New Orleans – An important single-owner collection of rare, historical maps – many of them hundreds of years old and colorful, beautiful renderings of the world, the United States and portions of the United States – will be sold in a two-part online-only auction by Crescent City Auction Gallery. Bidding is being done exclusively through the platform LiveAuctioneers.com.

Part 1 of the sale will start on Friday, June 14th, with lots 1-317, at 10 am Central time. Part 2 will begin a week later, on Friday, June 21st, also at 10 am, with lots 318-693. All lots have a starting bid of $25. That modest amount is designed to spur bidding, expected to be brisk.

A star lot of Part 1 is expected to be a 1642 hand-colored copper engraving by Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638), titled Nova Virginia Tabula, a 17 ½ inch by 22 ½ inch depiction of Virginia, with Native American vignettes (est. $1,000-$2,000). Blaeu was a Dutch cartographer, atlas maker and publisher. He was one of the notable figures of Dutch cartography in its golden age.

Two maps by Blaeu are being sold as one lot. One is a hand-colored 1640 effort titled Virginiae partis australis et Florida partis orientalis, 15 inches by 20 inches. The other is titled India Quae Orientalis Diktur et Insulae, also from 1640, 22 inches by 18 inches. The pair has a pre-sale estimate of $500-$1,000. Maps by Blaeu are highly coveted by collectors.

A map from 1710, titled A New and Correct Map of the World, by Herman Moll (1654-1732), hand-colored and 22 inches by 38 inches, carries an estimate of $800-$1,200. Moll was a London-based cartographer, engraver and publisher. He also hobnobbed with many writers and intellectuals, and was mentioned in Jonathan Swift’s book Gulliver’s Travels.

Abraham Ortelius’s (1527-1598) hand-colored 1579 map of the Caribbean and south Florida, titled Culliacanae, Americae Regionis, Description - Hispaniolae, Cubae Aliarumque lnsularum Circumiacientium Delineatio, 16 inches by 20 inches, should realize $600-$900. Ortelius created the first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.

A map of Louisiana and Part of Arkansas, done in 1838 by the American cartographer Thomas Bradford (1802-1887), 12 ½ inches by 9 ¾ inches, is expected to change hands for $300-$500. Bradford lived in Boston and worked for the America Encyclopedia. His work is held in the collections of the Library of Congress and the Boston Public Library.

Johann Baptist Homann’s (1661-1774) hand-colored map of North America, titled Regni Mexicani von Novae Hispaniae Ludouicianae, N. Angliae, Carolinae, Virginae, et Pensylvaiae, circa 1725, 21 ½ inches by 25 ½ inches, has an estimate of $500-$1,000. Homann was a German cartographer-geographer who also made maps of the Americas.

Part 2, beginning on June 21st, will be highlighted by a map showing North America, Mexico and the Caribbean by Jean Baptiste D’Anville (1699-1782), titled Amerique Septentrionales (1746), 33 inches by 35 ½ inches (est. $800-$1,200). D’Anville was a French geographer and cartographer who greatly improved the standards of map-making.

A hand-colored map executed around 1740 and focusing mainly on Florida and Mexico by Matthias Seutter (1678-1781), titled Mappa Geographica Regionem Mexicanem et Floridam Americae Unsulas Cursus, measuring 20 inches by 23 ½ inches, should fetch $600-$900. Seutter was one of the most important and prolific German map publishers of the 18th century.

Previews are currently underway and ongoing, from 10-5 Central time, in the Crescent City Auction Gallery showroom located at 1335 St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. Lots can be viewed every day except Sunday when the gallery is closed. Phone and absentee bids accepted.

Crescent City Auction Gallery is always seeking quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you can call them at (504) 529-5057; or, you can send an e-mail to info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com. All phone calls and e-mails are confidential.

For more information about Crescent City Auction Gallery and the two-part online-only auction of an important single-owner map collection on LiveAuctioneers.com, with Part 1 starting June 14th and Part 2 starting June 21st, visit www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com. Updates posted often.

