Books & Periodicals

Published in 1970, 'William the Lawless' marked the last appearance in full book form of Richmal Crompton’s much-loved schoolboy hero – almost 50 years on from the publication of the first, 'Just William' of 1922.

Running to just 10 lots and held online Essential Genius: Ten Important Manuscripts for Modern Times was a Bonhams New York (27.5/25/20/13.9%) auction.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from July 21-Aug 1, 2020.

A letter in which Kenneth Grahame writes about the suicide of his son, Alastair, sold at East Bristol Auctions (18% buyer’s premium) for £1200.

This portolan atlas known as the Harisse Codex is attributed to cartographer Battista Agnese, who worked in Venice.

Unusual proof example of mid-19th century work was a copy which belonged to David Roberts.

Two lost folios from the 'Yongle Dadian', the Ming dynasty encyclopaedia that has assumed national treasure status in China, surfaced for sale in Paris last week.

A US collector is the new owner of a 5000-year-old tablet that contains the earliest-known record of any personal name in history.

Bearing an estimate of just €100-150, a double-sided lot in a big Dutch sale attracted great international interest and ended up selling at €32,500 (£29,120).

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from July 14-29, 2020.

The gilt decorated blue cloth binding showed signs of age, but a copy of Rudyard Kipling’s 'Captains Courageous, A Story of the Grand Banks' offered in a Philadelphia sale bore the author’s signature on the title-page.

Rare early map of the region from three years before the Alamo has another saleroom outing

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from July 7-23, 2020.

Dealer John Martin runs Mayfly Ephemera. Available via ebay and on the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association (PBFA) website.

Presenting some 434 lots and with a total not far short of £1m, a recent sale held by Forum Auctions (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) included a rich enough string of successes to outshine a few of the more highly valued lots left unsold.

Our regular listing of British and Irish book sales.

South Cerney sale of nearly 900 lots mirrors the huge offerings held in Germany

The Paris auction centre Drouot opened its doors again last month in France following the lockdown.

Christie’s (25/20/13.5% buyer’s premium) recent sale in Paris of books and manuscripts was led at €125,000 (£113,635) by a Nobel Prize for Literature medal awarded in 1947, just four years before his death, to the essayist, critic, novelist and dramatist André Gide.