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Auction Update Review

Boston Book, Print and
Ephemera Show

Skinner Auction, click image
for full lot list.

25 Auctions Archived, 34 Upcoming This Week

For the week ended Saturday 7 November 25 auctions were archived to the Rare Book Hub Transaction Database; 9 denominated in euros, 4 in British pounds, and 12 in US dollars.  Turnover was $12,557,518 as 7,956 lots were offered and 6,039 sold for a robust 76%.  We are in the high season.

4 auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars: 

Heritage Auctions. Manuscripts Grand Format Auction on November 5th: $3,744,764 
Swann Galleries. American Prints from a Private Collection on November 4th: $3,018,305 
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books on November 5th: $1,313,423 
Christies. Posters on November 5th: $1,102,193 

3 auctions saw total sales exceed 100% of the high estimates of all lots offered in the sale: 

Marc van de Wiele Auctions. Books on October 9th: 142.39% 
Heritage Auctions. Manuscripts Grand Format Auction on November 5th: 124.59% 
Marc van de Wiele Auctions. Books on October 10th: 114.51% 

11 sales saw at least 80% of their lots sell: 

Sothebys. Francesco Scavullo: No End to Beauty on November 2nd: 100.00% 
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 10/23 on November 1st: 99.78% 
Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 10/25 on November 1st: 98.30% 
Tooveys. Prints on November 4th: 92.50% 
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books on November 5th: 87.22% 
Heritage Auctions. Manuscripts Grand Format Auction on November 5th: 86.10% 
Marc van de Wiele Auctions. Books on October 9th: 85.93% 
Tooveys. Photographs, Autographs, Printed and Manuscript Ephemera on November 3rd: 85.06% 
Bruun Rasmussen. Prints on November 3rd: 83.53% 
Freemans. Modern and Contemporary Prints on November 1st: 83.02% 
Winter Associates. Prints, Books on November 2nd: 80.00% 

25 total sales reported this week: 

Rago Arts and Auctions. Fine Art and Post War Contemporary - Prints on November 5th: 74.55% 
Rago Arts and Auctions. Post War and Contemporary - Prints on November 5th: 63.68% 
Christies. Posters on November 5th: 73.08% 
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 10/29 on November 5th: 77.36% 
Heritage Auctions. Manuscripts Grand Format Auction on November 5th: 86.10% 
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books on November 5th: 87.22% 
Hauff and Auvermann. Books, autographs, avant-garde and posters Part 2 on October 31st: 55.50% 
Hauff and Auvermann. Modern Art - Prints on October 30th: 57.22% 
Hauff and Auvermann. Books, autographs, avant-garde and posters Part 1 on October 31st: 57.38% 
Swann Galleries. American Prints from a Private Collection on November 4th: 64.34% 
Tooveys. Photographs, Autographs, Printed and Manuscript Ephemera on November 3rd: 85.06% 
Tooveys. Prints on November 4th: 92.50% 
Bonhams. Travel and Exploration - logbooks, prints, books on November 3rd: 77.59% 
Winter Associates. Prints, Books on November 2nd: 80.00% 
Artcurial. Automobilia on November 1st: 71.01% 
Tajan. Photographs on October 29th: 22.03% 
Tajan. Photographies from the Don Sanders' Collection on October 29th: 24.54% 
Bruun Rasmussen. Prints on November 3rd: 83.53% 
Marc van de Wiele Auctions. Books on October 10th: 79.44% 
Marc van de Wiele Auctions. Books on October 9th: 85.93% 
Archives International Auctions. AIA Part XXIX - Session 1 - Wall St. Bourse on October 24th: 65.48% 
Freemans. Modern and Contemporary Prints on November 1st: 83.02% 
Sothebys. Francesco Scavullo: No End to Beauty on November 2nd: 100.00% 
Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 10/25 on November 1st: 98.30% 
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 10/23 on November 1st: 99.78% 

The Top 25 Lots Reported This Past Week.
  1. Heritage Auctions Abraham Lincoln Autograph Manuscript Signed, the Last Paragraph of His Second Inaugural Address, Circa March 1865. on November 5th Actual price: USD $2,213,000.
  2. Heritage Auctions Francis Peyton Rous: Nobel Prize Medal, Diploma, and Related Materials. on November 5th Actual price: USD $461,000.
  3. Heritage Auctions [Slavery]. Wederstrandt Family Archive of Correspondence, Documents, and Plantation Ledgers Regarding Their Ownership of Three Plantations in Louisiana. on November 5th Actual price: USD $118,750.
  4. Rago Arts and Auctions Muhammad Ali, 1978 on November 5th Actual price: USD $112,500.
  5. Rago Arts and Auctions Grace Kelly, 1984 on November 5th Actual price: USD $106,250.
  6. Christies L'IMPOSSIBLE MONSIEUR BÉBÉ on November 5th Actual price: USD $104,120.
  7. Heritage Auctions George Washington Autograph Letter Signed, With Initialed Postscript and Franking Signature. on November 5th Actual price: USD $100,000.
  8. Heritage Auctions Erwin Rommel Autograph Letter Twice Signed to Adolf Hitler. on November 5th Actual price: USD $78,125.
  9. Swann Galleries The Great Jewish Bride on November 4th Actual price: USD $75,000.
  10. Swann Galleries Wet Night, Route 6 on November 4th Actual price: USD $72,500.
  11. Bonhams An important album of sketches including the second known (and first detailed) panorama of Honolulu, and the earliest known view of Kealakekua Bay taken from Ka'awaloa, [Hawaii, Pitcairn, Marquesas Islands, Peru and Chile, 1837-1840] on November 3rd Actual price: USD $67,375.
  12. Swann Galleries Self Portrait in a Cap and Scarf with the Face Dark: Bust on November 4th Actual price: USD $65,000.
  13. Heritage Auctions Voyage Pittoresque autour du Monde, avec des Portraits de Sauvages d'Amérique, d'Asie, d'Afrique, et des Iles du Grand Ocean; des Paysages, des Vues Maritimes, et Pllusieurs Objets d'Histoire Naturelle; Accompagné de Descriptions par M. le Baron Cuvier, e on November 5th Actual price: USD $62,500.
  14. Bonhams A rare 18 1/2-inch Vincenzo Coronelli terrestrial globe, on November 3rd Actual price: USD $57,750.
  15. Christies MODIANO on November 5th Actual price: USD $57,000.
  16. Swann Galleries Old Man in Meditation, Leaning on a Book on November 4th Actual price: USD $52,500.
  17. Swann Galleries Self Portrait with Plumed Cap and Lowered Sabre on November 4th Actual price: USD $52,500.
  18. Swann Galleries The Sea Monster on November 4th Actual price: USD $50,000.
  19. Christies FLYING DOWN TO RIO on November 5th Actual price: USD $49,400.
  20. Freemans FORMS IN SPACE on November 1st Actual price: USD $48,750.
  21. Bonhams Indian Amateur's Photographic Album, nos. 1-31 (no. 5 being an 'Appendix', see below) bound in 3 vol., FIRST EDITION, [Bombay, William Henderson, November 1856-May 1859] on November 3rd Actual price: USD $48,125.
  22. Swann Galleries Jan Lutma, Goldsmith on November 4th Actual price: USD $47,500.
  23. Christies TO LONDON BY SLEEPER on November 5th Actual price: USD $45,600.
  24. Swann Galleries Rembrandt et jeune fille de profil on November 4th Actual price: USD $45,000.
  25. Heritage Auctions George Washington Franking Signature on a Cover Addressed to Thomas Jefferson. on November 5th Actual price: USD $45,000.


