Rare books

  Timed to coincide with Asian Art in London, 3rd to 12th November 2011, map dealer Daniel Crouch Rare Books will be exhibiting work by Ferdinand Verbiest completed at the Chinese Court during the start of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), as well as antique Chinese Porcelain, presented by Woolly & Wallis Auctioneers. Daniel Crouch, who recently opened his new gallery at 4 Bury Street in the heart of St James’s ,will have on show the spectacular K’oen-yu ts’ien t’ou, or Map of the World, by ...

  This fall, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) presents over 30 rare and storied objects from the museum’s renowned Phillips Library, including a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible, original transcripts from the Salem witchcraft trials, and the first example of paper currency in the Western world. Boasting 400,000 books collected over three centuries, PEM’s Phillips Library is one of the largest and oldest museum libraries in the country. Through a selection of books, manuscripts, sketchbooks, maps ...

A beat-up copy of The Works of Edgar Allan Poe is expected to sell for over $20,000 at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on August 9th. It is no ordinary used book – it belonged to the celebrated Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, who covered the book with doodles, inscriptions, paint and collaged leaves. To Frida, the book provided an outlet for her to engage in dialogue with the Poe’s mysterious and macabre poetry, and the result is one of the most intriguing artist’s books to appear on the market. The ...

The complete series of John Hill’s masterpiece ”The Vegetable System,“ one of the 18th century's greatest and most elaborate botanical publications, is of outmost rarity. Carrying an estimate of € 80,000, the book will be called up at Ketterer Kunst in the auction of Rare Books in Hamburg on 23/24 May. Twenty-six volumes with a total of 1544 colored copper plates deliver a comprehensive description of 26,000 different plants. Even the great Carl von Linné, founding father of modern taxonomy, ...

A few years ago, Andy Rooney of CBS “60 Minutes” attended the New York Antiquarian Book Fair and declared it “The best book fair in the world.” Like the rare treasures in the exhibition, this event only becomes better and more valuable over time. Sponsored by the prestigious Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, the 51st Annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair, from April 8 to 10, 2011, promises to be the finest yet. Expert dealers from all over the world will arrive on New York’s ...

  Charlton Hall is pleased to announce the sale of the estate of the late Michael Finefrock which includes nearly 1000 pounds of silver. The massive quantity of silver stretching over 400 lots and numbering well over 6500 individual pieces will account for a third of the sale. It will all be sold consecutively on Sunday afternoon.  The silver collection itself consists of rare and important pieces of 18th through early 20th century American and English sterling and coin silver hollow-ware and ...

A total result of € 26 million* is the excellent final figure for Ketterer Kunst‘s 2010 business year.  “This time we even exceeded the top result of 2007, which was the record year in our company’s history,“ said Robert Ketterer, owner of the Munich-based auction firm founded in 1954. "And what is particularly impressive is that this result was achieved with 27 percent less objects than in 2007." Robert Ketterer continues: “It once more comes to show that quality and a certain newness on the ...

Bonhams' "American Experience: 1630-1890" auction on Thursday, December 2, 2010, was a huge success totaling over $4 million with 100% of the lots sold; several lots reaching world record prices. This 300-lot sale was comprised of printed and manuscript Americana from a well-known San Francisco-based collector, Bruce E. McKinney. Christina Geiger, Director, Books and Manuscripts, said "We are delighted with the results of today's sale; there were many new buyers, including online ...

With an overall result of € 1,9* million, the two day auction of Rare Books at Ketterer Kunst made for the best result in this section for the last twenty years. The evening auction alone realized a stunning 74 percent sold lots and a quota of 128 percent*. The reason for this tremendous success is in “the very innovative catalog concept,“ said Robert Ketterer. The introduction of the evening auction made for a jump start. A catalog was developed just for this particular event, with the ...

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ November 18th Fine Books and Manuscripts auction was an outstanding success with 90% of all lots selling. The highlight of the sale was a hand-written draft chapter from Mark Twain’s A Tramp Abroad, which sold for $79,300 against a presale estimate of $30,000-50,000; an original hand-written high school essay by Ernest Hemingway sold for $7,320. Another item of note was a George Washington document signed as the President of the Potomac Company, which sold for ...

  Bonhams announces "The American Experience: 1630-1890," an auction of printed and manuscript Americana to be held on December 2, 2010 in New York.  Simulcast to San Francisco, the 300-lot no reserve auction is a multi-million dollar sale with individual estimates ranging from the low hundreds to six figures. It comprises the collection of well-known San Francisco-based bibliophile Bruce E. McKinney, a collector who has made it his mission to demystify the rarefied world of antiquarian ...

