That eerie figure with the die-cut eyes you see on the cover of this catalogue is actually a mask from the Vietnam War era. It is the face of William Calley, at the time (1969) accused of war crimes, later convicted. It was worn during the 1969 March on Washington to imply that all Americans were war criminals so long as the Vietnam War continued. Item 94. $125.
Item 84 was a book written to support one cause, but became the standard work for another. It is Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, published in 1906. It was meant to awaken people to the miserable conditions facing Chicago's poor immigrants, but instead it awakened America to the unsanitary conditions in the meat-packing industry. Sinclair later wrote, "I aimed for the public's heart but by accident I hit it in the stomach." Interestingly, though the public has turned on government involvement in so many social causes once championed by the left, no one seems to be arguing for the government to stop inspecting meat and other food sources, even if that is kind of socialist behavior. $350.
The gay rights movement has finally achieved some notable victories in the past few years, but it had little public support a half century ago. It was a subject most would not even mention in 1957 when Helen Branson published Gay Bar. Branson operated a very early "gay bar," Helen's, in San Francisco, a meeting place for those involved in the earliest stages of the gay rights movement. Item 43. $650.
Here is one of those items from the other side of the political spectrum. It is a proclamation from The Honorable Lester Maddox, Governor of Georgia. The "Honorable" Lester Maddox proclaimed August 8, 1968, John Birch Day. Birch was an American in China in the 1940s, killed by the Communists. To those well right of center, he was the first casualty in the war against communism, and so a group of rightists named their organization for him, the John Birch Society. Such a group would have met with the approval of Governor Maddox. Maddox was a restaurateur who gained recognition for threatening those who sought to integrate his restaurant with "Pickrick drumsticks" (clubs named after his "Pickrick" Cafeteria). When the law closed in on him, Maddox closed down his restaurant rather than serve blacks. For this, the voters rewarded him with the governorship of Georgia in 1967. The Georgia constitution prevented Maddox from succeeding himself, so in 1971 he ran successfully for Lieutenant Governor and served under the new Governor, Jimmy Carter. Item 95. $125.
Lorne Bair Rare Books may be reached at 540-665-0855 or info@lornebair.com. The website is www.lornebair.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. 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.")
