NEWS
/ PRESS:
National
Book
Auctions
is a public auction service specializing in books, ephemera,
stamps and art. National Book Auctions is a targeted service
offering experience and expertise unique to marketing antique
and modern books and ephemera for consignors and collectors
alike. For more information, please contact our Ithaca gallery
at 607-269-0101 or email mail@nationalbookauctions.com.
To
view National Book Auctions in the media, please click here.
National
Book Auctions October Auction Recap
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, hosted
a Sunday, October 23rd auction featuring a broad spectrum
of rare antique and vintage books, as well as a fine array
of artwork and ephemera. Highlights of this auction included
several personal libraries of scholarly books relating to
literature and philosophy, as well as a large estate collection
of art and architecture-related reference books, many in large
folio formats. This 428-lot auction also featured manuscript
leaves dating back to the 15th century as well as early hand-colored
botanical and ichthyological plates.
A
complete ten-volume set of “The Works of Cicero” achieved
a hammer price of $3120.00 (including buyer’s premium). This
extremely rare set was printed during the years 1546 through
1567 by Sebastian Gryphius of Lyon. Gryphius was the most
prolific printer in France during the most fertile period
of French Renaissance humanism. This set is bound in 17th
century French calf with gilt tooling, with labels and raised
bands on the spines, and marbled page edges and endpapers.
There were no auction records on file of this complete set
coming to market previously.
Two
original marble sculptures by Masayuki Nagare fetched hammer
prices of $1020.00 and $900.00 (including buyer’s premium).
Nagare is a celebrated Japanese sculptor whose pieces can
be found in focal international settings including an impressive
example that stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center
buildings before they were destroyed.
Realizing
a hammer price of $900.00 (including buyer’s premium) was
a group of artwork by Hungarian painter, photographer and
Bauhaus professor Laszlo Maholy-Nagy. This lot featured two
exhibition posters, one of the 1923 painting "Sur Fond
Blanc," held by the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, as well
as a reproduction of the 1924 "Composition Axx"
from the Musee Pompidou in Paris. Paired with the exhibition
posters was a mixed media piece of artwork bearing the artist's
stamped name over the signature of Hattula Maholy-Nagy, the
artist's daughter and the executor of his estate.
National
Book Auctions September Auction Recap
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, hosted
a Sunday, September 11th auction featuring a broad assortment
of collectible books and ephemera, highlighted by the works
of notable authors such as Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin,
and Alexander Hamilton. The 404-lot auction also featured
a collection of rare antique atlases, antique Victorian lithographs,
and items relating to the Civil War.
A scarce
memorial edition of “The Writings of Mark Twain” (1929) fetched
a hammer price of $8700 (including buyer’s premium). This
36-volume set features a unique, original handwritten manuscript
page from the Estate of Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) in
Volume One. This handsome set is decoratively bound in three-quarter
crimson leather over light red cloth with five raised spine
bands and gilt tooling in the compartments. The set is hand-numbered
56 of 90 sets containing the manuscript material and signed
by the publisher.
Realizing
a hammer price of $1080 (including buyer’s premium) was the
first edition of “The Private Life of Benjamin Franklin” (1793).
This antique volume is a scarce autobiographical work, considered
to be the greatest autobiography produced in Colonial America.
Another
noteworthy item was an original period or early engraving
by (or after) Rembrandt, which fetched a hammer price of $1020
(including buyer’s premium). This piece, which features a
woman holding a flower, shows a magnificent level of detail.
A
vintage first edition of Dr. Seuss’s “The Cat In The Hat”
(1957) brought a hammer price of $960.00 (including buyer’s
premium). This copy of the landmark children’s book included
the first issue dust jacket.
The
Plays of William Shakespeare featured in August 14, 2011 Auction
Bound
in decorative full leather featuring gilt tooling and raised
spine bands, this antique set is a gorgeous work of Shakespeare’s
plays in eight volumes, containing the notes of Samuel Johnson
and various other commentators.
"The
Plays of William Shakespeare" was an 18th-century edition
of the dramatic works of William Shakespeare, edited by Samuel
Johnson and George Stevens. Johnson announced his intention
to edit Shakespeare's plays in his "Miscellaneous Observations
on Macbeth" (1745), and a full proposal for the edition
was published in 1756. The edition was finally published in
1765.
In
the "Preface" to his edition, Johnson justifies
trying to determine the original language of the Shakespearean
plays. To benefit the reading audience, he added explanatory
notes to various passages. Later editors followed Johnson's
lead and sought to determine an authoritative text of Shakespeare.
(history courtesy of Wikipedia)
The
work is illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of Shakespeare
in the first volume. Johnson's preface in the first volume
is paginated, indicating that this is a later issue of the
first edition. Volumes two through eight contain half-title
pages, as issued, and all volumes contain a full title page.
The volumes contain several plays, each of which is preceded
by a half-title page. These volumes are in the original or
period bindings. Estimated value: $3,00.
National
Book Auctions to Offer Cash Advance
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, announced this
month their exclusive Cash Advance Program, allowing new consigners
to secure funds on their collection of books, ephemera, artwork
or stamps in advance of the live auction. This new consigner
Cash Advance Program is available on any qualified consignment
and gives new consigners security for their material at the
time of consignment.
“We are
pleased to now offer cash advances to new consigners,” stated
David Hall, company owner and Business Manager. “In working
with these new consignments — with available cash advances,
we are able to create and market more robust catalogs of collectible
books and ephemera. Our consigners requested instant access
to cash and we responded.”
By partnering
with National Book Auctions, consigners will have access to
the equity in their collection before the live auction. The
exact amount of the advance is based on a percentage of the
estimated value of a collection and is left to the discretion
of National Book Auctions cataloging and research department.
There is more information on the program on the National Book
Auctions website, or by calling the gallery.
For
more information or to consign collectible material please
contact David Hall, Business Manager, at 607-269-0101 or email
mail@nationalbookauctions.com.
Auction
house gives rare books a second look
By:
Tamara Lindstrom
ITHACA,
N.Y. -- For David Hall, it's easy to see why collectors are
passionate about his wares.
"The
amount of experience that's packed into an inch and a half
of leaves of paper is pretty staggering."
It's
an experience that some are willing to bid thousands on. Hall
started National Book Auctions in Ithaca to help sort through
the countless manuscripts cluttering attics or forgotten on
shelves. Hall and his team travel the county and even the
world in search of books. And like any good adventure, sometimes
he finds a buried treasure.
"It
happened three times that I bought books that ended up being
worth over ten thousand dollars each and I paid less than
fifty dollars for any of those books," Hall said.
And sometimes
there's more than numbered pages behind the cover.
"One
of my staff was handling it and prepared to price it for a
couple of dollars in our online database," Hall said.
"And I heard this little squeal from across the room.
And about four pages from the back of the book, she found
a letter from Albert Einstein, with his original signature
right on it."
