courtesy of Librairie Rodolphe Chamonal, Paris, France
If you have been wondering what a Howes “d” might be worth today here is one data point for your chart. Item 94 of the newest William Reese catalogue is Voyage Autour du Monde, Execute par Order de sa Majeste L’Empereur Nicholas 1st ..... Paris, 1835-36. For the few of you who don’t know Howes, it is a great single book reference guide to Americana for the period 1650-1950 and it contains ratings for rarity & importance on the following scale:
a
Common but interesting (5,864 rated items)
aa
Less Common (3,687 rated items)
b
Uncommon (1,402 rated items)
c
Rare (290 rated items)
d
Very Rare (97 rated items)
dd
Very Very Rare (122 rated items)
These ratings are not exactly how Wright Howes expressed it but they are close. Someone going to garage sales is going to find an ‘A’ from time to time and find an ‘AA’ mostly on dealer shelves marked anywhere from $250 up. The occasional ‘B’ shows up and they aren’t always quite as valuable as the grade suggests but $1,500 to $2,500 is in the ballpark. From ‘C’ on up it very much depends on its relevance to various collecting categories and whether it contains maps. In this case you have 4 volumes one of which is an atlas, described as “overall a very good, handsome set.” The price is $60,000.00.
Another intriguing item is # 46, The History of Trauayle in the West and East Indies... by Richard Eden and Richard Wiles printed in London in 1577. This title has been one of the few accessible books of stature relating the history of travel and voyages in the 16th century. Its price has been stable over the past 10 years although $16,500 won’t get you the same quality copy today it would then. Nevertheless it is remarkable that an essential book of the period remains in this price range as every travel and voyages collector needs a copy to declare themselves “serious.”
There are in total 164 items in this catalogue and some for less than $1,000 but this is an exceptional group of material, so expect to see the rarest material and prices that are as high as the recent snow was deep.
All in all, these are wonderful catalogues and you’ll enjoy each one of them.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
