Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - April - 2008 Issue

New Mexico, Texas, Mexico and the Southwest from Almagre Books

Congressman John Bingham opposed slavery and whipping employees.

Congressman John Bingham opposed slavery and whipping employees.


Item 183 is a complete set of catalogues of western bookseller Jefferson "Jeff" Dykes. Dykes was a writer, teacher, soil conservationist, and book collector, who at the age when most people retire (65), became a bookseller. Though he was born and died in Texas, his western bookselling career was conducted from his home in College Park, Maryland. Among his specialties were the Texas Rangers, the cattle industry, and outlaws, and he wrote the preeminent bibliography of Billy the Kid. Dykes issued his first catalogue in 1965, and stopped twenty years later with number 57. The Jeff Dykes Range Livestock collection at the Texas A&M Library he originated is one of the most important western collections, with 20,000-30,000 books. $450.

Item 70 combines ancient Aztec culture with the most obsessive, possibly greatest book and manuscript collector ever, the very eccentric Thomas Phillipps. Phillipps was the ultimate preservationist, attempting to save a copy of every printed and manuscript item in the world, and stuffing them into his house. Eventually, it became almost impossible to move around his home, so crammed it became. One of the great many items Phillipps obtained was Historia de los Yndios Mexicanos, a manuscript by Juan de Tovar. De Tovar was a Mexican priest who lived from 1546-1626 and wrote about early native history. Phillipps decided to print this manuscript in parts from his Middle Hill Press in 1860. He stated 50 copies were to be printed. This first part stops in mid-sentence, but no more parts were ever issued. The original manuscript is now held by the John Carter Brown Library. $950.

Almagre Books may be reached at 505-989-9462 or wwroth@kiva.net.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Gonnelli
    Auction 58
    Books, Autographs & Manuscripts
    March 11th-13th 2025
    Gonnelli: Manuscript and illuminated book of hours, mid-15th century.
    Gonnelli: Sumptuous Koran manuscript by Bukhara illuminators in the mid-nineteenth century.
    Gonnelli: Rowling J. K., Harry Potter e la Pietra Filosofale. Firenze: Adriano Salani, 1998.
    Gonnelli: Fontana Lucio, Dix eaux-fortes. Milano: Galerie Schwarz, 1962.
    Gonnelli: Valli Antonio, Il canto de gl'augelli. In Roma, Nicolò Mutij, 1601.
    Gonnelli: Moniglia Giovanni Andrea, Il Mondo Festeggiante. In Firenze: nella Stamperia di S.A.S., 1661.
    Gonnelli: Alighieri Dante, [Divine Comedy with commentary and Life of Dante by Cristoforo Landino]. Danthe alegieri fiorentino. Venezia, Capcasa, 1493.
    Gonnelli: Foresti, Novissime historiarum. Venezia, Rusconi, 1506.
    Gonnelli: Hieronymus (santo), Vita di sancti Padri vulgariter historiada. Venezia, Otino da Pavia, 1501.
    Gonnelli: Ghisi Andrea, Laberinto dato novamente in luce. In Venetia: per Euangelista Deuchino, 1616.
    Gonnelli: Gouvea Antonio (de), Innocentia victrix. [China, Canton], 1671.
    Gonnelli: Napier John, Rabdologiae, seu numerationis per virgulas libri duo. Edinburgi: Andreas Hart, 1617.
    Gonnelli: Ortelius Abraham, Theatrum orbis terrarum. Antverpiae: Aegid. Coppenium Diesth, xx Maii 1570.
  • Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
    Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR

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