A newly discovered notebook containing the only known working drafts of Edward Thomas’s very earliest poems, is one of the highlights of Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in London on Wednesday 20 June. It is estimated at £30,000-40,000.

Thomas (1878-1917) was already a well-established literary critic when he turned to writing poetry at the prompting of his friend, the American poet Robert Frost. The notebook - a school exercise book that belonged to his daughter, Myfanwy - is dated 17th and 18th December 1914, two weeks after his momentous conversation with Frost.  It includes handwritten drafts of three of his important early works, The Mountain Chapel, The Birds’ Nests and House and Man.     

The friendship between Edward Thomas and Robert Frost was important to both men.  Frost had moved to the UK in 1912 to revitalise his flagging career. His first book of poetry, A Boy’s Will, was published in 1913, and gained critical attention only after a positive review by Thomas.  Frost, knowing of Thomas’s increasing unhappiness with the daily routine of his career as a literary journalist, gave him the confidence to embrace poetry.

In 1915, despite suffering from intermittent emotional and physical ill-health, and being over the official recruitment age, Thomas volunteered to join the Army. He was killed on Easter Monday 1917 on the first day of the Battle of Arras, having arrived in France only a few days earlier.

Thomas had written poetry feverishly during the preceding two years and his work had been accepted for publication. Six works appeared under a pseudonym during his lifetime, but the first book in his own name, Poems - which included Birds’ Nests - was not published until after his death. The other two works from the notebook were printed in Last Poems in 1918.

Thomas’s reputation grew rapidly in the early 1930s and has never diminished. Dylan Thomas wrote of him: “It is as though we had always known his poems, and were only waiting for him to write them down.” Ted Hughes - a poet of a much later generation - wrote simply, “He is father of us all.” 

The notebook was given in 1922 by Thomas’s widow Helen to Jack Haines, a Gloucester solicitor and poet and close friend of both Frost and Thomas. Haines played an important role in the publication of Thomas’s work, and in an article in 1933, coined the term Dymock Poets to describe the group including Thomas, Frost, Rupert Brooke and John Drinkwater who had lived in and around the Gloucestershire village of the same name.   

Bonhams Head of Books and Manuscripts Matthew Haley said: “This is a very important discovery. Thomas tended to write ideas for his poems on scraps of paper which he then destroyed when he copied out the finished work. This notebook, therefore, is one of the few surviving examples of his creative process at work, and of great literary significance.”   

The notebook is one of more than 40 lots in the sale relating to Frost, Thomas and the Dymock Poets, including the handwritten definitive version of Frost’s well-known poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Image: (Left) Handwritten early draft of poem from Edward Thomas’s newly discovered notebook.  Estimate: £30,000-40,000. (Right) Portrait of Edward Thomas.

Westport, CT - With politics so much in the news, it’s fitting that University Archives’ online auction slated for Wednesday, June 20th, is packed with presidential memorabilia - items from all the past U.S. Presidents, in fact. The auction features 266 lots of rare, highly collectible autographed documents, photos, manuscripts, books and relics, beginning at 10:30 am Eastern.

“It’s rare to find all of our past presidents represented in one single event, as is the case with this auction,” said John Reznikoff, the owner of Westport-based University Archives. “The examples are mostly high-quality and many have superior content. Most have been off the market for at least half a century.” The expected top earners are items from Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, JFK and Reagan. Jackie Kennedy is represented as well.

But the auction features more than just U.S. Presidents. Other highlight lots pertain to aviation pioneer Orville Wright (of Wright Brothers fame), American Rev-War hero Nathaniel Greene, former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and the German composer Johannes Brahms. People can register and bid now, at UniversityArchives.com or on the platform Invaluable.com.

Mr. Reznikoff added, “The auction is particularly strong in Revolutionary War period items, highlighted by items from the Charles I. Forbes collection, which haven’t seen the light of day in more than fifty years. Included in the group are more than a few items relating to George Washington, with a rare and superb letter from Nathaniel Greene to General Washington.”

The letter signed by Greene to Washington, dated June 24, 1780, informs Washington of his victory in New Jersey while serving as a major general in the Continental Army, one of the finest Greene letters known. Also sold will be a commission letter signed by Washington, dated Sept. 30, 1789, in which the president appoints William Lewis, a Quaker, as attorney for the District of Pennsylvania (Washington’s home seat). Both of the letters carry estimates of $10,000-$12,000.

