Los Angeles – Three Edward Gorey original art pieces will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on August 27, 2020.

Tattooed Man and Associate

This Edward Gorey original artwork, rendered in pen, ink and watercolor is informally titled ''Tattooed Man and Associate.’’ This charming, somewhat absurdist artwork by Gorey was likely completed in the early 1950s, showing a man covered in swirly tattoos speaking to his companion in the library, with amusing touches such as the man holding a miniature person or statue, and a chamber pot next to the reclined reader.

Tales of Good and Evil

The original artwork was done for the cover of Nicolai Gogol's short story collection, "Tales of Good and Evil," unpublished but closely matching the final cover, with slightly different colors on the lady's dress and man's coat. This was completed by Gorey circa 1956, at which time Gorey worked as an illustrator for Doubleday Anchor. This artwork beautifully exemplifies Gorey's Victorian-Gothic sensibility.

Alphabet Postcards

The complete set of 13 illustrated postcards, hand-drawn and watercolored by Gorey under his pseudonym Dogear Wryde, and includes the illustrated envelope entitled ''Dogewar Wryde Postcards / Interpretive Series,’’ along with the signed limited edition card noting this set as #27 of the limited edition of 50. Gorey completed this whimsical set in 1979, each showing his booted lizard interpreting words beginning with the letter ''I'', such as Insouciance, Inquisitiveness and Indigestion.

Additional information on the Gorey’s art can be found at https://natedsanders.com/Edward_Gorey_Original_Limited_Edition_Set_of_His_F-LOT58472.aspx.

Dallas, TX – Sixteen years ago, Heritage Auctions sold a highly graded copy of Chamber of Chills No. 19 for $126.50 – in retrospect, an outright steal. In July of this year, the very same title, bearing a far lesser grade, realized $6,070.80 during Heritage’s summer Comics & Comics Art event. And in 2018, a far better copy of the 1953 book sold for almost twice that amount.

As prices escalated over the years, and with Chamber of Chills No. 19 threatening to overtake far more famous and familiar horror titles, collectors and prospectors flocked to the message boards. They debated, often at great length, what accounts for the marked increase in price and interest in this once-obscure issue published by Harvey, best known for its children’s comics such as Richie Rich and Little Dot.

And time and again, the answer has remained the same: That issue is so highly sought-after because of its cover by Lee Elias, the Englishman revered for his long-running work on Harvey’s Black Cat title and for co-creating the villain Eclipso during his stint at DC Comics in the 1960s.

A skeletal arm, clad in a tuxedo, raises a full snifter to toast a smiling blond-haired woman festooned in blood-red – bustier, necklace, lipstick. The cover’s text reveals the reason for the celebration: “Here’s looking at you darling on our … HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!” The woman holds a smoldering cigarette in her left hand. She smiles. And through the glass, it’s revealed that she, too, is dead. If not now, then soon.

The cover, which punk-rocker-turned-heavy-metal-man Glenn Danzig famously used as the artwork adorning the Misfits’ 1984 single “Die, Die My Darling,” has remained for decades tucked in a private collection. Only now is it finally coming to market for the first time:

Elias’ original cover art for Chamber of Chills No. 19 is one of the premier offerings found in Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art event taking place Sept. 10-13 at Heritage’s world headquarters in Dallas and online at HA.com.

“Believe it or not, the same company that introduced Richie Rich in September 1953 published this the same month, and other horror comics, too,” says Heritage Auctions’ Vice President Barry Sandoval. “Some other horror covers are pretty brutal. But this one seemed to really speak to the time, to 1950s America. Everything was ‘perfect,’ and here’s this seedy image, this evil lurking just beneath the surface.”

Yet soon enough, covers like this one – terrifying, tantalizing, titillating – would vanish from the racks and newsstands thanks to Fredric Wertham, whose book Seduction of the Innocent, published only a year later, warned that comics were rotting the minds and morality of American youth. Senate hearings on the subject, and some cities’ bans on horror and crime comics, spooked the comics industry into self-censoring itself; thus, the creation of the Comics Code Authority, whose seal of approval meant the neutering of comics for decades to come.

Chamber of Chills No. 19 would stand among the last of its kind.

Its origin story actually pre-dated Elias’ involvement: The preliminary and concept sketches for Chamber of Chills No. 19’s cover were actually done in pencil by Harvey’s chief artist (and Richie Rich co-creator!) Warren Kremer, then turned over to Elias. The U.K.-born Elias brought life – and death – to the final work.

