• Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Alken (Henry). Sporting Notions, first edition, T.McLean, 1832-33. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Bardi (Lorenzo). Nuova Raccolta delle piu interessanti Vedute della Citta di Firenze…, Florence, Lorenzo Bardi, [c.1840]. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Crawfurd (John). Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-General of India to the Court of Ava..., first edition, 1829. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Dawe (George, engraver). The Life of a Nobleman, first edition, Geo. Henderson, [c.1825]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: [Doyle (John)], "H.B.". Political Sketches &c., 10 vol. including The Descriptive Key to H.B., Thomas McLean, [1829-51]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Eben (Adolphus Christian Frederick, Baron von) and Nicolaus Heideloff. Modèles de l'Uniforme Militaire Adopté dans l'Armée Royale de Suède, Rudolph Ackerman, 1808. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Geissler (J.G.G.) and Friedrich Hempel. Mahlerische Darstellungen der Sitten, Gebrauche und Lustbarkeiten bey den Russischen, Tartarischen…, 4 parts in 1, Leipzig and Paris, [1804]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Hunt (Charles). Portraits of Winning Horses...of the Derby, Oaks, & St. Leger, from the Year 1842 to 1849…, Rock Brothers & Payne, 1849. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Kunike (Adolf Friedrich). Zwey hundert und sechzig Donau-Ansichten nach dem Laufe des Donaustromes…, Vienna, Leopold Grund, 1826. £3,000 to £5,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Lasinio (Carlo). [Matrimony], Florence, 1790. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Reinhardt (Joseph). A Collection of Swiss Costumes, in Miniature, second English edition, James Goodwin, [1828]. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Wengen (Gottfried Durst von). Die Öffentliche Maskerade Bamberg am Fastnachts-Montage 1833…, Bamberg, [1833]. £2,000 to £3,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD

Rare Book Monthly

Articles - January - 2022 Issue

2021: Some Highlights from the Rare Book Hub Monthly Archives

I was going to call this article, Journal of the Plague Years Part II,” but despite operating in pandemic mode since March of 2020 most of us seem to have muddled through somehow and are still trying to figure out how much longer this crazy scenario is going to last.


During 2021 the Rare Book Hub Monthly carried a variety of news and opinion articles relating to the rare book world in particular and auctions, dealers and collectibles (not always books) in general. Here are a selection of links from 2021 that may shed some light on the year just completed. You might want to click on a few if you missed them the first time around.

 

Notice that increasingly high values in sports card collectibles made frequent appearances throughout the year; also there were a number of stories that either noticed or predicted the future of NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens). Unlikely candidates for roles in the “culture wars” were Dr. Seuss and Curious George, both of whom made appearances in RBH Monthly. These and other digital wrinkles to our venerable trade were duly noted.

 

As always there was news of thefts, frauds, forgeries and deceptions related to books and paper, old and new, and we also reported on a variety of disasters that struck unexpectedly, including a number of major fires. Sadly we also carried news on the passing of a number of notables in the book world, people who have made exceptional contributions to our area of special interest and will all be missed.

 

Wishing you and yours a happy, and prosperous 2022, here is a brief recap of some of our more relevant articles from 2021.

 

------------------------------------

Jan 2021 

Crime: Twenty Years Later Cambridge University Concludes that Missing Darwin Notebooks were Stolen https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2925

 

Forecasts:  Thoughts on the Year Ahead from the Auction World https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2933

Prediction from trade groups, dealers and on-line shows  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2932



Feb 2021

Auctions Had a Good Year in 2020:  Excerpt: “The reality is many dealers have been struggling for many years as the older models for book selling have not worked as well in the current market. Herein lies a potential long term bright spot for the dealers in the midst of this difficult year. One has been the emergence of paper collectibles other than books, such as manuscripts, photographs, prints, comic books, even baseball cards. Even among book buyers, more collectors are collecting a subject, rather than a type, that is, buying books, manuscripts, prints etc. pertaining to a favored subject, rather than buying only books or prints, etc. Many dealers are expanding their inventory to meet this changing demand, rather than limiting themselves to a single shrinking part of the market.” https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2948

 

Obit: Everett Cleveland Wilkie Jr., noted librarian, scholar, moderator died of Covid-19  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2937 

 

Auctions: New Record Price for Baseball card - $5.2 million paid for 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie card which sold for 5 cents new.  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2941 

 

March 2021

Obit: Death American Poet Lawrence Felinghetti at age 101. Iconic figure excelled in many areas https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2959

 

Special Collections: Small Museum in Asheville Meets the Challenges of the Pandemic https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2952

 

Digital: Virtual Tours Offered for California Book Fair  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2955

 

Crime: Italian Senator Acquitted in Girolamini Library Massive Book Theft Case https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2953