But Hall
said the surprise finds show just how much people need advocates
when it comes to selling their books.
"Even
if you've been working with general antiques for decades,
if you walk into a room with two thousand books, you probably
have to look up half of them to know what you're dealing with."
So the
auction house works on consignment to get book sellers the
best deal, and bring book lovers a tangible bit of history.
"It's
difficult to own a fifteenth century piece of porcelain,"
Hall said. "It's not that difficult to own a fifteenth
century book."
To
some, a piece of art that's worth its weight in gold.
National
Book Auctions Hosted May Auction
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY hosted
a mid-May auction that featured a wide assortment of presidential
material, nautical-themed books and signed firsts. Among
the featured items was a 1919 signed three-volume limited
edition set of Rudyard Kipling’s “Verse” which sold for
$2,091 (including buyer’s premium). Bound in vellum with
bright gilt embossing on the boards and spine and in navy
blue, this limited edition set is a collection of works
by acclaimed author Rudyard Kipling known as the "Inclusive
Edition," with the author's signature on the limitation
page of each volume. This set was numbered 90 of the small
printing run of 100 copies.
A
1938 original charcoal and pencil Nazi-themed cartoon by
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Rollin Kirby sold for
$1,023 (including buyer’s premium) was also offered during
the 480-lot auction. The 18” X 14” cartoon had a handwritten
title at the top, "Via Dolorosa," and features
a Nazi soldier following a Jew down a desolate road. The
soldier is holding papers with "political rights",
"Jewish property rights", "human rights"
and "religious rights" written on them.
Two
separate signed copies of “Profiles in Courage” by John
F. Kennedy were offered; one edition signed by then-Senator
John F. Kennedy and a later Memorial Edition (1964) signed
by Rose and Ted Kennedy. The 1956 author-signed copy had
a realized hammer price of $1,599 (including buyer’s premium)
and featured the former President’s signature on the blank
free page in the front of this landmark book.
An
author-signed copy of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”
sold for $3,567 (including buyer’s premium) and included
the original dust jacket, custom slipcase and a tipped-in
page signed by Lee.
Dan
Cole Wins "Jok of the Year"
Dan
Cole (pictured right), Director of Operations at
National Book Auctions, won the 2010-2011 "Jok of the
Year" Award during the WVBR Banquet held at Rouge's
Harbor Restaurant in Lansing, NY. In addition to his regular
duties at National Book Auctions, Dan is also a radio disk
jockey and hosts the popular "Tuesdays With the Band,"
featuring local and regional musicians on a weekly basis.
You can listen to Dan Cole on 93.5 FM or online at wvbr.com.
[PHOTO:
Mark Anbinder]
National
Book Auctions Hosted April Auction
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY hosted a
mid-April auction that featured a second round of early MacKenzie-Childs
ceramics alongside a wide assortment of collectible books
and ephemera including a 1722 first printing of Daniel Defoe’s
“Journal of the Plague Year” which sold to an online high
bidder for $2,520 (including buyer’s premium). The second
round of MacKenzie-Childs realized an aggregate hammer price
in excess of $11,000 and included signature “tuffets,” which
are the Aurora, NY-based company’s stuffed stools with decorative
ceramic legs.
Among
the collectible books sold to the record-sized audience was
a 24-volume set of “The Works of George Eliot.” Bound in marbled
paper with three-quarter crimson leather, raised spine bands
and bright gilt embossing, this antique set is the limited
Arbury Edition, numbered 302 of 1,000. These handsome volumes
fetched $1,560 (including buyer’s premium).
An impressive
assortment of other decorative sets were featured at the five-hour
auction including a 12-volume set of Miguel de Cervantes’
“Don Quixote De la Mancha (1798) which realized a $1,380 hammer
price (including buyer’s premium) and included many engraved
illustrations with tissue-paper guard sheets.
A single
copy of Publius’ “The Federalist” (1802) sold for $1,700 (including
buyer’s premium) and was among numerous other important single
books profiled at the gallery.
National Book Auctions is a public auction service specializing
in books, ephemera, and art.
National
Book Auctions in The
Lansing Star
“To
Kill A Mockingbird” Leads at March Auction
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, held a
March 20th auction with over 400 lots of collectible books,
ephemera and artwork including numerous signed first editions,
Pulitzer prize-winning novels and an eclectic assortment of
collectible pottery and dinnerware from Aurora, NY-based MacKenzie-Childs.
Of particular
interest was a signed first edition of Harper Lee’s “To Kill
a Mockingbird” (J. B. Lippincott Company, 1960). This rare
book, in its original dust jacket, is arguably the most important
American modern classic. The authenticated Harper Lee signature
appeared on the blank leaf between the front free endpaper
and the half-title page. The copy featured the first printing
dust jacket identification points including the quote from
Truman Capote in green at the top of the front flap, the lack
of a printing statement on the lower left of the front flap,
and the Truman Capote photograph on the rear. This variant
first printing dust jacket shows the Grau/McGinley quotes
on the rear flap, features which contributed to it’s $6,500
hammer price (plus buyer’s premium)
Also
at the late March auction was a first edition copy of John
Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy Of Dunces” (1980) which fetched
a $1,200 hammer price (plus buyer’s premium) and a rare copy
of Upton Sinclair’s “Dragon’s Teeth” (1942). The Author-Published
advance copy realized a $325 hammer price (plus buyer’s premium)
and featured a crimson cloth binding with bright white lettering
on the spine and front board. Other signed first editions
and Pulitzer titles were also sold during the five-hour event.
The hammer
price across all MacKenzie-Childs material exceeded $11,500
(plus buyer’s premium) and ran the gamut from dinnerware to
lamps and from miniature to tables. These early offerings
featured many discontinued patterns and products, attributes
that contributed to their collectability. National Book Auctions
announced this week that they will feature more early MacKenzie-Childs
pieces in their upcoming April 17th auction.
National
Book Auctions is a targeted auction service offering experience
and expertise unique to marketing antique and modern books
and ephemera for consignors and collectors alike. National
Book Auctions is now developing new catalogs for the next
year featuring collectible books, art, currency and ephemera
and is now seeking new consignments. For more information,
please contact David Hall at 607-269-0101 or email mail@nationalbookauctions.com.
Early
MacKenzie-Childs Pieces Offered at Auction
[Ithaca NY] National
Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, will host a special
collectible book, art and ephemera auction that features a
large collection of original MacKenzie-Childs ceramic and
glass pieces. Many of the items are rare, discontinued pieces
from the earlier of days of the company, when Richard and
Victoria were at the helm of the Aurora-based company. The
Sunday, March 20th auction will begin at noon with a 10 a.m.
preview session.
