Item 4 is one of the most important of all American maps, Tipus Orbis Universalis Ivxta Ptolomei Cosmographi Traditionem et Americi Vespucii.... This 1520 map from Peter Apianus is the earliest obtainable map showing America with that name. At one time, this map was believed to be the source of the term "America," although a lone surviving copy of a Waldseemuller map from 1507 now appears to be the first. However, the Apianus map is the one which widely circulated the name "America," and made it stick permanently to the land originally known simply as the "new world." Price upon request.
For those interested in decorating their homes, item 76 is a beautiful copy of Clarence Cook's House Beautiful. Published in 1878, it provides great detail on interior decorating for people with the highest of taste and incomes to match. $950.
Now it's time for something within the memory of many of the still living. It is a collection of material dealing with the tumultuous Democratic Convention of 1968. This was the year in which President Lyndon Johnson retired rather than face possible rejection over the Viet Nam War, and Robert Kennedy, seeking to replace him, was assassinated. The major survivors by the time the convention was held were Johnson's Vice-President, Hubert Humphrey, and anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy. Amidst rioting in the streets of Chicago, the convention selected Humphrey, who lost the election that fall to Richard Nixon. Item 47 is a collection of correspondence to and from John Bailey, the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Among the items is a long telegram from McCarthy requesting he be allowed to appear before the Committee to explain "the administration's course in Vietnam is dangerous and wrong," and "the Vietnam War prevents the Democratic Party from carrying out its promises of a better life for all Americans." Over 100 items are included in this collection. $300.
Item 86 is a typed, signed letter from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to Minnesota Congressman John Blatnik, thanking him for his work assisting the Kennedy Library. It is accompanied by a spectacular printed portrait of the President and Mrs. Kennedy (see the image on this page). $1,500.
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. 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.
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>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.")
