Pacific Voyages and Other Historical Works from Hordern House
Gould's Australian mammals; Boki and Liliha.
Here is a one-of-a-kind from Cook's final voyage. Item 35 is a collection of six original drawings made by John Webber on Cook's third journey. Webber provided the illustrations for the official account (above). These six illustrations constitute the largest collection of Cook original drawings in private hands. They are mostly of natives from the Kamchatka Peninsula of Pacific Russia. One is the inside of a building used for winter habitation. Kamchatka was the last main stop on the journey, reached after Cook's death in Hawaii, with the expedition now under the command of Captain James King. From there, the weary voyagers headed back to England. Webber's six drawings are priced at AU $685,000 (US $524,458).
Artist John Gould is known for his drawing of European birds, but here is a double exception – Australian mammals. Early in his career, Gould had set out for Australia to collect material for a book on its birds. However, he was also astonished by the exotic mammals he found on that continent. He would write to an associate about the mammals, saying that he "found myself surrounded by objects as strange as if I had been transported to another planet..." Once he completed his book on its birds, he began The Mammals of Australia, which would be published in three volumes beginning in 1845. Item 21. Price on request.
In 1824, the Hawaiian King Kamehameha II, his wife, many officials, and Oahu Governor Boki and his wife Liliha undertook a journey to Britain to secure that nation's protection for their islands. It was a tragic journey. The Hawaiians had never been exposed to measles, so when the disease hit, many, including the King, died. Boki was forced to take over the mission, which he completed successfully, before returning home with the King's remains. While in England, a portrait was drawn of Boki and Liliha by artist John Hayter. Item 23 is one of those lithographic portraits from 1824. Deeply in debt, Boki would undertake a voyage to harvest sandalwood in the New Hebrides in 1829, never to return. Presumably, he and his mates were lost at sea. He had left Liliha in charge of his responsibilities, so she became the Governor. However, she would eventually lose her authority as a result of a power struggle between Protestant and Catholic missionaries (she sided with the losing Catholics) and her unwillingness to enforce the new "morals" they brought with them. She died suddenly in 1839. AU $ 19,850 (US $15,203).
You may find Hordern House online at www.hordern.com, telephone (02) 9356 4411.
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.")
