Rare Book Monthly Reviews - December - 2005 Issue

Very Old and Rare Books from Martayan Lan

Very Old and Rare Books from Martayan Lan

By Michael Stillman

The 36th catalogue of Martyan Lan of New York contains 246 rare books from the 15th to

19th centuries. Most of these works are European in origin, very old, and of considerable

significance. Severable are incunables.


The catalogue is divided into sections suitable for different types of collections. The first

topic is travel, geography and voyages, followed by the history of science. The latter is

divided into astronomy; physics, mathematics and alchemy; and medicine, natural history and

mining. Next it moves to arts and humanities, and fi...

Americana Including Black Americana From Michael Brown Rare Books

Americana Including Black Americana From Michael Brown Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

We have received the 39th catalogue from Americana specialist Michael Brown Rare Books. First an aside. This is not the Michael Brown of FEMA fame. This is the bookselling Mi...

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Into The Heart Of Africa From Bernard Shapero Rare Books

Into The Heart Of Africa From Bernard Shapero Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

Bernard Shapero Rare Books takes us into what was a mostly unknown continent to the West a few generations ago with their latest catalogue, Africa 2005. While the continent w...

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Voyages and Travels from Reg and Philip Remington

Voyages and Travels from Reg and Philip Remington

By Michael Stillman

This month we review our first catalogue from English booksellers Reg and Philip Remington. The Remingtons are a father and son team with over eight decades experience in the...

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A Catalogue of William Blake from John Windle, Antiquarian Bookseller

A Catalogue of William Blake from John Windle, Antiquarian Bookseller

By Michael Stillman

He is one of the more difficult figures to describe. Few depict his as a "renaissance man," though he was a poet, artist, engraver, printer, and spiritualist. He was somethi...

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William Reese Gives Us That Old Tyme Religion

William Reese Gives Us That Old Tyme Religion

By Michael Stillman

You might think a collection of religious material from the 17th through 19th centuries would be rather boring. We've all heard that fire and brimstone stuff too many times b...

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Latest Update from Manhattan Rare Books

Latest Update from Manhattan Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

We have received the most recent electronic update to the catalogues published by The Manhattan Rare Book Company. For those not familiar, Manhattan Rare Book is a New York d...

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Latin American and Spanish Books from Libreria de Antano

Latin American and Spanish Books from Libreria de Antano

By Michael Stillman

Libreria de Antano has released its latest catalogue electronically, in conjunction with the recently held book show in Madrid. Libreria de Antano is located in Buenos Aires,...

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Florida from King and Queen Books

Florida from King and Queen Books

By Michael Stillman

King and Queen Books of Pensacola, Florida, has released its 46th catalogue: Florida -- Books, Pamphlets, Maps, and Other Imprints Relating to the Sunshine State. This cata...

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Extraordinary Autographs and Manuscripts from the 19th Century Shop

Extraordinary Autographs and Manuscripts from the 19th Century Shop

By Michael Stillman

Those familiar with the 19th Century Shop know that they offer extraordinarily important signed and manuscript material. Their recently issued catalogue 107 is no exception. ...

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Californians and Others of the Old West from Schoyer's Antiquarian Books

Californians and Others of the Old West from Schoyer's Antiquarian Books

By Michael Stillman

We have received from Schoyer's Antiquarian Books of Berkeley, California, their catalogue number 119 of Western Americana. This catalogue of the West is described as featur...

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Books From The Old West From Arthur H. Clark

Books From The Old West From Arthur H. Clark

By Michael Stillman

We have just received The Arthur H. Clark Company's 923rd catalogue featuring Americana and the American West. The Arthur Clark Company has been selling and publishing books ...

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Literature and More from James Cummins Bookseller

Literature and More from James Cummins Bookseller

By Michael Stillman

James Cummins Bookseller offers a varied selection of items in his latest catalogue, number 93. Among the specific topics covered are literature, bibliography, and thirteen ...

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Western Books From Gene W. Baade

Western Books From Gene W. Baade

By Michael Stillman

Gene W. Baade Books On The West has released their catalogue #1105 just in time for the holidays. Not that there is any particular connection between this collection and the ...

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18th and 19th Century Americana from Lesser Antiquarian Books

18th and 19th Century Americana from Lesser Antiquarian Books

By Michael Stillman

Americana collectors cannot help but look forward to the latest offerings from David M. Lesser Fine Antiquarian Books. Lesser always presents an intriguing assortment, primar...

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Rare Book Monthly

  • Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Book Week
    December 9-17, 2025
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
    Sotheby’s
    Book Week
    December 9-17, 2025
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
  • Heritage Auctions
    Rare Books Signature Auction
    December 15, 2025
    Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: Bram Stoker. Dracula. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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