To the uninitiated, the waters off Australia can seem to be entirely filled with jellyfish, turtles and Moreton Bay Bugs. We now know there are also Great White Sharks. Lot 3068 is possibly the earliest confirmation of these beasts off Europe, in this case dining upon a Neapolitan fisherman in 1721. The fish seems very relaxed in the image you may wish to bid on. The estimate is $5,000 to $7,000.

Lot 3118 is Owen Chase's 1821 account - "Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex, of Nantucket; which was attacked and finally destroyed by a large Spermaceti-Whale in the Pacific Ocean with an Account of the Unparalleled Sufferings of the captain and crew during a space of ninety-three days at sea, in open boats." This same copy was purchased at Christie’s in 2004 - [AE Footnote].

Another item, lot 3071, is the "Loi relative a la decouverte des deus Fregates Franciases la Boussole er l'Astrolabe.... 1791." The French government, anxious for word of the explorer La Perouse, published this order initiating a search. A copy sold at Christie’s in 2007 for $5,040. This example is estimated $2,000 to $4,000 [AE Footnote].

As to what to bid on and how much to bid it's important to research valuation, importance and rarity. Casual observers can look on listing sites for copies of the books and pamphlets. What you'll find are listing prices that, in the main, have remain unchanged since the economy went south. They are less relevant for the serious buyer but always a reference point in what should be a careful calculation that includes consideration of how often and for how much [if sold] the same and similar material has brought at auction. AE provides such a service [click here].

The collection is appealing. Do your home work. If material is of interest, within your financial reach but beyond your immediate knowledge there are specialist dealers whose life's work is the search, evaluation and procurement of such things. A few of them will come in the search results for similar material offered in the AED.

The sale will take place on Monday, April 6 beginning at 1:00 pm EST, 10:00 am PST. Here is a link to the complete sale [click here]. A link to the auction house is included with each lot.