An archive of three documents relating to the dismissal of Mary Katherine Goddard as Baltimore Postmaster (and printer of the Declaration of Independence) in 1789 by Postmaster Gen. Samuel Osgood, who said the position required “more traveling than a woman could undertake,” should realize $5,000-$6,000. Goddard pled her case to President Washington, who refused to consider it. It could be said that this was one of the very first women’s rights causes in the United States.

Letters dating to the dawn of aerial flight, all of them addressed to Arthur Ruhl, a writer with Collier’s magazine, will be sold as single lots. They include two letters written by Orville Wright, in 1908 and 1909, refusing requests for a flight as a passenger (est. $2,500-$3,000, $3,000-$5,000); a similar letter, only written by Katherine Wright, Orville’s sister, in 1910 (est. $300-$400); and a 1908 letter by Orville in which he ruminates on aviation (est. $3,000-$5,000).

A lengthy letter written around the 1850s by Johannes Brahms to his good friend and “concert master” Julius Otto Grimm, in which he implores Grimm to “just let loose and create beautiful music!”, is expected to gavel for $6,000-$8,000. The massive archive of nearly 160 autographed signed letters pertaining to Benjamin Disraeli, who ruled Great Britain from 1874-1880, penned to his second secretary, Algernon Turnor, including a leather album, should hit $40,000-$50,000.

A letter typed in German and signed by Albert Einstein on Aug. 29, 1931, in which he praises a musician colleague about being a conscientious objector, has an estimate of $2,600-$2,800 and comes with an English translation. Several lots pertaining to Jackie Kennedy will be offered, to include a four-page signed letter, written to her mother from London in 1955, two years after her marriage to JFK in which she alludes to his early affairs, should change hands for $3,000-$3,500.

Speaking of JFK, and returning to the presidents, a single-page typed letter signed by JFK on White House stationery, addressed to Edna Kelly, a Congresswoman and trailblazer for women’s equality, dated Aug. 20, 1962, has an estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Also, a nicely preserved letter written and signed by Abraham Lincoln as president (co-signed by Salmon Chase as Secretary of the Treasury), concerning Lincoln’s home state of Kentucky, should command $5,000-$6,000.

A letter written and twice signed by Thomas Jefferson, dated July 9, 1792 while he was serving as Secretary of State, addressed to the Governor of Vermont with content regarding the revolts in Vermont and the Treaty of Paris, is expected to fetch $6,000-$7,000; while an autographed letter written by Ronald Reagan on presidential card stock to his good friend “Hup” McArthur, in which he thanks him for “my 43rd anniversary of the 39th birthday,” should make $1,000-$1,200.

As with all University Archives online auctions, this one is packed with important, scarce and collectible signed documents and other items relating to some of the most famous names in all of history. The firm has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare material of this nature.

University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by John Reznikoff, who started collecting stamps and coins in 1968, while in the third grade. Industry-wide, Reznikoff is considered the leading authenticity expert for manuscripts and documents. He consults with law enforcement, dealers, auction houses and both major authentication companies.

For more information about University Archives and the Wednesday, June 20th online auction, please visit www.universityarchives.com.                                               

Image: Lot 91: Letter written by Nathaniel Greene of the Continental army to George Washington, dated June 24, 1780, informing Washington of his victory in New Jersey (est. $10,000-$12,000).

New York—Swann Galleries broke long-standing records and brought new artists to auction for the first time in their June 5 Illustration Art sale. 76% of the rich selection of just over 250 works of art sold.

Contributing to the success of the auction was a section of works for historically important theater productions by noted set and costume designers. A promotional drawing by Al Hirschfeld for Cabin in the Sky, 1940, published in The Herald Tribune, was purchased by a collector for $32,500. Hirschfeld also designed the promotional poster for the 1943 film. An early sketch by Jo Mielziner for the set of the Tony award-winning first production of Death of a Salesman, 1949, far exceeded the previous record for a work by the artist, which had stood at $3,250—the ink and wash piece at Swann was purchased by a collector for $23,750. Costume designs by Erté and Elizabeth Montgomery, known as Motley, also performed well.

