Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - February - 2018 Issue

Catalogue 1 from Mark Funke Bookseller

Catalogue 01.

This catalogue is a first – Catalogue 01 from Mark Funke Bookseller. Funke is located in Seattle, Washington, not an expected location for the bookseller's specialty. If not an American focus, you might expect a bookseller from Seattle to be oriented toward Asia, but Funke specializes in material from Continental Europe. Within the continent, there is a particular focus on German material, including items in the German language. And, despite the business name, Funke is not limited to selling books. They offer all sorts of works on paper, with lots of other types, including manuscripts, drawings, photographs, archives, and other ephemeral material. This first catalogue is a spectacular, thorough, highly illustrated collection of items, most having several pages of illustrations. There are only 25 items presented, but you will have a complete knowledge of each once you see their listings. Here are a few of them.

 

We begin with a very special item, one that combines joy, sorrow, tragedy, and countless other human emotions in one touching, specially prepared book. From 1903, it is a look at the playhouse of Princess Elizabeth von Hessen. It was a wonderful playhouse created by the Princess' loving father. The sadness comes from it being a memorial to the Princess who died at the age of 8. The doting father was Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, a state in Germany. From the moment she was born, the Grand Duke adored his only daughter, and having this large playhouse built for her was an expression of his feelings. He forbade adults from entering, so they would have to wait until she came out herself. Elizabeth was evidently a generous and affectionate child. According to Wikipedia, she was also adored by her great-grandmother, English Queen Victoria, whom she regularly visited. The Grand Duke was also the brother of the Tsarina of Russia, and it was on a visit to see her uncle and aunt, the Tsar and Tsarina, that the young Princess died. Though some speculated she drank poison intended for her uncle, the physician believed it was typhoid. This book was created by Elizabeth's Governess, who has inscribed it to Elizabeth's cousin, Princess Anastasia Romanov. Princess Anastasia also died too young, but under very different circumstances. Item MF 007. Priced at $4,500.

 

Here's an extreme rarity for the science fiction aficionado. In 1934, an organization of fans of this still budding form of fiction was created by Hugo Bernsback, the Science Fiction League. The first chapter was formed in Brooklyn, and in October of 1935, George Gordon Clarke began publishing The Brooklyn Reporter. It was not exactly a professional-looking publication, a mimeographed production. The editor was Frederick Pohl, later a noted writer, but all of 15 years old at the time. Pohl was selected because he was the only member with a typewriter. The Brooklyn Reporter lasted for only five issues, and they are almost impossible to find any more. In 2009, Pohl wrote that he had no copies and hadn't seen any in years. Funke has three of them, numbers 3-5. The Reporter was also in the middle of a feud between Gernsback and the Brooklyn division of the League. Several other contributors to what is considered the pioneer science fiction fanzine became known as writers in the field, including then 19-year-old Forrest J. Ackerman. The fanzine included reviews, original writing, news, biographies and other related material. Item MF 016. $2,500.

 

This is a Souvenir book in a slipcase from one August Schroder, dated 1844. We don't know much about Mr. Schroder, other than he had a sense of humor. Considering that sense, it's surprising he put his name on this book. It is a collection of various dirty jokes, including fake newspaper ads, dirty menus, price lists for inappropriate behavior, questionable business cards, and extensive lists of how to derogatorily describe women's body parts." Think of Mr. Schroder as a lexicographer. Funke notes it's "unusual to find such a manuscript as they are frequently destroyed by embarrassed heirs." While generally in very good condition, there are signs of wear, particularly on the slipcase, indicating it was not just put on a shelf but fully appreciated by its owner. Item MF 006. $1,250.

 

Next is a German "wanted" poster for Friedericke Krabbe and Willy Stoll for the kidnapping of German industrialist Hanns-Martin Schleyer. Krabbe and Stoll were part of the RAF (Red Army Faction), commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang. The RAF was a far left, terrorist organization in West Germany, and the kidnapping of Schleyer in 1977 represented the peak of their terrorist activities in Germany. Schleyer was kidnapped from his car despite a police escort. Three policemen and Schleyer's driver were killed in the shootout, while Schleyer was taken alive. The RAF demanded the release of several of their members, including Andreas Baader, from prison in return for Schleyer's safety. The confrontation carried on for weeks, the government refusing to negotiate, but when Baader and a couple of other RAF members died in prison, apparently from suicide, the kidnappers executed Schleyer. Stoll was shot and killed the following year while the police were capturing him, but Krabbe has never been found. Item MF 022. $450.

 

As a source for culinary treats, there is nothing like the Unser Kochbuch (Our Cookbook). This was the cookbook of East Germany, and undoubtedly these dishes would have been delicious, particularly if you could actually find the ingredients in their stores. The meals depicted, featuring meat no less, were not likely the typical dinner served on that side of the wall. Offered is a set, including the regular 1955 edition and a 1957 braille edition. The meals look better in the illustrated standard edition, but tasted the same regardless of which one they were prepared from. Item MF 008. $650.

 

Mark Funke Bookseller may be reached at 206-631-2907 or mark@funkebooks.com. Their website is found at www.funkebooks.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • 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
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    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
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    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
  • 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.

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