50 Exceptional Items in Peter Harrington's 100th Catalogue
- by Michael Stillman
Charles Dickens inscribes A Tale of Two Cities to George Eliot.
This next item ties together two of England's most notable authors of the 19th century – Charles Dickens and George Eliot. Dickens has inscribed a first edition of A Tale of Two Cities (1859) “To George Eliot, with high admiration and regards.” It is dated December 1859. Eliot had sent Dickens a copy of her first work, Scenes of Clerical Life, the previous year. Dickens enjoyed it tremendously. At this time, Eliot was still hiding her true identity as a woman, real name Mary Ann Evans, though Dickens was the first to suspect the writer's gender was not as implied. When Eliot sent Dickens her second novel, Adam Bede, in the summer of 1859, she revealed her true identity, so he knew who “Eliot” was at the time he inscribed this book. If Eliot feared her work would be rejected if people knew the writer was a woman, her continued success is evidence her fears were overblown. Item 10. £275,000 (US $471,082).
Item 13 is a “Top Secret” Outgoing Message signed by General Dwight D. Eisenhower on May 7th, 1945. That (or May 8, depending on the country) is celebrated as VE Day, a somewhat forgotten holiday that had an enormous meaning to an earlier generation. That was “Victory in Europe” Day, the day Germany officially surrendered, and the Second World War in Europe came to an end. Eisenhower, as commander of the allied forces, prepared a mimeographed announcement, which he signed and sent out in a small number of copies. His aides had prepared several potential draft announcements for the momentous occasion, but when the time came, Eisenhower dictated but a brief, unemotional version instead. It states, “The mission of this Allied force was fulfilled at 0241 local time, May 7th, 1945.” £100,000 (US $171,291).
Il Ponte, Sep. 30-Oct. 1: BOETTI, Alighiero - Classifying the thousand longest rivers in the world. Ascoli Piceno: 1977. € 15.000 - 18.000
Il Ponte, Sep. 30-Oct. 1: GOYA Y LUCIENTES, Francisco José - Los desastres de la guerra. Madrid: 1863. € 12.000 - 18.000
Il Ponte, Sep. 30-Oct. 1: HEVELIUS, Johannes - Selenographia sive lunae descriptio. Danzica: 1647. € 10.000 - 15.000
Il Ponte, Sep. 30-Oct. 1: REDOUTÉ, Pierre-Joseph - Douze Bouquets. Parigi e New York: [s.d., ma ca. 1835]. € 15.000 - 25.000
Koller, Sep. 17: NEWTON, ISAAC. Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica. London, Joseph Streater, "Prostat apud plures Bibliopolas", 1687. CHF 250,000 to 300,000.
Koller, Sep. 17: ORTELIUS, ABRAHAM. Theatrum orbis terrarum. 3 parts in 1 volume. Antwerpen, Plantin, 1612. CHF 120,000 to 160,000.
Koller, Sep. 17: BECKMANN, MAX. Apokalypse. Frankfurt a. M., Privatdruck der Bauerschen Giesserei, 1943. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.
Koller, Sep. 17: BOISSERÉE, SULPIZ. Ansichten, Risse und einzelne Theile des Doms von Köln. AND: Ders. Geschichte und Beschreibung des Doms zu Köln… CHF 30,000 to 50,000.
Koller, Sep. 17: SCHEDEL, HARTMANN. Buch der Chroniken und Geschichten. Nürnberg, Anton Koberger, 23. Dez. 1493. CHF 25,000 to 40,000.
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: Ian Fleming. Casino Royale, London, 1953. First edition, first printing. $58,610.
Sotheby’s: A.A. Milne, Ernest Howard Shepard. Winnie The Pooh, United Kingdom, 1926. First UK edition. $17,580.
Sotheby’s: Ernest Hemingway. Three Stories And Ten Poems, [Paris], (1923). First edition of Hemingway’s first published book. $75,000.
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: L. Frank Baum. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, 1900. First edition. $27,500.
Sotheby’s: Man Ray. Photographs By Man Ray 1920 Paris 1934, Hartford, 1934. $7,860.
Sotheby’s: Thomas Pennant. Zoologia Britannica, Augsburg, 1771. $49,125.
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Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 40. De Jode's Rare Polar Projections in A+ Condition (1593) Est. $40,000 - $50,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 6. Vrients' Rare World Map for Linschoten's "Itinerario" in Contemporary Color (1596) Est. $16,000 - $19,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 62. The Waldseemuller "Admiral's Map" (1513) Est. $35,000 - $45,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 234. Rare Pictorial Map of Chicago Gang Wars During Prohibition (1931) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 7. Ritter's Fascinating Sundial World Map - First State (1610) Est. $11,500 - $13,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 10. Visscher's Rare Carte-a-Figures World Map (1652) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 32. Sylvanus' Distinctive Ancient World Map Printed in Two Colors (1511) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 205. Classic Early Pictorial Map of Silicon Valley (1983) Est. $1,600 - $2,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 268. Bradford's Republic of Texas Showing Land Grants (1838) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
Old World Auctions (Sept 10): Lot 660. Superb Hand-Colored Image of the Nativity (1502) Est. $800 - $950
![Il Ponte, Sep. 30-Oct. 1: REDOUTÉ, Pierre-Joseph - Douze Bouquets. Parigi e New York: [s.d., ma ca. 1835]. € 15.000 - 25.000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/52dd1cf6-f094-4432-955c-f3b20077eb95.jpg "<b>Il Ponte, Sep. 30-Oct. 1:</b> REDOUTÉ, Pierre-Joseph - Douze Bouquets. Parigi e New York: [s.d., ma ca. 1835]. € 15.000 - 25.000")
![Sotheby’s: Ernest Hemingway. Three Stories And Ten Poems, [Paris], (1923). First edition of Hemingway’s first published book. $75,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/acf970a0-a15d-4c79-aa24-5e8e414cb465.png "<b>Sotheby’s:</b> Ernest Hemingway. <i>Three Stories And Ten Poems,</i> [Paris], (1923). First edition of Hemingway’s first published book. $75,000.")
