AbeBooks has released the list of its Top 10 most expensive sales for 2023. As the largest book selling site in the world, “Abe” sells millions of books. Lots of people shop for lower priced copies for reading, but there is a brisk trade going on at the upper end of the market. You just need a very high credit card limit to pull these off. There is everything here from a single page to a large collection, with a range from a serious economics scholar to a cartoonist represented. Here they are.
9 (tie). Calvin and Hobbes: “Let's Go Exploring,” by Bill Watterson. From 1995. Amazingly, the strip only ran from 1985-1995 though it is still popular in reruns and books today. This is a large color proof of the last Sunday Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, signed by the cartoonist. He sent these out to a small selection of newspapers that carried the strip as a thank you. Sold by Manhattan Rare Book Company. $35,000.
9 (tie). The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot. Published in 1922. The first U. S. edition, with the dust jacket. One of the most influential works of 20th century poetry. Sold by Magnum Opus Rare Books. $35,000.
8. The New Review. A complete run, 17 volumes 1889-1897. The important avant-garde magazine that ceased publication in 1897. Sold by Between the Covers Rare Books. $40,000.
7. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. This is a set of first editions of the seven books of fantasy tales. Sold by Raptis Rare Books. $45,699.
6. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. Complete set of 12 first editions of the rare sailing adventures. Sold by Peter Harrington. $45,900.
5. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Be careful what you wish for. From 1891, the large paper “edition de luxe,” published three months after the trade edition. Number 115 of 250 copies signed by the author. Sold by Shapero Rare Books. $46,875.
4. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. A 1778 second edition that is scarcer than the first. Sold by Charles Agvent. $62,500.
3. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. From 1855, the author had to pay for the printing himself. Derided when first published, it is now seen as perhaps America's most important collection of poetry. Sold by Whitmore Rare Books. $75,000.
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. A first edition of the first Harry Potter book. This one was owned by the Edinburgh Public Library, Rowling's hometown. Sold by First and Fine. $85,620.
1. Thomas Pynchon collection. A collection of 246 items relating to novelist Thomas Pynchon. Sold by Clouds Hill Books. $125,000.
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.")
