The Library of Congress today announced a summer essay contest in conjunction with public libraries in the Mid-Atlantic region encouraging rising 5th and 6th grade students to reflect on books that have made a personal impact on their lives.

The "A Book That Shaped Me" Summer Writing Contest is administered as part of summer reading programs at participating public libraries in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Prizes will be awarded and top winners will be invited to present their essays during a special presentation at the Library of Congress National Book Festival Sept. 21 and 22 on the National Mall.

Students entering 5th and 6th grades in the fall of 2013 are eligible. Essays, focused on a single book, should be one page in length and must be submitted with an entry form, in person, at participating public library locations.

"A Book That Shaped Me" will award prizes to five finalists and one winner per state, and to three overall grand-prize winners. The three grand-prize winners will be selected by a panel of judges assembled by the Library of Congress including educators, children’s authors, and Library of Congress staff.

Submission forms are available at the Library of Congress Young Readers Center in the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St S.E., Washington, DC. or at participating public library locations. The list of participating libraries, more information, and program updates will be available at www.loc.gov/bookfest/kids-teachers/booksthatshape/.

Launched in 2012 with the DC Public Library, "A Book That Shaped Me" is expanding throughout the Mid-Atlantic region in its second year with the help of public libraries in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. More than 270 public libraries are registered to participate. Public library systems in these states may sign up through May 31, 2013 by contacting BooksShapeContest@loc.gov for program details.

The Library announced the expansion of the contest as part of its Children’s Book Week event featuring Fred Bowen, KidsPost sportswriter and author of books for young people. Children's Book Week is sponsored by the Children's Book Council, which is a reading promotion partner of the Library of Congress Center for the Book.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

The late Stanley J. Seeger (1930-2011) was one of the 20th century’s greatest collectors—a perfectionist, who assembled world class collections of art, books, pottery and manuscripts. He also amassed, with a single-minded passion over the course of 50 years, the greatest private collection of first editions, inscribed works, manuscripts, letters and annotated proofs by the celebrated author Joseph Conrad. Sotheby’s London is honoured to offer these rare and important works from Stanley J. Seeger’s celebrated Library in two sales—the first of which will take place on July 10th 2013.

The centrepiece of the collection is the autograph working manuscript of Typhoon, one of Conrad’s greatest stories of the sea and the most important Conrad manuscript remaining in private hands, which is estimated to realise £300,000-500,000*.

DALLAS — Rembrandt Peale’s iconic portrait of U.S. President George Washington — created in the artist’s lifelong quest to paint the most recognizable image of the “Father of the United States” — realized a new world record for a porthole portrait by the artist when it sold for $662,500 to lead Heritage Auctions’ two-day, $4.5+ million American art events in Dallas.

The May 10-11 events spanned American Indian art, Texas, Western and California Art and masterpieces of Fine American art. The auction sold 88 percent by lot and 93 percent by value and pushed three artists’ records past $500,000.

The British Library is delighted to present a major new exhibition examining state propaganda, from its origins in the ancient world up until the present day. With over 200 exhibits on display, ranging from chilling Nazi propaganda to modern day ephemera such as bank notes, badges and even tweets which permeate our everyday lives, Propaganda: Power and Persuasion is the first exhibition to gather such a significant range of international state propaganda in one room, looking at its rationales, methods and effectiveness.

Curated by Jude England and Ian Cooke, curators of Social Science at the British Library, the exhibition explores the different ways in which the state has used propaganda to influence the thoughts and feelings of a nation, whether the message it carries creates an enemy, generates feelings of national pride or promotes a healthy lifestyle, and questions how propaganda is changing in a digital age and where it will go next.

An extraordinary cast of the death mask of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, made shortly after his death on the island of St Helena on 5 May 1821,  is to be sold at Bonhams Book, Map and Manuscript sale on June 19th in Knightsbridge, London.  It is estimated at £40,000-60,000.

The  cast — known as the ‘Boys cast’ — was made for the Rev Richard Boys, Senior Chaplain of St Helena and is one of only a tiny handful with a provenance linking it directly to the island.  It is the most significant example remaining in private hands and bears an autograph note of authentication written by Boys.  All but one of the other examples are in national collections, either in France or in Corsica. It is being sold by Andrew Boys, a direct descendent of the original owner’s brother.

SAN MARINO, Calif.—The eccentric art of customizing printed books by adding illustrations is the focus of a new exhibition going on view at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in July. “Illuminated Palaces: Extra-Illustrated Books from The Huntington Library” runs from July 27 to Oct. 28, 2013, in the West Hall of the Library. 

The exhibition features more than 40 works dating from the late 1700s to the early 1900s, when the practice was most popular. Extra-illustration is often referred to as “Grangerizing,” after a British clergyman named James Granger, but he did not invent the practice. In fact, extra-illustration has probably been practiced since the beginning of the printed book, says Stephen Tabor, the Huntington’s curator of early printed books and co-curator of the exhibition with Lori Anne Ferrell, English and history professor at Claremont Graduate University. But the practice did not soar in popularity until Granger published his Biographical History of England, from Egbert the Great to the Revolution in 1769. Granger’s book was essentially a catalog of portrait prints of famous English people, arranged by class—from otherwise ordinary commoners “remarkable from only one circumstance in their lives” to scientists, politicians, noblemen, kings, and queens. By creating an organized list of desiderata, Granger unwittingly motivated some collectors to illustrate copies of his own book with the portraits, setting off what one later critic called “a general rummage after, and plunder of, old prints.”

San Francisco—Bonhams looks forward to offering a strong selection of pens, sure to appeal to collectors, in its Fine Writing Instruments auction to be held June 11. The leading lot of the auction is a Montegrappa "The Dragon 2010 Bruce Lee 18 Karat Yellow Gold Limited Edition 88 Fountain Pen," estimated at $30,000-50,000. The pen, which honors one of the greatest icons of the 20th century, features cinnamon-veined red celluloid, a solid 18 karat yellow gold dragon overlay, ruby eyes and a Yin-Yang cap-top emblem. Its medium 18 karat gold nib is engraved with a silhouette of Bruce Lee.

Another standout pen in the auction is a Montblanc "Charlie Chaplin Skeleton Limited Edition 88 Fountain Pen," estimated at $30,000-40,000. The outstanding instrument pays tribute to one of the greatest figures of 20th century cinema, Charlie Chaplin. This pen's intricate cog-wheels in 18 karat solid white gold suggest the machines and machinations featured in Chaplin's most celebrated film, Modern Times. Each detail of the pen's design recalls a different aspect of Chaplin's persona: the barrel and cone suggest his baggy trousers, the captop is based upon his bowler hat and the solid gold clip resembles his cane. Its medium 18 karat rhodium-plated gold nib is engraved with Chaplin's iconic accouterments.

Auctioneers at Lyon & Turnbull sold a first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby for £1875 on the eve of the premiere of the new film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan. The book valued at £700 is from one of the most remarkable private libraries of English literature to come to auction.

The library, sold for a total of £226,000, belonged to the late Bruce Ritchie. Tom Stoppard, on hearing of his death, said, “I’ve known very few people as kind, as learned, as civilised as Bruce. He taught my son Oliver at Merchant Taylors’ forty years ago and many pupils remember him fondly. The world is poorer without him.”

New York—Swann Galleries’ auction of Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Historical Prints, Ephemera on Thursday, June 6 offers scarce and appealing mappings of New York and other American subjects and the Holy Land, as well as botanical and ornithological plates and books.

Among the U.S. maps is The City of New York as laid out by the Commissioners with the Surrounding Countryside, a nearly pristine final Commissioner's map of 1821 by John Randel, Jr., printed on satin, with the grid system beginning with 1st street and running northward to 155th street, streets running east to west intersected by 12 avenues running south to north, essentially the city modern day inhabitants and visitors have come to know (estimate: $10,000 to $15,000).

What is considered to be a masterpiece in the world of rare books? Is it an attractive cover, skilfully executed illustrations or foremost content that makes a book valuable and sought after? This summer one will have a chance to find out for oneself, as Shapero Rare Books are bringing examples of the finest illustrated books ever produced along with first editions of the works that shaped the history of mankind to Masterpiece, the biggest fine art, antiques and design fair in London. 

The highlights include: 

• Fine set of the first edition of Adam Smith’s An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations - a cornerstone work, which the author spent ten years writing and perfecting before finally publishing it in 1776. 'The book succeeded at once, and the first edition was exhausted in six months...Whether it be true or not, as Buckle said, that the ‘Wealth of Nations’ was, ‘in its ultimate results, probably the most important that had ever been written’...it is probable that no book can be mentioned which so rapidly became an authority both with statesmen and philosophers' (ODNB).

DALLAS — A portfolio of 10 screen prints from Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species, 1983, may bring $250,000 to lead Heritage Auctions' May 22 Modern and Contemporary Art Signature® Auction in Dallas. Each signed and numbered in pencil, the portfolio is presented in a single lot and is one of eight lots featuring the Master of Pop Art, to include Ads, 1985, ($200,000+), Liz, 1967, ($5,000+) and Teddy Roosevelt, from the Cowboys and Indians portfolio, ($12,000+).