New York – Bonhams is pleased to present The Property of Nicole and William M. Keck II at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale on June 13. The collection offers over 170 lots of first editions by authors Charles Dickens, J.R.R. Tolkien, William Faulkner, and also classic children’s books. All books will be sold without reserve to benefit charitable institutions around the world including Maryknoll Father and Brothers, bringing health clinics, schools and clean water to areas in Nepal; Harvey Mudd College tuition aid, thus adding to the existing William M. Keck II Scholarship Funds; The Julliard School of Music for tuition scholarship funds; and the UCLA Medical Center & Jules Stein Eye Institute to benefit ongoing research, to name a few. 

William M. Keck II was the grandson of the legendary oil wildcatter, William Myron Keck, the family patriarch who created one of the country’s largest philanthropic institutions: the W.M. Keck Foundation. Known as “W.M.” to the family, Bill’s grandfather and sole namesake founded The Superior Oil Company in Coalinga, CA in 1921, which – following decades of growth – was sold to Mobil Oil in 1984. At the time of the sale, Superior Oil Company was the largest independent oil producer in the country. Bill’s grandfather originally established seven separate foundations to further education and research in the fields of science, engineering, and social welfare. Among the numerous grants distributed over the years, the W.M. Keck Foundation may be best known for the construction of the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, and for its original funding of the programming for Sesame Street.

Dallas, TX – The very first original cover art featuring  the beloved comic character Tintin, Hergé’s The Adventures of Tintin Vol. 1: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, sold for more than $1.12 million by Heritage Auctions on Saturday, June 8, in a sale of European Comic Art held in Dallas, Texas.

The remarkable discovery is one of the few known privately owned cover illustrations signed by Hergé, and also the oldest. In addition, the 1930 artwork also is the first cover image featuring both Tintin and Snowy, his faithful canine companion.

Both the previous owner and the winning bidder do not wish to be identified at this time.

“Tintin is a seminal character, who has been loved and admired for generations the world over,” said Joe Mannarino, a Director of Comics and Comic Art at Heritage Auctions. “His popularity is as great now as it has ever been.”

The original cover art is 21 by 26 centimeters. It incorporates Hergé’s unique artistic style and his reflection on the political scope of the time depicting arguably the most popular comic character worldwide. The title character is shown carving a makeshift propeller for his plane from a tree trunk, under the watchful eye of a bandaged-but-attentive Snowy.

Hergé, born May 22, 1907 in Brussels, is considered the star of European comics. His success is global. His pseudonym “Hergé” is derived from reversing the initials “R” and “G” of his real name: Georges Remi. Most of Hergé’s existing original cover art featuring Tintin is the property of the Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-Neuve, near Brussels.

The special piece was sold on the first day of Heritage Auctions’ June 8-9 European Comic Art Auction in Dallas, Texas. Worldwide online bidding is available through HA.com.

Westport, CT – A letter written and signed by the legendary Kung Fu master Bruce Lee, a bank interest note twice signed by the notorious gangster Al Capone, and a letter typed and signed by Albert Einstein regarding the development and use of the hydrogen bomb are a few of the featured lots in University Archives’ Internet-only auction slated for Wednesday, June 26th.

The auction will begin at 10:30 am Eastern time. Live bidding has already been posted online and bidding is available via Invaluable.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. The auction is packed with rare and highly collectible autographed documents, manuscripts, books, photos and relics – 261 quality lots in all. People can visit the company website at www.UniversityArchives.com.

“Our June sale offers another great opportunity to collectors,” said John Reznikoff, president and owner of University Archives. “Not only does the auction feature the strong American items, but unique foreign material as well. You’ll find autographs from European royalty, revolutionaries, and political influencers from English King Edward IV to the Russian mystic Grigory Rasputin.”

There are several Bruce Lee items up for bid, but the centerpiece lot promises to be the letter Lee wrote and signed in 1966, on Twentieth Century-Fox Television, Inc. stationery, with content relating to The Green Hornet and episodes titled “The Preying Mantis” and “The Hunter and the Hunted.” The letter, addressed to a Mr. Taky Kimura in Seattle, should sell for $15,000-$17,000.

The one-page bank interest note twice-signed by Al Capone (as “Alphons Capone”) is dated Nov. 18, 1926, when Capone was at his infamous peak as a Chicago-based crime boss. The partly printed document is also signed by his mother, Theresa Capone, and his wife, Mae. It’s matted and framed and comes with a photo of Capone holding a cigar (est. $20,000-$24,000).

