Bibliography, Bookbinding and Reference from Forest Books
Forest Books offers books from two booksellers.
By Michael Stillman
Just arrived is catalogue number 105 from Forest Books, Books from the Libraries of two Distinguished Booksellers. Those booksellers are Pierre Beres of Paris, and Bernard Breslauer of New York. The books being offered come from the subjects of bibliography, bookbinding, and reference. Included are many old auction catalogues, some dating back almost 300 years, many others from the 19th century. It is almost inconceivable the level of material that was held in private collections a couple of centuries ago. The material offered herein is filled with valuable bibliographic and other material, a real trove of information for the serious collector. Here are some examples.
Item 8 is a very old sales catalogue, the Catalogue de la Bibliotheque de...Vincent Bacallar y Sanna Marquis de S. Philippe... This is the first of three catalogues from the Marquis' sale, dated January 27, 1727. Priced at £245 (British pounds, or U.S. equivalent of $435).
Item 104 was a most amazing autograph collection, and the long extracts from many of the letters in this sales catalogue make it a valuable research tool today. It is, the Catalogue of Highly Interesting and Valuable Autograph Letters and Historical Manuscripts, Being the Well Known Collection of Monsr. A. Donnadieu. Alcide Donnadieu was a Frenchman who collected primarily English signed letters and manuscripts. His collection was described by A.N.L. Munby as, "one of the finest collections of autograph letters ever to come under the hammer..." Among the signatures it contained were Newton, Rembrandt, Raphael (with a drawing), Rubens, John Locke, Oliver Cromwell, Cesare Borgia, and Catherine Parr (the sixth Mrs. Henry the Eighth). At the time of the sale, the collection went for a mere £1,610. However, that was 1851, and much has changed in the past 155 years. £275 (US $488).
Item 202 is a French collection, rather than a French collector. It was from the Cont B. de Nadaillac, Catalogue d'une Collection Importante sur la Revolution Francaise... Sold in 1885, Forest describes it as "One of the most important 19th-century collections concerning the French revolution." £75 (US $133).
Item 3 is William Loring Andrews' Bibliopegy in the United States and Kindred Spirits. What is "bibliopegy?" Well, if you collect it, you already know; and if you don't, there's probably no need to explain. But, we will. "Bibliopegy" is the art of bookbinding. Forest Books describes this 1902 title as, "The earliest and most important account of early American bookbinding." Or, bibliopegy, if you will. £295 (US $524).
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.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<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.")
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
