December 15th: Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers hosts a sale
- by Thomas C. McKinney
Though they may be known primarily as specialists in Irish material, Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers’ December 15th sale of Rare Books, Manuscripts, Literature & Maps contains more than just that. With over 700 lots, and low estimates to boot, this is a sale worth investing time and money into. Let’s take a look at some of this sale’s special lots.
Virtually anyone who has used a computer and done a search is familiar with the term Boolean Logic. But I would guess fewer people are familiar with where this name comes from (I personally had no idea). Lot 276 enlightened me with the facts, being a first issue first edition of George Boole’s An Investigation into the Laws of Thought, published in 1854 London. This rare publication eventually made possible the development of the digital computer by establishing the first practical system of logic in algebraic form. Furthermore, this specific copy is inscribed by the author. The landmark scientific book is estimated 5,000 – 7,000 EUR.
Better known than George Boole is Bond, James Bond. And for an estimated 3,500 – 5,000 EUR, a complete set of Ian Fleming’s first editions of Bond are for sale as lot 235. The novels included are Casino Royale, L. 1953; Live and Let Die, L. 1954; Moonraker, L. 1955; Diamonds are Forever, L. 1956; From Russia with Love, L. 1957; Dr. No, L. 1958; Goldfinger, L. 1959; For Your Eyes Only, L. 1960; Thunderball, L. 1961; The Spy who Loved Me, L. 1962; On her Majesty's Secret Service, L. 1963; You Only Live Twice, L. 1964; The Man with the Golden Gun, L. 1965; Octopussy and The Living Daylights, L. 1966.
It wouldn’t be write to cover a Fonsie Mealy auction without highlighting some Irish material. Lot 565, known as the First Cuala Broadsides, is a complete set of 84 monthly broadside issues with illustrations by Irish artists Jack Butler Yeats. Yeats is a respected painter, with one of his works commanding nearly £350,000 at auction in 2010. Two hundred of his illustrations are present in this lot and the set is estimated 6,000 – 7,000 EUR.
Another strength of the sale is first editions of famous literature. Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book as well as The Second Jungle Book, are available for an estimated 800 – 1,400 EUR as lot 237. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is listed under lot 621, and is a first edition as well. It is estimated 3,500 – 5,000 EUR.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers’ sale of Rare Books, Manuscripts, Literature & Maps takes place December 15th, 2015, at 10:15 AM GMT in the center of of Castlecomer town at the Old Cinema, Chatsworth Street, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. Bidding will also be available through the phone as well as online through The Saleroom. Please register online if you plan to bid. The entire sale's catalog may be viewed here.
ALDE, Apr. 8: GUEVARA (ANTONIO DE). Histoire de Marc-Aurèle, Empereur Romain, vray miroir et horloge des Princes. Paris, Pierre et Galliot du Pré, frères, 1565. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: HEURES DE LA VIERGE. Horæ in laudem beatissimæ virginis Mariæ ad usum Romanum. Paris, Charles L'Angelier, 1556. €4,000 to €5,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: MONTAIGNE (MICHEL DE). Les Essais. Édition nouvelle, trouvée après le deceds de l'autheur… Paris, Abel L'Angelier, 1595. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [ROJAS (FERNANDO DE)]. Celestina, tragicomedia di Calisto et Melibea, tradotta de lingua castigliana in italiano idioma… Venise, 1531. €2,000 to €3,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CAMÕES (LUÍS DE). Os Lusiadas. Lisbonne, Pedro Crasbeeck, 1613. €2,000 to €3,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles, Roger Velpius & Huberto Antonio, 1611. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: LA FONTAINE (JEAN DE). Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris, Denys Thierry et Claude Barbin, 1678-1694. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid, Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: DIDEROT (DENIS) ET JEAN LE ROND D'ALEMBERT. Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Paris, 1751-1765. €15,000 to €20,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). Les Laboureurs. Poème tiré de Jocelyn… Lyon, J. A. Henry, 1883. €8,000 to €10,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. Livre de prières tissé d'après les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe siècle. Lyon, [A. Roux], 1886. €5,000 to €6,000.
Sotheby’s Books, Manuscripts & Objects from Three Important Collections Open for Bidding 2-17 April
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: [Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun]. Le Roman de la Rose, [Geneva or Lyons, c.1481], first printed edition of the most important medieval French vernacular poem. £200,000 to £300,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Castiglione. Il libro del cortegiano. [Venice], April 1528, first edition, in a magnificent binding by Jean Picard for Jean Grolier. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Jacobus de Cessolis. Schachzabelbuch, Strasbourg, 1483, von der Lasa copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: World Championship, 1972. A collection of 84 press photographs of the famed match between Spassky and Fischer. £2,000 to £3,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Ben Franklin. Autograph letter signed, to Lord Shelburne, British Prime Minister, during peace negotiations, November 1782. £15,000 to £20,000.