An extremely rare military checklist signed during the summer of 1475 by England’s King Edward IV, approving a list of men and munitions required for his imminent invasion of France, is expected to reach $35,000-$40,000. The king’s distinctive monogram appears at the top of the first page. The document is displayed alongside Edward IV’s portrait in a double-sided frame.

An equally rare two-page letter inscribed and signed by the French Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), displayed to the right of a color reproduction of Cezanne’s Self-Portrait (1877-1880), in an antiqued gilt frame, carries a pre-sale estimate of $25,000-$30,000. The letter was written in Paris on Nov. 30, 1896; Cezanne’s signature is on the second page.

A one-page letter typed in English and signed by Albert Einstein, regarding “the moral, social and political implications inherent in the construction and use of a Hydrogen Bomb,” typed on Didier, Publishers (N.Y.) letterhead, should fetch $9,000-$10,000. The letter, signed by Einstein on April 19, 1950, is matted and framed and is accompanied by the original transmittal envelope.

Official schedules for President Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy during their fateful visit to Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, 1963, including Jackie’s signature in initials, is expected to realize $15,000-$17,000. Also, items pertaining to Marilyn Monroe – strands of her hair, a brassiere, two custom blank checks and a color publicity still, all in a shadowbox frame – should bring $5,000-$6,000.

The Rev War-date endorsing signature of Jewish financier Haym Solomon, on a check issued by Robert Morris as Superintendent of Finance, with double-sided portrait and plaque, is estimated at $20,000-$24,000; while a ship passport dated March 15, 1793, signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson regarding the British-seized ship Sampson, should make $10,000-$12,000.

A one-page letter written and signed by French Impressionist Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), from his days as a Parisian art student, accompanied by a color print of a self-portrait, has an estimate of $18,000-$20,000. Also, an impressive and large architectural drawing by Frank Lloyd Wright of the Duey Wright House in Wausau, Wisconsin, circa 1957, should command $5,000-$6,000.

A letter written and signed by Depression-era criminal John Dillinger, penned while in prison in Indiana, circa 1929-1933, to the prison assistant superintendent, requesting a job transfer, has an estimate of $15,000-$17,000. Also, the fine binding six-volume set of Winston Churchill’s The Second World War, signed by Churchill in 1957 on volume one, should achieve $8,000-$9,000.

A one-page letter written in Russian Cyrillic by Peter the Great (Czar Peter I, 1672-1725), in which he announces the birth of a daughter, Natalia, dated Sept. 10, 1718, should earn $14,000-$15,000; while a one-page letter of recommendation written and signed by the Siberian holy man Grigory Rasputin (1869-1916), for a starving unemployed man, should make $12,000-$14,000.

A three-page letter written in Latin by Anne I, the Queen of England (1665-1714), exhorting Britain’s allies to aid her in defeating the French (an “arrogant and common enemy”) has an estimate of $6,000-$7,000. And a two-page letter written and signed by women’s rights activist Lucy Stone (1818-1893), calling for a suffrage meeting in 1868, should sell for $1,000-$2,000.

University Archives has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare items of this kind. It is actively seeking quality material for future auctions, presenting a rare opportunity for sellers.

“We can offer up to a 100 percent cash advance and a highly competitive commission structure,” Reznikoff said. “We’re only able to do this owing to our position in the industry as the premier auction house for signed historical documents, letters and manuscripts. Our reputation is rock-solid worldwide and has been earned over a period of four decades. People respect us globally.”

Anyone who has a single item or a collection that may be a fit for a future University Archives auction may call Mr. Reznikoff at 203-454-0111, or email him at john@universityarchives.com.

University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by Mr. 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 26th Internet-only auction, please visit www.universityarchives.com. For phone bidding, please call 800-237-5692.

Miami Beach, FL — In a focused installation, The Wolfsonian–Florida International University highlights the transnational legacy of Cuban graphic designer, illustrator, publisher, and caricaturist Conrado Walter Massaguer—a leading voice in shaping early 20th-century Cuban culture who is often credited for bringing modernism to the island nation. Cuban Caricature and Culture: The Art of Massaguer, on view June 7, 2019 through February 2, 2020, presents selections from a new gift of Massaguer material from collector Vicki Gold Levi in addition to loans and other Wolfsonian collection objects. Featuring magazine covers, advertisements, original paintings, rare sketches and personal letters, and caricatures of famous figures from Hollywood stars to royalty and presidents, the nearly 100 works on view call attention to Massaguer’s profound influence on design in both Cuba and the U.S. over his 40-year career.

