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Purcell Auctioneers: Auction of the Library of the Late Frank Meehan (Portlaoise), A Renowned Historian, Author and a Wonderful Source of Knowledge for Those Interested in the General History of Ireland.

Auction Reports


Auction Name	Auction of the Library of the Late Frank Meehan (Portlaoise), A Renowned Historian, Author and a Wonderful Source of Knowledge for Those Interested in the General History of Ireland.	Total Sales (EUR)	67,950.00
Auction Date	July 17, 2024 - July 17, 2024	Low Estimate of Lots Sold (EUR)	37,650.00
Sale Number	#71724	High Estimate of Lots Sold (EUR)	64,920.00
Total Lots	685
Sold Lots	577.0	Low Estimate of All Lots (EUR)	44,860.00
% of Lots Sold	84.23%	High Estimate of All Lots (EUR)	76,820.00
Unsold Lots	108	Total Sales as a % of High Est.	88.45%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number	Author Name	Book Title	Year Published	Estimate	Actual Price
194	C. S. Lewis,	The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.		EUR 200.00 - 400.00	EUR 3,625.00
397		The Annals of Ireland' by the Four Masters - Vols. I to VII.		EUR 400.00 - 600.00	EUR 1,562.50
407		Collection of Hurling/Football Programmes from the 1950's, such as All Ireland Senior Hurling Semi Final Galway v Wexford	1956	EUR 40.00 - 80.00	EUR 1,025.00
489	Patrick Kavanagh --	THE GREEN FOOL.	1938	EUR 800.00 - 1,200.00	EUR 900.00
458	HEANEY, Seamus, Thomas Flanagan, Benedict Kiely, Sean White and June K Davison.	A Tribute to Kevin Sullivan. HEANEY, Seamus, Thomas Flanagan, Benedict Kiely, Sean White and June K Davison.		EUR 300.00 - 600.00	EUR 812.50
649		Dublin University Magazine 6 bound volumes	1837-1843: 1837	EUR 100.00 - 180.00	EUR 725.00
526	Flann O'Brien,	At Swim-Two-Birds	1939	EUR 400.00 - 800.00	EUR 687.50
486		Pacata Hibernia; or, A History of the Wars In Ireland, During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth.	1633	EUR 500.00 - 1,000.00	EUR 650.00
208	Plumptre, Anne.	Narrative Of A Residence In Ireland, during the Summer of 1814 and that of 1815. Illustrated with numerous engravings of remarkable scenery, (12).	1817	EUR 200.00 - 300.00	EUR 625.00
255		Pigot's Directory to the Nobility, Gentry and Clergy in all the cities, towns of Ireland including merchants, tradesmen etc., also The City of London, Liverpool, Manchester.		EUR 150.00 - 250.00	EUR 600.00
269		Memoir Of A Lady Freemason, the Memoir of Honourable Elizabeth Aldworth of Newmarket Court, Co. Cork, who was initiated into the Ancient Order of Freemasonry at Doneraile House, Co. Cork.	1914	EUR 40.00 - 80.00	EUR 600.00
261	John McGahern,	The Barracks,	1963	EUR 150.00 - 300.00	EUR 500.00
408		Collection of Hurling/Football Programmes from the 1960's, such as All Ireland Senior Football Semi Final Replay Down V Offaly; Comortas Tomas Ash 1960 Cork V Tipperary plus 8 others (10)		EUR 40.00 - 60.00	EUR 500.00
450	U.C.G.	Essay on the Educational Question Viewed in Relation to The Danger of Placing Catholic Youths with Protestant or Infidel Teachers.	1873	EUR 40.00 - 60.00	EUR 500.00
179		United Ireland & Weekly Freeman - a folio bound collection of c.90+ Full page colour supplements from the United Ireland and the Weekly Freeman.		EUR 300.00 - 500.00	EUR 475.00
303	John Montague.	The Rough Field. Dolmen, 3rd ed.	1979	EUR 80.00 - 100.00	EUR 450.00
465		Carte, Thomas. An History of the Life of James, Duke of Ormonde, from His Birth in 1610 to His Death in 1688.		EUR 400.00 - 600.00	EUR 450.00
11	Bell & Miller.	Cork Harbour - Report upon the harbour and dock accommodation and the general improvement of the Port of Cork. e work	1872	EUR 350.00 - 550.00	EUR 437.50
294		The Strand Magazine -- Vol 22 (1901); Vol 23 (1902) & Vol 43 (1912).		EUR 150.00 - 250.00	EUR 425.00
562	O'Flanagan, J. R.	The Blackwater In Munster.	1844	EUR 200.00 - 400.00	EUR 425.00
565	William Hubert Maxwell	Wild Sports Of The West. With Legendary Tales, and Local Sketches. By the author of "Stories Of Waterloo" (William Hubert Maxwell).	1832	EUR 120.00 - 180.00	EUR 425.00
6	James Frost -	The History and Topography of Co Clare from the earliest times to the beginning of the 18th Century,	1893	EUR 80.00 - 100.00	EUR 400.00
64	Bernard L J Rowan	The Leix-Offaly Plantation; Thesis presented by Bernard L J Rowan for his M A,	1940	EUR 100.00 - 150.00	EUR 400.00
256		MacDonald's Irish Directory and Gazetteer.	1929	EUR 150.00 - 200.00	EUR 400.00
497	Edna O'Brien --	Edna O'Brien -- Signed photo of the author and one page of a original unpublished story titled "November?" written in the authors hand with her name to top corner.		EUR 140.00 - 200.00	EUR 400.00

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…
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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.
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.