Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 51. Ortelius' Influential Map of the New World - Second Plate in Full Contemporary Color (1579) Est. $5,500 - $6,500
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 165. Reduced-Size Edition of Jefferys/Mead Map with Revolutionary War Updates (1776) Est. $4,750 - $6,000
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 688. Blaeu's Superb Carte-a-Figures Map of Africa (1634) Est. $3,000 - $3,750
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 105. Striking Map of French Colonial Possessions (1720) Est. $2,750 - $3,500
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 98. Rare First Edition of the First Published Plan of a Settlement in North America (1556) Est. $3,000 - $3,750
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 181. Important Map of the Georgia Colony (1748) Est. $2,750 - $3,500
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 547. Ortelius' Map of Russia with a Vignette of Ivan the Terrible in Full Contemporary Color (1579) Est. $1,400 - $1,700
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 85. Homann's Decorative Map of Colonial America (1720) Est. $1,600 - $1,900
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 642. Blaeu's Magnificent Carte-a-Figures Map of Asia (1634) Est. $3,000 - $3,750
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 748. The Martyrdom of St. John in Contemporary Hand Color with Gilt Highlights (1520) Est. $1,000 - $1,300
Old World Auctions (Nov 6-20): Lot 298. Scarce Early Map of Chester County (1822) Est. $2,750 - $3,500
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES. Red-Shouldered Hawk. London: R. Havell, Jr., 1829. $2,000 - $3,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: STEWART, WILLIAM DRUMMOND, SIR. Altowan; or, Incidents of Life and Adventure in the Rocky Mountain... New York, 1846. PRESENTATION COPY. $800 - $1,200
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: WILLUGHBY & RAY, JOHN. The Ornithology of Francis Willughby in three books... London, Martyn, 1678. $800 - $1,200
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: SUSAN B. ANTHONY. Autograph Quotation Signed, on equal rights "for men and women," Rochester, 1898. $1,000 - $1,500
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN. Autograph Letter Signed integrally to Le Comte de Milly arranging a meeting with M. Broignard, Passy, 1778. $10,000 - $15,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: FRANKLIN, JEFFERSON, & ADAMS. Mansucript Signed by all three architects of the American ideal, requesting a Treaty of Amity and Commerce. $750,000 - $1,000,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. Endorsement Signed, a pardon for a Confederate soldier, February 6, 1865. $4,000 - $6,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: NAPOLEON FORMALLY RATIFIES THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE. Document Signed ("James Monroe," "Robt. R. Livingston" and "Barbé-Marbois"). $100,000 - $200,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: JAMES MONROE ON THE DIFFICULTIES OF JAY'S TREATY. Autograph Letter Signed to Thomas Pinckney, Paris, January 17, 1795. $15,000 - $25,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: GIDEON WELLES FIRST HAND ACCOUNT OF FORT PICKENS AND FORT SUMTER ON THE EVE OF CIVIL WAR. Autograph Manuscript, 44 pp, c.1870. $4,000 - $6,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: SIGNED BY BORGES. Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings. 1962. First book publication in English. $4,000 - $6,000
Bonhams, Nov. 2-12: LORENZO DOW TURNER'S COPY. LOCKE, ALAIN. The New Negro: an Interpretation. 1925. $1,000 - $1,500
Forum Auctions A Visual and Historical Voyage into the Ottoman World: The Library of a Gentleman 14th November
Forum, Nov. 14: Preziosi (Amedeo). Stamboul: Recollections of Eastern Life, first edition, Paris, Lemercier, 1858. £6,000 to £8,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Mayr (Heinrich von). Malerische Ansichten aus dem Orient. Vues Pittoresques de l'Orient, first edition in the original 10 parts, Munich, Paris & Leipzig, [1839-40]. £10,000 to £15,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Lewis (John Frederick). Illustrations of Constantinople, made during a Residence in that City &c. in the Years 1835-6, first edition, [1838]. £6,000 to £8,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Dodwell (Edward). Views in Greece, first edition, ordinary format, Rodwell and Martin, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Cassas (Louis François). [Voyage Pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phoenicie, de la Palæstube et de la Basse-Égypte], 3 vol., first edition, [Paris], [1799]. £8,000 to £12,000.
Forum Auctions A Visual and Historical Voyage into the Ottoman World: The Library of a Gentleman 14th November
Forum, Nov. 14: La Chappelle (Georges). Recueil de Divers Portraits des Principales Dames de la Porte du Grand Turc, first edition, Paris, 1648. £8,000 to £12,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Fossati (Gaspard). Aya Sophia Constantinople as recently restored by order of H.M. the Sultan Abdul Medjid, first edition, ordinary format, 1852. £6,000 to £8,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Pertusier (Charles). Promenades Pittoresques dans Constantinople et sur les Rives du Bosphore, 4 vol., inc Atlas, first edition, Paris, H. Nicolle, 1815-17. £6,000 to £8,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Brindesi (Jean). Souvenirs de Constantinople, first edition, [Paris], [1855-60]. £4,000 to £6,000.
Forum, Nov. 14: Le Bruyn (Cornelius). Voyage au Levant, first French edition, Delft, Henri de Kroonevelt, 1700. £3,000 to £4,000.