A decade ago Heritage Auctions sold Kremer’s sketches for $2,151.

With weeks to go before the Sept. 10-13 Comics & Comic Art event, Elias’ fully fleshed out original has already raced passed the $50,000 mark.

So, yes. To answer that question about what makes this comic so coveted: It’s the cover.

New York – The Morgan Library & Museum is delighted to announce its public reopening beginning with a free opening weekend September 5and6, 2020 and advanced access for members September 2to 4, 2020. Advanced registration for the Member Preview will be available starting Friday, August 21st, 2020. All other tickets go on sale Wednesday, August 26th, 2020.Opening hours will be Wednesday through Sunday from 10:30am to 5pm with 10:30am to 11:30am on Wednesdays and Saturdays reserved for Members. The Morgan’s popular “Free Fridays” program will continue from 3pm to 5pm every Friday afternoon.

Colin B. Bailey, Director of the Morgan Library & Museum, stated, “The Morgan Library & Museum is so pleased to reopen its doors to the resilient citizens of New York City and beyond. These past few months have encouraged us to look deep into our collections and programs, and have reaffirmed the value of art and literature as windows into our best selves and our shared humanity. We look forward to welcoming visitors back to engage with our collections of literature, music, photography, drawing, and more. We are confident that with vigilance, respect, and awareness of the new protocols for navigating the Morgan, we can continue to offer meaningful and uplifting experiences for all who visit as we continue to chart our way during these unprecedented times.”

The Morgan will reopen with rigorous new procedures in place that put the health of its visitors and staff first and that meet all relevant governmental health regulations. Safety measures include:

•Visitor capacity has been reduced to 25%
•Advanced timed ticket purchase or reservations are required
•Increased cleaning and disinfection
•A requirement that face coverings extending over a visitor’s nose and mouth must be worn at all times
•Social distancing will be upheld through signage, visitor paths, and staff training;
•Coat and bag check will be closed
•Hand sanitizer stations will be available for use throughout the campus
•All employees will undergo daily wellness checks

Flexible ticket rescheduling and rebooking as well as augmented online resources regarding exhibitions and collections will ensure that the measures taken to protect the well-being of staff and visitors are paired with a welcoming return to the galleries.

Museumgoers will have the opportunity to take a last look at Jean-Jacques Lequeu: Visionary Architect (closing September 13), The Book of Ruth: Medieval to Modern (closing October 4), and The Drawings of Al Taylor (closing September 13).

During the COVID-19 closure, the Morgan launched new online initiatives, talks, and programs, which will continue after the Morgan reopens its physical campus. The Morgan Connected, the Morgan’s online portal to its digital offerings, is updated weekly and provides details on the latest digital experiences developed for the Museums’ community, including virtual events, exhibitions, videos, collection items, digital facsimiles, blog posts, and more. To reserve tickets, learn more about what will be on view and online, understand which amenities are available and read more about our safety protocols, visitors are encouraged to visit www.themorgan.org.

New York — The second iteration of Swann Galleries’ LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History sale on Thursday, August 13 was a resounding success. The auction bested last year’s results, totaling $1,023,375, hammering above the high estimate for the sale, and delivering stellar prices for desirable material. A portion of the sale proceeds will benefit NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project.

The high-point of the auction was the moment a highly anticipated graphite drawing by Tom of Finland came across the block. The work surpassed its estimate of $6,000 to $9,000, selling for $55,000, a record for the artist, after heated bidding on the phones and several online platforms.

Works by David Wojnarowicz formed the cornerstone of the sale with all 19 lots on offer finding buyers—each far surpassing their high estimates—and five of the lots making it into the top 20. The works came across the auction block through the artist’s brother, as well as the estate of friend and fellow bandmate Brian Butternick. Highlights from the selection included Untitled (Genet with Dog), a mixed-media collage influenced by the writings of Jean Genet ($27,500); Rimbaud in New York, a 1978-79 silver print from an early series by Wojnarowicz where the artist would photograph his friends wearing a mask of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud—who he felt a strong connection to ($23,750); the early 1970s Stoned Sketchbook, influenced by American cartoonist Robert Crumb ($18,750); and the maquette for the 1990 installation piece Lazaretto ($13,750).

Additional fine art works included pieces by Toyen, with Erotic Illustration from Marquis de Sade: Justina cili prokletí ctnost, pen and ink, 1932 ($26,000), and Surrealist Composition, watercolor with pen and ink, 1933 ($13,000); Hugh Steers works featured Catheter Kiss, oil on canvas, 1994 ($47,500), as well as Striped Spread, 1992, and Charity Couple I, 1990, two oil on canvas works ($12,350); and Richmond Barthé with Quo Vadis, cast bronze with dark brown patina, circa 1951 ($13,750).

