Books and Manuscripts of All Ages from the 19th Century Shop
A complete set of Cook's Voyages.
It is likely the most important biological book ever written. Now almost a century and a half later, it is still controversial in some places. This is a first edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of the Species... Darwin concludes his work by pointing to the grandeur of how, from a tiny spark of life, "whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." This first edition was published by John Murray of London in 1859. $150,000.
For those who may find that a bit pricey, you may purchase all three of the first printings of the first American edition of Darwin's work for one-tenth the price. The first American edition was published by Appleton in 1860, with minor variations in the first three issues. All three together are priced at $15,000.
Winston Churchill published a biography of his father entitled Lord Randolph Churchill in 1906. This was the year the younger Churchill was first elected to parliament. It would not be until more than three decades later that he would make his mark, and go on to be the man who saved his nation in World War II. The 19th Century Shop offers a copy of this biography inscribed by Winston Churchill to Joseph Rowlands on January 1, 1906. Rowlands was a leader of the Conservative Party. $11,000.
Turning to the other end of his career, Churchill published his six-volume The Second World War from 1948-1954. It is a remarkable series since it is a history written by the man who played such an important part in winning the war. The first volume is signed and dated by Sir Winston. $9,500.
Feeding Experiments Illustrating the Importance of Accessory Factors in Normal Dietaries was published by Gowland Hopkins in 1912. The discovery of "accessory factors" may not sound that important at first glance, but they turned out to be what are today known as "vitamins." Hopkins shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1929 for his work. $2,200.
The 19th Century Shop's website is www.19thcenturyshop.com and their phone number is 410-727-2665.
Dominic Winter, May 14: Taylor (John). All the Workes of John Taylor the Water-Poet..., 1630. £1,000-1,500
Dominic Winter, May 14: Pierpont Morgan Collection. Catalogue of the Morgan Collection of Chinese Porcelains, 1904 & 1906. £2,000-3,000
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
Gonnelli Auction 59 Antique prints, paintings and maps May 20th 2025
Gonnelli: Pietro Aquila, Psyche and Proserpina,1690. Starting price 140€
Gonnelli: Jacques Gamelin, Memento homo quia pulvis es et in pulverem reverteris, 1779. Starting price 300€
Gonnelli: Giorgio Ghisi, The final Judgement, 1680. Starting price 480€
Gonnelli Auction 59 Antique prints, paintings and maps May 20th 2025
Gonnelli Goya y Lucientes Francisco, Los Proverbios.1877. Starting price 1000 €
Gonnelli: Domenico Peruzzini, Long bearded old man, 1660. Starting price 2200€
Gonnelli: Enea Vico, Leda and the Swan,1542. Starting price 140€
Gonnelli Auction 59 Antique prints, paintings and maps May 20th 2025
Gonnelli: Andrea Del Sarto [school of], San Giovanni Battista, 1570. Starting price 25000€
Gonnelli: Carlo Maratta, Virgin Mary and Jesus, 1660. Starting Price 1200€
Gonnelli: Louis Brion de La Tour, Sphére de Copernic Sphere de Ptolemée / Le Systême de Ptolemée. Le Systême de Ticho-Brahe…, 1766. Starting price 180€
Gonnelli Auction 59 Antique prints, paintings and maps May 20th 2025
Gonnelli: Marc’Antonio Dal Re, Ville di Delizia o Siano Palaggi Camparecci nello Stato di Milano Divise in Sei Tomi Con espressevi le Piante…, Tomo Primo, 1726. Starting price 7000€
Gonnelli: Katsushika Hokusai, Bird on a branch, 1843. Starting price 100€