Google is Using Old Books and New Technology to Combat Disease
- by Michael Stillman
A recent story on the Google Research blog quickly caught my eye: Using new technology and old books to combat disease. We tend to think of old books as a source of information about the past, which they certainly are, but the headline indicated the people at Google Brain were using them to solve today's major problems.
The issue they were tackling concerned insect-borne diseases. Mosquitoes and ticks spread dangerous diseases such as malaria and lyme disease. Add to that how annoying the itching bites can be and there is good reason to seek new ways to repel these pests. The most common repellent for mosquitoes, the active ingredient in many of the repellents you find in the store, is Deet (technically, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). It was discovered 80 years ago after extensive government research. However, it does have certain drawbacks, such as damaging some types of fabrics, not working with all pests, and possibly some negative effects on people.
What the Google researchers discovered was the government had carried on extensive testing in the 1940s when they selected Deet, but what they tested and what were the results was virtually impossible to find. It was stashed away in various places with no practical way to locate it all. However, these were Google researchers and they were aware that Google had scanned and preserved reams of this old stuff as part of Google Books. This allowed them to locate these old reports and review them. What they found was surprising. The government had tested thousands of potential repellents.
Exactly how Google Brain used all this data is beyond the scope of this article, which is another way of saying the computer functions and science are beyond my understanding. The computers are using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to do comparisons of promising molecules to find others that may be useful. Eventually, they came up with a list of 10 molecules that may be more effective than Deet. Further testing will be needed. Hopefully, they will find better repellents that will save lives in areas plagued by disease-bearing insects while making our picnics more pleasant.
The issue for us is old books, and the application of new technology to them. Google Books now has 40 million volumes scanned into their database. This is definitely the information age and that is a lot of data. The issue now is making connections, using the existing data to learn things no one realized was there, and applying it to questions we want to answer today. That is where AI comes in. It can “think” at computer speed, not human speed, and it can sort through voluminous amounts of data in split seconds. Perhaps you've had a chance to ask questions of, or even get stories or poems written on demand for you by ChatGPT. Maybe you have created some unique images through Stable Diffusion. What they can do with AI and data is astonishing, at least to those of us who grew up in the age of pencils and paper. They are fun to play around with, but as Google Brain is proving, AI is serious business. Combine it with data from old books and other sources, and there is no telling what you may discover.
In our own case, over the past 20 years we have put together a database of over 12.5 million records from auctions and other sources pertaining to sales of old books. It has enabled us to not only find descriptions and prices from the past, but to create a scale for estimating the current value of old prices based on an index generated strictly from book sales. We recently developed a method of using the database to estimate the value of entire collections, not just one book at a time. We can estimate how frequently a particular title is likely to come up at auction in the future. We can determine how frequently certain words are used in descriptions of a particular title. Still, there is much more to be learned, not only about books but about the interests of people at various times, and which changes predict our interests in the future. As long as the data has been accumulated, AI will enable us to learn much more than we ever dreamed possible. These are exciting times.
Ketterer Rare Books, Nov. 25: J. de Gaddesden, Rosa anglica practica medicinae, 1492. Est: € 12,000
Ketterer Rare Books, Nov. 25: M. Merian, Todten-Tanz, 1649. Est: € 5,000
Ketterer Rare Books, Nov. 25: D. Hammett, Red harvest, 1929. Est: € 11,000
Ketterer Rare Books Auction November 25th
Ketterer Rare Books, Nov. 25: Book of hours, Horae B. M. V., 1503. Est: € 9,000
Ketterer Rare Books, Nov. 25: J. Miller, Illustratio systematis sexualis Linneai, 1792. Est: € 8,000
Ketterer Rare Books, Nov. 25: F. Hundertwasser, Regentag – Look at it on a rainy day, 1972. Est: € 8,000
Doyle Stage & Screen November 14 & 15
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A studio-sanctioned Darth Vader Touring Costume from The Empire Strikes Back. $50,000 to $100,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: An original Al Hirschfeld's illustration of the cast of On Golden Pond. $4,000 to $6,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: The largest trove of personal Grace Kelly letters to come to market. $60,000 to $80,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: An Important Archive of Musical Manuscripts of Truman Capote and Harold Arlen's House of Flowers. $40,000 to $60,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: The archive of an original Merrily We Roll Along Broadway cast member. $5,000 to $10,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Jerry Herman's Yamaha Model C7 Ebonized Grand Piano. $6,000 to $9,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A large group of Jerry Herman musical posters. $300 to $500.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Group of awards presented to Jerry Herman. $300 to $400.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Six pages of original art for "The MAD Game of Basebrawl," a complete story published in MAD #167, pages 31-36, June 1974. $3,000 to $4,000.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A MAD book made for Al Jaffee, containing original art and writings from many MAD contributors. 2011. $1,200 to $1,800.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A Jaffee-themed MAD Fold-In - "What honor should the creator of the MAD Fold-Ins be given?" $800 to $1,200.
Doyle, Nov. 14-15: MAD Fold-In - "What developing news story has many Americans totally transfixed?" $800 to $1,200.