Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - December - 2012 Issue

The First Catalogue from Honey and Wax Booksellers

The first catalogue from Honey & Wax.

This month we received our first catalogue from Honey & Wax Booksellers of Brooklyn, New York. It is an unusual catalogue, with fold-out covers and wording on the cover I can't quite figure out whether it is the title or company motto. Either way, here it is: Use Books as Bees Use Flowers. Hm...let's see.. ah ha – they devour the nectar! That's my interpretation. Could be wrong. Honey and Wax is a fairly new book firm, but is operated by Heather O'Donnell, who brings years of experience in the trade. This is their first catalogue, but we hope to see many more. Traditional printed catalogues remain an important part of bookselling, even if this one is a bit untraditional in appearance.

In the introduction, headed “This is a story about the way we read now,” Ms. O'Donnell notes that paper books “are no longer our primary means of conveying information, and probably never will be again.” True enough, but how then do we preserve our heritage? That is a question future generations will have to answer as they delete old books from their electronic readers. Fortunately, we still have over five centuries worth of printed books to hold, cherish, and pass down to future generations. As she further observes, “They [books] satisfy our desire to own and handle well-made objects, to live among them, to give each other something lasting, rather than simply clicking 'share.'”

Honey & Wax booksellers specializes in literature, “with the occasional foray into the arts, specializing in unique copies: books from the libraries of writers and artists, rare first printings, quirky vintage editions, splendidly bound copies, books with no downloadable equivalent.” Here are a few from this first Honey & Wax catalogue.

We will start with what could fairly be called the first piece of English literature, as printed by the greatest of the fine private presses. This is the Tale of Beowulf, author unknown, perhaps dating to as early as the 8th century. It survived in a single manuscript, but did not make it to the press until the early 19th century. This copy is from the limited edition of 308 copies off William Morris' Kelmscott Press, hence its familiar name as the Kelmscott Beowulf. This work was a “labor of love” for Morris. The work was translated to prose by A.J. Wyatt, and then Morris returned the translated text to poetry, as was the original. Morris said of Beowulf, it was “the first and the best poem of the English race, [with] no author but the people.” He also claimed it was one of his most expensive productions and he lost money on the project. If he could have waited another 117 years (it was published in 1895), Morris would have done just fine. This copy includes the “Note to Reader” that was tipped in to it. Item 55. Priced at $8,200.

It is not unusual to see poets come off the mean streets, or the bohemian neighborhoods of cities. Rarely do they come from the executive offices of insurance companies. What rhymes with “amortization?” Wallace Stevens began working at the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company in 1916, seven years before his first book of poetry was published, and would continue to do so for the remainder of his life, rising to Vice-President. On the side, he wrote poetry, and that is what he is remembered for today, not writing insurance policies. His reputation, though modest at first, grew with time, and he received a Pulitzer Prize in 1955, the year he died, for a collection of poetry. Item 36 is a first edition, first issue, first binding of Stevens' first book, Harmonium, published in 1923. The full-time insurance man was already 44 years old by then. This copy contains the bookplate of Annie Eliot Trumbull. Ms. Trumbull was a writer and Connecticut neighbor of Stevens who introduced him to the literary circles of the area in the days before he was a published writer. $6,200.

Items 73-80 are eight separate broadside promotions for Shakespearean plays in London, New York, and Philadelphia. They date from 1810-1857. Many featured the most notable actors and actresses of their day. The actress Mrs. Jordan makes her appearance on a broadside as well as on stage. Along with being a notable actress, she was even better known as the longtime mistress of the future King William IV. William was not expected to ever be King when he and Mrs. Jordan were together, so he was free to carry on his affairs as he pleased. Carry on his affairs he did, William and Mrs. Jordan having ten children together between 1794 and 1807. They broke up in 1811, and William became King in 1830. When William died in 1837, the crown passed to his niece, Victoria, since, ironically, he had no children (“legitimate” ones, that is). Another broadside features the greatest American Shakespearean actor of the mid-19th century, Edwin Forrest. The rivalry between Forrest and his working class and immigrant fans, against British Shakespearean actor William Macready and his upper class fans, led to the terrible Astor Place Riot of 1849. Followers of each fought each other outside the Astor Opera House, 20-30 people dying in the ensuing melee. Shakespeare would have been... dumbfounded? These 8 broadsides are priced from $500-$850 each.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD

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