Topping the sale was Russell H. Tandy’s cover for one of Carolyn Keene’s popular Nancy Drew mysteries, The Secret in the Old Attic, 1944. Each detail of the watercolor and gouache painting was done by hand, including the precise text of the title and author’s name. After break-neck bidding, the work was purchased by a collector for $35,000, a record for the artist.

A record was also achieved by Ruth Eastman with a proposed cover for The Saturday Evening Post, titled Hitting the Links of Palm Beach, mid-1920s. The gouache painting on a printed Post cover reached $8,750, above a high estimate of $1,200. The record for a cover by Charles Addams for The New Yorker was not one of the dark gags for which he is known, but for the bright and hysterical Penguin Convention, 1977. The watercolor vista of innumerable penguins wearing nametags was also a record for any work in color by the artist: it sold to an institution for $30,000.

Another highlight was the auction debut of any work by George Wolfe Plank. Christmas Gifts, 1913, was one of more than 60 covers the artist produced for Vogue between 1911 and 1936. The elegant watercolor reached $22,500.

Works by beloved illustrators Harrison Cady, Arthur Rackham, Charles Schulz, Everett Shinn and Jessie Willcox Smith also performed well.

Specialist Christine von der Linn said of the sale, “We are thrilled with the results, as we were with the enthusiastic throng of attendees at the exhibition the preceding week. The desire for strong works that depict moments of mystery, nostalgia, humor, fashion and theatrical drama continues to fuel competition for the top lots.”           

The next auction of Illustration Art at Swann Galleries will be held on December 6, 2018. The house is currently accepting quality consignments.

London--Bonhams is offering an extraordinary selection of timeless film posters at its entertainment memorabilia sale on Wednesday 18 July in London. Leading the sale is a rare poster of the American classic King Kong, estimated at £50,000-70,000. It is one of only two copies of the Czech Poster known to exist.

Also on offer is a poster from the James Bond series, Diamonds are Forever, featuring Sean Connery, in his famous pose, clutching a gun to his chest, estimated at £20,000-30,000.

Other highlights in the sale include:

• The Beatles: A Belfast Concert Poster, 1964, estimated at £25,000-28,000.
• Le Mans: Original poster artwork by Tom Jung, Cinema Center Films/ Solar Productions, 1971. Estimated at £8,000-12,000. Thomas Jung is an advertising art director, grapHic designer and illustrator who is best known for his movie poster art work having also worked on Doctor Zhivago, Grand Prix, Star Wars, The Dogs of war and Once Upon a Time in America.

Image: Rare 1933 Czech King Kong poster (£50,000-70,000) and Diamonds are Forever poster (£20,000-30,000)

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers announced today that the firm has appointed Thomas Galbraith as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 4, 2018. He succeeds Leslie Hindman who founded the firm in 1982. The appointment follows a private equity investment that positions the firm for aggressive growth.
 
Galbraith co-founded The Petraeus Group in 2010. The consulting firm has provided growth and start-up strategies to Steven Murphy & Partners, Art Dubai, Paddle8, Arthena and numerous other luxury brands and VC firms. During this time, Galbraith also served as Managing Director of Paddle8 and prior to that as Director of Global Strategy for Artnet. He was most recently appointed interim CEO by the board of Twyla, a Google Ventures backed startup, tasked with repositioning the company towards a more profitable future.
 
Note from Founder + Chair, Leslie Hindman
 
“We are extremely excited to have Thomas join us as CEO. With his experience at the cross section of technology and art, and his reputation as a thought leader in the industry, we are poised for future expansion."
 
Note from CEO, Thomas Galbraith

"I am humbled and excited to join Leslie Hindman Auctioneers as CEO and lead the company into the next chapter. Leslie has built a formidable organization and I very much look forward to working with the talented team and bringing a new level of innovation to the industry. Our business is built on trust, customer service and expertise. I’m excited to bring in new technology to aid in these areas, helping us expand to new regions and markets and continue building an excellent team."

An important archive of correspondence and writings from the father of Suprematism, Kazimir Malevich, leads Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in London on Wednesday, 20 June. The 340-page collection, illuminating his artistic activities and personal life against the social and political background of the Soviet era, is estimated at £150,000-250,000.