“The fine Warhols are just a few of the more than 200 lots of fresh to market paintings, sculpture and photography offered in this auction," said Frank Hettig, Director of Modern & Contemporary Art at Heritage. “This is a powerful selection.”

May 13, 2013 — LOS ANGELES, Calif. — In one of the most significant auctions of TV memorabilia, the estate of Captain Kangaroo goes to auction on May 21st in Los Angeles.  Over 500 lots can be viewed, encompassing 30 years of television history.

"Captain Kangaroo is beloved by almost the entire adult population, as the Baby Boomers and Generation X grew up watching the show in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. It's the longest running children's program in the history of TV," said Nate D. Sanders whose company is auctioning the estate. "The sketch format of Captain Kangaroo telling stories, goofing around with his guests and using puppets literally set the stage for all children's programming thereafter."

Glenn Horowitz Bookseller is pleased to announce Jonas Wood & Shio Kusaka: Still Life with Pots, the first two-person exhibition of this Los Angeles based couple, opening Saturday, May 25, and on view through June 22, 2013. A reception for the artists will be held on May 25, from 6-8 pm. 

Shio Kusaka’s porcelain vessels strike a graceful balance between minimalist tenets and homespun craft. Each work is elegantly patterned or engraved with delicate grids, bands, and dots that wrap their unpretentious forms with well-laid compositions.

Jonas Wood is known for painting vibrant, delightfully skewed portraits, domestic interiors, and still lifes. His compositions, based in photographic collage, animate otherwise commonplace vignettes through the use of pattern and geometry.

Hyde Park, NY — The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum announces the completion of the first renovation of the Library building since it opened in 1941. The National Archives and Records Administration will formally open the Library's new state-of-the-art permanent museum exhibits on June 30, 2013 (museum visitors can see the exhibits between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., regular admission fees apply). An invitation-only, private Rededication Ceremony — scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on June 30 — will be webcast live at www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu.

London — On 12 June 2013, Christie’s London will offer a newly discovered, deluxe copy of Opera by Virgil (70-19 B.C.) in the sale of Valuable Printed Books & Manuscripts (estimate: £500,000 - 800,000). The Aeneid is accepted as the foundation stone of western literature, and this copy is the earliest edition a collector could ever aspire to own. 

Printed in 1470, within a year of the beginning of printing in Venice, it is the second edition, acknowledged to be textually superior. Its rarity is indicated in the fact that the last copy to come on the market was sold almost a century ago, in 1920. This newly discovered copy is complete and printed on costly vellum for a wealthy patron; the elegance of its page and the hand-painted decoration add to its resemblance to a Renaissance manuscript, and indeed, an earlier owner may have regarded it as a manuscript, perhaps contributing to its true identity not being recognised until now.

Washington, D.C.—This summer, The Phillips Collection features 44 sumptuous canvases by the great French cubist master Georges Braque (1882-1963), along with related objects, from the tumultuous years leading up to and through World War II, a time of great experimentation for the artist. The exhibition reveals insights into his creative process at a time when he used the motif of still life as a source of inspiration to synthesize cubist discoveries. In-depth technical analysis of several works uncovers details about Braque’s meticulous use of materials and his interest in creating a tactile painted surface. Georges Braque and the Cubist Still Life, 1928-1945 is on view at the Phillips from June 8 through September 1, 2013.

Several new world records for hand written works by some of the giants of British poetry were set at Bonhams yesterday (8 May) during Part II of the sale of The Roy Davids Collection Part III:  Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets.  The sale made a total of £750,000.

Star of the sale was Oscar Wilde’s very early poem, ‘Heart’s Yearnings’ written when he was an undergraduate at Magdalen College Oxford in 1874.  It sold for £67,250, a world record for a poetic manuscript by the writer the previous record being £24,000 for a draft poem on Lillie Langtry).  It had been estimated at £12-15,000.

With the upcoming release of Baz Luhrmann’s opulent new adaptation, collectors around the world are on alert for the emergence of examples of the very rare and desirable dust jacket of the first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic, The Great Gatsby.

Sometimes called the most expensive bit of paper in modern literature, the dust jacket can add more than £100,000 to the value of the book itself.

The average price for a 1925 first edition in good condition without the dust jacket is at around £5,000-£7,000 whereas with the dust jacket the book is worth over £120,000.

Renowned rare bookseller Peter Harrington is expecting some interest in an example they have in their shop on Chelsea’s Fulham Road.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—May 8, 2013—Remnants of Everyday Life: Historical Ephemera in the Workplace, Street, and Home highlights the Library Company's vast collection of ephemera from the 18th to the early 20th century. With materials ranging from throw-away items to finely printed works, Remnants of Everyday Life considers the cultural impact of advancements in mass production technologies.

The exhibition will address the evolution of the graphic design of ephemera; ephemera associated with women's role in the home, such as scrapbooks; the changing nature of leisure activities and consumerism over the course of the 19th century; and the life-cycle of commercial ephemera between the workplace, street, and home.

Washington, D.C.—This fall, The Phillips Collection takes a fresh look at the artistic process of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). While recognized for the intensity and speed with which he painted, van Gogh also could work with careful deliberation, creating more than one version of some of his most famous subjects. The first exhibition in Phillips Collection history devoted to the artist, Van Gogh Repetitions goes beneath the surface of some of his best-known paintings to examine how and why he repeated certain compositions during his ten-year career. Thirty-three paintings and works on paper are on view at The Phillips Collection from Oct. 12, 2013, through Jan. 26, 2014. 

The exhibition is the first to focus on van Gogh’s “repetitions”—a term the artist used to describe his practice of creating more than one version of a particular subject. He often began by sketching a person or landscape rapidly from nature. Back in the studio, he could repeat the subject, reworking and refining his idea on a fresh canvas, in some cases many times. In contrast to the popular perception of van Gogh wielding his brush with wild abandon before nature, Repetitions shows how the artist was also methodical and controlled.

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Bauman Rare Books announces the acquisition of two substantial collections of early and important works of exploration, featuring the gripping journeys of George Anson, James Cook, David Livingstone, Richard F. Burton, Ernest Shackleton and others.  The explorers featured in these collections  were the original globe blazers, striking out for the farthest reaches of the world, plunging into the most inhospitable climates and continually risking their lives, all in the pursuit of science,  glory, Christianity and riches, according to David Bauman, proprietor, Bauman Rare Books. “These volumes offer a remarkable perspective on exploration and the incredible journeys that mapped the world and charted the course of history,” he said.  The volumes are featured in Bauman Rare Book’s newest catalogue, “Incredible Journeys,” which is available online and contains 58 choice and rare items in excellent condition.

Located on Madison Avenue in New York and Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian/The Palazzo in Las Vegas, Bauman Rare Books offers valuable early editions of meaningful works, many of which have been signed by the authors.

Doyle New York's April 23, 2013 auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Illustration Art offered a wide range of material. Comprising 300 lots, the sale included Americana, items of sporting interest, travel, literature, early printing, photographic albums, color plate books, original illustrations, science and medicine, among many other subjects.

With competitive bidding from buyers in the salesroom, on the telephones and on the Internet, the sale totaled $909,406 against a pre-sale estimate of $596,800-923,450 with an exceptional 90% sold by lot and 94% sold by value.

New York — On Thursday, May 23, Swann Galleries will offer an excellent assortment of Autographs at auction. The sale features Americana, presidential material, musicians, writers, artists, and more.

There are several lots related to Ronald Reagan, dating back to a May 1946 autograph letter signed, written to a fellow member of the American Veterans Committee, on Jane Wyman stationery, that discusses the role of Communists in the organization, and expressing a decidedly liberal viewpoint (estimate: $6,000 to $9,000). There is also an autograph note signed, as President, a retained draft of a letter written to a Viet Nam veteran, containing the line, “I can understand why you think me a closet racist…” March 1983 ($3,000 to $4,000); a color photograph signed by Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan, and White House dog Lucky, which was the original artwork used for holiday cards, 1984-85 ($700 to $1,000); and a pair of items written to the Reagans by Mother Teresa, 1984 ($800 to $1,200).

New York—Swann Galleries, an auction house that specializes photographs and other works on paper, has launched a social media project that reaches out to the global photography community of collectors, curators, dealers, critics, photographers and enthusiasts. The new blog, called Photophilia, is hosted on tumblr and offers a fully interactive platform for sharing your favorite photos. Swann defines Photophilia as an obsession, a love, a desire for photographs.

“Colleagues and customers are always engaging us in conversations about photography,” said Swann Photographs Senior Specialist Deborah Rogal, “and, often their first question is ‘what is your favorite image in this sale?’ So, we had the idea of opening that conversation up to a wider audience. We hope it will create new ways of experiencing, viewing and discussing photography.”

New York, NY, May 6, 2013—The Morgan Library & Museum will continue its popular Treasures from the Vault exhibition series this spring with the presentation of thirty diverse works in its iconic 1906 McKim building. The great library was commissioned by museum founder Pierpont Morgan and completed in 1906, just seven years prior to his death in 1913. To commemorate Morgan’s life as one of America’s best known financiers and philanthropists, a selection of items will be exhibited in the library’s marbled rotunda. Included in the display will be Morgan’s high school essay on Napoleon Bonaparte (he considered Bonaparte’s tragic flaw to be placing “personal ambition” ahead of “the future welfare of his country”); a stock certificate from the United States Steel Corporation—an enormous undertaking which gave Morgan control of almost half the nation’s steelmaking capacity—signed by the company’s first president, Charles Schwab; the last surviving letter from Belle da Costa Greene, Morgan’s dynamic librarian, sent to her “Big Chief” shortly before his death; and the iconic portrait of Morgan by legendary photographer Edward Steichen.

