Rare Book Monthly Articles - November - 2013 Issue

The Bay Psalm Book at Auction:  Estimated $15 to $30 million

The Bay Psalm Book at Auction: Estimated $15 to $30 million

More words have been written about this book than there are words in the book.  It had a courageous start as The Whole Booke of Psalms Faithfully Translated into English Metre.  Over time, while its moniker shortened to The Bay Psalm Book, its reputation and stature increased.  Within the rarified world of the exceptionally important it is for early American books what “the Babe” is for baseball aficionados:  mythical, mystical.  This is the first book printed in British North America.      Here is how the Library of Congress describes it.  “Known as The Bay Psalm Book, but really titled ...

A Chance to Own a Piece of Turkey Day (and American) History

A Chance to Own a Piece of Turkey Day (and American) History

Growing up, the story I heard—and I imagine you’ve all heard—about Thanksgiving had to do with pilgrims and Native Americans coming together to share a feast in the early 17th century. As it turns ...

How One Book Collector's Crusade Succeeded in Changing a Law

How One Book Collector's Crusade Succeeded in Changing a Law

Sometimes when you really believe in something, believe in it to the extent some might think it an obsession, you can achieve things few would have thought possible. This is the story of Richard Ho...

Serendipity Books: The Final, Final, Final, Farewell Sale - Berkeley Nov. 9 – Dec. 15, 2013

Serendipity Books: The Final, Final, Final, Farewell Sale - Berkeley Nov. 9 – Dec. 15, 2013

Move over Texas and load up the wagons Mother……here comes another really BIG book sale and at really LOW prices. This one is certain to generate a feeding frenzy. As the clock ticks down prices wil...

Library Director Resigns Over Attempt to Sell Shakespeare Folios

Library Director Resigns Over Attempt to Sell Shakespeare Folios

The Director of the Senate House Libraries at the University of London has resigned over an aborted plan to sell four of the library's Shakespeare folios at auction. Director Christopher Pressler t...

Le Rat du Châtelet, Of Rats  and Men

Le Rat du Châtelet, Of Rats and Men

 Just the other day, I came across an unusual book: 51 pages only, complete though incomplete, almost unknown but enjoying a certain popularity among a circle of connoisseurs and, last but not leas...

Old World Auctions – A Cartography Specialist with an Online Auction This Month

Old World Auctions – A Cartography Specialist with an Online Auction This Month

The latest event from Old World Auctions will open for bidding on November 6. Old World Auctions, owned and operated by Jon and Eliane Dotson of Glen Allen, Virginia, runs its auctions strictly onl...

Free Speech in the Electronic World

Free Speech in the Electronic World

The world of books and printed matter has been at the heart of America's First Amendment free speech rights as long as there has been a First Amendment. Those who have opposed the words that were w...

Christie's in Paris: A Sale for Many Niches

Christie's in Paris: A Sale for Many Niches

In keeping with its tradition of covering some of the best and most prestigious material in the world, Christie’s in Paris hosts a sale on Wednesday, November 6th, of Important Old Books, Artists’ ...

A Passion for Books Gone Wrong

A Passion for Books Gone Wrong

This is the story of a librarian who loved books too much. We see no need to name names as it seems more a tragic misdirection of passion than a desire to make money at someone else's expense. It's...

Graham Arader:  Defining the space between auction and retail

Graham Arader: Defining the space between auction and retail

The Arader Galleries this month continue to explore the relationship between the retailing of important images in their shops and their selling of them at auction.  The entire category of collectib...

Auctions in November

Auctions in November

151 auction event days are scheduled for November.  For the entire month a sale begins, on average, every 4:46.  It’s simply busy.  Big books and small coexist with interesting material in some cas...

Apple Inc. to Appeal Ebook Price-Fixing Verdict

Apple Inc. to Appeal Ebook Price-Fixing Verdict

Apple, Inc., has officially notified the U. S. Court of Appeals that it intends to appeal the judgment against it in the recent ebook price fixing case. Apple, along with five publishers, was accus...

A Loss for Internet Sales Tax Collectors

A Loss for Internet Sales Tax Collectors

Another wrench was thrown in the works of those who are attempting to force internet retailers to collect out-of-state sales tax. Two years ago, Illinois attempted to force out-of-state retailers w...

Monday in San Francisco: An opportunity to discuss the future of rare books

Monday in San Francisco: An opportunity to discuss the future of rare books

  Based on following AE over the years, you might know that a rapidly growing auction market where prices are determined by competitive bidding is competing with the dealer-centric fixed-price mar...

Eight New Catalogues Reviewed This Month

Eight New Catalogues Reviewed This Month

Eight new catalogues have arrived for November. Michael Vinson has a catalogue of Americana that features an extraordinary selection of fundamental Mormon works. The William Reese Company also offe...

