Books and Works on Paper

It was not in the best of conditions, but an unusual cartographic lot in an August 6 sale at Thomson Roddick (17.5% buyer’s premium) of Carlisle sold at £420.

Florence Nightingale was a name that figured prominently among the 130 lots of books and ephemera offered as part of a September 2 sale in Shrewsbury.

Collection of hotelier, broadcaster and food writer includes many early works.

Letter highlights early fossil fan Mary Anning who is soon to be the subject of a film.

Jane Austen was among the names to note in a recent Norfolk sale, with the day’s top bid securing a four-volume, 1818 first of Northanger Abbey & Persuasion.

In almost pristine condition, and with its redeemable coupon still attached, this promotional card bearing an image of a very young and slim Joe DiMaggio sold for $200,000 (£149,255) at Heritage Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) of Dallas on August 29-30.

Our regular listing of British and Irish book auctions.

Future president’s 'How to Get Rich' is a curious feature of a bumper summer sales week

Bid to £1.35m at Christie’s (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) this summer, as part of a ‘Classic Week’ evening sale of paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture and decorative arts of all ages, was a lavishly illustrated Book of Hours attributed to the Master of the Monypenny Breviary and associates.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 29-October 10, 2020.

Stand-out lot in a travel, map and natural history sale held by Sotheby’s (25/20/13.9% buyer’s premium) was a grand and elaborately cased set of the monumental 'Description de l’Egypte' of 1809-22.

Inscribed copies of the works of Dodie Smith were among the attractions of a summer sale held by Stride & Son (18% buyer’s premium) of Chichester.

Plenty of Dickensian lots were on offer in a sale held by US saleroom PBA Galleries (20/15% buyer’s premium).

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 22-October 9, 2020.

Napoleon’s view after first meeting on St Helena did not improve on closer acquaintance

In 1916 around 500 copies of the historic ‘Proclamation of the Irish Republic’ were printed, of which today just 30 or so survivors are recorded.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 15-26, 2020.

Always likely to produce one of the sale’s best results, a 1798 first of Thomas Malthus’ 'Essay on the Principle of Population' duly led the bidding in a recent German sale.

Bid to €10,000 (£9100) in a timed online sale at Fonsie Mealy (25/20% buyers premium) this summer was a two-volume collection of medical and other receipts compiled by Mrs Mary Leadbeater (1758-1826).

Appropriately enough, the very first lot offered in a sale called Eureka! was one that focused on scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, was an autograph manuscript of seven pages of annotated design drawings by Thomas Edison relating to his work on light bulbs.