Additional highlights from this season’s Treasures include Colm Tóibín’s manuscript of the short novel The Testament of Mary, the basis for his play that debuted in New York in April; a mid-fifteenth-century English cookery scroll containing nearly two hundred recipes in Middle English; autograph music manuscripts by Wagner, Verdi, and Britten; the first book printed in the English language; and writings by Jane Austen and Albert Einstein. The objects will be on view May 7-October 6, 2013.

May 2, 2013 — LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Anne Revere's Best Actress Tony Award for the 1960 play, "Toys in the Attic" is available at auction through Nate D. Sanders Auctions on May 21, 2013 just in time for Tony Awards season.

"Tony Awards are quite scarce," said Nate D. Sanders, whose company is auctioning the award. "The Awards started in 1947, relatively late compared to the Oscars, and there are also fewer categories as compared to the Emmys and Grammys. Beginning in 1947 there were only 11 awards given out and today it's just 26."

Along with American comics and Japanese manga, bande dessinée ("drawn strip") is one of the great comics traditions. Th­is exhibition presents key moments in the evolution of bande dessinée volumes, from their initial standardization to contemporary explorations into the possibilities offered by the book as three-dimensional object, explorations that have led, in Europe as elsewhere, to a blurring of the distinction between comic books and artist's books.    

Featuring work by: Andreas, Nava Atlas, Lars Arrhenius, Adolpho Avril & Olivier Deprez, Rémy Pierlot & Vincent Fortemps, Jean-Jacques Oost & Gipi, Richard Bawin & ­Thierry Van Hasselt, Dominique ­Théâte & Dominique Goblet, Pome Bernos, Paz Boïra, Claire Bretécher, Julie Chen and Lois Morrison, with Elizabeth McDevitt, Frédéric Coché, David B., Martin tom Dieck, and Jens Balzer, Will Dinski, Vincent Fortemps, André Franquin,Dominique Goblet and Guy Marc Hinant, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, Enrique Chagoya, and Felicia Rice, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre and Frédéric Lemercier, Hergé, Mamiko Ikeda, Edgar P. Jacobs, Eric Lambé, Marc-Antoine Mathieu, Michael Matthys, Emily Martin, Max, Miles O'Shea and Olivier Deprez, Omar F. Olivera, OuBaPo, Philippe Petit-Roulet, Peyo, John Porcellino, Nicolas Robel, Marjane Satrapi, Francois Schuiten and Benoît Peeters, Joann Sfar and Jean-Christophe Menu, Stefan J.H. Van Dinther, Th­ierry Van Hasselt and Karine Ponties, Chris Ware, Toña Wilson, and Melinda Yale.

Washington, D.C.—This summer, The Phillips Collection presents its first exhibition of works by acclaimed American painter, sculptor, and printmaker Ellsworth Kelly (b. 1923). Panel Paintings 2004-2009 features seven works consisting of two to four canvases of solid color. Coinciding with the artist’s 90th birthday year, Ellsworth Kelly: Panel Paintings 2004-2009 is on view from June 22 through Sept. 22, 2013.  

With a prolific career spanning over 60 years, Ellsworth Kelly is internationally renowned for his explorations of form, color, and space. Created between 2004 and 2009, the multi-panel works in the exhibition were selected specifically for the Phillips by the artist in consultation with Phillips Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Vesela Sretenović. The large-scale rectilinear works that blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture seem to hover on the wall, playing with light and shadow and dramatically engaging with space.

(Amherst, MA) May 2013 — The Pigeon may not be able to drive the bus, or stay up late, or keep his own hot dog—but this June he gets to star with other familiar friends in his very own exhibition, Seriously Silly: A Decade of Art & Whimsy by Mo Willems. The retrospective will be on view from June 22 through February 23, 2014 at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Carle—and Pigeon—are each honored to be celebrating a ten-year anniversary.

Best-selling author and artist Mo Willems has created more than 40 books for children and won three Caldecott Honors, two Geisel Medals, and three Geisel Honors. Though it’s still early in his picture book career, Willems already has a place in children’s literary history, greatly influencing artists, writers, and publishers, and reducing an entire generation to fits of giggling. The exhibition features almost 100 works, including beloved picture book characters Knuffle Bunny, Elephant and Piggie, the Pigeon, Edwina, Leonardo, Cat the Cat, and the Duckling. Guests are invited to also enjoy The Red Elephant, a 1,500 pound steel sculpture on long-term loan to The Carle. Seriously Silly was made possible by the generous support of Disney Publishing Worldwide.

NEW YORK, May 2013—The Museum of Modern Art announces Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938, from September 28, 2013, to January 12, 2014, the first exhibition to focus exclusively on the breakthrough Surrealist years of René Magritte (Belgian, 1898-1967), creator of some of the 20th century's most extraordinary images. Bringing together around 80 paintings, collages, and objects, along with a selection of photographs, periodicals, and early commercial work, the exhibition offers fresh insight into Magritte's identity as a modern painter and Surrealist artist. In addition to works from MoMA's collection, the exhibition includes many loans from public and private collections from the U.S. and abroad. Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938 is organized by The Museum of Modern Art, The Menil Collection, and The Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition at MoMA is organized by Anne Umland, The Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Curator of Painting and Sculpture, with Danielle Johnson, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture. The exhibition travels to The Menil Collection, Houston (February 14-June 1, 2014), and The Art Institute of Chicago (June 29-October 12, 2014).

New York, NY, May 2, 2013—The Morgan Library & Museum’s collection of drawings from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century has grown dramatically over the last few years. During this period, important gifts, purchases, and bequests have both augmented and transformed the museum’s holdings. Beginning May 31, more than one hundred of these new additions will be featured in an exhibition titled Old Masters, Newly Acquired.

On view through August 11, the show presents major gifts from such notable collectors as former Morgan Director Charles Ryskamp, Trustees Eugene V. Thaw and Brooke Astor, and long-standing supporter Joseph McCrindle. Also exhibited will be other works that have entered the collection as gifts and bequests, and an important group of recent purchases, including a selection of those made on the Sunny Crawford von Bülow Fund.

Chicago, Illinois — Grant Wood’s artworks have always held a special place in the hearts of Midwesterners — they capture the land and the people Wood knew best, hard-working men and women of 20th century rural America. We see his visions as a memorial to the American working class and generations of collectors have established a strong market for his iconic views of rolling hills and hearty farmhands. 

The Veterans Memorial Building in Grant Wood’s hometown, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, boasts a towering landmark to his artistic achievement, a 24-foot tall stained glass window — the largest in the United States in 1929 at the time of its inception. The window features a central figure of a Lady in Mourning, modeled after the artist’s sister and sitter for the iconic painting, American Gothic, Nan Wood. The figure is flanked by life-size soldiers from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War and the First World War. It is the only known stained-glass window designed by Wood.

May 2, 2013 — The 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, marked by tragedy, are also known for being the first to incorporate a brand across all aspects of the games.

“The Munich games were really the first games to create a visual identity. And it was a visual and graphic identity that spoke to the new identity of West Germany,” said Matthew Gin. “This was important because it was the first games held in Germany after World War II.”

Gin, a Ph.D. candidate in architecture, was this year’s first place winner in the Philip Hofer Prize for Collecting. His collection “Between West Germany and the World: Design at the 1972 Munich Olympics” was deemed outstanding by the judges who evaluated this year’s entries.

Boston, MA, Wednesday, May 1—ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, PBS’s most-watched ongoing primetime series, is offering one lucky fan a “Golden Ticket” experience. The series, which officially closed general ticketing on April 8, is offering “Golden Ticket” Sweepstakes entrants the chance to win a VIP trip for two to this summer’s event in Richmond, VA, including a backstage tour and a chance to have their attic treasures appraised. Enter to win now through July 31, 2013 at pbs.org/roadshowsweeps.

“The lucky person who wins the special golden ticket will have the keys to the ultimate ROADSHOW experience,” says ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Executive Producer Marsha Bemko. “For the first time, we’ll be bringing a fan and his or her guest to one of our events for the chance to see the inner workings of the show, go behind the scenes to meet the appraisers, and see if their favorite yard sale find is America’s next hidden treasure.”

"Directed: The Intersection of Book, Film and Visual Narrative" explores the common territory of two engaging artistic practices: book arts and film. Historically as well as in contemporary practice, artists blur and perforate the boundaries between these two disciplines, both of which share a foundation of sequential visual narrative.

Work by over 70 artists will be featured, representing a diverse cross-section of contemporary work from across disciplines and around the world. The multimedia exhibition also includes many influential artists' books from the Walker Art Center's Rosemary Furtak Collection, including works by Ed Ruscha, Jim Goldberg, Marcel Broodthaers, John Baldessari, Andy Warhol, Christian Boltanski, Bruce Nauman, Michael Snow, Mason Douglas Williams, Gilbert & George, and Annette Messager. A full artist list can be found below.

