Rare Book Monthly Reviews - March - 2009 Issue

Five Centuries of Remarkable Works from Martayan Lan

Five Centuries of Remarkable Works from Martayan Lan

By Michael Stillman

Martayan Lan has published a remarkable catalogue of Books, Manuscripts and Prints, from the 15th through the 19th Centuries. This is a half-inch thick compendium of significant works from the dawn of printing to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. We mention size, not because it inherently matters, but because each such large catalogue we have received has been notable not for its quantity of listings, but its quality and presentation. This one is no exception. Offered are 182 fine works, thoroughly described and illustrated. This is an outstanding collection of i...

A Wide Mix of Books and Manuscripts from Thomas Cullen

A Wide Mix of Books and Manuscripts from Thomas Cullen

By Michael Stillman

Thomas Cullen, Rockland Bookman has issued his Catalog #46 - Books and Manuscripts, along with some financial advice. He explains, "After the government prints trillions of e...

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Books from the Polar Regions from Aquila Books

Books from the Polar Regions from Aquila Books

By Michael Stillman

Aquila Books has offered their Catalogue 109, Winter 2009, specializing in books about places where the sun doesn't shine. Or, it shines all of the time. Take your pick. Thes...

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Literature, Film, History from James Pepper Rare Books

Literature, Film, History from James Pepper Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

James Pepper Rare Books has issued their Catalogue 179, a new collection of works mostly in the fields of literature and film, with many first editions. There are also a few ...

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Travels, Exploration and History from Helen Kahn

Travels, Exploration and History from Helen Kahn

By Michael Stillman

Helen R. Kahn and Associates has issued a new catalogue: Voyages and Exploration, History and Biography, War and Peace. What you will find here is a collection of books that...

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Civil War Books from the George S. MacManus Co.

Civil War Books from the George S. MacManus Co.

By Michael Stillman

The George S. MacManus Company has issued a new catalogue on America's terrible internecine conflict: Civil War, Part I. MacManus purchased much of the inventory of Chapel H...

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20 Antique Books from Libreria de Antano

20 Antique Books from Libreria de Antano

By Michael Stillman

Libreria de Antano has issued its E-List #8, 20 Antique Books. This is a reversal of the expected, where a catalogue is converted from ink and paper into electronic bits. Whi...

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Fine Books for the Fair from Donald Heald Rare Books

Fine Books for the Fair from Donald Heald Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

Donald Heald Rare Books printed a catalogue especially for the recent book fair in San Francisco. The collection is divided into sections on botany, ornithology and natural h...

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More Inexpensive Americana from David Lesser Antiquarian Books

More Inexpensive Americana from David Lesser Antiquarian Books

By Michael Stillman

David M. Lesser Fine Antiquarian Books has issued the latest in a series: Inexpensive Americana Part VI. Everyone knows these are tough times, and not everyone can afford a ...

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A List of Books Exhibited at the San Francisco Fair by Librairie Thomas-Scheler

A List of Books Exhibited at the San Francisco Fair by Librairie Thomas-Scheler

By Michael Stillman

Librairie Thomas-Scheler of Paris recently printed a List of the Books Exhibited, this being books shown at the recent ABAA Book Fair in San Francisco. Thomas-Scheler brought...

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Slavery from the William Reese Company

Slavery from the William Reese Company

By Michael Stillman

The William Reese Company has issued a list on a most unhappy, but historically important topic: Slavery. Americans tend to think of slavery as a peculiarly American problem...

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A Trip to the Fair with the Kelmscott Bookshop

A Trip to the Fair with the Kelmscott Bookshop

By Michael Stillman

The Kelmscott Bookshop Rare Books produced a catalogue for the California International Book Fair 2009. The Kelmscott Bookshop focuses on fine press and other artistic works ...

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The Latest Features at the Arader Galleries

The Latest Features at the Arader Galleries

By Michael Stillman

We recently received a copy of the Arader Galleries' bimonthly Director's Report. We are slightly behind schedule, as this is the January/February 2009 issue, but the materia...

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Indonesia Revisited from Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books

Indonesia Revisited from Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books has issued a catalogue entitled Indonesia Revisited. Indonesia is closely tied to Dutch history, though it is now a far away, independent co...

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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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