He may have only been an amateur naturalist, but this author is one of the most important people in American history in terms of preserving the land's natural environment. Item 421 is Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt used his presidency and influence to push for the conservation of America's land and natural resources. He created several national parks, monuments and forests, protecting some 230 million acres during his presidency. As most will recall, after choosing not to seek reelection in 1908, the progressive Roosevelt became disenchanted with his hand-picked successor, William Howard Taft. As a result, he unsuccessfully opposed Taft for the Republican nomination in 1912, and then ran as an independent, coming out ahead of Taft but behind Democrat Woodrow Wilson. With time on his hands after that defeat, Roosevelt undertook a great exploration in the jungles of Brazil in 1913. With sponsorship of the American Museum of Natural History, the expedition learned much about the natural history of the area, including a trip down what is now known as Rio Roosevelt. The book is an account of this adventure in which Roosevelt contracted malaria and suffered a leg injury which almost cost him his life, and probably shortened his remaining years (he died in 1919 at the age of just 60). $320.
Item 47 is a book for orchid lovers: Orchidicae: Illustrations and Studies of the Family Orchidicae. Author Oakes Ames was the son of Massachusetts Governor Oliver Ames, but his career took a different direction. He began collecting orchids as a youth, went to Harvard, and remained there for his entire career with the botanical department. Along the way he traveled to numerous places in the world, studying and collecting orchids. His work, seven volumes published from 1905-08, was the most thorough examination of orchids at the time. The volumes in this set contain an inscription "present of Dr. Ames." $400.
Raymond M. Sutton, Jr., may be reached at 606-549-3464 or suttonbks@2geton.net. The website is www.suttonbooks.com.
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. 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.
![<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.")