The first handwritten poem by Philip Larkin ever to come to auction is to be sold on 8 May in Part II of the sale of The Roy Davids Collection Part III: Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets at Bonhams, New Bond Street. London. It is estimated at £3,000-4,000. Handwritten poetic manuscripts by Larkin are exceedingly rare.

The poem, entitled, ‘Love’, was written in December 1962 and is a typically wry reflection on the compromises and demands of love.

Sotheby's 29 April sale brought over $8.5 million, an auction record for Judaica. The Mishneh Torah, the highlight of the Michael & Judy Steinhardt Judaica Collection, was purchased jointly by The Israel Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art prior to the sale for a price significantly in excess of the current record for Judaica at auction.

Many other works from the collection are also destined for prominent cultural institutions.

Jerusalem and New York (April 29, 2013) — The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today the joint acquisition of one of the finest illuminated Hebrew manuscripts ever created, a rare handwritten copy of the Mishneh Torah by Maimonides, one of the most important rabbinical figures of the Middle Ages. The manuscript was previously in the collection of Judy and Michael Steinhardt, New York, and will be shared by the two museums on a rotating basis.  

The Mishneh Torah is being acquired by the Israel Museum with support from: an anonymous donor; René and Susanne Braginsky, Zurich; Renee and Lester Crown, Chicago; Lynn Schusterman, Tulsa; and Judy and Michael Steinhardt, New York. Funding for the acquisition at the Metropolitan Museum will be announced at a later date.

New York—On Thursday, May 16, Swann Galleries will auction more than 215 examples of Contemporary Art, including unique pieces and multiples. The sale comes on the heels of the Frieze Art Fair and other spring art events in New York.

The lot with the highest pre-sale estimate is a late 1960s Untitled painting of a horse by Maqbool Fida Husain, the modernist Indian painter. This grand and powerful piece exhibits the finest qualities of Husain’s celebrated horse paintings—sweeping, bold brushstrokes, a chiseled white horse with rich black contours brilliantly set against a muted background. It is estimated at $100,000 to $150,000.

LOS ANGELES, CA — April 2013 — For those that have been named an executor of an estate or are looking to downsize a home, NorthStar Moving ® Company, the leading eco-luxury mover in California, has unveiled a new customized package with A.N. Abell Auction Company to alleviate the stress and uncertainty of selling treasured possessions.

According to the Demand Institute, more than 40 percent of Americans ages 50 to 64 plan to move within the next five years or so. Baby boomers are deciding they don’t need their spacious homes anymore and at the same time, they are often handed the responsibility of selling their parents’ estates. Both transitions are overwhelming and emotional. Through this new partnership with Abell Auction, NorthStar Moving is making moving and estate sales a one-step, seamless process.

New York—Every spring, poster enthusiasts look forward to Swann Galleries’ auction of Modernist Posters, which is always filled with eye-grabbing examples of cutting-edge design. This year’s sale, which will take place on Monday, May 13 at 1:30 p.m., boasts typography masterpieces, early 20th-century exhibition and product advertisements and alluring posters for recognizable brands.

The most valuable works in the sale are those by Art Deco designer A.M. Cassandre, which include one of his earliest designs, Turmac / La Cigarette Turque, 1925 (estimate: $15,000 to $20,000); a poster for safety glass brand Triplex, Paris, 1931 (also $15,000 to $20,000); the iconic Nord Express, 1927 ($12,000 to $18,000); The Continent / via Harwich, London, 1928 ($8,000 to $12,000); a Grand Sport hat advertisement, 1931 ($15,000 to $20,00); and an unpublished maquette on wood for L’Art Decoratif & la Peinture Moderne Francaise / Lord and Taylor, 1927 ($25,000 to $35,000).

DALLAS — A single page of the LM Activation checklist referenced by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during Man’s first moon landing on July 20, 1969 realized $55,268 to lead Heritage Auctions’ $1.57+ million Space Exploration Signature® Auction in Dallas. Items related to the Apollo Program took top lot honors during the April 18 auction as an Apollo 11 flown crew-signed commemorative cover from Aldrin’s personal collection sold for $50,787 and an Apollo 16 flown wrist mirror used by astronaut Charlie Duke during his moonwalks brought $44,812.

“This is truly the largest space auction — by dollar and by lot — held since President Obama signed a law last fall granting Mercury, Gemini and Apollo crew full rights to own and sell mementos from their historic journeys,” said Michael Riley, Senior Historian and Chief Cataloger for Space Exploration at Heritage. “This event far exceeded our expectations and we’re already excited about our Nov. 1 auction in Dallas.”

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has announced that Don DeLillo, author of such critically acclaimed novels as "Underworld," "Mao II" and the National Book Award-winning "White Noise," will receive the first Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction during the 2013 Library of Congress National Book Festival, Sept. 21-22.

This inaugural award was inspired by a prior award the Library made for lifetime achievement in the writing of fiction — presented to Pulitzer Prize winner Herman Wouk in 2008. DeLillo follows in the path of four subsequent winners of the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for fiction in connection with the Library’s National Book Festival: John Grisham (2009), Isabel Allende (2010), Toni Morrison (2011) and Philip Roth (2012).

Bonhams is to sell a fine photographic portrait of Dylan Thomas standing outside the Boathouse in Laugharne taken by the American photographer Rollie McKenna and printed personally by her.

It features in the sale of The Roy Davids Collection Part III: Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets at Bonhams, New Bond Street on 8 May.   

The photograph, taken in 1952, shows Thomas leaning casually against the door of the Boathouse and looking directly into the camera. It is estimated at £1,500 -2,000.

NEW YORK, April 24, 2012 — The Museum of Modern Art has appointed David Platzker as a Curator in the Department of Prints and Illustrated Books, Glenn D. Lowry, Director of The Museum of Modern Art, announced today. Platzker, widely known for his expertise in artists' books, multiples, and ephemera of the post-1960 period, will work closely with Chief Curator Christophe Cherix, participating in the curatorial program, including exhibitions, special projects, and acquisition initiatives. 

"Platzker's long-standing commitment to the study of artists' books, multiples, and ephemera will be a tremendous asset to the department. His research, publications, and curatorial projects over the past twenty years have helped redefine a broader notion of the field of printmaking," said Cherix. "He will play an important role in managing the Museum's extraordinarily comprehensive Fluxus holdings and facilitating cross-departmental projects."

DALLAS — The 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine awarded to Dr. Francis Harry Compton Crick realized $2.27+ million to lead Heritage Auctions’ two-day, $4.97+ million Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction in New York. Awarded for the discovery of the helical structure of DNA, the medal sold April 11 to Jack Wang, the CEO of Biomobie of Shanghai, China. Wang pledged to use the medal, which set a record as the most valuable Nobel Prize ever sold at auction, to encourage the pursuit of biomedical sciences.

Amid Crick’s personal items, his endorsed Nobel Prize check fetched $77,675, a lab coat worn as he decoded an amino acid brought $8,962 and his personal copy of Charles Darwin’s The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, sold for $4,182.

Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Munch, Norway’s most famed painter and printmaker, with an exhibition of more than 20 renowned works from the Gallery’s collection. On view from May 19 through July 28, 2013, on the Ground Floor of the West Building, Edvard Munch: A 150th Anniversary Tribute includes Geschrei (The Scream) (1895), The Madonna (1895), and a unique series of six variant impressions, Two Women on the Shore (1898).

“In recent decades the National Gallery of Art has presented three major exhibitions of Munch’s work, the last in 2010,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “We are pleased to bring together these stellar prints and drawings to celebrate this milestone.”

New York—On Thursday, May 9 Swann Galleries will conduct an auction devoted to Art, Press & Illustrated Books, which includes the first installment of material from the inventory of the late Irving Oaklander, whose eponymous shop specialized in books on printing, graphic design and typography, classic and modern.

Design enthusiasts will note the strong focus on German and Dutch masters with Theo van Doesburg and Kurt Schwitters’s collaboration Kleine Dada Soiree, the poster for their 1923 tour introducing artists and the public to the Dadaist movement (estimate: $20,000 to $30,000); several examples by Herbert Bayer, including an archive of material about the making of Arthur A. Cohen’s 1984 book Herbert Bayer: The Complete Work, containing books, sketches, letters and more ($1,200 to $1,800); as well as Jan Tschichold’s annotated De Proporties van het Boek, Amsterdam, 1955 ($1,000 to $1,500); and works by Paul Schuitema, Piet Zwart and Hermann Zapf.

(New Orleans, LA) — April 22, 2013 — New Orleans Auction Galleries (NOAG), the premier auction house of the American South, hosted an impressive three-day sale held April 19-21, 2013 with 8 pieces achieving world record prices with many others garnering exceptional results.

Important highlights from the auction include a large Shearwater Pottery vase decorated by Walter Anderson, which sold for a world record price of $31,980; William Tolliver’s oil on canvas titled, “Man in Blue, Playing a Guitar,” reached a world record price of $23,370; and Pedro Friedeberg’s Giltwood “Hand Chair,” also achieved an unprecedented price of $17,835.