Photographs on offer provided preeminent material from standout artists. Peter Hujar was present with Ethyl Eichelberger, silver print, 1981 ($40,000), and Robert Mapplethorpe found success with a 1971 mixed-media silver print with hand tinting ($27,500). All four Joan E. Biren (JEB) lots up for offer found buyers, with Audre Lorde in Her Home Study, Staten Island, NY, 1981, printed later, leading the selection at $3,250.

Fine books, manuscripts and ephemera lent a historical perspective to the sale. An 1882 autograph quotation by Oscar Wilde, reading: “The secret of life is in Art,” brought $15,600. The Pretty Women of Paris, an 1883 directory of female sex worker, many of whom were in same-sex relationships or did not adhere to binary gender expression, earned $5,750. Posters of note included Boris Vallejo’s The New St. Marks Baths, circa 1980, which earned $5,750 over a $400 to $600 estimate, and Donal Moffet’s He Kills Me, 1987, at $5,000.

Nicholas D. Lowry, Swann president, noted of the sale: “LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History auction was one of the most active auctions in Swann’s history. In addition to clients who left us with their order bids, collectors from around the world participated in the sale via telephone, and four separate online portals, including the increasingly popular Swann Galleries App. Bidding was competitive and intense throughout the entire 293 lot auction, so much so that the proceedings took seven and a half hours to complete. At the end of the sale the hammer price exceeded the pre-sale high estimate of the auction, with many of the items soaring well past their published estimates. It was exhausting and exhilarating. The auction was the product of all of Swann's departments working together and the combined teamwork clearly paid off. Not just because of the incredible results, but also because all of the wonderful words of encouragement and thanks we received from the collecting community, we are delighted to be able to announce that we are already planning our next LGBTQ+ auction for 2021!”

For the house’s most up-to-date auction schedule please visit seanngalleries.com.

Dallas, TX – In 1970, Frank Frazetta painted two versions of the cover for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars.

One he sent to the publishing house Doubleday, whose hardback version of the 1912 story – featuring the debuts of Confederate soldier John Carter and Martian princess Dejah Thoris – has become one of the most recognizable and influential covers in publishing history. And the other Frazetta made for himself immediately upon competition of the assignment. He was deeply proud of the piece and knew its return was unlikely. Better, he thought, to make another than lose this only child.

The paintings that Frazetta titled The Princess of Mars, each featuring John Carter brandishing a sword above his head and Dejah Thoris alongside him, were seemingly identical in almost every way. They look the same at first, second, even third glance. But there are alterations, at once small yet significant: In the version Frazetta kept for himself, “Dejah's stance is more upright, indicating her prowess and confidence and depicting a stronger woman,” notes Nadia Mannarino, Heritage Auctions’ New York City-based Senior Consignment Director for Comics & Comic Art.

“And the breast plate and jewelry in this painting are more ornate,” says Mannarino, who, alongside her husband Joe, began representing Frazetta in the 1980s. “And the moons are much more defined.”

Put plainly, says Heritage Auctions’ Vice President Barry Sandoval. “This is the rare case when the second version is even better than the published one.”

Decades ago, the Mannarinos helped auction off the Doubleday version through Christie’s. But the one he made and kept for himself – truly such a rare and extraordinary thing to do! –  has remained with Frazetta’s family for five decades. It has never before been to market. Not until now.

Frazetta’s personal version of his The Princess of Mars is a centerpiece of Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art event taking place Sept. 10-13, at Heritage’s world headquarters in Dallas and online at HA.com.

In recent years, Frazetta’s pieces have realized extraordinary sums. Only last year, Heritage Auctions sold his Egyptian Queen, from 1969, for $5.4 million. Others, too, have sold for seven figures, prices befitting the best known, most revered – and most-often imitated -- fantasy and science fiction artist of the 20th century.

The high expectations for Frazetta’s The Princess of Mars are warranted for another reason, too:

This is the piece upon which Tom Jung modeled the first Star Wars poster – the one with Luke Skywalker wielding a lightsaber, Princess Leia at his knee, Darth Vader’s helmet looming behind them like a sunset. The Princess of Mars is the piece upon which countless science fiction and fantasy artists built their careers. Its echo resounds five decades later like a shot just fired.