This eclectic collection ranges from tableware to glassware
to glass-top tables and is being sold as part of a local estate
belonging to a former MacKenzie-Childs staff member. The group
profiles many of the earlier designs created by Victoria and
Richard MacKenzie-Childs and a number of the designs, patterns
and pieces have long been out of production, adding to their
collectable importance.
Since 1983, MacKenzie-Childs has made handcrafted, American-made
ceramics, each piece a one-of-a-kind collectible, at its facility
in Aurora, New York in the Finger Lakes Region. Founded by
Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs, the company continues
a tradition of hand-made ceramics to this day, with every
piece molded by hand, machine-pressed, or slip cast, fired
up to three times, hand-glazed, and decorated. The brand is
best known for distinctive designs which combine vibrant colors
and pattern-on-pattern surface decoration to create a fresh,
original aesthetic best described as "tradition with
a twist."
MacKenzie-Childs, located in Aurora, NY, continues to produce
their one-of-a-kind pottery, glassware, accessories and furnishings
today and this auction features the rare, collectible beginnings
of the world-renowned company. Today, relatives of MacKenzie-Childs
operate “Home Again Bed and Breakfast / Boutique,” from the
family’s estate located on Route 90 outside of Aurora and
showcases the unique work for the next generation.
UPDATE:
More early MacKenzie-Childs being cataloged for the Sunday,
April 17th auction.
National
Book Auctions Hosted February Auction
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, hosted
an auction on February 27, 2010 at their Finger Lakes Region
gallery. The auction featured an assortment of historic Polar/Artic-themed
titles, art reference books, first editions and a wide assortment
of militaria collectibles.
Among the various war collectible items and uniforms, there
was a strong offering of ephemera and photographs from both
World Wars. One such collection featured a group of approximately
300 World War I publicity photos depicting a variety of images,
including ships, planes, trains, trench scenes, Theodore Roosevelt,
Jr., Eddie Rickenbacker and a Colt manufacturing plant, among
others. The photos were accompanied by a handwritten inventory
(modern) and a period handwritten table detailing the photos'
distribution. The collection sold for $615 (including buyer’s
premium).
Alongside multiple volumes of art reference titles and original
artwork, a vintage copy of Lewis Baltz’s “THE NEW INDUSTRIAL
PARKS NEAR IRVINE, CALIFORNIA” (1974 first printing, first
edition with dust jacket) realized a $676.50 hammer price
early on in the four-hour auction.
A first edition of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” fetched a $399
hammer price (including buyer’s premium) and a multi-volume
first-edition collection of Little Golden Books sold for $250
(including buyer’s premium).
NEWS:
National Book Auctions featured in January 17, 2011 Ithaca
Journal
Militaria
and Polar Exploration Meet at Auction
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, will
feature at their Sunday, February 27 auction an assortment
of military-related material, scholarly art reference
books, polar exploration titles, and a number of other
notable books, including several botany-related titles.
Featured
in this auctoin is an eclectic collection of militaria,
including antique and vintage uniforms, books, ephemera
and other memorabilia. Among items in this collection
are original WWI and WWII army and air force jackets,
pants, helmets, and other gear, as well as authentic patches
and insignia. Complementing this collection are several
important military-related books, featuring an 1862 first
edition of the “History of the United States Naval Academy”
and an 1825 report on the court martial of Commodore David
Porter, and a variety of antique titles concerning the
Civil War. Ephemera in this group includes original correspondence
to and from soldiers during World War II and photographs
of German Nazi soldiers and Japanese soldiers, among other
items.
The
art reference titles feature works such as the first printing
of the vintage work “The New Industrial Parks Near Irvine,
California,” an influential work on landscape photography.
Other important works include a six-volume set on the
paintings of Rembrandt with over 2,000 plates of the painter’s
work, a 1931 first edition German catalog of artwork in
the Berlin Museum, and “Les Marques De Collections De
Dessins & D'Estampes,” an important 1921 French work
identifying collector's marks used by museum and private
collectors.
The
polar exploration titles in this auction chronicle the
history of nineteenth and early twentieth century journeys
to the North & South poles. The works in this collection
detail the expeditions of A. W. Greely through items such
as the 1884 pamphlet “The Greely Arctic Expedition,” by
Peary, an 1898 first edition of “Northward Over the ‘Great
Ice’,” and Ejnar Mikkelsen’s 1913 first English edition
of “Lost in the Arctic”. Also included are numerous books
by classic exploration authors, such as Fridtjof Nansen,
Vilhjalmur Stefansson and Peter Freuchen.
Other
notable books include a fine assortment of gardening and
botany titles. Featured is a first edition, gorgeously
bound 1877 printing of the “Hand Book of Practical Landscape
Gardening,” Thomas Meehan’s 1878-79 work on the “Native
Flowers and Ferns of the United States,” and several volumes
of U.P. Hedrick’s “Fruits of New York” series in fine
condition with the prized color plates.
Let's
Go Fishing at National Book Auctions
And
John Speede 1610 maps ... the cornerstone of this catalog’s
ephemera collection
[ITHACA,
NY] This January 23rd auction offers an eclectic mix of
books and ephemera, featuring subjects such as angling
and New England history, along with a large collection
of modern signed volumes.
The angling collection offers titles such as Frederic
M. Halford’s “Dry Fly Entomology.” This author-signed,
limited edition, deluxe two-volume set from 1897 features
many engraved plates along with 100 original, hand-tied
fishing flies mounted on custom boards. Additional angling
titles include “American Trout Streams” by Henry Andrews
Ingraham, another author-signed limited edition, published
in 1926 by the Anglers’ Club of New York.
Two maps by cartographer John Speede are the cornerstones
of this catalog’s ephemera collection. Both maps were
excised from John Speede’s atlas, “Theatre of the Empire
of Great Britaine,” published in 1610/11. The maps display
the “Province of Ulster” and “Caermarden” (present-day
Carmarthen, Wales). Each map is hand-colored and was engraved
on laid paper.
The volumes in the New England collection feature rare
local histories for a large number of small towns in Maine,
New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
Connecticut. These volumes contain detailed statistics
and facts in regard to local citizens, churches and historic
landmarks.
Other notable works relate to American history. These
include titles authored by William Penn, a copy of Gottlob
Jungmann’s German-language Bible published in Reading,
Pennsylvania (the first of its kind printed in the United
States), and Edwin Forbes’ “Life Studies of the Great
Army.” Additional offerings include Charles H. Grosvenor’s
“The Book of the Presidents,” titles relating to coal
mining in Pennsylvania, early titles on the history of
Hawaii, and an author-signed copy of Lieut. Alonzo Cooper’s
“In and Out of Rebel Prisons.”
Rounding out the catalog is a collection of modern signed
material and a number of rare antique and vintage titles.