The Theodore Roosevelt collection of Peter Scanlan led the way at Swann’s April 16 Americana auction, with a lifetime of collecting sold in 109 lots. The top Roosevelt lot was the extremely scarce pamphlet In Memory of My Darling Wife Alice ($38,400), which had never before appeared at auction. Several other Roosevelt printed works had never been previously seen at auction, including President Roosevelt's List of Birds Seen in the White House Grounds ($3,120).  Roosevelt autographs and a family photo album ($5,520) also did well. Several books by Roosevelt set records, including The Naval War of 1812, $2,640; The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks, $5,040; The Wilderness Hunter, $5,040.  An event at Swann a few days before the sale, featuring a poignant talk by Scanlan’s friend and fellow collector Gregory Wynn, set the tone for the dispersal of a great collection.

The biggest surprise of the sale, and the top lot, was an archive of scientific and family papers of naturalists William Cooper and his son James Graham Cooper. Estimated at $1,500 to $2,500, it sold to a private collector for $40,800 after prolonged bidding between three parties. Three other highlights were a group of amazing California Civil War letters by Julius Hall ($31,200), a beautiful extra-illustrated biography of Benjamin Franklin which attracted more than a dozen phone bidders (sold to a collector for $22,800), and the personal papers and effects of controversial lawyer Roy Cohn (sold to a collector in two lots for a total of $18,960).

Fairfield, Maine, April 18, 2013  — James D. Julia, Inc., one of the nation's top ten antique auction houses, is excited to present an absolutely breathtaking Chinese treasure in association with the company's upcoming Annual Summer event to be held on August 21st through 23rd, 2013. This exceptional lot is certain to be of great interest to Asian arts enthusiasts and historians around the world, and highlights James D. Julia and its specialists as leaders in the important and growing Asian Arts auction category. 

The seal is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000. It measures 6-3/4" x 6-3/4" x 3" overall, is cast from bronze, and is heavily gilded in pure gold. The item is dated "Third Year of Ch'ien Lung" indicating that it was produced in the 1738/39 time frame for Qianlong Emperor, the sixth leader of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty who reigned from 1735 to 1796. The seal was used to officiate business for the country's "Plain White Banner" military and administrative division, one of eight such divisions at the time.

A very rare poem, ‘At Dawn’, by the novelist and poetess Amy Levy described by Oscar Wilde as a ‘girl of genius’,  is to be sold on 8 May in Part II of the sale of The Roy Davids Collection Part III: Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets at Bonhams, New Bond Street. 

Amy Levy (1861-1889) was only the second Jewish woman to attend Cambridge University and the first to attend Newnham College though she left after four terms. A precocious child, she had her first poem published at the age of 14. During her brief life she contributed poems, essays and stories to many magazines including the Jewish Chronicle and Oscar Wilde’s Women’s World.

NEW YORK—Swann Galleries’ March 21 auction of Printed & Manuscript African Americana drew collectors, dealers and institutions alike to compete for scarce and one-of-a-kind material related to black history.

Wyatt Houston Day, Swann’s African Americana specialist said, “We were so pleased to see such a large number of items in this sale—more than 100—go to institutions, including the Connecticut Historical Society, which acquired the sale’s top lot, a collection of Amistad-related letters.”

Kestenbaum & Company’s first of two Fine Judaica auctions to be held this Spring will take place on Thursday, May 2nd at 3:00 pm at the company’s gallery in New York City. Featured in the sale will be Rare Books, Manuscripts and Autograph Letters. A second Spring Judaica auction scheduled for June 13th will offer Ceremonial Objects and Graphic Art exclusively.  The May auction of nearly 400 lots includes Holy Land Travel books offered from the Collection of Nathan Lewin, Esq. These books represent in particular, the varied ways over the centuries that the country has been cartographically represented. Further sale highlights include rare books, manuscripts and important letters consigned from illustrious Rabbinic libraries including the Rivkin and Zuckerman families and the late Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Halevi Ruderman, founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel Rabbinical College, Baltimore.

A broad range of subjects being offered for auction include Americana, Anglo-Judaica, anti-Semitica, Bibles, Chassidic books, children’s books, Passover Hagadahs, Kabbalistic books, Holocaust-era related books, books relating to Jews in 19th and early 20th century China, a number of rare government pamphlets relating to Jews of early 18th century Germany, Zionist related books and Livres d’Artistes.

New York—Museum-quality works of art on paper found a receptive audience of bidders at Swann Galleries March 7 auction of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings.

Todd Weyman, Swann Vice President and Director of Prints & Drawings, said, “The best known artists were the best selling in this sale—including Picasso, Matisse, Whistler, Hopper and Bellows. The majority of those top lots went to private collectors in the U.S. and Europe, and there was robust bidding throughout the auction, indicating a market well into recovery.”

The sale’s highest selling lot was Pablo Picasso’s Tête de Femme (Portrait Stylisé de Jacqueline), color linoleum cut, 1962, which brought $48,000*.

NEW YORK — Bonhams is pleased to announce the inaugural auction of Judaica to be held at the Bonhams New York Madison Avenue salesroom on December 9, 2013. The auction will include significant historical and religious items that represent the cultural and social movements of the Jewish people from ancient through modern times. Pre-war and post-war Judaica from Israel, Europe and the Americas will be considered from such diverse fields as fine art, books and historical manuscripts, textiles, liturgical items, coins, medals, jewelry and decorative arts. 

The auction will be overseen by Bonhams’ recently appointed Judaica Consultant, Dr Rachael B Goldman. Dr Goldman received her Ph.D. in History from City University of New York - The Graduate Center in 2011, and has held fellowships from the American Academy in Rome, the New York Classical Club and the College Art Association. She has been a member of the American Association of Appraisers since 2002, and has worked for many esteemed institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University. Versed in several languages including Latin, Greek, Italian and Hebrew, Dr Goldman has taught at Adelphi University and the Cooper Hewitt M.A. program in Decorative Arts. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey.

New York, NY, April 18, 2013 — In 1998 Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, commissioned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce a fully illuminated luxury manuscript of the Bible. Working out of his scriptorium in Monmouth, Wales, Jackson and a team of calligraphers and artists used traditional techniques and modern technology to create a spectacular illuminated text of over 1,100 pages. Completed in May 2011, The Saint John’s Bible  ensures that the ancient art of illumination—so richly represented in the Morgan Library & Museum’s collections of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts—lives on into the twenty-first century.

To document Jackson’s monumental achievement, Saint John’s University has published several facsimiles of the manuscript, including the lavish seven-volume Apostles Edition, issued in only twelve copies. In 2011, Dr. William F. Hueg and Mrs. Hella Mears Hueg presented to the Morgan a set of the Apostles Edition, five volumes of which have appeared to date.

PHILADELPHIA, PA April 17, 2013 — In a historic move, the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and The Rosenbach Museum & Library today announced their intent to merge, creating The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. The affiliation will bring together two of the world’s preeminent collections of rare books, artifacts, and manuscripts, including Bram Stoker’s notes for Dracula with Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and thus creating one of the greatest collections of rare books, manuscripts, Americana, and art anywhere in the world. This historic, joint decision will bring advantages to each institution, and most important, it will further solidify Philadelphia’s position as an educational and cultural leader in the nation. Today’s announcement marks the signing of a letter of intent following board approval by each of the organizations on April 16, 2013.

Siobhan A. Reardon, President and Director of the Free Library commented on this historic partnership: “The aim of this partnership is to build and sustain collections of Americana and English literature that are among the greatest in the world while furthering Philadelphia’s status as an educational and cultural leader. We couldn’t be more excited about The Rosenbach of the Free Library. We thank our philanthropic partners and future donors for helping us share these incredible collections with a wider audience than ever before.”

BEVERLY HILLS — J.C. Leyendecker’s spectacular Honeymoon, The Saturday Evening Post cover, July 17, 1926, realized $194,500 to lead Heritage Auctions’ $2.8+ million Illustration Art Signature® Auction on April 11-12, a sale which saw tremendous prices realized across the board, especially where Pin-Up and Golden Age classic artworks were concerned. The piece came to auction from a consignor in New England whose mother was gifted the painting by the artist himself upon her own wedding, where Leyendecker also walked her down the aisle.

“Collectors would be hard pressed to find a Leyendecker that showcases the artist’s skill in a ways as spectacular as this painting,” said Ed Jaster, Senior Vice President of Heritage Auctions. “This was the third highest price ever for the artist, and with good reason — it’s a masterpiece.”

April 16 2013 — Sotheby’s New York is pleased to offer The Library of a Distinguished American Book Collector in a dedicated auction on 4 June 2013. Acquired over the course of nearly three decades, this collection, expected to fetch over $5 million, reflects the collector’s great intellectual curiosity and eclectic interests, as well as a deeply held passion for American history. Among the 250 lots on offer, the library has a particular emphasis on George Washington, highlighted by seven books from Washington’s Mount Vernon Library, all with his bold signature on their title pages and his bookplate (est. $1/1.5 million). This is the largest group of books from Washington’s library to appear in a single auction since the Bishop John Fletcher Hurst sale in 1904 and features novels such as Jonathan Swift’s The Beauties of Swift, Alain Rene Le Sage’s The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane. Vol. 3.  and Joseph Priestley’s Discourses Relating to the Evidences of Revealed Religion. Highlights from the collection will be on view at our Boston, Chicago and London offices in May, and the full collection will be on exhibition at our New York galleries beginning 31 May 2013 in advance of the sale. 