For the week ahead 34 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Nov. 9th
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Prints. 69 lots

Tue. Nov. 10th
Paige Auction. Portland. Joy of Collecting. 66 lots
Swann Galleries. New York. 19th & 20th Century Literature Featuring The Lawrence M. Solomon Collection. 573 lots
Ader. PARIS. Ancient and Modern Books. 128 lots
Stockholms Auktionsverk. Stockholm. Prints and Photographs. 78 lots

Wed. Nov. 11th
Bonhams. London. Books. 284 lots
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. Chicago. Fine Books and Manuscripts. 417 lots
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Gloucestershire. Travel & Natural History, Maps, Prints, Sporting Art. 560 lots
RR Auction. Amherst. Fine Autographs & Artifacts - Internet bidstart 10/23. 1182 lots

Thu. Nov. 12th
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Gloucestershire. Motoring Literature, Automobilia, Early Cycling and Railwayana. 225 lots
Christies. Paris. Photographs. 104 lots
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Important Books and Manuscripts. 221 lots
ALDE. Paris. Library of Michel Wittock VI. 110 lots
Lyon and Turnbull. Edinburgh. 19th and 20th Century Pictures. 29 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 11/5. 463 lots

Fri. Nov. 13th
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. Lancaster. Rare and Used Books. 473 lots
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Gloucestershire. Printed Books, Maps and Documents: Natural History and Sporting Art. 213 lots
Christies. Paris. COLLECTION SHALOM SHPILMAN VENDUE AU PROFIT DU SHPILMAN INSTITUTE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY. 210 lots
Artcurial. Paris. Photography - Pierre Molinier, Emmanuelle Arsan Collection. 194 lots
Sothebys. Paris. Photographs. 135 lots
Auxerre Encheres Estimations. AUXERRE. Antiquarian and Modern Books. 258 lots
Alaska Auction. Anchorage. Books and Prints. 21 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Photographs. 326 lots

Sat. Nov. 14th
Bonhams. Hong Kong. Prints, Photographs and Works on Paper. 101 lots
Artcurial. Paris. Photography. 118 lots
Clars Auction Gallery. Oakland. Prints. 147 lots
Alaska Auction. Anchorage. Books and Prints. 8 lots
Stair Auctioneers and Appraisers. Hudson. Property from Cornelia Guest, Formerly The Collection of Winston & C.Z. Guest, Templeton. 58 lots
Neret Minet and Tessier. Paris. Posters. 342 lots

Sun. Nov. 15th
Ader. PARIS. Exceptional Photograph Books. 447 lots
Skinner. Boston. Fine Books and Manuscripts. 409 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics - Internet bidstart 11/8.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 11/8.
Clars Auction Gallery. Oakland. Prints. 412 lots

Bruce McKinney

RBH and AE

  • <b><center>Heritage Auctions<br>Rare Books Signature Auction<br>December 15, 2025</center></b> <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. <b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> Edgar Rice Burroughs. <i>Tarzan of the Apes.</i> <b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> F. Scott Fitzgerald. <i>Tender is the Night. A Romance.</i> <b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> Bram Stoker. <i>Dracula.</i> Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897. <b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> Jerry Thomas. <i>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…</i>
    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: Bram Stoker. Dracula. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897.
    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><center>Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!</center></b>
    Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!
  • <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> 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. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
    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.
  • <center><b>Sotheby’s<br>Book Week<br>December 9-17, 2025</b></center> <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 17:</b> Francesco Colonna. <i>Hypnerotomachie,</i> Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 17:</b> Nausea. <i>De principiis dialectices Gorgias,</i> and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 17:</b> Billon. <i>Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur,</i> Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000. <center><b>Sotheby’s<br>Book Week<br>December 9-17, 2025</b></center> <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
    Sotheby’s
    Book Week
    December 9-17, 2025
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
    Sotheby’s
    Book Week
    December 9-17, 2025
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.