Leslie Hindman Auctions: With an Eye for Collectability August 8th
- by Bruce E. McKinney
Snapshots of collectibility
On August 8th in Chicago Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is offering a primer on collecting – a broad and, by American standards, large sale of material chosen to appeal to collectors. The sale is Fine Books and Manuscripts. It succeeds admirably and is well worth the time pursuing the online catalogue linked at the end of this brief description. There are days when the differences between eBay and traditional auctions seem to narrow and then there are presentations and selections like this to reaffirm the importance of the auction house vetting large quantities of material and selecting appealing, well estimated items.
This is a specialist sale but not in its widely understood sense. It is not about a single subject but rather about collectability as a standard and succeeds in holding the attention of the reader all the way through to the end. To this it can be added, the material, with some exceptions, is not expensive.
Here are the categories of material offered, most brief with from 1 to 15 lots:
Illuminated manuscripts and heraldry 1-21
Bibles 22-43
Literature 44-47
European and engravings 47a-80
Anatomy and sciences 85-100
Audubon 101-114
Ornithology 115-134
Mammals 135-139
Mollusks, fish and reptiles 141-144
Insects 145-150
Botany 151-177
Atlases 178-181
Photography – Alaska 182
Asia and the world 183-189
Geography, maps and images 190-208
India and the Middle East 209-217
South America 218
Angling and sports 219-227
General Americana 228-289
Lincoln and the Civil War lots 249-255
George Custer lot 265
Buffalo Bill 266-268
Chicago lots 269-278
Elvis lot 289
George Washington 280
Fiction 290-346
Alice’s Adventures 297
Rockwell Kent lots 322-326a
Printing equipment 347-348
Book arts 349-352
Pop-up books 353-355
Art and cartoon illustration 356-
Art books 375 – 397
Photography 398-404
Architecture 405-408
Decorative arts 409-416
Fore edge Painting 417-420
Collected works, fine bindings and sets 422-448
As the list of lot categories suggests this is a taster menu, the opportunity to find something of interest. For collectors it’s also the opportunity to learn. Bookshops may be closing but if your mind is open there’s something to be learned here.
With this brief story flickering images are introducing some of the lots. To see more click here to be transported to Leslie Hindman Auctions. The sale is on the 8th.
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. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
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: 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…
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