The modern collection includes author-signed books from
the likes of John Grisham, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury,
notable celebrities, politicians and countless other public
figures. Representing the antique and vintage selection
are titles such as Robert Browning’s “Men and Women,”
William Brown’s “Narrative,” an author-signed copy of
Esther Forbes’ “A Mirror for Witches,” featuring woodcuts
Teddy
Roosevelt meets Ralph Waldo Emerson at Auction
1632
William Shakespeare’s “The Life & Death of King John”
also featured Sunday, January 9th
[ITHACA, NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca,
NY, will feature a number of important vintage and antique
first editions and a large collection dedicated to the
history of the New England States. A unique collection
of handwritten documents from the collection of William
Howland highlighted by correspondence from Theodore Roosevelt
and Susan B. Anthony, alongside several early volumes
on the history of golf and a signed 1930 copy of Adolf
Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” will also be offered during the
January 9th auction.
First
editions highlighting this auction include: John Wesley
Powell’s “Canyons of the Colorado” (1895); Harry Houdini’s
“A Magician Among the Spirits” (with rare dust jacket);
J. D. Salinger’s “Franny and Zooey” (1945); an author-signed
copy of James Patterson’s “The Thomas Berryman Number”
(1976); and an author-signed, limited-edition copy of
Bertha Corbett’s “The Sun-Bonnet Babies” (1900).
New England- related material includes
hundreds of 19th century volumes on the histories of Maine,
Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Featured among this collection are two early works from
authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. “A
Historical Discourse, Delivered Before the Citizens of
Concord, 12th September, 1835. On the Second Centennial
Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town,” printed
in 1835, is Emerson's first separately published substantial
publication.
Four pieces of handwritten correspondence
from Theodore Roosevelt and one from Susan B. Anthony,
are among the featured items from the collection of the
Howland family of Central New York. The Howlands, a Quaker
family, arrived in Central New York in the late 1790s
and became an important influence in the history of Cayuga
County, with William serving as a representative in the
government and as a judge, among other key roles. Howland’s
sister, Emily Howland, was active in the suffrage and
the abolitionist movements.
This first-of-the-year catalog includes
a number of important antique and vintage volumes on the
history of golf. Among the volumes, are a 1960 first edition
of Richard Tufts’ “The Principles Behind the Rules of
Golf” and an author-signed copy of Charles Blair Macdonald’s
“Scotland's Gift - Golf.”
December
5, 2010 - Lewis and Clark, Signed, History, etc.
Among
its 450+ lots, this catalog features two important historical
volumes. One is the 1814 chronicle of the explorations of
Lewis and Clark and the other is a first printing of “Mein
Kampf,” inscribed by Adolf Hitler. This catalog also offers
an assortment of antique volumes, thousands of author-signed
titles and U.S. history-themed books and ephemera (see article
below for more information).
The 1814
first English edition of “Travels to the Source of the Missouri
River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean,”
provides a detailed account of Lewis and Clark’s expedition
across the unexplored Louisiana Territory, derived from the
journals of the explorers. The volume retains the original
six engraved maps, including the large fold-out which many
credit for launching the modern era of map collecting. This
work details various Native American tribes encountered on
the expedition to what is now Yellowstone National Park, present-day
Texas and beyond.
The 1927
first printing of the second volume of “Mein Kampf,” contains
a personal inscription from Adolf Hitler to his close friend
and resident German priest from the church he frequented in
the Munich area. This second volume of the dictator’s political
manifesto, titled “Die Nationalsozialistische Bewegung” (“The
National Socialist Movement”), was written after Hitler’s
release from prison in December 1924. <p>This catalog
contains a variety of original antique and signed volumes,
including a two-volume early twentieth century work on dogs
edited by Harding Cox and a first edition of Mark Twain’s
“Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” We are continuing to work
through an inventory of approximately 10,000 author-signed
books and this catalog features 200+ lots from this collection.
This
auction contains an assortment of history-themed antique books
and ephemera, including a collection focused on the Pacific
Northwest and Alaska as well as county histories from New
York State including Genesee, Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, Schuyler
and Steuben counties. Among the ephemera are early newspapers,
magazines, advertisements, articles, pamphlets, catalogs,
souvenir items and many other categories. Additional offerings
include a small collection of stamps, featuring mint U.S.
stamps and stamps from Britain, various German colonies and
Canada.
This
auction will be our finale for 2010. Stay tuned for more catalogs
for auctions beginning on January 9th and Happy Holidays!
Lewis
and Clarke Travel to Ithaca, New York
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, a public auction service located
in Ithaca, NY, is pleased to offer at their Sunday, December
5th auction, the 1814 first printing of "Travels
to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American
Continent to the Pacific Ocean." This volume contains
the report of Lewis and Clarke’s landmark exploration.
This
first English printing of the report of Lewis and Clarke’s
expedition includes the all-important six engraved maps on
four plates, complete with the large folding map, in excellent
condition. Many credit this folding map with launching the
modern era of map collecting and this first English edition
is generally considered to be superior to the first American
edition, published earlier in 1814 in Philadelphia.
"We
are pleased to offer this book," stated David Hall, Business
Manager and Owner of National Book Auctions. "Like the
exploration reported within its pages, this book is an important
discovery. We are excited to make it available to our global
community of collectors."
The volume
is the “definitive account of the most important exploration
of the North American continent" (Wagner-Camp), led by
Lewis and Clark across the unexplored Louisiana Territory,
spanning the entire mid-section of North America from present-day
Texas and Louisiana up to Montana and North Dakota. Derived
from journal entries of the members of the expedition, including
both Lewis and Clark, this work details the journey, with
descriptions of various Native American tribes, the expedition
to what is now Yellowstone National Park, exploration of present-day
Texas and more. The estimated auction price for this book
is $20,000 to $30,000.
Also
featured at the early December auction is a 1927 first printing
of the second volume of "Mein Kampf," inscribed
at Christmastime in 1926 by Adolf Hitler to his close friend
and resident priest at the church he then frequented in Munich.
Signed editions of Mein Kampf are very rare and even more
scarce with a dedicated inscription.
Mein
Kampf was the political manifesto written by Adolf Hitler.
It was his only complete book and became the scripture of
National Socialism (Nazism) in Germany’s Third Reich. It was
published in two volumes in 1925 and 1927, and an abridged
edition appeared in 1930. This second volume, titled Die Nationalsozialistische
Bewegung (“The National Socialist Movement”), was written
after Hitler’s release from prison in December.
November 7th ... New York State, Travel, Signed, Obama, etc.
The
antique travel and exploration volumes feature the 1817 printing
of "A Narrative of Voyages and Travels, in the Northern
and Southern Hemispheres;" a four-volume first edition
of Washington Irving's "Life & Voyages of Christopher
Columbus," printed in 1828 and containing the original
fold-out maps; and a very scarce 1836 printing of the "History
of the Lives & Bloody Exploits of Pirates." Additionally
included are an 1897 volume on Japan and an 1892 first edition
of "A Princess of Fiji." The travel volumes also
cover early American history, with an 1872 printing of "Picturesque
America," several mid-nineteenth century reports of railroad
explorations and surveys, and a 1913 story of homesteading,
"The Conquest - The Story of a Negro Pioneer" by
Oscar Devereaux Micheaux.