“Conrado Massaguer’s art left an indelible mark on Cuba, helping to define not only what Cubans considered ‘in vogue,’ but also informing day-to-day culture and politics,” said Frank Luca, Wolfsonian chief librarian and the installation’s curator. “Though he won his international acclaim a century ago, his style remains fresh and imaginative in a way that still feels incredibly modern to us today.”

Added Gold Levi, “I first discovered Massaguer through his magazine Social when I began research for Cuba Style, a book I wrote with Steve Heller—I was immediately captivated! As I continued studying, collecting, and traveling to Cuba over the years, I only fell deeper in love with Massaguer’s witty graphics and simple, pure, evocative lines. I’m honored to collaborate with The Wolfsonian on raising awareness about such a versatile, talented artist.”

Born in the Cuban city of Cárdenas, Massaguer (1889–1965) was educated in both Cuba and America and frequently traveled back and forth, simultaneously building his reputation as a premier artist and art director in Havana and New York City. Over the course of four decades—and particularly during a brief exile in the U.S. during Gerardo Machado’s dictatorship—Massaguer became a prominent trendsetter in America by designing covers and illustrations for many of the leading magazines of the time, including Vanity Fair, Collier’s, Cosmopolitan, and Literary Digest. While he took many cues from American publications and artists for these commissions, Massaguer put a distinctly Cuban stamp on a 1931 exhibition of his work at Delphic Studios, a New York gallery. There, Massaguer’s impressions of his native country were placed front and center, with a uniquely Cuban flavor evident in the style and themes.

Back in his homeland, Massaguer likewise cemented his role in publishing by founding and art directing his own lifestyle magazine, Social, in which he nurtured the careers of numerous Cuban illustrators and caricaturists. From the 1920s into the 1950s, Social set the tone for Cuban values and taste, heavily publicizing the idea of the liberated and sexualized “new woman” (or flapper) and incorporating a bold Art Deco aesthetic. Massaguer was also central to Cuba’s tourism campaigns, creating striking advertising art that packaged Cuba as a product and sought to lure Americans south through vibrant visions of a tropical playground. His status in Cuban society brought him in close proximity to foreign dignitaries, politicians, and visiting celebrities, many of whom he parodied in his signature, New Yorker-esque caricatures.

Key works in Cuban Caricature and Culture are:
    •    A humorous self-caricature used by Massaguer to announce his arrival in New York in the 1920s and introduce himself to the American art scene;
    •    A sketch of Walt Disney paired with a photograph of Massaguer and Disney;
    •    Several illustrations of the artist’s “Massa-girl” types, fashionable women with bobbed hairstyles that popularized the “new woman” ideal in Cuba;
    •    Come to Cuba, a vibrant, early-1950s brochure produced for the Cuban Tourism Commission that touts the various attractions (dancing, beach-going, gambling, and horse racing) of “the loveliest land that human eyes have ever seen”;
    •    A Social cover showing a Deco-style evolution of the “new woman”; and
    •    A Christmas holiday advertisement for Esso made in the aftermath of the Allies’ victory in the Second World War, with caricatures of Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle, Chiang Kai-shek, and Santa Claus.

Massaguer’s immense popularity is reflected in a robust market for fakes that Cuban Caricature and Culture will address through a counterfeit illustration of Albert Einstein. By displaying this fraudulent piece beside a genuine version, The Wolfsonian reveals the forger’s tactics for, and missteps in, mimicking the designer’s trademark flair.

The installation coincides with the publication of Promising Paradise: Cuban Allure, American Seduction, a new companion book to a 2016 Wolfsonian exhibition of the same name also drawn from Vicki Gold Levi’s gifts. Touching upon many of Massaguer’s groundbreaking works, the book is the culmination of twenty years of Gold Levi’s interest in Cuban memorabilia and photography, and a capstone to almost two decades of Wolfsonian support and ongoing gifts.

“The Wolfsonian’s collection is renowned for its examples of graphic design, yet until Vicki’s gifts just a fraction demonstrated the mammoth impact of Cuban culture on its northern neighbor,” said Wolfsonian director Tim Rodgers. “This new material marks an exciting addition that proves how our cultural exchange was indeed a two-way street paved in large part by Cuban artists and tastemakers. Sharing Massaguer’s story right here in Miami—the gateway to Latin America—is remarkably fitting.”

