James Pepper Rare Books has issued their Catalogue 126 of rare and collectible books and ephemera. Along with books there are photographs, filmscripts, posters, manuscripts, and even a pair of pants. Here are a few examples.
Item 28 is an unusual piece of Civil War memorabilia. It is a hand-drawn sketch of the inside of the house in Appomattox where Lee surrendered to Grant. It was drawn by Union General Ely Parker from memory sometime around 1880. Parker was a Seneca Indian who served as Grant's aide and witnessed the surrender. In fact, he wrote up the surrender documents Grant and Lee signed. Parker had become friends with Grant while working in pre-Civil War Illinois, and it was only through his friend's intervention that he was able to rise in the military. He would later become the first Indian to serve as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Parker's diagram shows the positions of those present at the surrender, Lee and Grant included. Priced at $7,500.
Item 46 is a signed first edition, first issue of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night. Published in 1934, this is one of the signed copies Fitzgerald gave his wife, Zelda, to present to her friends. A small note dated November 2, 1934, states that it was given "from Mrs. F. to M.S.D." Mrs. F. was the second half of this dysfunctional couple. $28,500.
Item 82 is a heartrending broadside tribute to transatlantic flight pioneer Charles Lindbergh, published to celebrate his flight across the ocean in 1927. It includes twenty sample congratulatory telegrams admirers could send to Lucky Lindy to honor his achievement. Touching sentiments such as "It's true you belong to history, but you also belong to us. Welcome home," can be wired for a mere sixty cents. The selfless publisher of this patriotic, emotive poster was the Postal Telegraph Cable Company. $125.
Item 61 is a surprising early campaign financial disclosure from President Warren Harding. Harding was first elected to public office in 1899, when his constituents selected him to serve in the Ohio State Senate. In 1901, he ran for reelection, and during that campaign, he filled in this disclosure form and signed it three times. In it, he lists his campaign expenditures, which totaled a whopping $91.50. Harding would be elected president in a landslide in 1920, but died in office, his administration racked with scandal, though Harding himself was evidently unaware of and did not benefit from the illegal activities of his associates. $1,500.
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.")
