April Catalogue Review Book Collecting: Seeking a Southern Exposure
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Once in a while a dealer has enough material, spanning the five centuries since Columbus planted the Spanish flag in the new world, to issue a catalogue in date order that conveys the march of history. The Breitfelds do this and do it very well. For those of us in the northern half it is easy to ignore the extraordinary history just to the south. It was in fact South America that was discovered and explored first. When Ponce de Leon came ashore in Florida in 1513 to lay claim to what turned out to be North America he was looking for the fountain of youth. Discovery and development to the south was already under way while the first permanent settlement in North America would not be made until 1565 at St. Augustine. Even then Florida would remain a penciled note on the larger canvas that centered on the gold and silver deposits well to the south.
Those who collect Americana may stop at the water’s edge, never venture south, never cross the language barriers to Latin, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Italian, but in limiting their pursuit of the earliest materials to those in English they simply wipe the first 60 years of development of the new world off their literary map. The first obtainable (and only with patience and money) item in English is Richard Eden’s The Decades of the New World printed in 1554. If you really want to connect to the entire history of the new world you will want to inhabit the world that Alfredo & Gustavo Breitfeld bring to life in their newest catalogue. Of course, they are going to going to try to keep you south of the border. They want you to think of Mexico, Paraguay, Ecuador and Brazil the way Edward Eberstadt thought about Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and California 80 years ago. In Eberstadt’s time the Americana relating to the western states was the undiscovered frontier of book collecting. Alfredo & Gustavo want you to think that way about the nations to the south.
High Bids Win Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines and Machine Manuals December 24 to January 9
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Ellis Smith Prints unsigned. 20” by 16”.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: United typothetae of America presidents. Pictures of 37 UTA presidents 46th annual convention United typothetae of America Cincinnati 1932.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec signed Paper Impressionism Art Prints. MayMilton 9 1/2” by 13” Reine de Joie 9 1/2” by 13”.
High Bids Win Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines and Machine Manuals December 24 to January 9
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Aberle’ Ballet editions. 108th triumph, American season spring and summer 1944.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Puss ‘n Boots. 1994 Charles Perrult All four are signed by Andreas Deja
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Specimen book of type faces. Job composition department, Philadelphia gazette publishing company .
High Bids Win Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines and Machine Manuals December 24 to January 9
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: An exhibit of printed books, Bridwell library.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur Court By Mark Twain 1889.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: 1963 Philadelphia Eagles official program.
High Bids Win Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines and Machine Manuals December 24 to January 9
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: 8 - Esquire the magazine for men 1954.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: The American printer, July 1910.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Leaves of grass 1855 by Walt Whitman.
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: William Shakespeare. The Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare, 1960. 7,210 USD
Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol, First Edition, 1843. 17,500 USD
Sotheby’s: William Golding. Lord of the Flies, First Edition, 1954. 5,400 USD
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll. Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Inscribed First Edition, 1872. 25,000 USD
Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit, First Edition, 1937. 12,000 USD
Sotheby’s: John Milton. Paradise Lost, 1759. 5,400 USD