Further highlights of the sale include an extraordinarily fresh copy of the 1754 Journal of George Washington, his account of the French and Indian War prepared for the House of Burgesses (est. $100/150,000) and an important letter signed by him about securing New York City during the Revolutionary War (est. $70/100,000).

DALLAS, TX — Significant fresh-to-market memorabilia punctuates Heritage Auctions’ Vintage Sports Collectible auction, May 2-4, further bolstering Heritage Sports’ reputation as the hobby’s leading source for significant “finds,” with numerous discoveries making their auction debuts.

Also, for the first time in the history of the sports category at Heritage, all lots will close in the Extended Bidding format, so collectors are advised to place initial bids early.

The ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers' Association) will be hosting what is thought to be the first ever “Books NOT Books” exhibition at the London International Antiquarian Book Fair which opens on Thursday June 13th and runs until Saturday June 15th, in the National Exhibition Hall at Olympia, West London. 

“Books NOT Books” will be an amusing, informative and deceptive exhibition showing the book in a variety of different forms — Books as Art, Books as Boxes, Books as Anything-other-than-Books — whether it is a handbag, pin box or biscuit tin! The majority of the objects on show have come from a single collection, but the ABA is encouraging anyone who would like to lend an object to let them know — the more offbeat the better!

LONDON — Seven fairs displaying Rare Books, Maps, Photographs and Ephemera have come together to set up the first London Book Fair Week from Saturday, 8th to Sunday, 16th June 2013. This is the first time all the fairs organisers have joined together to create a major event for both trade and public by holding all the major summer fairs in one week.

This will make it the biggest celebration of Print-on-Paper in the World — with seven different fairs in nine days. The fairs will be offering antiquarian and rare books, maps, manuscripts, prints, posters, ephemera and photographs.

NEW YORK, 12 April 2013 — On 26 November 2013, Sotheby’s New York will auction one of the finest surviving copies of the Bay Psalm Book — the first book printed in what is now the United States of America. The Congregationalist Puritans who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay in search of religious freedom quickly set about to translate and produce a version of the Book of Psalms that was a closer paraphrase of the Hebrew original than the one they had carried from England. The first edition of the resulting Bay Psalm Book was printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1640, and Sotheby’s will auction one of the 11 surviving copies in the dedicated auction. The present example comes from the collection of the Old South Church in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts — one of two remarkable copies presently in its collection - and the proceeds of the sale will benefit the church’s mission and ministry in the Greater Boston area.

No example of the Bay Psalm Book has appeared at auction since 1947, when another copy achieved a record auction price for any printed book at the time — many multiples of what other icons of printing achieved in that period, including the Gutenberg Bible, Shakespeare’s First Folio and Audubon’s Birds of America**. The present example of the Bay Psalm Book from the Old South Church’s collection comes to auction at Sotheby’s New York with a pre-sale estimate of $15/30 million*.

New York, NY, April 11, 2013—The artist Matthew Barney (b. 1967) is best known for his sculptures and films, but drawing also plays a critical role in his work. Subliming Vessel: The Drawings of Matthew Barney, on view at the Morgan Library & Museum from May 10 to September 2, is the first exhibition devoted entirely to his drawings. The show ranges from Barney’s earliest drawings, made while he was a student at Yale in the late 1980s, to works related to his most recent project, RIVER OF FUNDAMENT. They trace his investigation of drawing as an activity both independent from and linked to his sculptural and performative practice.

In addition to Barney’s drawings, the exhibition will also include a number of his storyboards—composed of sketches, photographs, clippings, and books—which he assembles to map the narrative structure and imagery of his projects. Barney has selected books and manuscripts from the Morgan’s collections to display as part of his storyboards. These items—which include a more than two-thousand-year-old Egyptian Book of the Dead, a medieval zodiac, and poet Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass—demonstrate the breadth of Barney’s interests and underscore the importance of literature and mythology in the elaboration of his stories.

NEW YORK — The 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine awarded to Dr. Francis Harry Compton Crick, along with Drs. James Dewey Watson and Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins, for “...their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material,” or what would become known as DNA, sold on April 11, 2013, for $2.27+ million (including Buyer’s Premium) as the highlight of Heritage Auctions’ Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion.

“This auction, given the international attention is received, showed the continuing importance of Crick’s, Watson’s and Franklin’s discovery 60 years after they made it,” said Sandra Palomino, Director of Historic Manuscripts at Heritage Auctions. “This medal is the physical embodiment of the importance that discovery represented and, as such, worth every bit of the final $2.27+ million price realized.”

The last known manuscript poem by John Keats sold for a world record £181,250 today (10 April) at the sale of the first part (Poets A-K) of Roy Davids Collection Part III: Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets at Bonhams, New Bond Street. 

Charlotte Bronte’s 'I’ve been wandering in the greenwoods,' written when she was just 13, also set a world record for the poet when it sold for £92,450.

Kansas City, MO. April 9, 2013—Fiery passion and the warm, festive atmosphere of Mexico define an exhibition opening on June 1 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Masterpieces of Modern Mexico from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection showcases more than 100 paintings, sculptures, photographs and drawings collected by the Gelmans in their adopted homeland of Mexico.

“When the Don Hall Initiative was created at the beginning of my tenure with the Nelson-Atkins, we hoped to bring exhibitions here that would reverberate in the community,” said the Mexico City-born Julián Zugazagoitia, CEO and Director. “The Gelman Collection has universal appeal but is so close to my personal history that we are thrilled to present these masterpieces to Kansas City.”

New York, NY, April 9, 2013—The Morgan Library & Museum will receive a gift from the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York of twenty-eight letters written by J. D. Salinger. The gift commemorates the 150th birthday of Swami Vivekananda, who brought Vedanta, the religious and philosophical teachings of India, to the West in 1893. With this generous new gift, the Morgan now holds fifty-two Salinger letters in its collection.

J. D. Salinger was deeply influenced by Vedanta and had an enduring relationship with Swami Nikhilananda, founder and spiritual leader of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York. Salinger attended services and classes at the Center in Manhattan, and at the Vivekananda Cottage retreat in New York’s Thousand Island Park.

Atwood, Arana, Branch, DeLillo, Hosseini, Kingsolver, Oates, Paterson, Trethewey to Speak at 2013 Library of Congress National Book Festival

Event to Take Place on National Mall Sept. 21 and 22; Illustrator Suzy Lee Will Create Poster

Renowned authors and poets Margaret Atwood, Marie Arana, Taylor Branch, Don DeLillo, Khaled Hosseini, Barbara Kingsolver, Brad Meltzer, Joyce Carol Oates, Katherine Paterson and U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey will be among more than 100 writers speaking at the 13th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival, on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, between 9th and 14th streets on the National Mall. The event, free and open to the public, will run from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, rain or shine.

The literary and artistic worlds will be astounded this week to meet a unique image of the poet, John Keats which has surfaced at Bonhams in London.

The image, consigned by an American owner, will feature in the ‘Fine Portrait Miniatures’ auction taking place at Bonhams, Knightsbridge on May 30th. Oval in format and measuring 70mm (2 3/4in) in height, this spellbinding image is estimated to attract £10,000-15,000 when it is auctioned.

The majority of contemporary portraits of Keats derive from Joseph Severn's miniature of the poet, which was exhibited at the RA in 1819 (no.940) (The Fitzwilliam Museum, Accession no.713). The present lot does not derive from this work or any of the other known portraits taken during Keats' short life, which strongly suggests it was painted from life.

At the New York Antiquarian Book Fair, Boston-based rare book and manuscript dealer Schubertiade Music & Arts, will offer for sale for the first time on the market THE LARGEST KNOWN SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH OF ALBERT EINSTEIN. 

Signed in 1931 and measuring a larger-than-life 16 x 20 inches, this is the largest signed photograph of the theoretical physicist ever to be offered for sale.

April 8, 2013, Westport, CT — With the runaway popularity of Antiques Roadshow, Pawn Stars and other shows amazing audiences by identifying the hidden value in their bric-a-brac and family heirlooms, families across the nation are sifting though their attics and basements in search of that special something that could make them rich.

According to John Reznikoff, a leading document and signature authenticator, “both sellers and collectors need an impartial expert to verify significant documents, manuscripts, letters, relics, and autographs in many categories, from sports and cinema, to space exploration and Presidential history.”

NEW YORK—April, 2013—Profiles in History, run by Joe Maddalena, is proud to announce the auction of The Property of a Distinguished American Private Collector Part II on May 30th. A selection of the letters and manuscripts will be on display at Douglas Elliman's Madison Avenue Gallery, 980 Madison Avenue, April 8th to April 16th from 11am to 6pm. The Property of a Distinguished American Private Collector Part I was a blockbuster sale with a letter by Vincent van Gogh selling for $336,000 and a Thomas Jefferson letter selling for $300,000. Part II promises to be even bigger.