Hugo Grotius' masterpiece “De iure belli ac pacis libri tres“ is of the outmost rareness, as only one other copy of the first print from the first edition of this fundamental writing on the modern law of nations is known worldwide. The book will be called up with an estimate of € 50.000 ($71,000) in the auction of Rare Books at Ketterer Kunst in Hamburg, Germany, on 22/23 November. The first print of “De iure belli...“ was executed simultaneously on several presses in a hurry for the oncoming ...

On October 4th, the attention of collectors will be focused on Bonhams Fine Books & Manuscripts sale.  Simulcast to New York, the Los Angeles based sale is comprised of fine and rare first edition books, maps, manuscripts, and ephemera. Bonhams is proud to be the only auction house to offer bicoastal previews to our Books & Manuscripts clients.  Highlighting the sale will be the first edition of the first United States census, which was conducted in 1790 under the direction of ...

A stunning first edition of Sir Henry James Warre’s (1819-1898) Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory, is the highlight of Gray’s Auctioneers’ Rare Books, Manuscripts and Autographs auction to be held on Thursday, August 26 at 1pm in the auction showrooms, with live bidding online through Live Auctioneers. Listed at Lot 147 this large scale (Broadsheets, 535 x 360 mm) first edition, colored issue, of Warre’s numerous drawings and notes from his exploratory trip to the Oregon ...

 On June 22, Christie's is privileged to offer the sale of Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, including the finest collection of William Faulkner books and manuscripts. This unique collection comprises a virtually complete representation of Faulkner's work, with every major novel, each in an exceptional state of preservation. Formed over a quarter century, this private collection includes over 80 lots of scarce manuscripts, ephemera, photographs and journal contributions, rarely seen in ...

Realizing total proceeds of € 1,2* million, the two day auction of Rare Books at Ketterer Kunst on 17/18 May in Hamburg was a real success. With 83 percent lots sold, the special evening auction was a true highlight. “This clearly shows that the market for rare books is extremely stable and reliable, a fact that also makes this exciting section interesting for art lovers“, said Robert Ketterer, auctioneer and owner of Ketterer Kunst. The TOP 5€ 70.000* Call-up price: € 35.000No. 24: Fleurs du ...

Under the direction of Melanie Halloran, Gray’s new Director of Books and Manuscripts, Gray’s are proud to announce the results of their inaugural Fine Printed Books auction which took place May 6, 2010.  Auctioneer & President Deborah J. Gray declares that over 80% of lots sold by value, with several lots selling above their estimates. Among the highlights of the auction were: Lot 44: Diderot's 3 volume Suite de Recueil des Planches from his Encylopedie published circa 1779.  A ...

Gray’s Auctioneers presents its first Fine Printed Books Auction, to be held Thursday May 6, 2010 at 1 pm, in which travel guides, illustrated books, art books, modern first editions, and sets are all well-represented. Among the highlights of the sale is a third edition of Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece Frankenstein, being the first edition to include an illustration of the monster as well as Shelley’s introduction in which she explains the foundation of the story written while on holiday ...

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers announces an auction featuring over 75 lots of early Italian and Latin literature from the antiquarian book library of John Sisto of Berwyn, Illinois. The books, maps and engravings comprise what remains of the over 3,500 items seized by the Chicago division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2007, of which 1,600 items were repatriated to Italy after being deemed unlawfully imported. The collection had been brought to the attention of the FBI by Mr. ...

Gray’s will present its first rare books and manuscripts auction this spring and is seeking consignments. Various types of rare books will be of interest for consignment including modern first editions, literature, natural history, travel and exploration, art and architecture, children’s books, science and medicine, sets and general antiquarian books. Please contact Gray’s if you are interested in consigning single books, just a few or an entire collection.  In conjunction with the ...

Overall proceeds of € 19,3 million* are the excellent result of Ketterer Kunst’s business year 2009. Thus the company once more reached the same heights as it did for the last four years.   The 2009 Top 10 Results   € 780.000* calling price: 500.000 Otto Mueller - Artistenpaar   € 355.000* calling price: 140.000 Franz Radziwill - Gespräch über einen Paragraphen   € 290.000* calling price: 80.000 Emil Nolde - Tänzerin   € 240.000* calling price: 70.000 Günther Uecker - Field ...

The two day auction of Rare Books at Ketterer Kunst in Hamburg achieved great results with proceeds of some € 1,2* millions. The evening auction alone hit the mark with 84 percent of lots sold. “This shows that Rare Books, a section that has been well established for years with solid sales figures, stands the test of even economically challenging times. Consistency and quality are values that are in demand now more than ever“, said Robert Ketterer, auctioneer and owner of Ketterer Kunst. ...