Book fairs have long played an important role in the rare book field. We date the beginning of printing with Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press circa 1450. Less known is the first book fair was the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1462. In 1564 the first book fair catalogue (Messkatalog) provided an organized listing of show material. In America Mathew Carey organized the first Literary Fair in New York in 1802.
With the emergence of literacy, the development of faster presses and pulped paper in the 19th century, collectable paper became a more widely followed field. Auctions and dealer...
Auction sales of books and collectible paper were up again in 2025. The total dollar volume of sales of items of books and paper at auctions we cover (the great majority of sales) again settled com...
As Rare Book Hub’s databases have grown, so too has their complexity.
When you log on Rare Book Hub, you’ll see an unfamiliar heading that shows:
Transaction History Upcoming Auctions ...
Pasadena: Feb 21-22; ABAA San Francisco: Feb. 27-March 1
Two big California antiquarian book fairs are coming up in late February. Rare Books Pasadena welcomes booksellers and bibliophiles fro...
NYC Christie’s Auction Just Cleared $35M+ 🗽🍎
NYC really ate with the Christie’s 250th US Anniversary auction. Early 2026 is officially peaked because the vibes were immaculate and the Americana...
Christie’s New York is setting its sights skyward with Valuable Books in the History of Astronomy from the Collection of Jay M. Pasachoff, the centerpiece of its Fine Printed Books Manuscripts inc...
A new record price has been set for a comic book and it blew away all previous prices - $15 million! The comic was Action Comics #1, published in 1938. What makes it so valuable is that it introduc...
Sotheby's is off to a fast start for 2026. They already have four sales in the field of collectible paper under their belt, three in New York, one in London, with several more already planned for F...
Sotheby’s Masters Week: it begins on February 4th –
The first week of February is a major event for Sotheby’s, especially for high-end manuscripts and historical documents. Here is one of the h...
In 1846, the first plank road in the United States was completed between Salina (Syracuse, New York) and Central Square. Another plank road nearby, the Auburn and Moravia Plank Road, was organized ...
If you’re a history buff or a museum fan or anyone who thinks that the treasures of the past should be preserved and displayed you’ve no doubt read and heard about the current pressure on the Smith...
There recently has been perhaps an odd combination in the used and old book marketplace. It is somewhat like Amazon's taking over AbeBooks, but there are significant differences in how it works. Th...
There are several major international and regional book fairs scheduled between now and April 1st. The “Big Three” of the spring season – London, Leipzig, and Taipei – all fall in the first months ...
The 2026 European edition of TEFAF will take place in Maastricht (Netherlands) on March 14-19. TEFAF, The European Fine Art Foundation, has been hosting art shows since 1988 and now has shows in Ne...
ABAA California International Antiquarian Book Fair 2026
The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) is pleased to announce the return of the California International Ant...
In 1702, Mr. Durret offered to take his readers around the world. He’d sail with them, he promised, from Marseille, France, to Lima, Peru. An exciting prospect, indeed! Mr. Durret kept his word, ex...
The Rare Book School (RBS) at the University of Virginia is offering a full schedule for 2026. They are currently accepting applications for nearly 50 courses, including both in-person sessions in ...
This month we review two new bookseller catalogues. Librairie Clavreuil of Paris and Stéphane Clavreuil Rare Books of London offer a selection of books from the 15th through the 19th century. David...
ALDE, Apr. 8: GUEVARA (ANTONIO DE). Histoire de Marc-Aurèle, Empereur Romain, vray miroir et horloge des Princes. Paris, Pierre et Galliot du Pré, frères, 1565. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: HEURES DE LA VIERGE. Horæ in laudem beatissimæ virginis Mariæ ad usum Romanum. Paris, Charles L'Angelier, 1556. €4,000 to €5,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: MONTAIGNE (MICHEL DE). Les Essais. Édition nouvelle, trouvée après le deceds de l'autheur… Paris, Abel L'Angelier, 1595. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [ROJAS (FERNANDO DE)]. Celestina, tragicomedia di Calisto et Melibea, tradotta de lingua castigliana in italiano idioma… Venise, 1531. €2,000 to €3,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CAMÕES (LUÍS DE). Os Lusiadas. Lisbonne, Pedro Crasbeeck, 1613. €2,000 to €3,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles, Roger Velpius & Huberto Antonio, 1611. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: LA FONTAINE (JEAN DE). Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris, Denys Thierry et Claude Barbin, 1678-1694. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid, Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: DIDEROT (DENIS) ET JEAN LE ROND D'ALEMBERT. Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Paris, 1751-1765. €15,000 to €20,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). Les Laboureurs. Poème tiré de Jocelyn… Lyon, J. A. Henry, 1883. €8,000 to €10,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. Livre de prières tissé d'après les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe siècle. Lyon, [A. Roux], 1886. €5,000 to €6,000.
Sotheby’s Books, Manuscripts & Objects from Three Important Collections Open for Bidding 2-17 April
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: [Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun]. Le Roman de la Rose, [Geneva or Lyons, c.1481], first printed edition of the most important medieval French vernacular poem. £200,000 to £300,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Castiglione. Il libro del cortegiano. [Venice], April 1528, first edition, in a magnificent binding by Jean Picard for Jean Grolier. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Jacobus de Cessolis. Schachzabelbuch, Strasbourg, 1483, von der Lasa copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: World Championship, 1972. A collection of 84 press photographs of the famed match between Spassky and Fischer. £2,000 to £3,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Ben Franklin. Autograph letter signed, to Lord Shelburne, British Prime Minister, during peace negotiations, November 1782. £15,000 to £20,000.