At Douglas Elliman's Madison Avenue Gallery the letters on display will include letters from George Washington, one in which he looks to hire Negro slaves as laborers, pictured left. An emotional letter by Thomas Jefferson, to a Mrs. Katharine Duane Morgan, pictured below, in which he states, "I did what I could, and now acquiesce cheerfully in the law of nature which, by unfitting us for action, warns us to retire and leave to the generation of the day the direction of it's own affairs." There will also be a collection of Dwight D. Eisenhower letters to his wife Maime chronicling World War II. Eisenhower writes about everything from how he hates the Germans to his reaction to seeing the concentration camps.

AUSTIN, Texas — Head librarian of the Folger Shakespeare Library Stephen Enniss has been appointed as the new director of the internationally renowned Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin.

Enniss will take over the duties of current Director Thomas F. Staley, who will retire Aug. 31. Staley, who has been responsible for scores of notable acquisitions and the Center’s enormous growth during his 25-year tenure, had announced plans to retire in 2011, but later agreed to postpone his retirement date. Staley, who is also the Harry Huntt Ransom Chair in Liberal Arts, will remain on faculty and plans to teach in the College of Liberal Arts. Enniss will start at the Ransom Center Aug. 1 to allow time for a smooth transition.

April 8th, 2013—New artist's book: “The Works of Master Poldy” based on James Joyce’s Ulysses, designed and produced by Dublin based artist & designer Jamie Murphy.

• What - Artist and designer Jamie Murphy is undertaking a new letterpress book, “The Works of Master Poldy,” based on the musings of Leopold Bloom, James Joyce's seminal hero of Ulysses. 

• When - Indiegogo campaign launched to fund the book planned for release by Bloomsday 2013, June 16th.

• Where - The book will be designed and printed at Distillers Press, NCAD, Ireland's foremost letterpress printing workshop.

New York, NY, April 4, 2013—When Christ changed bread and wine into his body and blood at the Last Supper, he instituted the Eucharist and established the central act of Christian worship. For medieval Christians, the Eucharist (the sacrament of Communion) was not only at the heart of the Mass—its presence and symbolism also wielded enormous influence over cultural and civic life. Illuminating Faith: The Eucharist in Medieval Life and Art, on view May 17 to September 2, 2013, explores how artists of the period depicted the celebration of the sacrament and its powerful hold on society in more than sixty-five exquisitely illuminated manuscripts drawn from the Morgan’s renowned collection.

Included among the masterpieces will be the Hours of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, one of the greatest of all illuminated manuscripts; the Preparation for Mass of Pope Leo X, which remained at the Vatican until it was looted by Napoleon’s troops in 1798; a personal prayer book created for Anne de Bretagne, queen of France; and a number of superb Missals that are rarely exhibited. In addition, objects used in medieval Eucharistic rituals will be displayed, including a chalice, ciborium, pax, altar card, and two monstrances that displayed Communion wafers.

An unpublished, handwritten, poem in praise of absinthe drinking by the great occultist, Aleister Crowley, is to be sold in Part I of The Roy Davids Collection III: Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets at Bonhams New Bond Street on 10 April. It is estimated at £1,500-2,000.

Crowley (1875-1947), a bisexual, drug using, self styled prophet, often referred to as the ‘Great Beast 666’ was an inveterate absinthe drinker. His poem is called ‘The Green Hour’ and celebrates the period from 5 pm to 7, during which the drink was often imbibed.

(NEW ORLEANS, LA) — April 3, 2013 — The New Orleans Auction Galleries announces their Spring Estate Auction with nearly 1,600 lots, including fine paintings, art pottery, estate jewelry, a collection of garden furniture and statuary, and an extensive clock collection. The auction will take place over a period of three days: Friday, April 19, starting at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, starting at 10 a.m. 

Guests are welcome to preview the items at the Gallery, 510 Julia Street (at the corner of Magazine St.), from Wednesday, April 3 through Friday, April 19, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., excluding Sundays.  In addition, a late-evening preview event is scheduled for Thursday, April 18, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

The Letters of Jack Kerouac to Ed White, 1947-1969. Glenn Horowitz's latest catalogue documents an important collection of five dozen lengthy letters and postcards written by Jack Kerouac to Ed White, the majority unpublished and composed prior to the 1957 publication of On the Road. White and Kerouac met in 1946 as undergraduates at Columbia University and White’s suggestion that Kerouac spontaneously “sketch” his ideas in a pocket notebook greatly impacted his friend’s narrative style - Kerouac would later confess to Neal Cassady, “It’s the only way to write.” These letters chart an important friendship from its Columbia days onward and document the writing and publication of Kerouac’s major novels.

93 pp.; 6 x 9 inches; pictorial wrappers. $25.

To order a catalogue, or for further information about the collection, please email info@glennhorowitz.com.

The signed manuscript of a patriotic poem by the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conon Doyle, is to be sold in Part I of The Roy Davids Collection III: Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets at Bonhams New Bond Street on 10 April. It is estimated at £5,000-8,000.

Written in 1915 — the manuscript is dated 10 October — the poem, entitled ‘Ypres’ was Conan Doyle’s contribution to The Queen's Gift Book, published for Christmas 1915 'In aid of Queen Mary's Convalescent Auxiliary Hospitals For Soldiers And Sailors Who Have Lost Their Limbs In The War'. It was subsequently included in Doyle's The Guards Came Through and Other Poems, 1919.

An exhibition focused on the theme of the unicorn in medieval and Renaissance art will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of The Cloisters museum and gardens—the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Opening May 15 at The Cloisters, the exhibition Search for the Unicorn: An Exhibition in Honor of The Cloisters’ 75th Anniversary will include some 40 works of art in diverse media drawn from the collections of the Metropolitan Museum, other public institutions, and private collections.

The exhibition is made possible by the Michel David-Weill Fund and the Quinque Foundation.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of the most enduring and influential pieces of literature, despite its less than auspicious beginning.

In the fall of 1958, the world was slated to receive the debut of New York sophisticate, Connie Gustafson. However, Connie Gustafson never made her debut— She was replaced by the icon the world knows as Holly Golightly.

A rare 86-page typed manuscript of Breakfast at Tiffany's with hand annotations by Truman Capote will be featured at auction, from New Hampshire based RR Auction in April.

NEW YORK — The largest single selections of signed Harry Potter first editions offered at one time, including a rare first edition, first printing of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone — one of the first 500 copy press run — may conjure $30,000+ as part of Heritage Auctions’ Rare Books Signature® Auction April 10 at New York’s Fletcher Sinclair Mansion (Ukrainian Institute of America) at 2 East 79th Street (at 5th Ave.). A highlight among the number of signed and autographed editions is a first edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, signed by Rowling and 14 members of the cast of the Warner Bros. film. The book is accompanied by a pass to a cast and crew screening of the film and a certificate of authenticity and is expected to bring $5,000+. 

The volumes leads a deep run of the world’s more sought after children’s titles among a select library of unique books, manuscripts, prints and maps.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — "Rarely can you see, let alone own, a handwritten manuscript by someone like F. Scott Fitzgerald," said Nate D. Sanders, who is auctioning the original poem. "It's an extraordinary finding that comes along maybe once every 10 to 20 years."

Unearthed from the estate of actress Helen Hayes, whom Fitzgerald became close to during the 1930s, Fitzgerald's poem is written to Hayes' daughter, Mary, who was almost 8 years old at the time.

Chicago, Illinois — On April 10, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will showcase a fine selection of rare and historical Americana, including books, autographs, and maps, as part of their Fine Books and Manuscripts sale. 

Leading the sale is an early four-page letter from George Washington, as Commander of the Continental Army, to the Governor of New York, George Clinton, July 30, 1782. Letters from this period in Washington’s military campaign are exceedingly rare, especially with historically significant content. Here, Washington expresses his concern to Clinton for General Marinus Willett’s command of the Mohawk Valley, a strategic and vulnerable point on the Revolutionary War battle lines that had been plagued with numerous skirmishes between Loyalists and Allies. Washington planned to send Willett on a secret mission to recapture the British-held Fort Ontario at Oswego, but expresses doubts: “I wish to be informed … of the force of Willet’s [sic] corps now assembled on the Mohawk, also the strength of the enemy at Oswego, of which I have as yet had only vague and unsatisfactory accounts.” He warns them to be cautious; not to act too quickly. The mission, sent February 1783, would fail, when Willett’s forces were unable to surprise the garrison. It continued to be held by the British until 1796, thirteen years after the Peace of Paris.

March  2012 — Woburn, MA — At James D. Julia, our goals include bringing our global community of customers the very finest and most interesting antiques and artifacts possible. At our recent Winter 2013 Extraordinary Firearms Auction — which grossed over $13 million and featured remarkable militaria spanning four centuries — many lots also came with breathtaking provenances. This one in particular, with both deep Civil War and family roots, really caught our attention.

The Col. George G. Briggs Civil War Collection

The lot, number 1480, was a breathtaking collection of Civil War materials. These items, consigned by a Rhode Island family who were direct descendants of Col. George G. Briggs, were estimated at $45,000 to 65,000.  Briggs was the last commander of the 7th Michigan Cavalry and a trusted friend and confidante of Lt. Colonel George A. Custer, the famous officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.  After spirited and competitive bidding, the package sold for $184,000, including the buyer's premium.

