Item 218 is the oddly titled A Descriptive Hand-Book of the Great American Overland Route between Europe and Australia. China, Japan and India… Say what? Didn’t the land bridge melt some 10,000-plus years ago? This book is worth the price just to discover the overland route from Europe to Australia or Japan. Here’s a hint. The Erie Railway Company, which published this item, cheated. You’re supposed to take a steamship from Europe to New York, and another from San Francisco to Asia or Australia, while using the Erie and Pacific Railroads in-between. Item 218 from 1876. $350.
Collectors of President William Henry Harrison, he of the 30-day presidency, will be happy to find a copy of this not prolific writer’s main work, A Discourse of the Aborigines of the Valley of the Ohio. This is the 1838 Cincinnati first edition of Old Tippecanoe’s best-known piece. Harrison was intrigued by the mounds he saw in the area. Item 177. $1,250.
Item 225 is an important and rare book about the Midwest, Illinois in particular, from 1855. John Reynolds’ My Own Times, Embracing Also, The History of My Life, describes conditions and events in Illinois during the first half of the 19th century. Among topics discussed is the history of various forts, the War of 1812 and several Indian wars, hunting, sports, settlements, railroads, and several chapters devoted to the Mormon settlement in Nauvoo. Four hundred copies of the book were printed, but 300-325 of these were reportedly lost in the Chicago fire of 1857. $850.
Item 228 is another rarity, Daniel Sanders’ A History of the Indian Wars… The book generated an extreme criticism in a contemporary magazine, apparently because Sanders spoke of New England bigotry and mistreatment of Indians. As a result, either Sanders or his publisher had most copies suppressed. It was once believed to be an extreme rarity as a result, but it now appears enough copies survived to be just uncommon rather than extremely rare. $1,250.
Item 238 is William Smith’s account of his resignation from President James Madison’s cabinet. Smith had both foreign policy and personal disagreements with Madison, his appointment having been more of a political compromise than an enthusiastic one by Madison. Smith’s An Address to the People of the United States was printed in London in 1811. $200.
On January 24, 1870, the “Oneida” was struck by the steamship “City of Bombay” off the Japanese coast. The “Oneida” sank with 115 men being lost. The Bombay sailed on without rendering assistance. Some people felt the accident was caused by the recklessness of the “Bombay,” others that the “Bombay” deliberately struck her mistaking the “Oneida” for a rival merchant steamer. Item 264 is the U.S. Navy’s Full Report of the Proceedings of a Naval Court of Enquiry…$500.
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.
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>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
![<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.")
