Latest News Articles by Ian McKay
British and Irish book auctions: January 25-February 3, 2022
24 January 2022Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
It’s a Harry Potter shocker at Heritage
24 January 2022Bidding on an exceptionally fine, virtually mint first edition of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone offered in the special Firsts into Film section of a December 9-10 sale opened at $75,000.
Pickwick parts add up to £40,000
24 January 2022Superb set of the Dickens classic was painstakingly assembled as originally issued
A Rackham wonderland at Sotheby's online auction
24 January 2022Offered at Sotheby’s (26/20/13.9% buyer’s premium) in an online sale that ran until December 1 under the title of The Fantasy World of Arthur Rackham was a collection of 31 original ink and watercolour artworks by the artist from the collection of American photographer Shirley Carter Burden (1908-89).
British and Irish book auctions: January 18-31, 2022
17 January 2022Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Curious but costly world view
17 January 2022In Rodney Shirley’s monumental study of 'The Mapping of the World… 1472-1700', the very first entry is a simple, circular woodcut known as a ‘T-O’ map, one in which the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa are very simply shown as named segments.
Story told of fables over the ages
17 January 2022Original French text, translated by Caxton, then illustrated by 1930s engravings
Books and works on paper auction calendar, January 11-31, 2022
10 January 2022Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Time to launch the haggis!
10 January 2022In a world in which American superhero comics featuring Superman, Batman and other characters regularly sell for substantial six and seven-figure sums, it is really quite refreshing to be reminded of more modestly priced British rarities.
Worlds of difference in a saleroom
10 January 2022Two very different lots from a November 10 sale held by Dominic Winter (20% buyer’s premium) are noted here.
Remembering Eric Hosking
10 January 2022The undoubted star of the November 24 sale at Tennants (20% buyer’s premium) was the early 15th century folding almanac, or girdle book, that took £95,000.
Hooke passes sale examination
10 January 2022Copy of ‘most influential work in the history of microscopy’ surfaces in Chicago saleroom.
On the trail of the Baskervilles hound
03 January 2022Single page was used as a promotion for this classic Conan Doyle work.
Jobs letter is only one in his hand
03 January 2022A single-page letter sent on the day before Steve Jobs’ 19th birthday to a close school friend, Tim Brown, sold for $400,000 (£292,825) in New York.
The Wright map that plots a route to £365,000
20 December 2021A copy of Richard Hakluyt’s 'The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation' takes a six-figure sum at Devon sale.
Hindu legends and real life
20 December 2021Modestly estimated at $3000-5000, a richly illustrated manuscript that presents in two finely bound folio volumes a pictorial record of the ‘Costumes et Plantes de L’Hindoustan’ made $80,000 (£58,395) in a New York auction.
Kepler masterpiece leads New York auction boasting a string a of six-figure results
20 December 2021A Christie’s New York (25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) online timed sale achieved six-figure bids for no fewer than eight lots and very high prices for a great many others while running up an impressive and premium-inclusive total of close on $4.75m (£3.45m).
British and Irish book auctions: December 21, 2021-January 27, 2022
20 December 2021Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Head of Joaquin and Jack’s three fingers
13 December 2021A live online October 28 sale held by Forum (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) attracted a much higher than expected bid for this small and rather browned poster promising that, for one day only, visitors to The ‘Stockton House’ could view not only the preserved head of the renowned bandit Joaquin, but ‘the hand of Three Fingered Jack!’
Shakespeare third folio takes £70,000
13 December 2021Edition of Shakespeare’s works from 1663 heads varied selection in Cambridge.