The New
York State historical volumes featured in this catalog include genealogical
and county histories, historical atlases of counties and much more.
Featured in this collection is a very scarce complete collection of the 100
prints from the Fish & Game of New York in 1902, featuring classic
prints of fish by S. F. Denton and birds painted by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
Also
included in this catalog are a number of limited editions published by small-press
houses, including Janus Press and Riverside Press. Most of these are
hand-signed by the author or artist, including "A Fable of Bidpai" signed by artist Helen Siegl;
Benjamin Franklin's "The Old Mistresses' Apologue" printed in
1975 with engravings by Claire Van Vliet; a 1974
printing of "Brazilian Miniatures" by Axl
Leskoschek; and an accordion-style "Alphabeta Concertina" by Ronald King.
This
catalog features an outstanding collection of antique books spanning across
a variety of topics, including travel and exploration and New York State
history. This auction also contains a number of small-press, limited
edition books and signed first editions - including a unique copy of
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage" signed
by President Barack Obama.
This
catalog also features several important, scarce volumes such as the 1785
first edition of "The Art of Teaching Sport" by Fenn, a rare early work on teaching children to play.
Also, a complete 34-volume "Autograph Edition" of "The Work
of Rafael Sabatini," with the author's signature in the first volume.
Additionally, this catalog contains first editions of the American classics
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Gone With the
Wind."
October 24
... Children's, Theology, Roycrofters, etc.
This catalog features
a collection of children’s books and a selection of theological works. Also
included is a fine assortment of antique and vintage books alongside
artwork and unique material from inside the Roycroft
Company.
Featured in
this catalog are antique and vintage children’s books, many of which show
beautifully with vivid covers, dust jackets and illustrations. This
collection includes a selection of early Uncle Wiggily
tales, several early Disney volumes, and a variety of Golden Books, Elf
Books from Rand McNally, Dr. Seuss books and much more.
Also
included in this catalog is a collection of antique theological works.
Featured in this collection is a 1599 printing of the “Geneva Bible,” also
known as the “Breeches Bible,” considered to be one of the most
historically significant translations of the Bible into the English
language. Complementing this Bible are several other antique works,
including a rare, 1749 printing of a dissertation on the work of Josephus
by Dr. Nathaniel Forster and several 18th and 19th century printings on the
life of Jesus Christ, among many other scholarly works.
Other
antique titles featured in this auction include a 1680 printing of “An
Institution of General History, or the History of the World Being a
Complete Body Thereof” by William Howel, a
two-volume first edition of James Fenimore
Cooper’s “History of the Navy of the United States of America,” and an 1840
printing of the two-volume set “American Scenery; or, Land, Lake, and River
Illustrations of Transatlantic Nature” by Nathaniel Parker Willis. Also
included is a collection of material from the estate of Charles Thomas
Beebe, who worked for the Roycroft Shop in East
Aurora, New York, from approximately 1905 to circa 1928. Many of the items
in the collection are original designs, such as hand-drawn sketches, drafts
and blind-stamped proofs.
Also
featured in this auction is a collection of antique and vintage artwork,
much of which is hand-signed by the artists. Artists in this collection
with signed pieces include Winold Reiss, Charles
Grant Davidson and Lawrence Beall Smith.
Highlighted are several original pieces by Adriaen
van Ostade, Frederick Opper
(for “Puck Magazine”) and Jean Callot, as well as
an assortment of antique engravings.
Sunday, October 2, 2010 ...
Massachusetts, Aviation, Signed ...
This auction
features a collection of antique history volumes on the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, early aviation material and an assortment of signed volumes
and classic first editions.
Featured in
this catalog is a collection of material providing an in-depth history of
the State of Massachusetts, from the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock
through the early twentieth century. The volumes in this group include a
number of large county histories, providing biographical sketches of
important figures within the counties. Also included are volumes outlining
the history of large cities, such as Boston, Cambridge, and Gloucester, as
well as the small, early towns throughout the state.
The antique
aviation material available in this auction includes many pieces from the
early days of flight. The collection features many classic magazines with
brightly colored covers, original pilot logs from the 1920’s with
handwritten notes, photographs, posters, and much more.
Included in
this catalog is a collection of signed material from classic and modern
authors and political figures. Featured is a two-volume set of “The
Alhambra” from 1832, with each volume signed by the author, Washington
Irving (Geoffrey Crayon). Also included are signed letters and books by and
about Josephine Lazarus, a Jewish American essayist, and sister of poet
Emma Lazarus, whose words appear on the Statute of Liberty. Among the other
signed material are volumes autographed by Stephen King and Madonna, as
well as Vincent Bugliosi’s “Helter Skelter” and Tim O’Brien’s 1973 volume on Vietnam. This
collection also includes a number of books signed by political figures,
featuring a program signed by John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Also
offered are two tomes signed by John Kerry, including his Vietnam protest
piece from 1971 “The New Soldier,” and signed volumes by presidents Gerald
Ford and Ronald Reagan, as well as Secretary of State and former First Lady
Hillary Clinton.
This
catalog also features several classic first editions, including three by
Charles Dickens – “David Copperfield,” “Dombey
and Son” and “Oliver Twist.”
September Auction to feature
Music, Art, Stage & Screen
[ITHACA, NY] National Book Auctions will feature a fine
collection of stage & screen and music-related items, including a
collection of books, photographs and ephemera, much of which is signed by
stars of the Golden Age of cinema at their September 19th auction. Also
included are a fine selection of antique and vintage books alongside an
assortment of artwork.
The stage
and screen collection includes signed pieces from Laurel & Hardy, Paul
Newman, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Mae West, Dean Martin, Lauren
Bacall, Charlie Chaplin and Bob Hope, among others. Featured is a
three-panel folding screen from the famous Mama Leone’s restaurant, bearing
dozens of autographs by the likes of Montgomery Clift, Carol Channing, Jack
Lord, Betty Field, Imogene Coca, Diana Barrymore, and more. Also included
is the book “Pictorial History of the American Theatre” signed by many
actors and actresses featured in the book, including Helen Hayes, Jackie
Gleason, John Caradine, Jessica Tandy, Kim
Hunter, Lee Grant, Robert Preston, Ed Begley, Ralph Bellamy and Barbara Bel Geddes.
The music
collection features a handsome, antique Victrola
record player, and two scarce engraved antique music volumes, including a
mid-18th century private compilation featuring music by Handel, as well as
Bononcini, Woodcock and others, and a 1672 printing of the “Musical
Companion” published by Playford. Also included
is a large assortment of sheet music, with themed groups including
African-American, Jazz, Christmas, theater and others.