Frazetta rarely revisited his own work, and on those rare occasions when he did, he would dramatically and drastically revise the piece as not to repeat himself. But just as The Princess of Mars struck a chord with other artists, so, too, did it resonate with its maker.

“Frazetta recounted to us numerous times that he so loved the image and hated the fact that it would remain with the publisher that he executed ‘one for me’ at the same time,” Nadia says. “He also confided to us that he loved this second painting even more.”

“Frazetta has always been the man,” Sandoval says. “A colleague once joked that the evolution of the collector is: You start by collecting low-grade comic books. Then you only want high-grade books. Then you only want original art. Then, you only want Frazetta.”

Amsterdam — Maps show the knowledge of the geography of a place at a given time, and Henricus Hondius’ America noviter delineata (1631) displays an unusual East Coast of North America, packed full of place names, including Chesdpiooc (Chesapeake), Sanawanook, Hatoraske (Hatteras); Charlefort, Cap de S. Roman, etc. The Great Lakes are not yet shown, nor does Long Island appear.

This beautiful and popular map of the Americas was emulated by numerous cartographers and went through various editions. Originally issued by Jodocus Hondius II in 1618 with carte-a-figures borders, it was derived from two earlier maps by Blaeu. North America retains the peninsular California and the East Coast is beginning to take shape, although it still lacks detail in the mid-Atlantic region. In the Southwest, the famous seven cities of Cibola appear on the banks of a large lake. In South America, there is a large inland sea on the equator and two engraved scenes -- one detailing a cannibalistic feast. Two stylized insets of the polar regions are enclosed in strapwork cartouches; the North Pole depicts Frobisher's theory of the Northwest Passage and the South Pole shows the long-held notion of the mythical southern continent. The map is richly ornamented with a strapwork title cartouche, fleets of ships and sea monsters.

Shortly after Jodocus Hondius' death in 1629 the plate passed into the hands of his brother, Henricus. The borders were removed to facilitate the smaller atlas. This is the third state with the imprint of Henrico Hondius and a date of 1631.

Marc Harrison, category manager Books, Manuscripts & Cartography at Catawiki: “One of The fascinations of maps, is our ability to see the development of knowledge over time. This beautiful map shows how knowledge of America grew in the early 17th century.”

The auction will be online starting Friday 21 August 2020 at 10:00 UTC | closing Friday 28 August 2020 at 18:01 UTC and will be visible at this link.

Other cartography sale highlights include:

-A very nice Spanish armillary sphere (pictured above). With a diameter of 20cm an height of 32cm, this would sit nicely on the desk of anyone who dreams of the planets. Paluzie manufactured these from 1885 to 1935, but this copy is a fairly early “model A” issued around the turn of the century. In excellent condition, it retains its original paper labels. https://www.catawiki.com/l/39616203

-A very nice copy of Klodt’s scarce Sterrenhimmel. This large map of the planets is over 1 metre tall by 1 metre wide. In excellent condition, it will be an unusual find for any collector of celestial objects. The chart rotates, allowing the observer to see the stars as the cross the skies. https://www.catawiki.com/l/39616035

Amsterdam — The Dutch have always been known for beautiful flowers, and particularly for their tulips. Indeed, the Tulip Craze is often cited alongside the South Sea Bubble as one of the more interesting economic collapses of the modern age. This wonderful book contains 52 (of 53 - it appears that one was never bound in) beautiful engraved and professionally coloured illustrations of Dutch flowers. Naturally these include Tulips!

With clean, bright engravings, and held in a full leather binding, this is an opportunity to bid on one of the most beautiful books of its type.

H.L. Myling was one of the finest Dutch engravers. He often engraved portraits and city views. This Dutch Flower work is one of the best examples of his work.  

P.T. van Brussel (Paul Theodor) was one of the finest flower painters of his age. This was one of his last, and best, works, as he died a year later.

Marc Harrison, category manager Books, Manuscripts & Cartography at Catawiki: “The Tulips of Holland are one of the most instantly recognizable national symbols of the Dutch, and we are very pleased to offer this copy of a highly important and collectable work. The height of Dutch flower painting. “

The auction is visible be online from now until Friday 21st August 2020 at 20:00 CET and will be visible at the following link: https://www.catawiki.com/l/39787219

Boston – An alluring treasure trove awaits seasoned collectors as well as new visitors at the 44th annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair which will be held virtually November 12-14, 2020. The event will showcase the finest in rare and valuable books, illuminated manuscripts, autographs, ephemera, political and historic documents, maps, atlases, photographs, fine and decorative prints, and much more.
 