Rare Book Monthly

  • Leland Little, May 21: Signed Artist Proof of the Monumental G.O.A.T.: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali.
    Leland Little, May 21: Assorted Rare Publications Related to H.P. Lovecraft, Including The Recluse Signed by Vincent Starrett.
    Leland Little, May 21: Two Issues of The Vagrant, Including the First Appearance of H.P. Lovecraft's "Dagon" in Number Eleven.
    Leland Little, May 21: Rare First Printing of Anne of Green Gables, With ALS from the Author.
    Leland Little, May 21: First Edition of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, In First Issue Jacket.
    Leland Little, May 21: The Limited Paumanok Edition of The Complete Writings of Walt Whitman.
    Leland Little, May 21: Beautifully Bound Limited Flaubert Edition of The Works of Guy de Maupassant.
    Leland Little, May 21: First Edition of Bonaparte's Celebrated American Ornithology, With Spectacular Hand-Colored Plates.
    Leland Little, May 21: A Rare Complete Set of Jardine's The Naturalist's Library, With Hand-Colored Plates.
    Leland Little, May 21: Invitation to the Lincoln-Johnson National Inaugural Ball, March 4th, 1865.
    Leland Little, May 21: A Scarce Inscribed First Edition of James Baldwin's Nobody Knows My Name.
    Leland Little, May 21: Picasso's Le Goût du Bonheur, Limited Edition.
  • Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
    Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR
  • Gonnelli
    Auction 59
    Antique prints, paintings and maps
    May 20th 2025
    Gonnelli: Pietro Aquila, Psyche and Proserpina,1690. Starting price 140€
    Gonnelli: Jacques Gamelin, Memento homo quia pulvis es et in pulverem reverteris, 1779. Starting price 300€
    Gonnelli: Giorgio Ghisi, The final Judgement, 1680. Starting price 480€
    Gonnelli
    Auction 59
    Antique prints, paintings and maps
    May 20th 2025
    Gonnelli Goya y Lucientes Francisco, Los Proverbios.1877. Starting price 1000 €
    Gonnelli: Domenico Peruzzini, Long bearded old man, 1660. Starting price 2200€
    Gonnelli: Enea Vico, Leda and the Swan,1542. Starting price 140€
    Gonnelli
    Auction 59
    Antique prints, paintings and maps
    May 20th 2025
    Gonnelli: Andrea Del Sarto [school of], San Giovanni Battista, 1570. Starting price 25000€
    Gonnelli: Carlo Maratta, Virgin Mary and Jesus, 1660. Starting Price 1200€
    Gonnelli: Louis Brion de La Tour, Sphére de Copernic Sphere de Ptolemée / Le Systême de Ptolemée. Le Systême de Ticho-Brahe…, 1766. Starting price 180€
    Gonnelli
    Auction 59
    Antique prints, paintings and maps
    May 20th 2025
    Gonnelli: Marc’Antonio Dal Re, Ville di Delizia o Siano Palaggi Camparecci nello Stato di Milano Divise in Sei Tomi Con espressevi le Piante…, Tomo Primo, 1726. Starting price 7000€
    Gonnelli: Katsushika Hokusai, Bird on a branch, 1843. Starting price 100€
  • Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 26th
    Ketterer, May 26: Th. McKenney & J. Hall, History of the Indian tribes of North America, 1836-1844. Est: €50,000
    Ketterer, May 26: Biblia latina vulgata, manuscript on thin parchment, around 1250. Est: €70,000
    Ketterer, May 26: M. Beckmann, Fanferlieschen Schönefüßchen, 1924. Est: €10,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 26th
    Ketterer, May 26: A. Ortelius, Theatrum orbis terrarum, 1574. Est: €50,000
    Ketterer, May 26: M. S. Merian, Eurcarum ortus, alimentum et paradoxa metamorphosis, 1717-18. Est: €6,000
    Ketterer, May 26: PAN, 9 volumes, 1895-1900. Est: €12,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 26th
    Ketterer, May 26: Breviarium Romanum, Latin manuscript, 1474. Est: €15,000
    Ketterer, May 26: Quran manuscript from the Saadian period, Maghreb, 16th century. Est: €10,000
    Ketterer, May 26: E. Hemingway, The old man and the sea, 1952. First edition in first issue jacket. Presentation copy. Est: €3,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 26th
    Ketterer, May 26: Flavius Vegetius Renatus, De re militari libri quatuor, 1553. Est: €3,000
    Ketterer, May 26: K. Marx, Das Kapital, 1867. Est: €30,000
    Ketterer, May 26: Brassaï, Transmutations, 1967. Est: €6,000

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