More Works from Film, Literature and History from James Pepper Rare Books
The very lovely Evelyn Nesbit was the cause of the Thaw-White murder trial.
Item 118 is the story of a sensational killing by the killer himself. The work is The Traitor. Being the Untampered with, Unrevised Account of the Trial and All that Led to It, by Harry K. Thaw. Thaw was the son of a coal and railroad magnate with serious mental issues. His family wealth enabled him to survive youth and even attend Harvard despite his social problems. After what education he completed, he went to New York, where he studied chorus girls. This brought him into contact with one Evelyn Nesbit, a beautiful young lady. Young Evelyn was the support of her very poor family, her income potential based on her appearance. As a result, her mother was encouraging when the 16-year-old girl took up with noted architect Stanford White, then 47. White, who seduced many such young women, and moved on after the conquest, had moved along when Thaw discovered her and became obsessed. Eventually, he managed to convince Evelyn to marry him, despite his abusive behavior, but became incensed when she admitted that White had been the first. One night in 1906, Thaw went to the theater, found White, and shot him three times in the head. There were two trials. The first ended with a hung jury, and in the second, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Thaw would spend a few years in an asylum and eventually lived his life out as an "eccentric," while Nesbit got a divorce and attempted suicide several times, but lived in obscurity until age 82 (she died in 1967). The E.L. Doctorow book and film "Ragtime" as well as the 1955 film "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing" are based on this story. Thaw's book was published in 1926. $30.
Item 63 is an odd title from master magician Harry Houdini: Houdini's Paper Magic. The Whole Art of Performing with Paper, Including Paper Tearing, Paper Folding, and Paper Puzzles, published in 1922. I knew that Houdini was into all sorts of spectacular tricks, such as freeing himself from chains while placed in a tank underwater, but who knew he was into origami? $550.
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>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.")