Kazimir Malevich was the pioneer of modern abstract painting, and his work and thinking had a profound influence on the development of non-objective art in the twentieth-century. The archive, which reveals both his personal and artistic preoccupations, dates from 1913, shortly after his return from his momentous visit to Paris, and ends just before his death from cancer in 1935. It was in Paris that Malevich explored Cubism, developing the style and theory which led to his key work Black Square (1915), the keystone of Suprematist art. 

The correspondence and writings trace his development as an artist, theorist and defender of Suprematism. In one undated letter to the poet Grigorii Petnikov, written when he was already ill from cancer, Malevich claims: “The Black Square is the reality of life” and says of non-objectivity: “It is not the death of Art, but the death of the object in art.” He rails against Soviet state-backed Socialist Realist art, writing in 1921 to The People’s Commissar of Enlightenment, “It’s too bad that Pravda {the official newspaper of the Communist Party, and the Russian word for Truth} has taken control of all the truth.”

Malevich often went hungry and wrote of the frustrations of the Soviet system when attempting to obtain a bread ration. In one letter he complains that as the ration was given only to those who worked, he had to pretend his wife was his secretary, and had resorted to posting bread to himself in the country from Leningrad.

During Malevich final illness he wrote several poignant and nostalgic letters, recalling halcyon summers, mushroom-picking, gathering wood and the countryside he loved, and reproaching himself for not describing the beauty of nature in his painting. In 1934, for example, he wrote to Petnikov "The soft, objectless sound of the wind in the forest is pleasant to us for it is not the noise of the city, not the music of mankind, but the music of objectless nature... Wild nature is wonderful, and we too, being wild, can create wondrous phenomena...". 

The collection was formed by the writer and art collector Nikolai Ivanovich Khardzhiev (1903-1996), editor of the works of Vladimir Mayakovsky and a friend of Anna Akhmatova.

Bonhams Head of Books and Manuscripts Matthew Haley said: “This is probably the most important archive of Malevich’s letters and writings still in private hands. Malevich’s place in art history is assured but his correspondence also reveals a witty and shrewd observer, a good friend, and a likeable and courageous man of great warmth and humour.”

Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935) was a Russian avant garde artist and teacher, and a major figure in the history of art. His theories on the supremacy of pure feeling over objective representation - Suprematism - and the works he produced based on this concept, had a profound effect on 20th century art and culture.  Malevich had an uneasy relationship with the Soviet establishment, and fell out of favour in the late 1920s. His works and papers were confiscated, he was imprisoned briefly, and was forced to paint in a representational style for the rest of his life although he never abandoned his artistic beliefs.   

Image: An important archive of correspondence and writings from Kazimir Malevich. Estimate: £150,000-250,000.

Falls Church, VA — Quinn’s Auction Galleries and its specialist subsidiary Waverly Rare Books will join forces on June 7 and 9 in offering a high-quality selection of fine and decorative art, furniture, Asian antiques and modern first editions. The June 9 session features artworks by such stellar names as Georgia O’Keeffe, Amedeo Modigliani, and acclaimed Washington Color School painter and lyrical abstractionist Sam Gilliam. All forms of bidding will be available to those who cannot attend in person, including phone, absentee, and live via the Internet.

The June 7 session, presented by Waverly Rare Books, contains 486 lots of collectible books, prints, photos, ephemera and memorabilia. A highlight is the 150-lot collection of modern first editions, including The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, The Grapes of Wrath, and titles by George Orwell, Jack Kerouac, Ray Bradbury, William Faulkner, Ezra Pound, Aldous Huxley, Herman Hesse, Rudyard Kipling and many more. Also featured are books, clothing and prints from the Estate of Dr. John Joseph McLaughlin, founder and longtime host of The McLaughlin Group; plus a collection of children’s and illustrated books; maps and atlases; and Old Master Prints.

The impressive grouping of first editions is led by a 1939 copy of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Published by Viking Press, this desirable 1939 first edition retains its original dust jacket and is estimated at $2,000-$4,000. Two examples of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Scribner’s, 1925, contain the typographical errors denoting them as first edition first printings (each $800-$1,200); while another American classic, Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, a 1952 first edition in a first-issue dust jacket (with no mention of the Nobel Prize Hemingway won for writing the novel) could easily surpass its $200-$400 estimate. A group lot of two Hemingway first editions - For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940, first-issue dust jacket) and A Moveable Feast (1964, with dust jacket) - is entered with a $200-$300 estimate.