Collectible
books include signed pieces by Robert Frost and Martin Tupper, a collection
of Jack London first editions, and signed first edition pieces from
“Eloise.” Featured are two antique volumes bearing lengthy inscriptions by
the suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Also included are ornithological
and botanical works, such as Asa Gray’s
collection of plates that were to accompany “The Forest Trees Of North
America” and volumes from the “Fruits of New York” series addressing small
fruits, apples, plums, cherries and other species.
Artwork in this catalog features two large format Native American-themed
limited edition lithographs signed by the renowned artist R.C. Gorman, and
a number of signed pieces by artist Kathleen Atkins Wilson, best known for
her "Silhouette Expressions of Portraits in Black" fine art
collection. The antique art in this catalog also includes several original
engravings from John Boydell’s late 18th century
series to accompany the works of Shakespeare.
National
Book Auctions is planning two Sunday auctions in October.
National
Book Auctions Late Summer Auction Held
[ITHACA, NY] National Book Auctions,
located in Ithaca, NY, held an August 29th auction with a Civil War-themed catalog
that also featured another round of Maurice Sendak
signed books, artwork and posters as well as a rare collection of FOC
Darley original illustrations.
A
collection of letters featuring Reverend William Salt, Catholic priest and
renowned figure at Seton Hall University, fetched a hammer price of $3,000
(plus buyer’s premium). These letters spanned a decade that include the
Civil War and document communication between Upstate New York and the
Vatican. Also included was likely his last letter before he died of
consumption. Another lot of American Civil War ephemera reached a hammer
price of $1,145 (plus buyer’s premium) and ran alongside over 200
additional lots of Civil War books and ephemera.
A 4-volume
collection of Civil War and South Carolina Yankee History sold for $1,300
(plus buyer’s premium) and featured “The History of a Brigade of South
Carolinians” by J. F. J. Caldwell published in 1866 by King & Baird.
The auction
showcased another array of children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak’s work whose combined offerings totaled nearly
$4,000 (plus buyer’s premium) for signed books, illustrations, and posters.
An oversized book titled “Mother Goose Collection” that featured Sendak fetched a $1,200 hammer price (plus buyer’s
premium) and an illustration from “Chicken Soup with Rice” reached a $900
hammer price (plus buyer’s premium).
FOC Darley
(1821-1888), an American illustrator and painter, was also part of the
half-day auction with original artwork that reached a combined hammer price
of over $2,300 (plus buyer’s premium). One signed and framed illustration
at auction was featured in the book “The Scarlet Letter.” This original
piece features a pen and sepia ink drawn book illustration from 1870 and
prominently displays Darley's signature in the bottom left corner.
National
Book Auctions is a public auction service specializing in books, ephemera,
and art. National Book Auctions is a targeted service offering experience
and expertise unique to marketing antique and modern books and ephemera for
consignors and collectors alike. The upcoming September auctions will
feature a wide assortment of Africana collectibles, sheet music, signed and
first edition books. For more information, please contact David Hall at
607-269-0101 or email mail@nationalbookauctions.com.
Civil War, Children's Books and
Artwork, Antique and Collectible Books and Ephemera
This auction
features a selection of Civil War-era volumes, antique genealogical titles,
a number of rare and antique children’s books (featuring pieces signed by
Maurice Sendak) and a selection of items from
artists F.O.C. Darley and Louis A. Fuertes.
The Civil
War material includes a wide selection of books on the battles, armies and
important officers of the War. Featured are approximately 500 letters from
the Reverend William Salt and his family members dated 1808-1901, including
letters from Arkansas, where Salt experienced the outbreak of the Civil
War, and a letter from his sister discussing the Emancipation Proclamation.
The letters follow Salt’s life, including his ordination into the Catholic
Church and his employment at Seton Hall University. Other Civil War-related
volumes include histories of the Confederacy and slavery, including an 1810
volume of “An Enquiry Concerning the Intellectual and Moral Faculties, and
Literature of Negroes,” written in response to Thomas Jefferson’s “Notes on
the State of Virginia.”
Several
antique volumes on the genealogical and heraldic history of Europe are also
featured in this catalog. These eighteenth and nineteenth century pieces
describe the history of royalty in England, Ireland and Scotland.
Highlights include the “Complete Body of Heraldry” published in 1780 and
“Genealogical Tables of the Sovereigns of the World, From the Earliest to
the Present Period” published in 1795.
This
catalog also contains a variety of material from famed children’s book
illustrators and authors, including a number of signed pieces from Maurice Sendak. Featured is the limited edition “Mother Goose
Collection” from Serigrafia with six signed
prints from Sendak and other illustrators.
Additionally, there are numerous children’s classics, with beautiful
illustrations by Kate Greenaway, Jessie Wilcox Smith, Maxfield
Parrish, Gustaf Tenggren,
George Cruikshank and many more.
Also
featured in this auction are original drawings and other material related
to two well known artists. First is a collection of antique original
drawings from the renowned artist Felix Octavius
Carr Darley, including drawings used in “Oliver Twist” and the “Scarlet
Letter.” Second are several pieces related to the well-known ornithological
painter and illustrator, Louis Agassiz Fuertes. These pieces include a
signed volume of “The Burgess Bird Book for Children” from 1920 and several
original pieces from the Fuertes family.
Save the
date for our Sunday,
September 19 auction.
Books,
Artwork and Ephemera / Automotive, Exploration, Signed, etc.
This auction brings
a wide selection of rare antique books and author-signed works, including
travel and exploration writings, antique automobile- related material and a
variety of items from the estate of celebrated photographer Fernand Fonssagrives.
Important
antique books include a two-volume 1660 Latin dictionary of the Bible and a
1785 volume on coats of arm...s with 86 pages of original engravings. Other
highlight titles include the 1896 landmark writing “Signaletic
Instructions” which became the first scientific system used by police to
identify criminals, the complete 15-volume set of “Annals of the New York
Stage,” and a gorgeous volume of the 1945 violin history chronicle, “How
Many Strads? Our Heritage From the Master.”
This
auction contains several travel and exploration- related offerings,
including antique Baedeker’s travel books from the late 19th and early 20th
century. Additional titles include an 1868 book on Southern Germany &
the Austrian Empire and the 1868 “Bords du Rhin,” both retaining all of their original color maps.
Also offered will be a scarce 1864 printing of John Speke’s “What Led to
the Discovery of the Source of the Nile River,” the more rare of his two
works on his expeditions to find the source of the Nile River.
This
auction contains several signed books featuring “To Kill A Mockingbird,”
signed by Harper Lee and “Winnie the Pooh,” signed by illustrator Ernest Shepard. Other important author-signed books include
titles by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, John Irving, H. G. Wells,
Henry Miller, James D. Watson and others. Also included are a number of
signatures from important political figures, including former presidents
Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Gerald Ford, current President
Barack Obama, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev.
