Books and Manuscripts on April 10^th:  $6,098,500

Heritage Auctions [HA.com].  Historical Manuscripts on April 11^th:  $3,656,274

Bonhams.  Roy David’s Collection:  Part III:  $1,441,857

Heritage Auctions [Ha.com].  Rare Books on April 10^th:  $1,234,931

Swann Galleries.  Fine Books including Incunabula on April 11^th:  $1,304,931

Christies.  Prints on April 10^th:  $1,030,931

10 auctions saw their total sales reach 100% of the total of their high estimates:

Christies.  Books and Manuscripts on April 10^th:  302%

Osenat.  Spirit of the 19^th Century on April 7^th:  220%

Piasa.  Ancient and Modern Books on April 9^th:  215%

Sothebys.  Collection of Nicolas Landau et Jacqueline Goldman:  143%

Christies.  Books and Manuscripts on April 9^th:  130%

Heritage Auctions [Ha.com].  Historical Manuscripts on April 11^th:  130%

Bonhams.  Roy David’s Collection:  Part III:  122%

Artcurial Briest-Le Fur-Poulain-F. Tajan.  Weapons and Historical Memories on April 8^th:  114%

Swann.  Fine Books including Manuscripts on April 11^th:  100%

Christies.  Prints on April 10^th:  100%

Auctions that sold at least 80% of their lots:

Christies.  Books and Manuscripts on April 10^th:  100%

Dominic Winter Book Auctions.  Private Collection of Mountaineering Books on April 11^th:  98%

Swann.  Fine Books including Manuscripts on April 11^th:  97%

Heritage Auctions [Ha.com].  Rare Books online bidding ended April 11^th:  92%

Heritage Auctions [Ha.com].  Rare Books on April 10^th:  90%

Christies.  Books and Manuscripts on April 9^th:  89%

Osenat.  Spirit of the 19^th Century on April 7^th:  88%

Heritage Auctions [Ha.com].  Historical Manuscripts on April 11^th:  87%

Eldred’s.  Prints on April 5^th:  86%

Leslie Hindman.  Fine Books and Manuscripts on April 10^th:  85%

Dominic Winter Book Auctions.  Printed Books and Maps on April 10^th:  84%

Bloomsbury Auctions.  Horology and Science Books on April 11^th:  83%

Sothebys.  Collection of Nicolas Landau et Jacqueline Goldman:  82%

Bruun Rasmussen.  Old Prints on April 8^th:  80%

For the week ahead – 33 sales scheduled, all but one fully searchable in the Upcoming Auction Search.

Mon. April 15th                     Alde.  Letters and Manuscripts [20986].  476 lots

                                                Bruun Rasmussen.  Books [1316].  65 lots

 ?

Tues. April 16th                    Bonhams.  Grosvenor School and Avant-Garde Print-making [20736].  110 lots

                                                Bruun Rasmussen.  Books, Maps, Photos [1316b].  294 lots

                                                H. A. Stargardt Autographenhandlung.  Autographs [41613].  1114 lots.

                                                Rupert Toovey and Co.  Ephemera [1119].  67 lots

                                                Swann Galleries, Inc.  Printed & Manuscript Americana [2310].  432 lots

?

Wed. April 17th                     De Baecque & Associes.  Photographs [20967].

                                                Galerie Bassenge.  Books [101a].

                                                J. A. Stargardt Autographenhandlung.  Autographs ending today [41613].  1114 lots

                                                Kapandji Morhange.  Engravings [15601].

                                                RR Auction.  Autographs [406].  1618 lots

                                                Rupert Toovey and Co.  Prints [1118].  52 lots

                                                Sothebys.  Charity sale – Prints [PF1335].  32 lots

?

Thurs. April 18th                  Bloomsbury Auctions.  Bibliophile Books [36041].  646 lots

                                                De Baecque & Associes.  Ancient and Modern Books [20968].  381 lots

                                                Galerie Bassenge.  History, Geography and Travel [101b].  270 lots

                                                Galerie Bassenge.  Rare Books [101c].  512 lots

                                                Galerie Bassenge.  Incunabula, Rare Books [101d].  213 lots

                                                Heritage Auctions [HA.com].  Space Exploration [6095].  394 lots

                                                Heritage Auctions [HA.com].  Rare Books internet bidding ending today [201316].  294 lots

                                                Swann Galleries, Inc.  Fine Photographs and Photobooks [2311].

?

Fri. April 19th                        Galerie Bassenge.  Literature and Book Illustration [101e].

                                                Galerie Bassenge.  Autographs [101f].

                                                Ketterer Kunst / F. Doerling.  Modern Prints [403].  240 lots

                                                Kiefer – Buch- und Kunstauktionen.  Books, Prints [84].  5223 lots

Sat. April 20th                       Artcurial Briest-Le Fur-Poulain-F. Tajan.  Library of an Amateur Part I  [20882].  120 lots

                                                Artcurial Briest-Le Fur-Poulain-F. Tajan.  Library of an Amateur [21604].  359 lots

                                                Galerie Bessange.  Modern Literature and Art Documentation  [101g].  862 lots

                                                Ketterer Kunst / F. Doerling.  Post-War / Contemporary Prints [404].  205 lots

                                                Kiefer – Buch-und Kunstauktionen.  Books, Prints  continued [84].  5223 lots

Sun.  April 21^st                Bonhams.  Period Art and Design – Books and Prints [20938].  100 lots

                                            National Book Auctions.  Books and Ephemera – Adirondacks, Maps, MA, PA, etc [04212013].

It’s an engrossing moment.  The world of books is in motion.

Bruce McKinney

AE

14 April 2013