Rare Book Monthly Reviews - December - 2008 Issue

Antiquarian Works Featured in Leo Cadogan Rare Books' First Catalogue

Antiquarian Works Featured in Leo Cadogan Rare Books' First Catalogue

By Michael Stillman

Leo Cadogan Rare Books has just issued their first catalogue. The quite appropriate title is Catalogue One - Autumn 2008. It contains 45 varied items, or as they describe them - "Americana; Anglicana; astrology, astronomy, mathematics; Biblical and theological interest; commerce and coinage, law, politics and history; literature, games and court life; and medical issues." As you might surmise from this list of topics, there are many very old books in this selection. They range back as far as 1552, and as Cadogan notes, almost all are prior to 1800. As you might also s...

Objects of Obscure Desire from ReadInk

Objects of Obscure Desire from ReadInk

By Michael Stillman

We don't often receive a Catalog Number 1, but here is the first from Los Angeles bookseller ReadInk. ReadInk has been in business for over a decade, and proprietor Howard Pr...

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Spanish and Portuguese Related Material from Paul Orssich

Spanish and Portuguese Related Material from Paul Orssich

By Michael Stillman

Paul Orssich has recently published his Catalogo 67. Orssich is the London bookseller who specializes in Spanish and Portuguese works, including the various islands and other...

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Books About Gems and Jewelry from Twelfth Street Booksellers

Books About Gems and Jewelry from Twelfth Street Booksellers

By Michael Stillman

We recently received the annual catalogue from Twelfth Street Booksellers of Santa Monica, California. Twelfth Street specializes in books about gems and jewelry. This is a f...

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Antiquarian Books and Ephemera from Samuel Gedge Rare Books

Antiquarian Books and Ephemera from Samuel Gedge Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

Samuel Gedge Ltd. Rare Books of Norwich, UK, has issued their Catalogue V (as in 5). Gedge provides a variety of material, not just by topic, but by type. So, along with book...

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Weird Science, Religion, Poetry, Etc. from Garrett Scott, Bookseller

Weird Science, Religion, Poetry, Etc. from Garrett Scott, Bookseller

By Michael Stillman

We receive many fascinating catalogues here at AE, but none quite so entertaining as those of Garrett Scott, Bookseller. Scott specializes in not just the obscure, but the bi...

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Valuable Books from the 15th-19th Century from Librairie Thomas-Scheler

Valuable Books from the 15th-19th Century from Librairie Thomas-Scheler

By Michael Stillman

We are not sure when a catalogue transforms itself into a book, but when it reaches 3/4" thick, is in an 8 1/2 x 12 format, and comes with a hard cover, it is no longer an or...

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History in Signed Documents from The Raab Collection

History in Signed Documents from The Raab Collection

By Michael Stillman

We just received Catalog 59 from The Raab Collection. It reads like a 200-year political history of America. Well, not entirely. Albert Einstein was not a politician; Napoleo...

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"Material Change" - Important American Documents from Seth Kaller

"Material Change" - Important American Documents from Seth Kaller

By Michael Stillman

Seth Kaller, Inc., Authentic Historic Documents and Artifacts has released a new catalogue: "Material Change" Documents That Shaped America. Kaller offers more than items fr...

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European and American Autographs from David Schulson

European and American Autographs from David Schulson

By Michael Stillman

David Schulson Autographs recently published their catalogue number 138. It contains autographs, usually written on a larger document, from musicians, artists, writers, scien...

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Special Books from Australia, the South Seas, and More from Hordern House

Special Books from Australia, the South Seas, and More from Hordern House

By Michael Stillman

Hordern House, the major Australian bookseller, always provides special catalogues, so the title of their latest is most appropriate: 2008 Special Catalogue. This is a large...

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Dutch Maritime History from Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books

Dutch Maritime History from Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

We recently received List 45 from Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books entitled A fine selection of books and prints on Dutch Maritime History. Rather than the typical Bestebreu...

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Legal Works from the 16th and 17th Centuries from The Lawbook Exchange

Legal Works from the 16th and 17th Centuries from The Lawbook Exchange

By Michael Stillman

Catalogue 60 is the latest presentation from The Lawbook Exchange of Clark, New Jersey. This catalogue is subtitled, Recently Acquired Books, Manuscripts and Ephemera, Featur...

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Waverly Books Features Literature, Film, Sports, Etc.

Waverly Books Features Literature, Film, Sports, Etc.

By Michael Stillman

Waverly Books has published its List 160 of books and related items for sale. Most of the works offered are from the 20th century, with literature, film, mystery, and sports ...

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Nine Great American Natural History Books from William Reese

Nine Great American Natural History Books from William Reese

By Michael Stillman

The William Reese Company has issued its Art Bulletin 15, a pamphlet offering nine American Natural History Books. These are all important works, with beautiful color illustr...

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Fall Catalogue for the Oak Knoll Press

Fall Catalogue for the Oak Knoll Press

By Michael Stillman

The Oak Knoll Press has issued its catalogue for Fall 2008. The Oak Knoll Press, like Oak Knoll Books, specializes in books about books. Naturally, they differ in that the Pr...

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Rare Book Monthly

  • Heritage Auctions
    Rare Books Signature Auction
    December 15, 2025
    Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: Bram Stoker. Dracula. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897.
    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…
  • Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!
  • 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.

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