More from the Library of H.P. Kraus<br>At Oak Knoll Books
Part two of The Reference Library of H.P. Kraus.
By Michael Stillman
Oak Knoll Books has just issued the second part of its catalogue "From the Reference Library of H.P. Kraus." H.P. Kraus was the legendary New York bookseller who developed one of the largest private reference libraries ever assembled, many times the stock of the books he actually had for sale. Mr. Kraus died in 1988, and after his wife passed away last year, his inventory and reference material was put up for sale at auction. Oak Knoll, being a specialist in reference and bibliography, bought a large part of that material, which it is now offering for sale.
Not all of the items in this catalogue came from the H.P. Kraus library, as Oak Knoll has augmented the collection with related titles. However, books from the Kraus library do include a loose bookplate indicating the provenance. There are many works in French and German as well as English as Kraus always had an orientation to his native Europe. As the collection offered is quite extensive, with almost a thousand titles in this second part of the catalogue alone, we will limit our examples to one very targeted subject alone. What better topic to focus on than Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press and the world's first publisher?
The first book Gutenberg printed was hardly new, its age already being measured in millennia when it rolled off his press in 1454 or 1455. We use the terms "rolled off" loosely as it took several years to complete the printing and production of 180 bibles, but even that was about 180 times the speed of the average scribe. It is believed that around 50 of those copies survive complete or substantially complete.
When George Hibbert, a successful British merchant retired to live in the country in 1829, he put his huge collection up for sale at auction. There were 8,726 items in total, including a paper copy of the Gutenberg Bible. The auction lasted 42 days, and when completed, brought in a total of around £23,000. Item 903 is the Catalogue of the Library of George Hibbert, a copy with admitted faults. Priced at $95.
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.
![<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.")