Collectors will be able to virtually peruse the booths of every exhibitor in the Fair, or quickly visit their favorite dealers, hosted in an easy-to-navigate online version of the traditional book fair booth. A search feature will allow visitors to quickly browse by category, dealer, keyword, with each item featuring a brief description, condition, and price; with the ability to contact dealers directly to learn more about the items for sale. Each exhibitor will showcase up to 50 of their most interesting and significant pieces, creating a remarkable and diverse selection of items from around the world.  Fresh items will be available throughout the weekend as dealers will be continually restocking their virtual booths.
 
With the Fair moving online, everyone around the globe can attend the Boston Book Fair, one of the oldest and most respected antiquarian book shows in the U.S.!
 
The 2020 Boston Book Fair will launch with a Patron Preview on Friday, November 12, 11AM-7PM, and will require purchase of a ticket for $50.00.  It will be an exclusive opportunity to get a first look at items for sale. The Fair opens, free to the public, at 11AM on November 13 and will run 24 hours a day online at www.abaa.org/vbf until November 14 at 7PM.  For more information and tickets for the Patron Preview visit www.abaa.org/vbf.

Whether just browsing or buying, the Fair offers something for every taste and budget—books on art, politics, travel, gastronomy, and science to sport, natural history, literature, fashion, music, and children’s books—all appealing to a range of bibliophiles and browsers.  From the historic and academic, to the religious and spiritual, from the exotic to everyday—the Fair has offerings in every conceivable genre and subject.  Attendees will have the unique chance to view rare and historic museum-quality items, offered by some of the most prestigious participants in the trade.
 
Special events at this year’s fair will include a series of webinars that will be announced in early fall.  For more information about programming at the Fair, visit bostonbookfair.com.
 
In recent years, novice and younger collectors have been increasingly captivated with unique offerings at accessible price points. For attendees wanting to start a collection without breaking the bank, there will be dealers offering “Discovery” items priced at $100 or less, so there is something for everyone.

The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair is sponsored by the New England Chapter of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America. Exhibitor registration opens August 20 at https://www.biblio.com/app/booksellers/join_book_fair, but only ABAA members and ILAB members are eligible.

San Marino, CA — As part of its Centennial Celebration, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens has announced the creation of a one-year fellowship for the study of Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006), the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur “genius” Fellowship and the first African American woman to win widespread recognition writing in that genre. The seed funding for this initial year paves the way for possible longer-term endowment that would support the fellowship in perpetuity.

In tandem with the announcement of the fellowship, The Huntington will host another of its Centennial events, part of the ongoing President’s Series activities centered around Butler’s papers, “Inspired by Octavia E. Butler.” The Aug. 26 event features Los Angeles-based writer Lynell George, author of the forthcoming book A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler (Angel City Press, 2020), in conversation with William Deverell, professor of history at the University of Southern California and director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, and Karla Nielsen, The Huntington’s curator of literary collections. George, a 2017–18 Alan Jutzi Fellow at The Huntington, will discuss how she came to know and identify with Butler, who grew up near where George lives in Pasadena, through her work in Butler’s archive. The virtual event will take place on Aug. 26 from 4–5 p.m. (Reserve online.)

The Huntington is the repository of Butler’s literary archive.

The Octavia E. Butler Fellowship

“The Huntington is delighted to offer a research grant that will provide support for a scholar who wishes to spend a full academic year working with Butler’s literary archive and reflecting on and writing about its profound implications,” said Steve Hindle, The Huntington’s W.M. Keck Foundation Director of Research. “This initiative is particularly timely because it is designed to promote critical engagement with the published work and personal reflections of a writer who was committed to the reconstruction of the experience of the disenfranchised not only in the real, historical past but also in imaginary pasts and futures.” Applicants for the fellowship may be working from a variety of disciplinary perspectives on the ideas and issues explored by Butler in her published works, ranging from speculative fiction and Afrofuturism to environmental studies and biotechnology.

“In the seven years since it has been open to researchers, Butler’s archive has become the most frequently requested collection in our reading room, testament to intense scholarly interest in the collection,” Nielsen noted.
(For information about applying for the fellowship.)

The President’s Series: Inspired by Octavia E. Butler

“While the Butler Fellowship focuses expressly on the scholarly use of her capacious archives, our Centennial events on Butler present her work in the context of the blueprint and inspiration it has become—for writers and other artists, students, educators, and activists,” says Karen R. Lawrence, Huntington President and the host of the series. Lawrence herself taught Butler as a professor of 20th-century literature at the University of Utah and the University of California, Irvine.