 

Auctions: Sports Cards Smashing All Sorts of Records https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2978

 

April  2021

Obit: Dorothy Sloan, fifth generation Texan and one of the great Texas dealers https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2973

 

Culture Wars: Some Dr. Seuss Books Will No Longer Be Published  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2979

 

Culture Wars: Dr. Seuss Publishing Decision Ignites Furor on Many Fronts https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2967 A recent Forbes article ranked the Seuss’ estate second in value only to the King of Pop - Michael Jackson, in the money making abilities of dead creative celebrities. Or as the magazine wrote, “Sam-I-Am now has a lot more green to go with those eggs and ham. The estate of Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) nearly doubled its income in 2020, earning an estimated $33 million in a very Grinch-like year.”

 

Obit: Edmund “Leigh" William Eveleigh Stein, exceptional bookman dead of Covid at 90 https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2981

 

Forgery: Grolier Club Receives Rendell Collection on Detecting Forged Handwriting https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2983

 

May 2021

Auctions: Another Record Price for Collectible Sports Card https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2997

 

Digital: TikTok for Books https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2991

 

Digital: Coming Soon - Digital Collectible books? NFTs (Non fungible tokens) make an appearance in world of collectible books  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2998

 

June 2021

Film: “Booksellers” Debuts https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3011

 

Crime: Mexican National Archives - Scholars Turned Sleuths FindSource of Auctioned Cortes Letters https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3012

 

Auctions: Donald Heald Becomes an Auction House https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3008

 

Auctions: More Mega Prices for Sports Cards - this time it’s hockey https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3007

 

Dealers & Special Collections: ExLibris Listserv a Useful Forum and Offers Commercial Opportunities Too https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3001

 

Culture Wars: Curious George Joins Dr. Seuss as Part of Cancel Culture https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3005

 

July 2021

Dealers: Sotheran's Historic Bookseller Describes the Pandemic from London https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3015

 

Auctions: Where Are We? Recap of transition to online auctions and trends as observed mid-pandemic.  ...This migration of catalogue - and fair-centric collectors to online auction platforms is not an isolated occurrence." https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3019

 

Auctions: Yet Another Record Price for Sports Cards - rookie card for Babe Ruth and related news. https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3026

 

Digital: Dr. Suess is Coming to Blockchain: Seuss collectibles to be offered as NFTs.  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3027

 

August 2021

Auctions: Christies to Sell William Reese Personal Collection in May 2022  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3041

 

Censorship: Book Censorship Raising Its Head Again - becomes an issue in Hungary  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3039

 

September 2021

Dealers: Ken Karmiole ABAA Downsizing https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3054

 

Dealers: Mark Funke ABAA Expanding https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3058

 

Digital: Is This the Long Distant Future of Collecting? More on NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) via Forbes https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3047 

 

Library:  Overdue Library Book Returned…. 300 Years Later https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3046

 

Auction: Yet Another Record Price: Baseball Card Sells for $6 million https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3052

 

October 2021

Valuation: What is Going on with Astronomical Prices for Collectibles, it's not just baseball cards  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3077

 

Scams: Confirmed: The Vinland Map is a Fake https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3071 

 

Crime: 500 Comics and Other Items Stolen from Florida State uUniversity https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3070

 

Auctions: New Record Auction Price for Comic Book $3.6 million - “Amazing Fantasy #15 from Marvel, published in 1962. Back then it cost 12 cents. That is a 3 billion percent increase in value.”   https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3062

 

Collecting: Is it Too Soon to Collect Covid Materials? https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3072

 

November 2021

Dealers: Extraordinary History of the Everyday -  Langdon Manor creates a niche https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3082

 

Book Fairs: Old Books and Old Collectors Shout Harrah!!  Return to In-person fair and sales. Firsts live event a success in London   https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3089

 

Auctions: Do You Believe in Magic? Sotheby’s Ricky Jay sale of magic materials does well https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3090

 

December  2021

Obit: Richard Lan dies at 74  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3106

 

Auctions: World Record Price: 1st printing of the U.S. Constitution in private hands sells for over $43 million https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3104

 

The Trade: Buying and Selling in Complicated Times: https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3107

 

Crime: Arrest Made in $1.5million Book Fraud Scheme https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3101

 

Disaster: Fire at Another British Bookstore  https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/3108

----

How to find Rare Book Hub Monthly Archives by Year and Month

All articles from prior issues of the Book Hub Monthly can be found in the archives. Links to the archive are posted on the far right of each RBH monthly  page about midway down. The most recent few months are shown in a list. To access earlier issues press the arrow for the drop down menu.

 

Reach RBH Monthly writer Susan Halas at wailukusue@gmail.com

Rare Book Monthly

  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000

Article Search

Archived Articles

Ask Questions