Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - February - 2014 Issue

Sotheran's Issues Their Latest Piccadilly Notes

Piccadilly Notes 59.

Sotheran's has issued the latest in a long-running catalogue series entitled Piccadilly Notes 59 Winter 2013. They have been issuing Piccadilly Notes for almost a century, but that is a recent development by Sotheran's standards. They have been selling books for two and one-half centuries. These catalogues are a compilation of various types of books, more a miscellany than subject specific. The presentation is thorough with everything well illustrated. These are outstanding catalogues with much of great interest to be found. These are just a few examples.

 

We start with the first book ever printed. Well...not really. It has been a long time since a copy of anything more than a leaf or two of the Gutenberg Bible has come on the market. It is unimaginable what the price would be if one did, but none of us could afford it. Here is the next best thing. Item 37 is a facsimile edition of the Gutenberg Bible. Published in 1961, it was the first Gutenberg facsimile printed in the United States, and only the second in the world. It was produced from two originals in Germany, one of which is considered by authorities to be the most beautifully illuminated of all copies. The original was completed around 1456, the first printed book ever. It changed the world like few other events. Priced at £3,995 (British pounds, or approximately $6,577 in U.S. dollars).

 

Here is an interesting combination – a cookbook and medical text. Today one would not expect to see these subjects combined, but in 1741, medicine was not so advanced. Item 15 is The Family Magazine: in Two Parts. Part I. Containing Useful Directions in All the Branches of House-Keeping and Cookery... Part II. Containing a Compendious Body of Physick... You may use Part I if you would like to learn how to prepare some traditional meals. Don't use Part II for anything other than entertainment. Arnold Oxford's bibliography of early English cookbooks says the cookery part is excellent, but the medical book is “full of horrors.” For example, the cure for appendicitis is to “apply a live puppy to the naked belly.” Of course, applying a live puppy won't by itself cure appendicitis, so you should also apply a combination of rotten apples and sheep's dung boiled in milk. If you are out of rotten apples and sheep's dung, we recommend getting yourself to a hospital really quickly as an alternative. The author is given as Arabella Atkyns, though the writer admits in the preface that this is a pseudonym. £998 (US $1,643).

 

It is safe to say that Michael Faraday made better use of the scientific method than did “Ms. Atkyns.” Faraday is most noted for his discoveries relating to electricity and electromagnetism. His work led to the electric motor and electric generator, both based on the ability of electricity to create magnetism and vice versa. While Faraday was conducting his experiments, he kept a diary. He continued for 42 years, with his original manuscript being given to the Royal Institution of Great Britain. It was published in eight volumes from 1932-1936 under the title Faraday's Diary. Being the Various Philosophical Notes of Experimental Investigation Made by Michael Faraday...During the Years 1820-1862... It includes not only Faraday's text, but the diagrams he drew in the margins of his diary. Item 143. £1,250 (US $2,058).

 

Here is another diary, though the diarist is not so famous. In fact, we don't know who he is, other than his name is “Sam.” It covers a trip to Europe from New York by three young men, from July 2 – September 3, 1913. They do the grand tour of Europe, including Italy, France, and Holland, before ending up in London. However, it's the voyage to Europe that is most intriguing. They sailed on the RMS Carpathia. As you may recall, it was the Carpathia that rescued those who found room in the lifeboats and thereby survived the sinking of the Titanic the previous year. Sam writes about the girls, games, and good food on the ship, including a shuffleboard tournament. The diary is accompanied by a photo album showing life on board. There was also a needle-threading contest and fancy dress parties. Sam's biggest complaint is their room, which was not very roomy. Such is the fate of low-fare passengers. “Our stateroom is very unsatisfactory, being a small room with four berths, no wardrobe... Only two at a time can dress not very comfortably at that. Room is very hot, and stuffy.” Nonetheless, the Oceanic, on which they made their return trip, was “far inferior.” At one point, the Carpathia rescues another vessel whose engine has broken down. The lack of reference to the ship's dramatic rescue the year before makes Sotheran's wonder whether Sam even knew about the Carpathia's historic role. Item 54. £998 (US $1,644).

Rare Book Monthly

  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
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    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
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    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
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    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
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    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
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    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
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