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Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 567. One of the Earliest & Most Desirable Printed Maps of Arabia - by Holle/Germanus (1482) Est. $55,000 - $65,000Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 681. Zatta's Complete Atlas with 218 Maps in Full Contemporary Color (1779) Est. $27,500 - $35,000Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 347. MacDonald Gill's Landmark "Wonderground Map" of London (1914) Est. $1,800 - $2,100Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 1. Fries' "Modern" World Map with Portraits of Five Kings (1525) Est. $4,000 - $4,750Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 539. Ortelius' Superb, Decorative Map of Cyprus in Full Contemporary Color (1573) Est. $1,100 - $1,400Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 51. Mercator's Foundation Map for the Americas in Full Contemporary Color (1630) Est. $3,250 - $4,000Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 667. Manuscript Bible Leaf with Image of Mary and Baby Jesus (1450) Est. $1,900 - $2,200Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 226. "A Powerful Example of Color Used to Make a Point" (1895) Est. $400 - $600Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 290. One of the Most Decorative Early Maps of South America - from Linschoten's "Itinerario" (1596) Est. $7,000 - $8,500Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 62. Coronelli's Influential Map of North America with the Island of California (1688) Est. $10,000 - $12,000Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 589. The First European-Printed Map of China - by Ortelius (1584) Est. $4,000 - $5,000
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Forum Auctions
A Sixth Selection of 16th and 17th Century English Books from the Fox Pointe Manor Library
19th June 2025Forum, June 19: Euclid. The Elements of Geometrie, first edition in English of the first complete translation, [1570]. £20,000 to £30,000.Forum, June 19: Nicolay (Nicolas de). The Navigations, peregrinations and voyages, made into Turkie, first edition in English, 1585. £10,000 to £15,000.Forum, June 19: Shakespeare source book.- Montemayor (Jorge de). Diana of George of Montemayor, first edition in English, 1598. £6,000 to £8,000.Forum, June 19: Livius (Titus). The Romane Historie, first edition in English, translated by Philemon Holland, Adam Islip, 1600. £6,000 to £8,000.Forum Auctions
A Sixth Selection of 16th and 17th Century English Books from the Fox Pointe Manor Library
19th June 2025Forum, June 19: Robert Molesworth's copy.- Montaigne (Michel de). The Essayes Or Morall, Politike and Millitarie Discourses, first edition in English, 1603. £10,000 to £15,000.Forum, June 19: Shakespeare (William). The Tempest [&] The Two Gentlemen of Verona, from the Second Folio, [Printed by Thomas Cotes], 1632. £4,000 to £6,000.Forum, June 19: Boyle (Robert). Medicina Hydrostatica: or, Hydrostaticks Applyed to the Materia Medica, first edition, for Samuel Smith, 1690. £2,500 to £3,500.Forum, June 19: Locke (John). An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding in Four Books, first edition, second issue, 1690. £8,00 to £12,000. -
Sotheby’s
New York Book Week
12-26 JuneSotheby’s, June 25: Theocritus. Theocriti Eclogae triginta, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, February 1495/1496. 220,000 - 280,000 USDSotheby’s, June 26: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby, 1925. 40,000 - 60,000 USDSotheby’s, June 26: Blake, William. Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Printed ca. 1381-1832. 400,000 - 600,000 USDSotheby’s, June 26: Lincoln, Abraham. Thirteenth Amendment, signed by Abraham Lincoln. 8,000,000 - 12,000,000 USDSotheby’s, June 26: Galieli, Galileo. First Edition of the Foundation of Modern Astronomy, 1610. 300,000 - 400,000 USD
Rare Book Monthly
Articles - August - 2005 Issue
Abebooks to Add Descriptions and Cover Photos to Listings
By Michael Stillman
Abebooks recently announced that they would be automatically adding prepackaged descriptions and stock dust jacket photographs to their listings, at least those with ISBN numbers. This is nothing new for bookselling sites, but it is new for Abe. Currently, the other major powerhouses in the book listing field, Alibris, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, provide this service. Abe's decision to join the crowd in this regard has been met with mixed bookseller reviews. As to how book buyers regard the change, no one polls them, so the answer is unknown.
In an announcement from "The Abebooks Team" sent to booksellers July 20th, labeled "New and Improved Book Details," Abebooks stated: "As always, we will display information provided by the bookseller first and foremost, but now we are working with our ISBN data providers, including MUZE, to automatically add details (when available) such as jacket photos, synopses, reviews, and bibliographic data...Buyers like to see details - they are much more likely to purchase if they can see an image of the book, or read a synopsis."
Most innovations have an upside and a downside, and this one is no different. Clearly, it brings Abebooks closer to conformity with what their rivals are doing, and those sites would not be providing these services if there were no benefits. On the other hand, it makes Abe less unique a site. Conformity tends to reduce choices available to the public.
Here is the issue for the public. I totally agree with Abe that people are more likely to buy if they have more information. However, this is a double-edged sword. Let me explain. The positives are this will immediately add more information to many, maybe even most, Abe listings. The sample synopsis that Abe showed as an example (see the image with this article) doesn't provide much, but anything is better than nothing, and in the future, perhaps this will become more informative. It's a start. Showing the dust jacket cover is a nice plus, but this is the part that seems to have booksellers the most concerned. A particular book may have been issued with multiple dust jackets. A disclaimer notes that the book a customer orders may not come with the precise dust jacket pictured, but customers tend to ignore or miss the fine print. Dealers are worried they will receive more returns from customers who receive something other than they expected, despite an accurate written description from the seller.