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Sothebys: English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations

Auction Reports

Auction Name English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations Total Sales (GBP) 4,126,389.00
Auction Date July 09, 2018 - July 09, 2018 Low Estimate of Lots Sold (GBP) 1,315,450.00
Sale Number #L18404 High Estimate of Lots Sold (GBP) 1,909,300.00
Total Lots 319
Sold Lots 215 Low Estimate of All Lots (GBP) 1,822,000.00
% of Lots Sold 67.40% High Estimate of All Lots (GBP) 2,675,800.00
Unsold Lots 104 Total Sales as a % of High Est. 154.21%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
357 Darwin, Charles

AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT LEAF FROM THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES

1858-59 GBP 120,000.00 - 180,000.00 GBP 490,000.00
619 Shepard, E.H.

THE ORIGINAL MAP OF THE HUNDRED ACRE WOOD

GBP 100,000.00 - 150,000.00 GBP 430,000.00
358 Darwin, Charles

AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT LEAF FROM THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES,

1858-59 GBP 70,000.00 - 100,000.00 GBP 274,000.00
359 Darwin, Charles

ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES BY MEANS OF NATURAL SELECTION.

1859 GBP 60,000.00 - 80,000.00 GBP 212,500.00
362 Darwin, Charles

AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT LEAF FROM THE EXPRESSION OF THE EMOTIONS OF MAN AND ANIMALS,

1872 GBP 40,000.00 - 60,000.00 GBP 200,000.00
622 Shepard, E.H.

...BY-AND-BY THEY CAME TO AN ENCHANTED PLACE ON THE VERY TOP OF THE FOREST…

GBP 70,000.00 - 90,000.00 GBP 200,000.00
621 Shepard, E.H.

FOR A LONG TIME THEY LOOKED AT THE RIVER BENEATH THEM...

GBP 60,000.00 - 80,000.00 GBP 175,000.00
363 Darwin, Charles

AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT LEAF FROM THE EXPRESSION OF THE EMOTIONS IN MAN AND ANIMALS

1872 GBP 25,000.00 - 35,000.00 GBP 137,500.00
620 Shepard, E.H.

PAIR OF ILLUSTRATIONS, COMPRISING:

GBP 80,000.00 - 120,000.00 GBP 112,500.00
423 Spenser, Edmund

THE FAERIE QUEEN: THE SHEPHEARDS CALENDAR: TOGETHER WITH THE OTHER WORKS OF ENGLAND'S ARCH-POET.

1611 [I.E. 1612 OR 1613] GBP 30,000.00 - 50,000.00 GBP 106,250.00
367 Autograph album

COLLECTION OF C.119 LETTERS BY HERSCHEL, BABBAGE, LYELL, AND OTHER PHILOSOPHERS, ASTRONOMERS, MATHEMATICIANS, AND GEOLOGISTS

GBP 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 GBP 93,750.00
396 Watkins, Carleton, and others?

TWENTY ONE MAMMOTH PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

[C.1865-C.1880] GBP 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 GBP 75,000.00
389 [Palaeolithic Period]

FOUR PALAEOLITHIC BIFACIAL HANDAXES COLLECTED BY SIR CHARLES LYELL

GBP 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 GBP 68,750.00
392 Lyell, Sir Charles

A GROUP OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS OF THE LYELL FAMILY INCLUDING;

GBP 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 GBP 60,000.00
403 Bible, New Testament, Irish.

TIOMNA NUADH AR D TIGHERANA AGUS AR SLANAIGHTHEORA JOSA CRIOSD... [TRANSLATED BY WILLIAM DANIEL].

 1602 GBP 30,000.00 - 40,000.00 GBP 52,500.00
371 Autograph album

ALBUM OF C.101 LETTERS BY ADA LOVELACE, FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, MARIA EDGEWORTH, MARY SOMERVILLE, ELIZABETH GASKELL, AND OTHER EMINENT 19TH CENTURY WOMEN

GBP 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 GBP 50,000.00
380 Lyell, Sir Charles

PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY, BEING AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE FORMER CHANGES OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE, BY REFERENCE TO CAUSES NOW IN OPERATION.

1830-1833 GBP 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 GBP 50,000.00
387 Lyell, Sir Charles

AUTHOR'S RETAINED COLLECTION OF GEOLOGICAL PAPERS, TOGETHER WITH LATER EDITIONS OF PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY AND ELEMENTS OF GEOLOGY:

1825--1847 GBP 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 GBP 47,500.00
331 Lawrence, T.E.

SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM, A TRIUMPH.

1926 GBP 40,000.00 - 60,000.00 GBP 43,750.00
307 Hume, David

AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED, TO REV. ROBERT TRAILL OF BANFF

1755 GBP 7,000.00 - 10,000.00 GBP 40,000.00
368 Autograph album

COLLECTION OF C.133 LETTERS BY BENTHAM, MILL, MALTHUS, THE BROTHERS GRIMM, AND OTHER DIVINES, METAPHYSICIANS, AND PHILOLOGISTS

GBP 7,000.00 - 10,000.00 GBP 40,000.00
378 Lyell, Sir Charles

PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY, BEING AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE FORMER CHANGES OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE, BY REFERENCE TO CAUSES NOW IN OPERATION.