A special
feature collection includes many antique automobile books and magazines
divested from the Henry Ford Museum, including nearly 200 antique issues of
the weekly British automobile magazine “Autocar”
with striking advertisements.
The auction
also includes artwork and ephemera from the estate of Fernand
Fonssagrives, a prominent fashion photographer
during the 1940s and 1950s, known for his “beauty photography.”
Stay tuned
for our August 29th catalog which will feature a large quantity of Civil
War-related books and ephemera as well as antique children’s books and
artwork by Maurice Sendak.
National
Book Auctions Hosts July Auction
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, hosted an active auction
on July 18, 2010 at their Finger Lakes Region gallery. The 400+ lot auction
featured numerous pieces of Asian artwork, posters and books, collectible
first editions as well as a wide assortment of artwork and ephemera.
Of particular interest were eight panels of early hand-illumined vellum
that displayed vividly with watercolor painting trimmed in gilt accent
areas. The subject matter of the three larger panels were Christian, while
the others featured decorative bordering and designs. These items showed
beautifully and fetched a $2,800 hammer price (plus buyer’s premium).
Two framed original Wanda Gág lithographs sold
for a combined $1,550 hammer price (plus buyer’s premium). One piece
featured Gág's "Backyard Corner",
signed in the bottom right hand corner and hand-numbered #30. According to
auction records, this particular print was limited to 100 impressions.
Wanda Hazel Gág was an American author,
illustrator and printmaker, whose dynamic visual style imbued the
often-commonplace subjects of both her serious art and her illustrated
books for children, with an intense vitality.
Among the numerous Asian lots were dozens of Mao-era Chinese propaganda
posters, Communist China books as well as unique items from Japan including
a 20-foot Shunga scroll. This original Shunga piece, "Three Fishermen on the Island of
Happiness" featured a Japanese painted ink and watercolor scroll of 20
scenes on 20 sheets joined together, with gold-flecked end panels and blue
paper boarders. The narrative tale relates the sexual odyssey of three
fishermen washed ashore on an island of beautiful women. The scroll
realized a $600 hammer price (plus buyer’s premium).
Our July 18, 2010
auction features the second session of our art and photography-themed
collections, along with many select books and ephemera lots. Included are an
assortment of original, antique artwork, large format cameras, Asian books
and artwork, and a fine assortment of antique and vintage books.
Featured will be 17th through 20th century artwork, many of which are
signed by artists including Chamberlin, Fonce,
Van Elten, Schreiber, Slocombe,
Meyerowitz, Knaus,
Reiss, Revethin, Hartell,
and Hutter. Other artists featured in the
collection include political cartoonist Charles Nelan,
Salvator Rosa, Clinton Loveridge
and North Carolina photographer Charles A. Farrell. Included in the auction
is a large quantity of gorgeous Victorian lithographs, on Valentines,
Christmas, Easter and New Year’s cards, trade cards, and many other pieces.
Also
featured are a number of large format antique and vintage cameras. The collection
includes a handsome European full plate style, large format camera unlike
any American made camera, used in historical photographic processes.
Additionally included is a 1964 Zenza Bronica, often considered a workhorse camera used by
wedding and portrait photographers. This catalog also features several
antique stereoscope viewers and nearly 200 stereoscope cards.
This
auction includes a variety of vintage and antique Asian items, including
books and artwork. Books feature two first editions of “Quotations from
Chairman Mao” and “The May 7 Collection of Terms & Expressions
(Chinese-English)”, a scarce volume of China’s “Cultural Revolution
Dictionary”, as well as other Mao-era works, many of which contain
anti-American propaganda. Additionally, we have a wide selection of Mao-Era
propaganda posters. The collection also includes a selection of 17th and
18th century Asian artwork from China and Japan, including many Ukiyo-e style pieces, as well as silk paintings,
watercolors, and block prints by renowned artists such as Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Hiroshige, Okumura Masanobu, and Katsukawa Shunzan.
Rare books in this catalog include a number of 18th and 19th century
volumes, including “The History of the Life of Tamerlane the Great” (1753),
“The Gardener's and Botanist's Dictionary” (1807), and “Notatki
Mysliwskie Z Afryki,
Somali”, an early Polish volume on hunting safaris. Also featured is a
collection of works concerning ancient languages and civilizations, such as
Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac and Greek.
Lights …
Cameras … Action … SOLD!
[ITHACA, NY] National Book Auctions,
located in Ithaca, NY, will hold a special film, photography and
art-related auction on June 27th that features the first session of the
auction gallery’s art, film and photography-themed collections along with
many select book and ephemera lots. Antique cameras and projection
equipment will be offered along with artwork such as original paintings by
Thomas Moran and William Merritt Chase. Rare books include a 1649 copy of
Mathew Merian’s “Todten-Tanz”
or “Dance of Death”, “Espiritual Que Trata De Los Malos” printed in 1574 (a book of Spanish mysticism
banned during the Inquisition), and a 1677 printing of Hobbes’ translation
of “The Illiads and Odysses
of Homer” and antique Arabic texts and manuscript leaves.
The antique
cameras include brands such as Seneca, Zeninger, Graflex, Seroco and
Tektronix, several antique folding bed models and many assorted lenses,
film holders, plate holders and more. From the same collection, there will
be offered an extensive library of photographic history and reference
books. In addition, a selection of Kliegl studio
lights and several antique original commercial Simplex film projectors that
came to us from a New York theatre will be featured.
Also
auctioned will be a sizeable collection of cinematic books and ephemera
including antique and vintage movie stills, lobby cards and sheet music.
There are items promoting great stars, films and characters such as Marlon
Brando, Bette Davis, King Kong, Tarzan, The Marx Brothers, and others.
Complementary to these items, we have a copy of “A Lesson in Love” signed
twice each by Groucho and Chico Marx and very
scarce first editions George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” (1914) and “The
English Governess at the Siamese Court” (1870) by Anna Harriett Leonowens, the books that inspired “My Fair Lady” and
“The King And I”.
Rare
editions and first printings will be offered from literary greats including
signed limited editions of “Nocturnes” by Thomas Mann, “The Secret Agent”
by Joseph Conrad, “Dynamo” by Eugene O’Neil, “The Red Pony” by John Steinbeck
and a unique, elaborately hand-written and signed copy of “Armenian Folk
Song – The Partridge” by Eugene Field. Other signed editions include “Naked
Lunch” by William S Burroughs, “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller and titles by Aldous Huxley, Larry McMurtry,
Douglas Macarthur and others.
Art
offerings include two Russian peasant watercolors by Boris Krilov, a group of pristine WWI German propaganda
posters, and other choice pieces.
National
Book Auctions Goes “To the Lighthouse”
[ITHACA, NY]
National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, held a successful early June
auction with a wide assortment of limited first editions, signed books,
Connecticut history and book-related antique furnishings.
