Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - March - 2012 Issue

A Variety from Adrian Harrington Rare Books

A variety from Adrian Harrington.

A variety from Adrian Harrington.

This month we received our first catalogue from Adrian Harrington Rare Books. However, this is Catalogue 35 for the London bookseller. Adrian Harrington has been selling books for 40 years now, which certainly qualifies one for accolades such as “venerable,” “estimable,” and the like. Perhaps, honorable, or as they say in England, “honourable.” Their location may indicate somewhat the source of the material, but it is hardly exclusive. After all, who would expect a London bookseller to be offering a collection of material with items relating to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson from a man who was present at Ford's Theater when Lincoln was assassinated? Harrington does specialize to an extent in literature, modern first editions, children's books, and in the case of this catalogue, much in the way of mystery and detective fiction. However, as the Lincoln items attest, you can find just about anything here. So, let's take a look.

We will start with the material connected to President Lincoln. It includes several appointments to various military ranks received by Captain John Bolton. One, dated August 1, 1864, is signed by Lincoln. Another is from President Andrew Johnson, though it is not certain whether it is an actual signature or stamped one. There is also a copy of Osborn Oldroyd's 1901 book Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and a 1914 letter from Oldroyd to Bolton asking his recollections from the assassination. Bolton was on duty at Ford's Theater that terrible night. According to his family, he was awaiting news on his application for a position with Lincoln's personal security team. The President could have used him that night. Item 133. Priced at £12,500 (British pounds, or roughly $19,751 U.S. dollars).


When you have written what was probably the most important scientific work of its century, what do you do for an encore? Here is the answer. Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species totally changed everything we believed about ourselves and how life on earth came to be as it was. There are few books that changed the world as dramatically as this. Item 55 is Darwin's next book, published three years later in 1862: Fertilisation of Orchids. Admittedly, it is not of as monumental importance as his previous title, but it does show Darwin further developing his theory of natural selection, the key factor that differentiated Darwin's view of evolution from earlier ones that assumed some sort of divine force was driving organisms to change. £2,750 (US $4,345).

Rare Book Monthly

  • Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: HAMILTON, Sir William - Campi Phlegraei. Napoli: 1779. € 50,000 - 80,000
    Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: KIRCHER, Athanasius - Turris Babel. Amsterdam: 1679. € 3,000 - 5,000
    Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: EDWARDS, George.London - Gleanings of Natural History. Londra: 1758-1764. € 7,000 - 10,000
    Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: HEVELIUS, Johannes - Cometographia. Danzica: 1668. € 20,000 - 30,000
    Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: KUPKA, Frantisek - Quatre histoires de blanc et noir. Parigi: 1926. € 10,000 - 15,000
  • Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 732. Early Announcement of Continental Congress' Declaration of Independence (1776) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 361. One of Ortelius' Most Decorative Maps in Full Contemporary Color (1585) Est. $9,500 - $12,000
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 55. Early Edition of One of the Most Important 16th Century Maps of the New World (1545) Est. $6,000 - $7,500
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 27. Fascinating Japanese Satirical Map of the World Published After WWI (1924) Est. $2,750 - $3,500
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 637. Complete Example of De Bry's Petits Voyages, Part VIII (1606) Est. $4,750 - $5,500
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 50. Extremely Rare Uncut Sheet from Sylvanus's 1511 Edition of Ptolemy's Geographia (1511) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 399. One of the Most Desired Maps of Ireland by John Speed (1610) Est. $2,750 - $3,500
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 689. Pictorial Map of Melbourne in the Style of MacDonald Gill (1934) Est. $900 - $1,100
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 652. Blaeu's Carte-a-Figures Map of Africa in Full Contemporary Color (1663) Est. $3,000 - $3,750
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 729. Hand-Colored Image of David Handing the Letter to Uriah (1518) Est. $1,000 - $1,300
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 533. Eight-Volume Set Recounting Travels of Anacharsis in Greece (1789) Est. $800 - $950
  • Sotheby’s
    10 September 2024
    The Shem Tov Bible
  • Koller Auctions
    Books & Autographs
    18 September 2024
    Koller, Sep. 18: Cowper, William. Anatomia corporum humanorum ab excellentissimis… Utrecht, 1750. CHF 25,000 to 40,000
    Koller, Sep. 18: Bell, Thomas. A Monograph of the Testudinata. London [1836-1842]. CHF 20,000 to 30,000.
    Koller, Sep. 18: Gould, John. A monograph of the Trochilidae, or family of humming-birds [and] Supplement completed after the authors death…, London [1849-]1861 and [1880-]1887. CHF 50,000 to 80,000.
    Koller Auctions
    Books & Autographs
    18 September 2024
    Koller, Sep. 18: Gould, John. The birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia. CHF 50,000 to 80,000.
    Koller, Sep. 18: Levaillant, François. Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers, suivie de celle des toucans et des barbus. Paris [1801-]1806. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.
    Koller, Sep. 18: Pfinzing, Melchior. Die geverlicheiten und einsteils der geschichten des loblichen streytparen…, Nürnberg, 1517. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.

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