North America

Published in Paris, a 1613 first edition of a pioneering American exploration work sold for $160,000 (£114,285) in Philadelphia.

Almost a hundred lots in a New York sale came from the extensive Dickens collections assembled over four decades by Martin Nason.

Mechanical music will be going under the hammer on March 20 as part of the Miller & Miller auction in New Hamburg, Ontario.

Though a Bösendorfer grand piano topped bidding at $42,500 (£31,250) in a January 16 sale, the main attractions for many came from a different source.

Sold at a rather higher than expected $1900 (£1440) by Potter & Potter (20% buyer’s premium) of Chicago was a lot offering not one, but two early copies of Rafaele Frianoro’s Il Vagabondo overo Sferza de Bianti, e Vagabondi.

Hindman is holding an auction of Literature from a Private New Orleans Collection on March 19.

This first edition, first printing of Raymond Chandler’s 'The Big Sleep' is the book that introduced detective Philip Marlowe.

This oil on board by the French artist Luigi Loir (1845-1916) depicting a beach scene, is one of the lots that will feature in Crescent City Auction Galleries’ three-day spring sale to be held from March 12-14 in New Orleans.

A recent Sotheby’s New York (26% buyer’s premium) sale included this rare ‘Red Racing Dial’ Speedmaster consigned by the original owner.

Auction houses are getting back to normal for this latest staging of the New York Asian art spotlight, although new import taxes are having an effect.

Anglo-Chinese furniture stars as early American auctions produce numerous big results.

A mid-20th century mirror by French designer and metalworker Gilbert Poillerat (1902-88) is one of the highlights at Bonhams in Los Angeles on March 25.

Without the usual January influx of collectors, curators and dealers to the Big Apple, two significant art-buying dealer events decided to go virtual. For some exhibitors, the results were better than expected.

While plenty of Asian auctions are taking place for Asia Week New York (March 11-20), this annual US spring event will be rather different for galleries.

An evocative interior scene by one of the founding members of the Vienna Secession movement set a landmark price at Freeman’s of Philadelphia.

Bidders were out in force at a recent sale in North Carolina for a collection of 136 lots consigned from the estate of the late Robert K Johnson, a finance and telecommunications executive.

A 50th anniversary edition of the much-loved AA Milne and EH Shepard books, a boxed set published in the appropriate years of 1974-78, is shown below.