Of
particular interest was a 1927 first-edition of Virginia Woolf’s novel, “To
the Lighthouse” which fetched an impressive hammer price of $3,500 (plus
20% BP). Bound in blue cloth with striking original dustjacket,
this antique volume is a scarce copy of one of Woolf's early, important
works. This book was offered at auction along with two other Woolf novels,
which combined, realized a $925 hammer price (plus 20% BP).
Also sold
at the well-attended auction was a 1920 first U.S. edition of the landmark
work “Relativity: The Special and General Theory” by Albert Einstein. Bound
in navy cloth with bright gilt debossing on the
front board, this antique volume was a scarce first edition and realized a
$600 hammer price (less 20% BP).
An
impossible-to-find, delicate spider web pattern tissue dust jacket graced a
1927 copy of James Joyce’s “Pomes Penyeach” which
drew a higher-than-estimated hammer price of $850 (plus 20% BP). This
antique volume is a rare early edition of James Joyce's collection of
poetry and the rare attribute of the dust jacket contributed to its value.
An
impressive selection of antique bookcases and bookends sold to a number of
bidders and realized a combined hammer price of over $3,000.
[ITHACA, NY]
National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, held an important sale on
May 2nd that featured an unprecedented selection of original and signed
Maurice Sendak material, over 100 lots, alongside
Communist-era China volumes and posters and limited signed first editions
including “It's Up to the Women” signed by Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt which
earned a hammer price of $475.
“Our May
auction featured what was likely the largest single catalog of Maurice Sendak material offered to date,” said David Hall,
Business Manager and Auctioneer. Many of the Sendak
offerings were part of the personal collection of Dr. Donald Davis Eddy,
who held for many years, a joint appointment in the English Department and
the Department of Rare Books at Cornell University. “In total, the Sendak material brought $26,205 with a pencil rendering
of “The Hungry Birds” fetching a $3,000 hammer price (does not include 23%
buyer’s premium).”
Diversity
was a theme to the May 2nd catalog. Hall commented, “When you’re taking
international bids on lots that range from Sendak
pencil sketches to Mao’s Little Red Book, you know you’re drawing from a
wide collector audience.” There were a number of Chinese items offered
including two first printings of Mao Tse Tung’s
“Little Red Book” which combined reached a $1,650 hammer price. A unique
poster from the era sold for $800 (plus 23% BP).
The auction
also included a single collection of books by, and relating to, Winston
Churchill. Those lots realized close to $3,000 in hammer prices, led by a 16-volume
grouping of mixed English and American first edition volumes of his
biography which reached a hammer price of $700.
[Ithaca,
NY] National Book Auctions is pleased to offer at its March 28, 2010,
auction a 1907 First Edition Inscribed by Publishers to Judge Frank Irvine
volume of “The Cornell Navy: A Review - C. V. P. Young” from Taylor and
Carpenter publishers (Ithaca, New York).
Bound in
red cloth with embossed chipped white lettering and decorative designs
representing two crossed oars, this antique volume is a scarce illustrated
history of the Cornell rowing team from the years 1871 thru 1906. This work
is inscribed to Judge Frank Irvine (1858 - 1931), a noted jurist who served
as dean of the Cornell Law School from 1907 to 1916.
The inscription is
on a preliminary page and reads as follows: "Hon. Frank Irvine /
Presented by the Publishers / Taylor & Carpenter / April 25th
1907." The work is illustrated with many in-text and full-page
photographs. The volume shows light external age/wear. The book is
beginning to show signs of cracking at preliminary pages. It is bound with
clean pages with red silk endpapers with gelded decoration. The book
measures approximately 8" x 10 1/2" and contains 71 pages.
National
Book Auctions is a public auction service specializing in books, ephemera,
and art. National Book Auctions is a targeted service offering experience
and expertise unique to marketing antique and modern books and ephemera for
consignors and collectors alike. For more information, please contact David
Hall at 607-269-0101 or email mail@nationalbookauctions.com.
[ITHACA, NY] National
Book Auctions is pleased to offer during their February 28, 2010 auction a
broad range of books and ephemera from area estates and consignments. This
auction offers a quantity of scarce and rare books from a variety of
private collections including a large number of signed and unsigned modern
first editions by Pulitzer Prize-winning authors such Michael Shaara, Alice Walker, Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, and
John Cheever. There are also first printings of Hemingway’s “The Old Man
and the Sea,” Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” (in its original pictorial
dust jacket), and a number of rare Mark Twain editions, including “The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Present in this group as well are a number
of scarce nineteenth-century works including first editions of George
Eliot’s “Silas Marner” and Henry James’s “The
Bostonians.”
An
impressive collection of Maurice Sendak material,
including many autographed drawings, posters and books will be offered. One
highlight from this collection is a signed original pencil sketch entitled
“Really Rosie.” Among the Sendak titles are rare
signed editions of “Where the Wild Things Are” and an autographed original
edition of the miniature boxed set of the “Nutshell Library.”
There will
also be a number of rare antique books dating back to the 16th century.
These well-preserved tomes contain works of historical significance and
many are in their original bindings. Among the subjects present are ancient
philosophy, theology, geography, history and literature. The texts are written
in Latin, Greek and/or Arabic, as well as translations into modern European
languages. Authors featured in this group include Aristotle, Erasmus,
Plotinus, Livy and others.
Of
particular note in this auction is a unique collection of research materials
that were used for the writing of the 1993 biography of Hunter S. Thompson
by E. Jean Carroll. This research archive will be presented intact, as one
lot including original interview recordings, books, bibliographic
information, notes, reviews and related materials.
[ITHACA,
NY] National Book Auctions is pleased to announce that David Hall, Business
Manager and Owner, has successfully completed the Uniform Standards of
Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) certification. USPAP is considered
the quality control standards applicable for real property, personal
property, intangibles, and business valuation appraisal analysis and
reports in the United States and its territories. USPAP was first developed
in the 1980s by a joint committee representing the major U.S. and Canadian
appraisal organizations.
"This
will allow National Book Auctions to appraise and evaluate much
higher-quality material than we have been traditionally handling,"
Hall noted. "USPAP is a standard that our company will maintain across
all collections and single volumes we handle. By being certified, our
clients will benefit when insuring or consigning items with us."
National
Book Auctions is a targeted service, offering experience and
expertise unique to marketing both antique and modern books
and ephemeral. A few of the noteworthy items that we have
handled include books and ephemera signed by William Faulkner,
John Steinbeck and Albert Einstein as well as important first
editions such as Walden, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Les Miserables. Our auctions comprise a broad range of interesting
volumes and ephemera including scholarly works, antiquarian
and collectible pieces, artwork, out-of-print and rare printings,
select first editions, limited editions and signed editions.
For more information, call 607-268-0101 or mail@nationalbookauctions.co
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