Back

Sothebys: Books and Manuscripts: 19th and 20th Century

Auction Reports

Auction Name Books and Manuscripts: 19th and 20th Century Total Sales (GBP) 542,619.00
Auction Date July 20, 2021 - July 20, 2021 Low Estimate of Lots Sold (GBP) 274,800.00
Sale Number #L21404 High Estimate of Lots Sold (GBP) 400,100.00
Total Lots 151
Sold Lots 104 Low Estimate of All Lots (GBP) 592,500.00
% of Lots Sold 68.87% High Estimate of All Lots (GBP) 872,700.00
Unsold Lots 47 Total Sales as a % of High Est. 62.18%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
141

Sheffield Football Club | Rules, Regulations, & Laws, 1859, EARLIEST RULES OF THE FIRST FOOTBALL CLUB

 1859 GBP 50,000.00 - 70,000.00 GBP 56,700.00
104 J. K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue

 1997 GBP 8,000.00 - 10,000.00 GBP 52,920.00
48 T.S. Eliot

T.S. Eliot | Series of 18 letters to Leonie Cohn, 1944-63

 GBP 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 GBP 32,760.00
103 J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue

 1997 GBP 10,000.00 - 20,000.00 GBP 32,760.00
136 Sir Walter Scott

Walter Scott | Waverley, two leaves of the autograph working manuscript, [1813-14]

 GBP 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 GBP 27,720.00
91 Vice Admiral Horatio, Viscount Nelson

Admiral Lord Nelson | Autograph letter signed, to Emma Hamilton, 1-2 August 1801

 GBP 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 GBP 18,900.00
105 J. K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling | Collection of the first four Harry Potter books, 1997-2000, hardback issues

 1997-2000 GBP 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 GBP 18,900.00
145 William Makepeace Thackeray

W.M. Thackeray | The Adventures of Philip, autograph manuscript of chapters 4 and 5, [1861]

 GBP 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 GBP 17,640.00
42 Alexandre Dumas

Dumas | The Three Musketeers, London, 1846, half calf, first English edition

 1846 GBP 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 GBP 15,120.00
139 William Shakespeare

Shakespeare | Hamlet, Weimar, Cranach Press, 1930, red morocco gilt

 1930 GBP 8,000.00 - 12,000.00 GBP 15,120.00
6

Book of Kells | limited edition facsimile, Luzern, 1990, 3 volumes

 1990 GBP 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 GBP 10,710.00
142 Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley | autograph manuscript poem ("The tide of Time was at my feet"), 1833

 GBP 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 GBP 10,080.00
13 Sir Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill | letter signed, to Tom Clarke, angrily outlining his editorial shortcomings, 21 July 1933

 GBP 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 GBP 9,450.00
90 Royal Navy--Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane (10th Earl of Dundonald)

Navy--Thomas Cochrane | List of the Royal Navy, manuscript, 1814-20, in red morocco, Admiral Cochrane's copy

 GBP 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 GBP 9,450.00
110 John Ruskin

John Ruskin | A series of 25 autograph letters signed, to Edmund Oldfield of the Arundel Society, 1851–1872

 GBP 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 GBP 8,820.00
79 John Le Carré [David John Moore Cornwell]

John Le Carré | Three volumes, first editions, inscribed by Le Carré and Markus Wolf, 1974-1979

 GBP 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 GBP 7,560.00
140 George Bernard Shaw

Bernard Shaw | Archive relating to a legal case on Arms and the Man and The Chocolate Soldier, 1926-27

 GBP 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 GBP 7,560.00
58

H2SO4, Tiflis, 1924, original printed wrappers

 GBP 3,000.00 - 4,000.00 GBP 6,930.00
41 Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle | Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, New York, 1894, inscribed by the author

 1894 GBP 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 GBP 6,300.00
81 Federico Garcia Lorca

Lorca | Impresiones y paisajes, Granada, 1918, original printed wrappers

 1918 GBP 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 GBP 6,300.00
97

Polish Government in Exile, The mass extermination of the Jews in Poland, London, 1942

 [1943] GBP 1,500.00 - 2,000.00 GBP 6,300.00
18 Richmal Crompton

Richmal Crompton | Still - William, 1925, first edition, presentation copy inscribed

 [1925] GBP 300.00 - 400.00 GBP 5,670.00
54 Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud | autograph letter signed, to Josephine Jackson, 18 July 1938

