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Source : Anderson Galleries 1604

Source Title	The West, Its History and Romance (Part I of Dr. Frank P. O'Brien's Library)
Description	The West, Its History and Romance (Part I of Dr. Frank P. O'Brien's Library) Rare, Curious and Important Books, Pamphlets, Broadsides and Maps Relating to the Western States from the Ohio to the Pacific including the Original Manuscripts of Sutter's Fort 1846-1847.
Scope of Text	"This collection is, of course, distinguished by its possession of the greatest historical discovery that has been made for more than a generation. But, even omitting the Fort Sutter Papers from consideration, the material here embraced is unusually noteworthy for its rarity and for its value and intrinsic importance as a record of national development. Several things have contributed to the present keen appreciation and demand for chronicles relating to the Early West and Far West. One of those elements lies in the fact that more human adventure and hardship were mingled with the western movement in America, than with a similar period in the growth of any other nation. Another reason is the realization of the relationship borne by those migrations to the present condition of the world. Still a third reason is to be found in the fact that the Middle West and Far West of to-day are filled with libraries, universities, historical societies and other institutions, to which such narratives are a necessity in order that they may possess the early records of their own neighborhoods and regions; and a fourth cause of the competition is the fact that such books, pamphlets, maps, and other productions were almost invariably printed in small editions, despite their unusual and permanent interest. As a result of all these causes the material dealing with the Pioneer West has almost disappeared, and in the very near future is certain to appreciate greatly in value. Opportunities such as are afforded by the dispersal of this collection are, in consequence, recognized as events of importance. No necessity exists for comment on the Fort Sutter Papers, the discovery and existence of which are of vastly wider consequence than as an item in a sale of rare historical material. Aside from those documents, the collection is rich in valuable and unusual titles, many of which here appear for the first time in the records. From the foreword to the auction catalogue
Total Records in AED	0

Forum Auctions
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
29th January 2026

Forum, Jan. 29: Plato. [Apanta ta tou Platonos. Omnia Platonis opera], 2 parts in 2 vol., editio princeps of Plato's works in the original Greek, Venice, House of Aldus, 1513. £8,000-12,000

Forum, Jan. 29: Book of Hours, Use of Rome, In Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum, [Southern Netherlands (probably Bruges), c.1460]. £6,000-8,000

Forum, Jan. 29: Correspondence and documents by or addressed to the first four Viscounts Molesworth and members of their families, letters and manuscripts, 1690-1783. £10,000-15,000

Forum Auctions
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
29th January 2026

Forum, Jan. 29: Shakespeare (William). The Dramatic Works, 9 vol., John and Josiah Boydell, 1802. £5,000-7,000

Forum, Jan. 29: Joyce (James). Ulysses, first edition, one of 750 copies on handmade paper, Paris, Shakespeare and Company, 1922 £8,000-12,000

Forum, Jan. 29: Powell (Anthony). [A Dance to the Music of Time], 12 vol., first editions, each with a signed presentation inscription from the author to Osbert Lancaster, 1951-75. £6,000-8,000

Forum Auctions
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
29th January 2026

Forum, Jan. 29: Chaucer (Geoffrey). Troilus and Criseyde, one of 225 copies on handmade paper, wood-engravings by Eric Gill, Waltham St.Lawrence, 1927. £3,000-4,000

Forum, Jan. 29: Borges (Jorge Luis). Luna de Enfrente, first edition, one of 300 copies, presentation copy signed by the author to Leopoldo Marechal, Buenos Aires, Editorial Proa, 1925. £3,000-4,000

Forum, Jan. 29: Nolli (Giovanni Battista). Nuova Pianta di Roma, Rome, 1748. £6,000-8,000

Forum Auctions
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
29th January 2026

Forum, Jan. 29: Roberts (David). The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, & Nubia, 3 vol., first edition, 1842-49. £15,000-20,000

Forum, Jan. 29: Blacker (William). Catechism of Fly Making, Angling and Dyeing, Published by the author, 1843. £3,000-4,000

Forum, Jan. 29: Herschel (Sir John F. W.) Collection of 69 offprints, extracts and separate publications by Herschel, bound for his son, William James Herschel, 3 vol., [1813-50]. £15,000-20,000
Sotheby’s
Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana
27 January 2026

Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary pair of books from George Washington’s field library, marking the conjunction of Robert Rogers, George Washington, and Henry Knox. $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.

Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary letter marking the conjunction of George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.

Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: Virginia House of Delegates. The genesis of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. $350,000 to $500,000.

Sotheby’s
Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana
27 January 2026

Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: (Gettysburg). “Genl. Doubleday has taken charge of the battle”: Autograph witness to the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by fourteen maps and plans. $200,000 to $300,000.

Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: President Lincoln thanks a schoolboy on behalf of "all the children of the nation for his efforts to ensure "that this war shall be successful, and the Union be maintained and perpetuated." $200,000 to $300,000.

Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.