28 March 2013 — Sotheby’s is pleased to offer the largest and most important group of William Faulkner material ever to appear at auction on 11 June 2013. Estimated to fetch over $2 million, Property from the Descendants of William Faulkner contains a highly personal selection of letters, manuscript drafts, and drawings, providing a remarkable window into key moments of the celebrated author’s life, including his time in Paris in the 1920s as well as receipt of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.  Further glimpses into the private life of this public figure are offered by intimate gifts the author prepared by for his wife and daughter.  A portion of the collection was only recently discovered on his family’s property in Virginia, including a number of items previously feared lost.  Highlights will be on view at Sotheby’s Paris in late May and in New York in advance of the June sale.

“This archive is remarkable for the new insight it provides into how Faulkner explored his artistic future in 1920s Paris, how his principles informed the content of his novels, and how he struggled with life in Hollywood, among other topics,” commented Justin Caldwell, Vice President in Sotheby’s Books & Manuscripts Department.  “The intimate nature of so many of these items speaks to Faulkner’s enduring relevance today, not only as one of the most important American authors of the 20th century, but as a writer who remains an essential figure to everyone from President Obama to Martin Scorsese, Oprah Winfrey to will.i.am, French President François Hollande and most currently James Franco, who is currently starring in and directing a film adaptation of As I Lay Dying.”

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has named a group of distinguished men and women in the field of literacy to serve on the advisory board for the new Library of Congress Literacy Awards.

These awards will be conferred for the first time in fall 2013 to recognize and support outstanding achievements in the field of literacy, both in the United States and abroad. The awards are made possible through the generosity of David M. Rubenstein.

CHICAGO — The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) has selected four winners and one honorable mention for the 2013 Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab American Book Prices Current Exhibition Awards.

The awards, funded by an endowment established by Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab, editors of American Book Prices Current, recognize outstanding printed exhibition catalogs and guides and electronic exhibitions produced by North America and Caribbean institutions. Certificates will be presented to each winner at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

New York—Swann Galleries’ Printed & Manuscript Americana auction on Tuesday, April 16, features the Theodore Roosevelt Collection of Peter Scanlan, as well as scarce Mormon items, American Revolution, Civil War and American Indian material, and archives related to famous and notorious Americans.

Peter Scanlan began collecting Theodore Roosevelt material as a young boy and continued throughout his life, building a collection that was wide-ranging, with emphasis on books and pamphlets by Roosevelt, and included a choice selection of autographs, books about Roosevelt, material related to the extended family, and posters, photographs, ephemera and artifacts covering the whole of Roosevelt’s life. Of note in the auction are Roosevelt’s memoriam for his wife and mother, who died on the same day in 1884, In Memory of My Darling Wife Alice Hathaway Roosevelt and of My Beloved Mother Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, which had a very small print run and has become one of the greatest printed Roosevelt rarities (estimate: $25,000 to $35,000); a Typed Letter Signed to the acting Secretary of War, William Cary Sanger, postponing a major offensive against the Muslim inhabitants of the southern Philippines, Washington, 20 April 1902 ($1,500 to $2,500); and a family photograph album showing the President and his children, circa 1890-1910 ($4,000 to $6,000).

A 1555 copy of Andreas Vesalius’ De humani corporis fabrica with the author’s own extensive hand-written notes and corrections is being made available for study at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto.

The book in question was acquired by a private collector at auction in Germany and has been generously placed on deposit by the owner at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in order to make it available to the wider scholarly community.

DALLAS — A massive six sheet movie poster for Casablanca, one of just two copies known, bid a fond ‘Here’s looking at you, kid’ to its pre-auction estimate of $60,000+ to realize $107,550 in Heritage's Vintage Movie Poster Signature® Auction. Measuring an impressive 81” x 81,” the poster took top lot honors during the March 23-24 event which brought $1.72+ million and was 96.4% sold by value. 

“This is the largest Casablanca poster we’ve ever offered at Heritage,” said Grey Smith, Director of Movie Posters at Heritage. “It is always a pleasure to manage the sale of a rare find like this six sheet - this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to own this particular poster and the price proves it.”

NEW YORK, March 2013 — Columbia University Libraries’ Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) is pleased to announce the acquisition of the archive of the author Dawn Powell. The collection includes published and unpublished manuscripts, artwork, first editions, and the long suite of diaries that capture her life experiences in New York City during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. 

Powell, a New York novelist whose posthumous champions included Gore Vidal, Edmund Wilson and Matthew Josephson, produced hundreds of short stories, ten plays, fifteen novels and extended diary volumes throughout her lifetime. Despite a prodigious output, Powell’s career was not widely regarded during her lifetime. When she died in 1965, most of her novels were out of print.

New York—Outstanding examples of early printed books—including incunabula from the Library of Kenneth Rapoport—are featured in Swann Galleries’ annual spring auction of Fine Books on Thursday, April 11, which is also opening day of the 53rd Annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair. The sale additionally offers fine examples of bindings, illustrated books, literature, science and natural history, travel books and writing manuals.

The book with the highest pre-sale estimate in the auction is John James Audubon and John Bachman’s The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, a first edition in book form of Audubon’s second monumental and enduringly popular work of natural history illustration, containing 150 hand-colored lithographed plates, New York, 1845-48 (estimate: $250,000 to $350,000).

Another richly illustrated natural history lot is a first edition of Daniel Giraud Elliot’s A Monograph of the Tetraoninae, or Family of the Grouse, with 27 hand-colored plates of birds and eggs, New York, 1865 ($10,000 to $15,000).

BEVERLY HILLS — J.C. Leyendecker’s Honeymoon, The Saturday Evening Post cover, July 17, 1926, one of the illustrator’s all-time greatest Post covers, is expected to bring $80,000+ as the centerpiece of Heritage Auctions’ April 11-12 Illustration Art Signature® Auction.

“I would argue that this is not only one of Leyendecker’s greatest Post covers, but one of his greatest works, period,” said Ed Jaster, Senior Vice President at Heritage Auctions. “The detail, the amazingly vibrant color and the vividly depicted subjects all add up to a masterpiece among masterpieces from one of the form’s greatest practitioners. I fully expect top collectors to come after this piece with tremendous enthusiasm.”

A hand-written manuscript of South African poet Roy Campbell’s translation of Saint John of the Cross, will be offered for sale at Bonhams auction of The Roy Davids’ Collection of Manuscripts to be held in London on 10 April where it is expected to fetch more than 70,000 Rand.

Campbell (1901-1957) made the vow to translate the works of the saint during his escape from death at the hands of a Republican mob in Toledo in 1936, when he rescued the saint’s papers from destruction.

Beverly Hills, CA — March 22, 2013 — Julien’s Auctions, the world’s premier music and entertainment memorabilia auction house has announced Music Icons 2013, an exceptional auction event featuring a rare VOX guitar played by two legendary Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison.   The one-day auction to take place at Hard Rock Cafe New York in Time Square  will also feature an extraordinary collection of music memorabilia including items from the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the King of Pop Michael Jackson, Bette Midler, David Cassidy, David Bowie, The Grateful Dead, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix and much more.

The rare offering of a VOX guitar played by both John Lennon and George Harrison is what rock n’ roll legends are made of. The striking custom guitar built by Mike Bennett and Dickey Denney was gifted to “Magic Alex” Mardas by John Lennon in 1967.  Harrison played the guitar while practicing “I am the Walrus” during The Magical Mystery Tour and by Lennon while recording a video session for “Hello, Goodbye.” The spectacular piece of Beatles history is estimated to bring $200,000-300,000 and offers collectors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the rarest pieces of Beatles memorabilia to ever be offered. The John Lennon/George Harrison played Beatles guitar will be on display at The Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge Silverware in County Kildare, Ireland from April 16th - May 8th.

AUSTIN, Texas — The archive of Nobel Prize-winning writer and University of Texas at Austin alumnus J.M. Coetzee is available for research at the Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin. The bulk of the archive traces the author’s life and career from 1960 through 2012.

Coetzee was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1940 and graduated from the University of Cape Town. After working three years as a computer programmer in England, he enrolled in The University of Texas at Austin in 1965 to pursue his Ph.D. in English, linguistics and Germanic languages, which he earned in 1969. While at the university, he conducted research in the Ransom Center’s collections for his dissertation on the early fiction of Samuel Beckett.

NEW YORK — Bonhams third Asia Week auction, the Xi’an Incident: The Papers of Hyland “Bud” Lyon on March 20 featured never before seen letters and documents surrounding the pivotal 1936 Xi’an Incident and brought over $2.7 million. The unique sale was only eight lots long, although the auction took over an hour due to the continual bidding wars between the attendees, international phone bidders and online bidders primarily from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong — although Europe and the United States were represented as well. The salesroom brimmed with excitement, and occasionally broke out in applause, as lot after lot exceeded pre-sale estimates. 

“There will never be another auction quite like this,” said sale specialist, Dr. Catherine Williamson, Bonhams Director of Fine Books & Manuscripts. “I am thrilled with the results, and very excited about the market for rare Chinese manuscripts going forward.”