Thomas Pynchon’s controversial 1973 novel Gravity’s Rainbow traverses science and speculative metaphysics in its storyline, which explores the mystery of a “black device” to be installed inside a World War II German V-2 rocket. A first edition with dust jacket, it is offered in the Waverly session with a $500-$700 estimate.

The collection of items from the estate of Dr. John McLaughlin (1927-2016) reflects both the intellectual and sartorial sides of the popular political commentator best known for his cerebral TV panel show The McLaughlin Group. There are dozens of custom-made blazers and suits, as well as polo shirts, silk ties, and other fine-quality accessories. The trademark tartan plaid sport coat McLaughlin wore on air every holiday season would be instantly recognizable to viewers. Its pre-sale estimate is $200-$400.

The star of Quinn’s June 9 Fine & Decorative Arts session is a circa-1966 Sam Gilliam oil-on-canvas work, Forest Bard. Purchased from a Washington, DC gallery shortly after it was created, the painting has remained in the same family ever since. Signed, titled and dated on verso, the 72- by 36-inch abstract executed in muted blue-green tones with peach and white accents is expected to make $30,000-$50,000.

Gilliam is enjoying the greatest success of his lifetime, but it has been a long time coming for the 84-year-old artist. “Sam Gilliam is regarded as a trailblazer. He was the first African-American artist to exhibit at the Venice Biennale, back in 1972. There has always been an interest in his paintings, especially here in the Washington, DC area, but it has only been in the last few years that his work has really caught fire,” said Quinn’s Sr VP Marketing Matthew Quinn. “Most of his auction records have been set in the last two years. Sotheby’s sold a 1971 Gilliam for more than $680,000 last September - a record price. It will be interesting to see what happens with the painting in our sale.” 

A fascinating study from Georgia O’Keeffe’s (American, 1887-1986) renowned series “Above the Clouds” was consigned by a private Virginia collector whose family was close to the O’Keeffes during the artist’s childhood years in Williamsburg.

“Georgia O’Keeffe kept in contact with the family throughout her life and even stayed with them when The College of William & Mary awarded her an honorary degree in 1938. She gave the family this drawing years later, as a token of her longtime affection,” Quinn noted. The study is artist-signed and carries an $8,000-$12,000 estimate.

A 1948 Jay Hall Connaway (American, 1893-1970) painting titled Winter Cottage Monhegan (Maine) showcases the artist’s ability to capture Monhegan Island’s unique atmosphere on canvas. It measures 27½ x 38 inches (framed) and comes with desirable extra provenance in the form of a card from the artist, on verso. Est. $1,200-$1,600

Other art highlights include an Amedeo Modigliani (Italian, 1917-1920) chalk-on-paper profile of a head, $4,000-$6,000; and a Robert Henry Rockwell (Virginia, 1885-1973) bronze titled Moose. It is signed and dated on the base: R H Rockwell 1940, 1/10. Estimate: $6,000-$9,000.

An important schoolgirl sampler created by Jane Likens (1812-1880), Shepherdstown, (West) Virginia, displays rice, chain and cross-stitches on linen; and is dated 1822. It was exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and has a record of provenance that includes the collection of James F. Scott, prior sale at Sotheby’s (Jan. 2013), and the collection of Connie Bergendoff of Old Lyme, New Hampshire. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000.

Also of note are a set of six Danish Modern Koefoeds Hornslet rosewood chairs with leather-upholstered seats, $800-$1,000; a Shreve & Co., sterling silver set comprising a platter, 12 bread plates and 12 chargers, $2,000-$4,000; and a Tiffany Studios “Arrowroot” lampshade and base with Tiffany Studios New York 534 label, $4,000-$6,000.

For additional information on any item in the June 7 or 9 auctions, call 703-532-5632 (ext. 575 for June 7 session; ext. 571 for fine/decorative arts) or email info@quinnsauction.com. Quinn’s and Waverly’s galleries are located at 360 S. Washington St., Falls Church, VA 22046. Online: www.quinnsauction.com. View the catalogue and bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers. 

Image, Lot 226: Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow, first edition in dust jacket, Viking Press, 1973. Est. $500-$700. Courtesy of Quinn’s Auction Galleries

AntiquarianAuctions.com is an online auction site dedicated to the sale of rare and out-of print books, maps & prints, documents, letters, ephemera and vintage photography.
All pricing is done in US$. No buyer’s premium is charged. 

