King and Queen Books is a bookseller specializing in works from or about their home state of Florida. Many people think of Florida strictly in terms of winter beach resorts, orange trees, and theme parks, but there is much more. King and Queen is actually located far from what most people think of as Florida, in Pensacola, almost 700 miles from Miami, in that area variously known as the "Panhandle," "West Florida," or "South Alabama." We are looking at their "Catalog 45, FLORIDA - Books, Pamphlets, and Other Imprints Relating to the Sunshine State." It will be of interest to anyone who collects Florida, lives there, or has any other connections to the Sunshine aka Hurricane State.
Here are a few examples of what you can find in this catalogue. Item 56 is The East Florida Annual, 1915, 1916. This is a very rare book, with descriptions and statistics for east and south Florida counties and papers on agriculture and the Everglades. King and Queen say that they have only been able to locate one other copy, and despite a note proclaiming a forthcoming 1916-1917 edition, they have not located any other editions. Priced at $250.
Florida exhibited at the 1934 World's Fair in Chicago, and if you had visited their exhibit, you could have picked up the Official Directory of the Florida Exhibit, World's Fair, Chicago. 1934. This pamphlet was designed to tell strangers about the state, with special emphasis on the community which produced it, Plant City ("America's winter strawberry capitol"). Item 165. $55.
Item 120 is a notable title for those interested in Florida's highways, Florida Trails to Turnpikes, 1914-1964, by Baynard Kendrick. The book was published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Florida State Road Board. This copy is inscribed by the author. $35.
Item 10 is an old schoolbook, The Americas, by Wallace Atwood and Helen Thomas. Published in 1929, this is a copy of the Florida edition of the text, and is marked with a state ownership stamp. $18.
Here's a tourist item for St. Petersburg. Published by the "Tourist News Publishing Co." in 1924, it is called Seeing St. Petersburg, a Book of Information for Visitors. The city won't look much like it did in this book anymore, but area residents may find the comparison interesting. Item 182. $60.
Curt Engelbrecht wrote a book about his neighbor called Neighbor John. Intimate Glimpses of John D. Rockefeller. Engelbrecht must have lived in a very nice neighborhood. Actually, he was Rockefeller's personal press photographer and tells us something about the man. Originally published in 1936, this is a 1978 edition. Item 58. $15.
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.
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: 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>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.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<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>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.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<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.")
