The Means of Book Trading That Dares Not Speak Its Name: eBay
“Dutch Auction:” An auction in which multiple numbers of a single item are sold.
“English Auction”: The most traditional auction type with which most of us are familiar, in which the price is bid higher and higher until the highest offer comes in and gets the item.
“Feedback Profiles”: Refers to process wherein buyers and sellers are meant to write up their experiences with each other and post them on the site as defacto statements of recommendation or, at worst, as warnings. These “Feedback Profiles” are accompanied by numeric ratings of the buyer or seller in question. Theoretically every buyer and seller registered on eBay has his or her individual “Feedback Profile”.
“Handle”: See “Online Name”.
“List Organization”: eBay items are organized by a variety of factors, the most popular probably being the general materials type category (“books,” “furniture,” etc.). Within these categories they are organized with the most recently listed item coming to the top of the pile. Thus knowing how to effectively search is key to being a focused browser on eBay.
“Lurker” (as in “to lurk”): Person who watches an auction or bid secretly and anonymously from the sidelines, participating only when and if he or she decides to. You can also “lurk” on chatrooms, listservs, message boards, etc.
“My eBay Page”: Once you’ve registered with eBay you can create a personalized page that lets you “watch” items of interest, “save” favorite searches and favorite sellers, and updates you as to the status of your bids.
“Online Name:” A person’s made-up nickname used on eBay (and perhaps elsewhere on the web) instead of using his or her real name. The reason for “online names” is usually to preserve anonymity in the buying or selling process. See: “Handle”.
“Proxy”: You can start with one bid and give eBay your ceiling or Proxy Bid to be entered by them at the last moment. eBay’s proxy system will place your bid for “bid increment” amount above the current bidder’s maximum bid.
“Reserve Auction”: An auction where the seller provides a minimum price under which the item in question cannot be sold. Often that price is not revealed to bidders.
“Shilling”: Same as “Bidding Up.” Forbidden on eBay, although hard to detect and stop.
“Watching” an Item: eBay allows you an option to click on an item and track it rather than bid on it. You do by simply clicking “Watch this item” on any item page and the results are saved on your “My eBay Page”. This way you can lurk at an auction and jump in as a bidder at the last moment.
“Yankee Auction”: An auction where multiples of an item are sold, each at the highest prices to the highest bidders. Most online auctions are “Yankee Auctions”.
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.")
