Sotheby’s
Fine Books & Manuscripts
June 24-25

Sotheby’s, June 25: Keats, John. The most significant collection of Keats’s love letters to come to market since 1885. $1,500,000 to $2,500,000.

Sotheby’s, June 25: Chassériau, Benoît. The “Expedicion secreta” of the Free State of Cartagena de Indias against the forts of Portobelo (Panama). $50,000 to $70,000.

Sotheby’s, June 25: (Hamilton, Alexander, James Madison, and John Jay). "One of the new nation's most important contributions to the theory of government”. $150,000 to $180,000.

Sotheby’s, June 24: Benjamin Franklin. "the Day of the Declaration of Independence is everywhere annually celebrated". $80,000 to $120,000.

Sotheby’s, June 24: (Johann Conrad Beissel). A Sammelband of two of Benjamin Franklin's rarest imprints. $70,000 to $100,000.

Sotheby’s, June 25: [Pernambuco]. First printed work in favor of Brazilian Independence. $150,000 to $200,000.
June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2026

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Medical Incunabula: Petit (Jean)publisher & Kerver (Thielman)printer. Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum, sm. 8vo, Paris [1498]

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Hugo (Victor) [Wraxall (Lascelles)]. Les Miserable, 3 vols., 8vo, L. (Hurst & Blackett) 1862, First Authorized English Translation (copyright).

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Shelley (Mary Wollstonecraft). Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus, 8vo, 2 vols. in one, L. (G. & W.B. Whittaker, Ave-Maria-Lane) 1823.

June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2026

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Cuisine: Anon. Cookery, Pastry, and Sweet Meats in three Books, Alphabetically Digested, 8vo 1710.

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Lambert (Aylmer Bourke). A Description of the Genus Pinus, with Directions Relative to the Cultivation…, 2 vols. Sm. folio L. (Messrs. Weddell) 1832.

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Botany: Curtis (William). Flora Londinensis: or Plates and Descriptions of such Plants as Grow Wild in the Environs of London, 2 vols. folio, London (B. White) 1777 – 1798.

June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2026

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Le Moire (J.M.) Maple Leaves, Canadian History and Quebec Scenery (Third Series) 8vo Quebec (Hunter, Rose & Co.) 1865. First Edn.

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: The Earliest Extant Printed House Contents Sale Catalogue in Ireland: Baillie, Auctioneer, Abby Street. A Catalogue of the Goods and Stock of the late Edward Wingfield…

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: William III King of England. Autograph Letter Signed ("William R") to an unnamed correspondent [possibly Charles-Henri de Lorraine] discussing his strategy against the French forces during the siege of Namur.

June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2026

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: [Austen (Jane) (1785-1817]. Pride and Prejudice, 3 vols. sm. 8vo, L. (T. Egerton) 1813.

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Heaney (Seamus). Ugolino, sm. folio D. (Dolmen) 1979, Limited Edn. No. 78/125 Copies, Signed by Seamus Heaney, Louis le Brocquy, Liam Miller and Andrew Carpenter.

Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Voltaire (F.M. Avouet de). Petits Ouvrages, attribues a M. de Voltaire, sm. folio manuscript, dated 1776, containing 9 works.
Bonhams, June 14-23: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presentation Gold Pocket Watch. Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Presentation Copy of the First Issue of the Lincoln Douglas Debates Signed by Abraham Lincoln in Pencil to a Sangamon County Illinois Republican. Estimate: $150,000 - 250,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: A Senate Resolution Signed in the Tense Days After the Union's Humiliating Defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run. Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Seven Passages to a Flight, an Artists Book with a Story Quilt by Faith Ringgold, the Publisher's Own Copy. Estimate: $80,000 - 120,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: A New Charter for Virginia, A Response to the First Armed Rebellion in the American Colonies. Estimate: $15,000 - 25,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Earliest obtainable printing of the Bill of Rights. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Edward Curtis Orotone. Estimate: $7,000 - 9,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Butter or Dessert Plate from FDR's State Dinner Service. Estimate: $3,000 - 5,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: An Early Large-Format Plan of the City of Washington. Estimate: $1,500 - 2,500

Bonhams, June 14-23: Containing the First Map to Name the Hudson River. Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: America's First Major Novelist, a Complete Chapter in Autograph Manuscript by James Fenimore Cooper. Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: The Only Full-Length Book by Jefferson, with the Justly Famous Map. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000
June 25, 2026

Doyle, June 25: Houdini's biography, boldly signed. $3,000 to $5,000.