Lot 1 

Jenkins (James) The Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies;
Published: Js. Jenkins, London, (1814-1815) Estimate: $6,000/7,000 

Originally published in thirteen parts, back wrappers carry Conditions of the Work stating that the artist is Heath (William), each number to contain four plates, price 21s. per number: the letterpress to be compiled from official documents only, publication monthly until complete from Dec. 1. 1814. One hundred sets on large paper at 42.s. a part: and finally, List of Subscribers to given on completion. - Abbey (J.R.) Life in England, In Aquatint and Lithography 1770-1860, number 365 

Lot 2 

[Skotnes (Cecil) Artist] & [Gray (Stephen) Poetry] 

Man's Gold (Limited Edition Art Portfolio) 

Published: Johannesburg, August 1975 to January 1979 

Estimate: $3,500/4,500 

This art portfolio is copy number 43 of an edition limited to 75 numbered copies. There were also 15 lettered artists’ proofs.
Some copies were issued loose so that the art works could be framed. This copy is bound by master craftsman Peter Carsten’s, as issued, in full Oasis goatskin leather with a darker brown coloured central strip on the upper side with a Skotnes blind stamped design. There are 28 original woodcuts, each one signed in pencil by Cecil Skotnes and numbered 43/75. Each woodcut was printed from the original blocks in 2 to 5 colours on Zerkall Buetten paper. 

Lot 3 

Heylyn (Peter). Chorographie and Historie of the Whole World. And all the principal Kingdoms, Provinces, and Seas, and Isles thereof Published: Henry Seile, London, 1657 Estimate: $8,000/9,000 

As an ecclesiastic Heylyn was a disputatious monarchist who served for a while as King's chaplain, as a geographer he was an English patriot, and it through these spectacles he describes 'the Whole World'. As he tells the reader: 'In the pursuance of this Work.. so have I not forgotten that I am an English-man, and which is somewhat more, a Church-man. As an English-man I have been mindful upon all occasions to commit to memory the noble actions of my Countrey; exploited both by Sea and Land, im[n] most parts of the World, and represented on the same Theaters on which they were acted.' 

Lot 8 

Miro (Joan) L'oiseau Solaire - De Luxe Limitied Edition Signed By Miro Published: Maeght Edteur, Paris, 1967
Estimate: $2,000/2,500

This is Issue 164-165 of this highly collected art periodical produced by the Maeght Art Gallery - Derriere Le Miroir, featuring 20th. Century artists and illustrated with many original graphics. The double issue on offer features the work of Joan Miro and is No. 114 of the De Luxe limited edition of 150 copies signed by Miro. Unlike the trade issue, it is printed on fine handmade Velin de Rives art paper. Issued as a loose leaved portfolio in an originally Miro lithographed cover, protected in a custom chemise and matching slipcase. With 5 original Miro colour lithographs (one triple page foldout), 5 additional Miro colour lithographs (two double page) and 22 reproductions in black and white. 

Lot 215 

[Fitzgerald (Edward) Translator] Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (Limited edition, war time printing, Cairo). Published: Mobile Maps Printing Co., Maadi, Egypt, 1943 Estimate: $600/700 

This is an edition of 25 copies of which this is no 18.
Loosely inserted is a handwritten note signed by Amslie Beckett which describes the production of this volume as follows:
This Rubaiyat was printed in the camp of the Mobile Maps Printing and Printing Co of the UDF (Union Defence Force) at Maadi Egypt in 1943 as a means to overcome boredom.
I designed the book and did the illustrations, which were made from lino taken off the Officers Mess bar counter. The engraving tool was made from one of the stays of a broken umbrella obtained at a nearby convent. Some of the illustrations are in seven or eight colours. 

Lot 282 

Speke (John Hanning) My Second Expedition to Eastern Intertropical Africa (Pre-publication pamphlet)
Published: Saul Solomon & Co., Cape Town, 1860
Estimate: $2,000/2,500 

This pamphlet is a slightly edited version of pages 155 -199 of Speke's What Led to the Discovery of The Source of The Nile (1864). At the start of his third expedition (the second journey to the Lakes 1860 - 3,) Speke travelled to Cape Town on the same ship as Sir George Grey, Governor of Cape Colony. Upon arrival Sir George obtained a donation of £300 from the Cape Parliament towards the cost of Speke's expedition together with the services of ten Hottentot volunteers. 

