Stevie Nicks’ Diary, Klondike Archive, and Bookplates: The Week in Rare Books
Stevie Nicks' personal diary with handwritten entries and annotations
This weekly auction result is provided by Spencer W Stuart, an independent collections advisor specializing in rare books and manuscripts as well as fine photography and prints. He is also the author of Contemporary Issues in Rare Books & Manuscript Collecting and host of the monthly webinar Collecting Insights.
These are the three lots that stuck out this week because of either uniqueness or exceeding expectations:
A Klondike Mining Archive
Around 90 items chronicling life in and around Dawson including two manuscript diaries, a typescript diary in two parts, one handwritten record of gold panning with diary entries, various receipts, invoices, maps, and photographs from c. 1898-1904. Sold at PBA Galleries for $5,000 following an estimate of $500-$800.
2,100 Bookplates
Bookplates from the 16th to 20th centuries from the Estate of the Ticino artist and collector Gastone Cambin including six hand-painted coats of arms bookplates from the 16th century, examples from European and Swiss institutions or private libraries from the 17th to the 20th centuries such as the library of Beromünster Abbey, the Royal Library of Monza, and a bookplate of Prince Umberto of Savoy, and a bookplate featuring the coat of arms created for Winston Churchill on behalf of the Swiss Federal Council on the occasion of a state visit in 1946. Sold for CHF 4,300 ($5,390) at Koller.
Stevie Nicks' Diary from 1968
The musician's burgundy personal diary for 1968 with handwritten entries and annotations for 1968, labelled Day Record Year Book from Bauer-Schweitzer Malting Co, Inc. on the cover. Diary entries written in pen and pencil, filled with personal notes, gig dates, illustrations, and other general information, with 24 personal and promotional photos of the band Fitz. Topics covered include Nicks' personal relationships, her decision to change her hair from the classics 1960s flip to the iconic straight style she became known for, vacations, and her parents leaving the Bay Area for her father's jobs while she stayed. Sold for US$76,700 at Bonhams.