Doyle, June 25: A volume from Abraham Lincoln's library, signed just before heading to Washington for his inauguration. $20,000 to $30,000.

Doyle, June 25: A very early Confederate recruiting manual belonging to the chief commissary in Lee's Army. $600 to $800.

Doyle, June 25: Rare hand-colored lithographs of the life of Napoleon. $20,000 to $30,000.

Doyle, June 25: The "Holster Atlas" of the American Revolution. $5,000 to $8,000.

Doyle, June 25: Jewish ceremonies in fine hand-colored engravings. $7,000 to $10,000.

Doyle, June 25: A very rare work on Turkish military costume. $1,000 to $1,500.

June 25, 2026

Doyle, June 25: The most important illustrated work on the Mexican-American War. $10,000 to $15,000.

Doyle, June 25: The finest illustrated book on Afghanistan. $10,000 to $15,000.

Doyle, June 25: Henry Justice Ford St. George rescues the Princess from the horrible Dragon. $2,000 to $3,000.

Doyle, June 25: A rare work of Prussian Army uniforms under Frederick William II, with exquisite hand-colored engravings. $800 to $1,200.

Doyle, June 25: Lenny Bruce typed letter signed to a Village bohemian during his obscenity trials, with a manuscript note and drawing. $300 to $500.

Doyle, June 25: Schiff's scarce Shanghai Sketchbook. $300 to $500.

Doyle, June 25: The first accurate published representation of the American flag. $2,000 to $4,000.

Auction Reports

Swann Galleries

Auction Info

Auction Name: Illustration Art
Auction Date: 06/18/2026 - 06/18/2026
Sale Number: #2744
Total Lots: 318
Sold Lots: 178.0
Lots Sold: 55.97%
Unsold Lots: 140

Total Sales (USD): 0.00
Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD): 0.00
High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD): 0.00
Low Estimate of All Lots (USD): 0.00
High Estimate of All Lots (USD): 0.00
Total Sales as a % of High Est.: NaN%

Top twenty five by sale price

Top twenty five lots by sale price
Lot Number	Author Name	Book Title	Year Published	Estimate	Actual Price
7	Shepard Ernest Howard (1879-1976)	As he sat on the grass and looked across the river	1931	Not Available	USD 30,480.00
20	Denslow William Wallace (1856-1915)	Once in a while she would pass a house	1899	Not Available	USD 25,400.00
8	Shepard Ernest Howard (1879-1976)	Embarking again and crossing over, they worked their way up the stream	1971	Not Available	USD 22,860.00
74	Gorey Edward (1925-2000)	Thirteen	Circa 1990	Not Available	USD 21,590.00
215	Addams Charles Samuel (1912-1988)	Something in sneakers?	1953; 1954	Not Available	USD 17,780.00
212	McCall Bruce (1935-2023)	Smokestack	1994	Not Available	USD 10,560.00
56	Scarry Richard (1919-1994)	My Little Golden Calendar, May	1961	Not Available	USD 10,160.00
57	Scarry Richard (1919-1994)	My Little Golden Calendar, June	1961	Not Available	USD 9,525.00
163	Kelly Walt (1913-1973)	Pogo, Thanksgiving turkey hunt	1949	Not Available	USD 8,890.00
9	Shepard Ernest Howard (1879-1976)	H. Mole lift-operator	1949	Not Available	USD 8,580.00
39	Bemelmans Ludwig (1898-1962)	Dirty Eddy in the lovely San Fernando Valley	Circa 1947	Not Available	USD 8,255.00
251	Segrelles Jose (1885-1969)	Annabelle Lee	1930	Not Available	USD 7,366.00
350	Folon Jean-Michel (1934-2005)	Flying letterhead	Circa 1980	Not Available	USD 7,112.00
46	Williams Garth (1912-1996)	The West Begins	1953	Not Available	USD 7,112.00
111	Bakst Leon (1866-1924)	Blue, silver, red costume design	Circa 1920	Not Available	USD 6,864.00
110	Bakst Leon (1866-1924)	Black, green, and silver costume design	Circa 1920	Not Available	USD 6,864.00
226	Crandell Bradshaw (1896-1966)	Beauty in feather hat	1939	Not Available	USD 6,864.00
127	Barbier Georges (1882-1932)	Au Lido	1924	Not Available	USD 4,752.00
17	Christy Howard Chandler (1873-1952)	How my Lord would struggle to forget her!	1896	Not Available	USD 4,752.00
6	Shepard Ernest Howard (1879-1976)	He quickened his pace with shrill whines	1930	Not Available	USD 4,224.00

