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Sydney Rare Book Auctions: Science and the Arts

Auction Reports


Auction Name	Science and the Arts	Total Sales (AUD)	96,589.85
Auction Date	September 28, 2025 - September 28, 2025	Low Estimate of Lots Sold (AUD)	93,180.00
Sale Number	#92825	High Estimate of Lots Sold (AUD)	134,390.00
Total Lots	309
Sold Lots	200.0	Low Estimate of All Lots (AUD)	124,120.00
% of Lots Sold	64.72%	High Estimate of All Lots (AUD)	177,820.00
Unsold Lots	109	Total Sales as a % of High Est.	54.32%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number	Author Name	Book Title	Year Published	Estimate	Actual Price
112		1890s Manuscript material from the estate of Ion Idriess concerning Jandamarra (or Pigeon as he was known to the white settlers of the Kimberley's).	1890s	AUD 10,000.00 - 20,000.00	AUD 26,670.00
113	Idriess one page Mostly Nature, Early Mounted Police, and Northern Territory Notes. Generally from about or just before 1930, onward.	Handwritten		AUD 15,000.00 - 20,000.00	AUD 9,525.00
98	HAWKESWORTH, John.	Captain James Cook, and others. An Account of the Voyages Undertaken	1773	AUD 5,000.00 - 6,000.00	AUD 3,175.00
148	Henry Lawson	While The Billy Boils With Eight Plates by Mahony.	1896	AUD 3,000.00 - 4,000.00	AUD 2,159.00
80		An excellent selection of books on Maori arts and culture.		AUD 500.00 - 750.00	AUD 2,032.00
99	KING, Phillip Parker.	Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia. Performed between the Years 1818 and 1822. With an Appendix, Containing Various Subjects Relating to Hydrography and Natural History.	1827	AUD 2,400.00 - 3,000.00	AUD 2,032.00
147	Arthur W Upfield	Winds Of Evil	1937	AUD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00	AUD 2,032.00
92	BOUGAINVILLE, Louis Antoine de.	A Voyage Round the World. Performed by John Reinhold Forster, F.A.S. by Order of His Most Christian Majesty, In the Years 1766, 1767, 1768, and 1769.	1772	AUD 2,400.00 - 3,000.00	AUD 1,778.00
183	SHACKLETON, E. H.	Aurora Australis.	1988	AUD 2,400.00 - 3,000.00	AUD 1,524.00
76	ETHERIDGE, Robert (curator and editor).	Scientific Results of the Trawling Expedition of H.M.C.S. "Thetis" off the Coast of New South Wales in February and March 1898.	1899- 1914	AUD 200.00 - 300.00	AUD 1,397.00
288	Captain Sir R.F. Burton.	Arabian Nights The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night. Translated from the Arabic	1897	AUD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00	AUD 1,270.00
250	AW Howitt	The Native Tribes of South-East Australia	1904	AUD 400.00 - 500.00	AUD 952.50
10	Jane Austen	Five novels	1907 to 1909	AUD 750.00 - 1,000.00	AUD 825.50
52	WILLIAMS, Thomas Walter.	Original Precedents in Conveyancing...	1790	AUD 200.00 - 300.00	AUD 825.50
287	J A H Murray	The Oxford English Dictionary: Second Edition, 20 Volumes Set Complete	1989	AUD 1,000.00 - 2,000.00	AUD 825.50
65	HALCOMBE, J. J. (editor).	The Emigrant and the Heathen; or sketches of Missionary life.	[1874].	AUD 400.00 - 500.00	AUD 762.00
47	ROSS, Malcolm.	A Climber in New Zealand.	1914	AUD 300.00 - 400.00	AUD 698.50
78		An outstanding lot of books on the history of New Zealand, including some scarce and desirable titles. All but two of the titles in this lot are hardcover octavo books, bound in the original cloth. Most have their dust-jackets, and the condition is overal	1887	AUD 500.00 - 750.00	AUD 698.50
88	BYRD, Richard Evelyn.	Little America. Aerial Exploration in the Antarctic. The Flight to the South Pole	1930	AUD 500.00 - 750.00	AUD 698.50
180	BLIGH, William.	Bligh's Voyage in the Resource, from Coupang to Batavia, together with the log of his subsequent passage to England in the Dutch packet "Vlydt" and his remarks on Morrison's Journal.	1937	AUD 600.00 - 800.00	AUD 698.50
289		A Fine complete 21 volume Set of the Oxford Library Works of Charles Dickens. .	1979	AUD 1,000.00 - 2,000.00	AUD 698.50
90	READ, Charles Rudston.	What I Heard, Saw, and Did at the Australian Gold Fields.	1853	AUD 1,000.00 - 1,200.00	AUD 635.00
175	OBAMA, Barak.	A Promised Land.	2020	AUD 1,000.00 - 1,200.00	AUD 635.00
179	BLIGH, William.	The Voyage of the Bounty's Launch as related in William Bligh's Despatch to the Admiralty and the Journal of John Fryer.	1934	AUD 600.00 - 800.00	AUD 635.00
181	BLIGH, William.	The Log of the Bounty. Being Lieutenant William Bligh's Log of the Proceedings of His Majesty's Armed Vessel Bounty in a Voyage to the South Seas, to take the Breadfruit from the Society Islands to the West Indies.	1937	AUD 1,000.00 - 1,200.00	AUD 635.00

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Swann
Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
December 9, 2025

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.

Swann
Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
December 9, 2025

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.

Swann
Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
December 9, 2025

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.

Swann
Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
December 9, 2025

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.

Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
SD Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions
The Odfjell Collection
Polar – History – Ornithology – Colour Plate Books
Ending December 4th

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: ROALD AMUNDSEN: «Sydpolen» [ The South Pole] 1912. First edition in jackets and publisher's slip case.

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: AMUNDSEN & NANSEN: «Fram over Polhavet» [Farthest North] 1897. AMUNDSEN's COPY!

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: ERNEST SHACKLETON [ed.]: «Aurora Australis» 1908. First edition. The NORWAY COPY.

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: ERNEST SHACKLETON: «The heart of the Antarctic» + SUPPLEMENT «The Antarctic Book», 1909.

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: SHACKLETON, BERNACCHI, CHERRY-GARRARD [ed.]: «The South Polar Times» I-III, 1902-1911.

SD Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions
The Odfjell Collection
Polar – History – Ornithology – Colour Plate Books
Ending December 4th

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: [WILLEM BARENTSZ & HENRY HUDSON] - SAEGHMAN: «Verhael van de vier eerste schip-vaerden […]», 1663.

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: TERRA NOVA EXPEDITION | LIEUTENANT HENRY ROBERTSON BOWERS: «At the South Pole.», Gelatin Silver Print. [10¾ x 15in. (27.2 x 38.1cm.) ].

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: ELEAZAR ALBIN: «A natural History of Birds.» + «A Supplement», 1738-40. Wonderful coloured plates.

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: PAUL GAIMARD: «Voyage de la Commision scientific du Nord, en Scandinavie, […]», c. 1842-46. ONLY HAND COLOURED COPY KNOWN WITH TWO ORIGINAL PAINTINGS BY BIARD.

Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: JAMES JOYCE: «Ulysses», 1922. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS.
Sotheby’s
Book Week
December 9-17, 2025

Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.