1830 GBP 700.00 - 1,000.00 GBP 40,000.00
390 Lyell, Sir Charles

A CHEST CONTAINING WORKED STONE IMPLEMENTS AND VARIOUS FOSSILS, MOST COLLECTED BY SIR CHARLES LYELL,

GBP 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 GBP 40,000.00
361 Darwin, Charles

COLLECTION OF FIVE OFFPRINTS IN ONE VOLUME, COMPRISING:

1865 GBP 8,000.00 - 12,000.00 GBP 37,500.00
374 Darwin, Charles

AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED, TO LEONARD HORNER

1861 GBP 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 GBP 37,500.00
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Piccolomini's De La Sfera del Mondo (The Sphere of the World), 1540.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Vellutello's Commentary on Petrarch, With Map, 1525.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Finely Bound Definitive, Illustrated Edition of I Promessi Sposi, 1840.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Rare First Edition of John Milton's Latin Correspondence, 1674.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Giolito's Edition of Boccaccio's The Decamerone, with Bedford Binding, 1542.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of the First Biography of Marie of the Incarnation, with Rare Portrait, 1677.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Aldine Edition of Volume One of Cicero's Orationes, 1540.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Bonanni's Illustrated Costume Catalogue, with Complete Plates, 1711.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: An Important Incunable, the First Italian Edition of Josephus's De Bello Judaico, 1480.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Jacques Philippe d'Orville's Illustrated Book of the Ruins of Sicily, 1764.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: An Incunable from 1487, The Contemplative Life, with Early Manuscript.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Ignatius of Loyola's Exercitia Spiritualia, 1563.
  • Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 546. Christoph Jacob Trew. Plantae selectae, 1750-1773.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 70. Thomas Murner. Die Narren beschwerung. 1558.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 621. Michael Bernhard Valentini. Museum Museorum, 1714.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 545. Sander Reichenbachia. Orchids illustrated and described, 1888-1894.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1018. Marinetti, Boccioni, Pratella Futurism - Comprehensive collection of 35 Futurist manifestos, some of them exceptionally rare. 1909-1933.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 634. August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof. 3 Original Drawings, around 1740.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 671. Jacob / Picasso. Chronique des Temps, 1956.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1260. Mary Webb. Sarn. 1948. Lucie Weill Art Deco Binding.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 508. Felix Bonfils. 108 large-format photographs of Syria and Palestine.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 967. Dante Aligheri and Salvador Dali. Divina Commedia, 1963.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1316. Tolouse-Lautrec. Dessinateur. Duhayon binding, 1948.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1303. Regards sur Paris. Braque, Picasso, Masson, 1962.
  • Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: McCarthy (Cormac). Cities of the Plain, N.Y., 1998, First Edn., signed on hf. title; together with Uncorrected Proof and Uncorrected Advance Reading Copies, both signed by the Author. €800 to €1,000.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Stanihurst (Richard). De Rebus in Hibernia Gestis, Libri Quattuor, sm. 4to Antwerp (Christi. Plantium) 1584. First Edn. €525 to €750.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Fleischer (Nat.) Jack Dempsey The Idol of Fistiana, An Intimate Narrative, N.Y., 1929, First Edn. Signed on f.e.p. by Rocky Marciano. €400 to €600.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Smith - Classical Atlas, Lond., 1820. Bound with, Smiths New General Atlas .. Principal Empires, Kingdoms, & States throughout the World, Lond. 1822. €350 to €500.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Rare Auction Catalogues – 1856: Bindon Blood, of Ennis, Co. Clare: Sotheby & Wilkinson. €320 to €450.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: [Mavor (Wm.)] A General Collection of Voyages and Travels from the Discovery of America to the Commencement of the Nineteenth Century, 28 vols. (complete) Lond., 1810. €300 to €400.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Mc Carthy (Cormac). Outer Dark, N.Y. (Random House)1968, Signed by Mc Carthy. €250 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Three signed works by Ted Huges - Wodwo, 1967; Crow from the Life and Songs of the Crow, 1970; and Tales from Ovid, 1997. €200 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: The Garden. An Illustrated Weekly Journal of Horticulture in all its Branches, 7 vols. lg. 4to Lond. 1877-1880. With 127 colored plates. €200 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Procter (Richard A.) Saturn and its System: Containing Discussions of The Motion (Real and Apparent)…, Lond. 1865. First Edn. €160 to €220.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: [Ashe] St. George, Lord Bishop of Clogher, A Sermon Preached to the Protestants of Ireland, now in London,... Oct. 23, 1712, London 1712. Second Edn. €130 to €180.
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