Joseph Sabin, 19th century genius of the rare book field
By Bruce McKinney
The world of books is as many sided, angled and fractioned as a kaleidoscopic image. There is no one way to see this world for in books we see ourselves and we are all different. Books are our mirrors. On shelves of old and new, read and unread, word and picture books we see ourselves. When life grows uncertain we are always present in the choices our books present and represent and we buy, sell and collect that which, directly and indirectly, illuminates our persons. Some acquire books to fill a space between the ears, others to simply create an appealing self-image. In these choices we connect with life, and allow the few who understand this, to see the person beyond the name and face.
Book dealers are an interesting variation. Some are collectors who, in self-defense, have crossed the isle to sell the drug they so much appreciate themselves. Others enter the business as a trade, see the market, and cater to it without emotional entanglement. Joseph Sabin, the great dealer of the 19th century, is in this last group. This month I discuss one of his smaller achievements, his Bibliography of Bibliography [printed in 1877], and include a separate reference work from the desk of George Watkins, who offered an updated "Bibliothecas Americana" in 1896 to keep current the ever changing bibliographic perspective. Sabin offered an alternative title for his book and I'll use it here: Handy Book About Books. It is that and it is more. Both catalogues are now in the AED and are also, as part of this article, searchable through the links provided in this article. For those who wonder, if material included in these bibliographies is available for purchase today, a link to Oak Knoll Books, the bibliographic specialists, is included. Many of these items are available in their original editions and of course many more as reprints.
In the mid 1870's Joseph Sabin was already publishing his master work the Bibliotheca Americana. Volume one had come off the presses in 1868. The final volume, no. 29, would not be published until the year Jesse Owens won four gold medals in the Olympics: 1936. He would not live to see its completion, but as its originator, he did achieve immortality. It would have suited him for he was ambitious and always busy. As is the wont of many book people he sought to place his name on page one of many things. In 1869 he began to publish the American Bibliopolist, a mostly monthly publication, which reported on auctions, books and the human drama of the book world. In 1870 John Power published "A Handy-Book About Books" which Mr. Sabin in time decided needed to be done properly. In 1877 he issued his own book under the same title.
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.")