Lot 309 

Fleming (Ian). Live and Let Die. Published: Jonathan Cape, London, 1954 Estimate: $1,500/2,000 

First edition, first printing of the scarce second James Bond novel. The gilt decorations are moderately oxidised and dulled, as is common for this title, in this instance more noticeably on the spine lettering than on the medallion on the front board. Apart from this, a truly about fine copy. The boards are square and unmarked with no bumping of the corners or edges. Internally it is very clean and possibly unread with no markings or foxing. There is one tiny spot on the fore edge. In a supplied dustwrapper from a later edition which has reviews of the book on the rear flap and adverts for Moonraker and Diamonds are Forever on the rear panel. The dustwrapper is at least very good, complete and not price clipped (10s.6d.). The colours are bright with some light edge wear, most marked at the top of the spine. 

Lot 331 

Naval Intelligence Division Chine Proper. Geographical Handbook Series. Restricted Handbooks
Published: H. M. Stationary Office, London, 1944-45
Estimate: $400/600 

Probably one of the best-researched set of books on China during the turbulent period, covering all aspects of the vast country under occupation, with revolutionary movements thriving, civil war and uncertainty of the future. China Proper seems to be among the rarest Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbooks of the Second World War. 

AntiquarianAuctions.com is an online auction site dedicated to the sale of rare and out-of print books, maps & prints, documents, letters, ephemera and vintage photography. 

Dealers and collectors worldwide have been selling and bidding on the site since 2010.
Only established booksellers who are members of major national trade associations such as ABA, ABAA, PBFA or SABDA or are of good standing in the trade are permitted to sell on the site. 

Auctions are held every five weeks and run on the model of a timed auction for one week. 

All pricing is done in US$. No buyer’s premium is charged. Next auction: Auction #68: 19 - 26 July 2018 

Contact:
Antiquarian Auctions: Paul Mills P.O. Box 186 7848 Constantia, Cape Town South Africa E-mail: support@antiquarianauctions.com Tel: +27 21 794 0600 

Image: Lot 3, Chorographie and Historie of the Whole World 

On May 31st, PBA Galleries offered a significant selection of rarities in their Americana with Manuscript Material - Travel & Exploration - Cartography Sale.

A rare First Edition of The Federalist, the highlight of the auction, justifiably considered the most important book in the political history of the United States, soared to $223,500 over an estimate of $80,000-120,000 in bustling bidding by a full bank of phone bidders. The Federalist, presenting essays by founding fathers James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, meant to convince state legislatures of the fragile confederation that had just gained independence from Great Britain, to combine in a United States with a common government and purpose under the new constitution. This copy of the rare 1788 first edition, of which only 500 copies were printed, was one of the exceptionally rare deluxe copies printed on thick superfine royal writing paper, the two volumes bound in contemporary sheep. The importance of the Federalist to the early development of the great political experiment that was the United States cannot be overstated.  The strong price was the most a book has ever sold for at PBA Galleries, topping the $212,000 fetched by a first edition fetched in 2008 for a copy of the official account of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

A presentation copy of Jonathan Mayhew’s A Discourse, Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers; with some reflections on the resistance made to King Charles I bearing the signature of John Adams, the second President of the United States volleyed between two online bidders to reach $10,800. Estimated at $8,000-12,000, the inscription for the presentation is not in Adams’ hand and although previous records named the recipient as daughter Abigail “Nabby” Smith, this is now thought to be in error and it is possible the book was presented to a more distant relation of Abigail Adams (nee Smith).

A typed letter, signed "Edgar." 22 lines, on letterhead of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to Franklin Roosevelt’s special adviser Harry Hopkins in 1942, framed along with a copy of a newspaper article about the saboteurs, and a porcupine emblem they had carved while aboard a submarine sold for over twenty times the low estimate of $500 with a price realized of $10,200. J. Edgar Hoover relates that "When I saw you the other day, I believe I told you that the group of saboteurs who landed on Long Island from a German submarine had carved out, while on the submarine en route to the United States, miniature porcupines from aluminum. The reason that they selected the porcupine to be carved was because the submarine which they came on was named the 'Porcupine.' I am enclosing herewith two of these miniature porcupines, as I thought the President and you might like to have one each as a souvenir of this incident." Four saboteurs landed on Long Island, and four more in Florida. Two of them surrendered, and gave information to the FBI which led to the capture of the other six. The two informants were given lengthy prison sentences (commuted by Harry Truman in 1948) - the other six were executed.

