• Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Alken (Henry). Sporting Notions, first edition, T.McLean, 1832-33. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Bardi (Lorenzo). Nuova Raccolta delle piu interessanti Vedute della Citta di Firenze…, Florence, Lorenzo Bardi, [c.1840]. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Crawfurd (John). Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-General of India to the Court of Ava..., first edition, 1829. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Dawe (George, engraver). The Life of a Nobleman, first edition, Geo. Henderson, [c.1825]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: [Doyle (John)], "H.B.". Political Sketches &c., 10 vol. including The Descriptive Key to H.B., Thomas McLean, [1829-51]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Eben (Adolphus Christian Frederick, Baron von) and Nicolaus Heideloff. Modèles de l'Uniforme Militaire Adopté dans l'Armée Royale de Suède, Rudolph Ackerman, 1808. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Geissler (J.G.G.) and Friedrich Hempel. Mahlerische Darstellungen der Sitten, Gebrauche und Lustbarkeiten bey den Russischen, Tartarischen…, 4 parts in 1, Leipzig and Paris, [1804]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Hunt (Charles). Portraits of Winning Horses...of the Derby, Oaks, & St. Leger, from the Year 1842 to 1849…, Rock Brothers & Payne, 1849. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Kunike (Adolf Friedrich). Zwey hundert und sechzig Donau-Ansichten nach dem Laufe des Donaustromes…, Vienna, Leopold Grund, 1826. £3,000 to £5,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Lasinio (Carlo). [Matrimony], Florence, 1790. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Reinhardt (Joseph). A Collection of Swiss Costumes, in Miniature, second English edition, James Goodwin, [1828]. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Wengen (Gottfried Durst von). Die Öffentliche Maskerade Bamberg am Fastnachts-Montage 1833…, Bamberg, [1833]. £2,000 to £3,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
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    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
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    Modern First Editions
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    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
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Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - May - 2019 Issue

The House of Romanov from Shapero Rare Books

The House of Romanov.

Shapero Rare Books has prepared a catalogue of material relating to The House of Romanov. The Romanovs ruled Russia for 300 years. The family came to power somewhat reluctantly during a time of uncertainty in 1613. Late in that century, they would begin to rise to the role of an international power under Peter the Great. The Romanovs would continue unchallenged until late in the 19th century. Their popularity then began to wane, a defeat against the Japanese in 1904, and enormous casualties during World War I further eroded the last Romanov Tsar's power. He abdicated during the Revolution of 1917, and Tsar Nicolas and his family were executed by Bolsheviks in 1918.

 

Many of the items in this catalogue are in the Russian language, and we cannot display their Russian titles because they use the Cyrillic alphabet. However, many others are written in French, some in English. Here are a few samples from this catalogue.

 

We begin with the first item in the catalogue, which takes us all the way back to the beginning of the dynasty. It is not contemporary. It is the only printed account of the wedding of the first Romanov Tsar, Mikhail, to Evodokiia Stereshnev in 1626. Mikhail had been married in 1624, but his first wife died only four months later. This highly illustrated account of the wedding was published in 1810. Platon Petrovich Beketov, who operated his own press, conducted a great amount of research, including use of an historical manuscript account, to create the book. This copy includes the full compliment of 65 illustration (most copies have 63) and the images have been hand-colored. Mikhail was a gentle ruler, not at all the tyrant, and his rule saw great expansion of Russian territory. Item 1. Priced at £16,500 (British pounds, or approximately $21,086 in U.S currency).

 

Next we move along to Mikhail's grandson, one of three to become Tsar. He is perhaps the greatest of all, which logically explains having "Great" in his name. Actually, he was Peter I, but everyone knows him as Peter the Great. For a while, he was a co-regent with his half-brother, but including that time, he was Tsar from 1682-1725. During that period, Russia grew to an empire, and Peter, appropriately enough, became as emperor. Peter ruled over not only a larger Russia, but a modernized one as well. He sought to learn from other countries, westernizing the more backward country, while strengthening a weak military. His was, for the most part, a progressive rule, though Peter could be brutal with his enemies. Item 2 is the almost contemporary History of the Life of Peter I. Emperor of Russia, by John Mottley. Mottley was an English scholar, but usually wrote anonymously as his father was forced into exile for his support of James II, deposed in the Glorious Revolution. Late in life, Mottley wrote two books under his own name, this being one. It was almost contemporary with Peter's reign, having been published in 1739, 14 years after Peter died. It was published in London and is written in English. £2,500 (US $3,198).

 

Actually, Peter wasn't the only great Tsar. There was also Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great. After disruptions in the direct Romanov line, her husband, Peter III, became Tsar in 1762. His mother was a daughter of Peter the Great, but he was raised in Germany, and while a great reformer, attempting to initiate democratic and humanitarian reforms, his pro-Prussian stands were not well received. He also had a bad relationship with his wife, Catherine, and both conducted extra-marital affairs. This poor relationship more than foreign policy was instrumental in Catherine joining with others to overthrow her husband after just half a year as Tsar. Peter III died under mysterious circumstances a short time later. Catherine, on the other hand, ruled from 1762 until her death in 1796. Catherine, too, was a reformer, though perhaps not as much as her husband wished to be. Item 9 is a copy of Catherine's Instructions in French, Instructions. Adressées par sa Majesté l'Impératrice de tourtes les Russies... published in 1769. This French edition was published by the Russian Academy of Sciences but not offered for sale. Catherine had read texts of the French Enlightenment and this was an enunciation of her intention to bring these ideas to Russia. The Instructions were never really implemented, but it was a good thought. Item 9. £1,800 (US $2,303).

 

Item 46 is a lavish book dedicated to an exhibition by the Committee for the Construction of the 1812 Museum in Moscow. This does not pertain to the War of 1812 known by Americans. In Russia, this was the year the Russians forced Napoleon to retreat from Russia, not because of defeat on the battlefield, but by denying his troops access to supplies. Russian winters are not easy to survive without adequate supplies. An exhibition was prepared on the 100th anniversary in 1912, with exhibits housed in the Historical Museum on Red Square pending construction of the new museum. Material was gathered from other museums and private collections. There was more than could actually be displayed, and some of the items herein were therefore not on display. Unfortunately, the delay took the project into the time of World War I, and then there was the Russian Revolution, and the project was abandoned. However, such a museum was opened on the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's defeat. £7,000 (US $8,958).

 

Romanov rule would come to an end in 1917. Nicholas II, who became Tsar in 1896, had little ability to handle the deteriorating situation around him. He was the wrong man at the wrong time. Military defeat by Japan, terrible casualties during the First World War, workers' demands answered with a slaughter in 1905, and finally revolution sealed his fate. Nicholas abdicated in 1917, he and his family were killed in 1918. Item 31 is sort of a last look at the old order. It is a photograph, circa 1913, of his four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. The close-knit sisters, who were also great-granddaughters of England's Queen Victoria, look bright but innocent, the four surrounding a table with an open book. Each of the sisters has signed the photograph and it is dated 1916. They could not have imagined the terrible fate that awaited them just two years hence. £35,000 (US $44,792).

 

Shapero Rare Books may be reached at +44 (0)20 7493 0876 or rarebooks@shapero.com. Their website is www.shapero.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • 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.

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