In January 2020, in association with UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, the President’s Series sponsored “Octavia E. Butler’s Parables: A Music Talk with Toshi Reagon,” the acclaimed composer and lyricist, in The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall. In March 2020, the President’s Series presented Damian Duffy and John Jennings, the award-winning team behind the No. 1 bestseller Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, discussing their new graphic novel adaptation of Butler's Parable of the Sower. Other public events planned for the series before the pandemic are currently under revision.

Octavia E. Butler

Octavia E. Butler, a Pasadena native, began writing at the age of 10 and turned to science fiction by the time she was 12. She often cited the 1954 movie Devil Girl from Mars as her inspiration: “I thought, I can write a better story than that.” Despite being told repeatedly by family and friends that writing science fiction was not a career for a Black person, Butler pursued creative writing courses at Pasadena City College and there won a student short story writing contest.

In 1969, Butler attended a screenwriting workshop where she caught the attention of Harlan Ellison, a prolific and influential author of speculative fiction. Ellison encouraged Butler to attend the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop in Pennsylvania, where she made lifelong connections and sold two stories.

For the next five years, Butler wrote and supported herself with menial jobs but did not sell any of her writing. Finally, in 1976, Doubleday published Butler’s first novel, Patternmaster. Her best-known work, Kindred, appeared in 1979. A standard in many high school and college curricula, the novel follows a Black woman who travels back in time to a plantation in antebellum Maryland to confront her history.

In 1993, Butler published Parable of the Sower, a near-future dystopian novel that continues to resonate with contemporary readers. The sequel, Parable of the Talents, followed in 1998. Butler moved to Washington state in 2000 and died in 2006 after a fall outside her home. She was 58 years old. In all, Butler published 12 novels and one volume of short works, earning two Hugo and two Nebula awards along the way. Her pioneering work explored themes of identity, community, power, climate, sexuality, and class, as well as race.

After Butler’s death, The Huntington became the recipient of her papers, which include extensive drafts, notes, and research materials for her novels, short stories, and essays, as well as correspondence and ephemera from throughout her life. In all, the rich trove of materials now fills 386 boxes.

In 2017, The Huntington presented “Octavia E. Butler: Telling My Stories,” an exhibition that examined the life and work of the author through some 100 selected objects from the archive, revealing the writer’s early years and influences and highlighting specific themes that repeatedly commanded her attention.

The Huntington’s Centennial Celebration is made possible by the generous support of Avery and Andrew Barth, Terri and Jerry Kohl, and Lisa and Tim Sloan.

London — An historically important collection of antiquarian cookery books and manuscripts assembled by hotelier and television presenter, Ruth Watson was 100% sold at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in London on Wednesday 19 August. The collection as a whole made £152,260, nearly three times its lower estimate.
 
Among the highlights were:
 
    •    A collection of handwritten culinary and medicinal recipes, including Spanish Natas, dated 1658 and inscribed Sarah Turner. Sold for £15,063 (estimate: £3,000-4,000).
 
    •    A handwritten recipe and household book kept by the Croft family of Stillington Hall, North Yorkshire, from the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries written in several hands, including French and Indian recipes. The Crofts were part of the famous wine-shipping dynasty and friends of the novelist Laurence Sterne, who may well have dined off some of the dishes in the book. Sold for £11,938 (estimate: £2,000-3,000).
 
    •    A Book of culinary receipts written in several late seventeenth and eighteenth century hands, many with attractive calligraphic headings, including recipes for "Marmalade of Rasberrys or Currants" and a set of menus and decorative table plans suggesting how to serve the dishes à la française. Sold for £12,563 (estimate: £2,000-3,000).
 
Bonhams senior book specialist Simon Roberts said, “This was a wonderful collection full of good and rare things and I am not surprised that collectors were so eager to acquire examples of books that rarely come onto the market. The unique manuscripts, of course, are unlikely to appear at auction again for many years.”
 
Other highlights of the sale included:
 
    •    Klänge, by Wassily Kandinsky.  A first edition of this 1913 work,  number 64 of 300 copies signed by the artist. Sold for £37,563.
 
    •    Seven Pillars of Wisdom. A Triumph, by T. E Lawrence.  A privately printed edition, inscribed by the author. Sold for £35,063.
 
    •    A series of letters from the Welsh poet and painter David Jones to Valerie Wynne-Williams. Sold for £35,063
 
The sale made £848,000 with 91% sold by lot and 75% by value.