View Full Auction Details

Back

Bonhams, June 14-23: Palm-reading, astrology, and more. Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Benjamin Franklin. Sammelband of 45 papers on electricity. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: The basis for the whole modern electric-power industry. Estimate: $4,000 - 6,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Edgar Allen Poe. Poe on Mesmerism. Estimate: $2,500 - 3,500

Bonhams, June 14-23: Reformation - The Architect of Lutheranism on Church Unity and Dissent. Estimate: $100,000 - 150,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: The Rare 3-Paper Offprint Identifying the Double Helix Structure of DNA, Signed by Crick, Wilkins, Wilson, Stokes and Gosling. Estimate: $40,000 - 60,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Autograph book and Report from the Thirtieth Indian National Congress, featuring the signatures of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and Dadabhai Naoroji. Estimate: $6,000 - 8,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: An Illustrated Miniature Hebrew Prayerbook Manuscript. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Autograph Working Draft of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Death Voyage. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: "Perhaps the most celebrated and most beautiful herbal ever published." Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: Izaak Walton. The Compleat Angler or the Contemplative man's Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000

Bonhams, June 14-23: A rare product of the Jaquard loom. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000
Freeman’s, June 30. Thomas Jefferson’s “Birth of the New Nation” letter, carried to Paris with the Treaty of Peace, by a Jewish patriot. $100,000-200,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. “The rockets’ red glare.” A British midshipman’s log recording the bombardment of Fort McHenry. $60,000-80,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. The Critical Promotion of a Naval Hero, Oliver Hazard Perry Commission signed by James Madison, 1812. $40,000-60,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. Born in the USA: First Day of Printing in the United States, July 4, 1776. $15,000-25,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. One of the Earliest Printed Announcements of American Independence, in the Exceedingly Rare Original Wrappers, 1776. $10,000-15,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. "The Two Big Guns of the N.Y. Yanks": A Striking Type 1 Press Photograph of Lou Gehrig's Hands. $8,000-12,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. A Unique Contemporary Manuscript Account of Joseph Smith's Final Words to His Followers, the Day Before his Violent Death. $8,000-12,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. The State of Minnesota Officially Certifies the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution Of the United States. $8,000-12,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. Extraordinarily Large Manuscript Petition Signed by a Who's Who of Colonial New York to Queen Anne from the Colony of New York. $8,000-12,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. Mickey Mantle's First Cover: The Earliest Front-Page Newspaper Image of Mickey Mantle, "Something Good from Joplin". $8,000-12,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. A Call to Arms in the Months Following the Declaration of Independence: An Early Continental Army Recruitment Poster. $6,000-9,000.

Freeman’s, June 30. Samuel Jones, the Statesman Behind the Newly Discovered "Jones Declaration": His Annotated Set Used in His Working Law Library. $6,000-9,000.