The first appearance in a magazine of The Defence of Fort M’Henry, the four-stanza poem that was to become The Star-Spangled Banner, in the November 1814 issue of The Analectic Magazine commanded a price of $4,800 topping the high estimate of $3,500.  In 1950 Carroll Wilson wrote in Familiar Quotations (page 391) about the rarity of this issue of The Analectic Magazine in wrappers, stating that "No other copy of this . . . number is known to have survived in original state." Other copies have since come to light, but it is a rare survival.  As Filby & Howard document, this issue of the Analectic Magazine was published in early November, 1814, about seven weeks after the famous bombardment; the poem’s appearance here is preceded by numerous newspaper appearances and a few separate printings in small broadside formats, but this is its first publication in a "permanent" format. 

The Rough Riders, signed by author Theodore Roosevelt, trounced the presale estimate of $600-900 reaching a price of $3,600. This is Teddy Roosevelt's own account of his heroic actions in Cuba when he famously charged San Juan Hill, catapulting him to the Governorship of New York, the Vice Presidency and the White House.

PBA Galleries holds sales of fine, rare and collectible books every two weeks.  For more information regarding upcoming sales, consignments, or auction results, please contact PBA Galleries at (415) 989-2665 or pba@pbagalleries.com.

Dallas, TX - An auction dedicated to European Comic Art reached $1,257,082 as Heritage Auctions entered the collecting category with nearly 300 lots of high-end original art.

The June 2 sale offered a rarely seen set of original Tintin drawings by Belgian cartoonist Hergé, which sold for $425,000. A 12-panel page of inked original art from the story “The Red Sea Sharks,” published in a 1958 edition of Journal Tintin, was sold along with its pencil-on-paper design. 

“Our first auction of European Comic Art attracted a wide pool of active bidders, comfortably surpassing our original goal of $1 million in sales,” said Jim Halperin, Co-Founder of Heritage Auctions. “The sale’s 87 percent sell-through rate by volume also eclipses rates set at other houses, which typically reach 70 percent. We are very pleased with our debut.”

A 1978 page of Original Art from Corto Maltese, by legendary Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt, sold for $62,500. 

Original art by the influential French cartoonist Moebius (Jean Giraud) attracted vigorous bidding. A full page of Original Art from the 1991 graphic novel The Black Incal - considered a pillar of contemporary science fiction - sold for $21,250 and a full page of Original Art from Upon A Star, from the artist’s critically acclaimed 1983 release, ended at $13,750. 

Woman with Blue Eyes, 1995, an original illustration by Italian artist Milo Manara, sold for $11,875. His early work in several Franco-Belgian comics magazines to later projects for Marvel Comics established Manara a worldwide fan base.

In addition to works by Europe’s finest cartoonists and illustrators, the auction also featured rare art from popular American artists. Original Art for “Gin,” a single-page advertising parody from Weirdo #15 by American satirist Robert Crumb, who has lived in France since 1991, sold for $20,000.

Jack Kamen’s 1951 Original Art for page 1 of Weird Science #9 sold for $18,750. Bursting with eye appeal and a bold portrait of his iconic character The Spirit, a Splash Page of Original Art by Will Eisner, published as a newspaper insert in 1950, ended at $16,250.

A hand-curated selection of animation art included original drawings from Walt Disney shorts and films from the 1930s and 1940s and pre-production concept art. An exceptional Mermaids Concept Painting for Peter Pan by Mary Blair (Walt Disney, 1953) brought four times its pre-auction estimate to sell for $16,250.

The auction was the first of its kind held by Heritage Auctions, the world’s largest auctioneer of vintage comic books and comic art. The auction was conducted by auctioneers at Heritage in Dallas, Texas, and included a viewing audience at Heritage Auctions Europe, a Dutch entity, in IJsselstein, the Netherlands. Viewing was available on internet streaming video with live bidding capability through HeritageLive!, the firm’s proprietary auction program.