 GBP 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 GBP 5,670.00
133

Russian Royalty. Two autograph albums belonging to Baron Robert Stuker, 1903-1983

 GBP 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 GBP 5,670.00
87 Melville, Herman

Herman Melville | A collection of five first editions, 1846-1850

 GBP 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 GBP 5,040.00
  • Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: McCarthy (Cormac). Cities of the Plain, N.Y., 1998, First Edn., signed on hf. title; together with Uncorrected Proof and Uncorrected Advance Reading Copies, both signed by the Author. €800 to €1,000.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Stanihurst (Richard). De Rebus in Hibernia Gestis, Libri Quattuor, sm. 4to Antwerp (Christi. Plantium) 1584. First Edn. €525 to €750.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Fleischer (Nat.) Jack Dempsey The Idol of Fistiana, An Intimate Narrative, N.Y., 1929, First Edn. Signed on f.e.p. by Rocky Marciano. €400 to €600.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Smith - Classical Atlas, Lond., 1820. Bound with, Smiths New General Atlas .. Principal Empires, Kingdoms, & States throughout the World, Lond. 1822. €350 to €500.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Rare Auction Catalogues – 1856: Bindon Blood, of Ennis, Co. Clare: Sotheby & Wilkinson. €320 to €450.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: [Mavor (Wm.)] A General Collection of Voyages and Travels from the Discovery of America to the Commencement of the Nineteenth Century, 28 vols. (complete) Lond., 1810. €300 to €400.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Mc Carthy (Cormac). Outer Dark, N.Y. (Random House)1968, Signed by Mc Carthy. €250 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Three signed works by Ted Huges - Wodwo, 1967; Crow from the Life and Songs of the Crow, 1970; and Tales from Ovid, 1997. €200 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: The Garden. An Illustrated Weekly Journal of Horticulture in all its Branches, 7 vols. lg. 4to Lond. 1877-1880. With 127 colored plates. €200 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Procter (Richard A.) Saturn and its System: Containing Discussions of The Motion (Real and Apparent)…, Lond. 1865. First Edn. €160 to €220.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: [Ashe] St. George, Lord Bishop of Clogher, A Sermon Preached to the Protestants of Ireland, now in London,... Oct. 23, 1712, London 1712. Second Edn. €130 to €180.
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Piccolomini's De La Sfera del Mondo (The Sphere of the World), 1540.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Vellutello's Commentary on Petrarch, With Map, 1525.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Finely Bound Definitive, Illustrated Edition of I Promessi Sposi, 1840.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Rare First Edition of John Milton's Latin Correspondence, 1674.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Giolito's Edition of Boccaccio's The Decamerone, with Bedford Binding, 1542.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of the First Biography of Marie of the Incarnation, with Rare Portrait, 1677.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Aldine Edition of Volume One of Cicero's Orationes, 1540.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Bonanni's Illustrated Costume Catalogue, with Complete Plates, 1711.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: An Important Incunable, the First Italian Edition of Josephus's De Bello Judaico, 1480.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Jacques Philippe d'Orville's Illustrated Book of the Ruins of Sicily, 1764.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: An Incunable from 1487, The Contemplative Life, with Early Manuscript.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Ignatius of Loyola's Exercitia Spiritualia, 1563.
  • Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 546. Christoph Jacob Trew. Plantae selectae, 1750-1773.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 70. Thomas Murner. Die Narren beschwerung. 1558.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 621. Michael Bernhard Valentini. Museum Museorum, 1714.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 545. Sander Reichenbachia. Orchids illustrated and described, 1888-1894.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1018. Marinetti, Boccioni, Pratella Futurism - Comprehensive collection of 35 Futurist manifestos, some of them exceptionally rare. 1909-1933.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 634. August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof. 3 Original Drawings, around 1740.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 671. Jacob / Picasso. Chronique des Temps, 1956.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1260. Mary Webb. Sarn. 1948. Lucie Weill Art Deco Binding.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 508. Felix Bonfils. 108 large-format photographs of Syria and Palestine.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 967. Dante Aligheri and Salvador Dali. Divina Commedia, 1963.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1316. Tolouse-Lautrec. Dessinateur. Duhayon binding, 1948.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1303. Regards sur Paris. Braque, Picasso, Masson, 1962.
Ask Questions