Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books has issued its catalogue of 50 Fine Books 2007. This is a collection of fifty stunningly beautiful illustrated books. Most are colored, though those that are not are still exceptional.
Topics are varied. There are beautiful bird books from Britain, Europe, Australia, North and South America. Quadrupeds, insects, and conches also get their due. There are several looks at Russia from the time of the czars, Egypt when its antiquities were just being rediscovered, fantastic views of the Himalayan and Pyrenees Mountains, Vienna, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Pompeii. There are displays of horsemanship, both good and bad. There are portraits of the emperors of Turkey and the Indians of North America. Flora and gardens can be seen. There are beautifully illustrated tropical fish to be found. This truly is a magnificent collection of fine books, and here are a few examples.
Item 48 gives us one of the best looks available at America's Indians while their lives were still mostly untouched by Europeans. From 1832-1834, German Prince Maximilian traveled through America, going all the way up the Missouri River to present-day Montana. He wrote down his experiences with the tribes he met, while Artist Karl Bodmer painted their likenesses. Offered is a first edition from 1839-41 of Reise in das innere Nord-America..., four volumes with numerous hand-painted illustrations. Priced at £175,000 (British pounds, or approximate US equivalent of $337,988).
French explorer Jean-Baptise Chappe D'Auteroche visited Siberia in 1761. His journey was to observe the transit of Venus, but as his book will attest, he observed much more. His illustrated look at Siberia, its climate, people, wildlife and minerals, is presented in Voyage en Siberie, published in 1768. It also includes a translation of Krasheninnikov's description of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Chappe D'Auteroche would travel to observe another transit of Venus off the California coast a decade later, but was fatally struck down by disease. Item 9. £11,000 (US $21,250).
For an even earlier view of Russia, item 8 is Reizen over Moskovie, door Persia en Indie... by Cornelis de Bruyn. De Bruyn was a Dutch painter who visited Moscow, Persia and India in 1701. This 1714 first edition includes a picture of Moscow, looking like not much more than a rural village. £9,500 (US $18,350).
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…
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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.
![<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.")
![<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.")