Dallas, TX – An exceedingly rare parade lantern from Abraham Lincoln’s presidential election campaign is being offered in Heritage Auctions’ auction of the David and Janice Frent Collection of Presidential and Political Americana, Part V June 22-23 in Dallas.

Lanterns like this Abraham Lincoln: A Fabulous, Colorful Political Glass & Tin Parade Lantern, with a candidate’s name and portrait on the side panels, were used frequently in political campaigns in the 1860s and beyond. The lanterns were attached to poles during nighttime parades and rallies.

Lincoln’s enormous popularity and the delicate materials from which the lantern was made is the driving force behind collector demand. That it survived for more than 150 years in quite nice overall condition makes the piece all the more extraordinary, Heritage Auctions’ Americana Director Tom Slater said.

“This lantern represents a rare opportunity for collectors of historical and Abraham Lincoln memorabilia,” Slater said. “They were an important part of political efforts in that era, allowing people to show their support for various candidates.

“Considering they were made mostly of paper and glass, very few have survived. There are probably only about a dozen left for all candidates. For Lincoln, who is so popular, there may be as few as three such lanterns left in private hands, so this is an extremely rare opportunity for collectors.”

The lantern, which stands 7-1/2 inches high, is pictured on page 274 of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.’s Running for President: The Candidates and Their Images 1789-1896.

New York – Swann Galleries’ auction of Graphic Design on May 23 offered a selection of vintage posters by important designers from the twentieth century, boasting auction debuts and five auction records.

Charles Loupot’s luxury advertisements from the early twentieth century led the sale. Highlights included a 1926 poster for the French automobile company Peugeot which earned an auction record at $37,500, and Wanneroil / Huile du bon Chauffer, 1926, a first at auction that garnered $22,500. Also of note was a 1930 ad for Twining Tea, which sold for $20,000.

Additional auction records included Edmond Maurus’s lively circa 1930s poster for Chrysler ($13,750); Clotilde et Alexandre Sakharoff, 1921, an Art Deco advertisement by George Barbier ($17,500); Ferdinand Ludwig Graf’s 1908 secessionist poster Kaiser – Jubilaeums / Wien ($10,625); and U.S.A. Surpasses All Genocide Records!, 1966, by George Maciunas ($9,100).    

Three works by Japanese designer Tadanori Yokoo made their auction debuts: Takarazuka / Grad Revue, 1966 ($10,000), Laboratory of Play / Tenjo Sajiki Troupe, 1967 ($9,375), and Ballad to an Amputated Little Finger, 1967 ($9,375). Further psychedelic posters by Yokoo included Having Reached a Climax at the Age of 29, I was Dead, 1965 ($20,000), and Koshimaki – Osen, 1966 ($9,375).   

Nicholas D. Lowry, President and Principle Auctioneer of Swann Galleries and Director of Vintage Posters, was pleased with the sale: “Dealers and institutions were mere involved in this auction than in previous years, suggesting that the market is expanding. A number of record prices were set, and some fantastic material came to the market for the first time.”

The next auction of Vintage Posters will be held August 7. Visit swanngalleries.com or download the Swann Galleries App for catalogues, bidding and inquiries.

Additional highlights can be found here.

New York — Lion Heart Autographs, Inc., for more than forty years an internationally recognized dealer of autographs and manuscripts specializing in art, history, literature, music, and science, has announced an extraordinary live auction to take place on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 beginning at 1:00 p.m. which will feature over 175 lots of some of the world’s most rare and valuable manuscripts, autographs and memorabilia to date.
 
The auction will offer some extraordinary documents, autographs, letters and photographs from the world’s most famous entertainers, composers, personalities and playwrights. Among some of the most intriguing entertainment items is a letter written by JACKIE KENNEDY (Estimate $750/$900) on her blue Fifth Avenue stationery card to Roswell Gilpatric, presidents Kennedy and Johnson’s Deputy Secretary of Defense with whom she was intimately involved. Another highlight is a large signature on a card by America’s most famous composer, GEORGE GERSHWIN, written next to a caricature by Sam Hinerfield (Estimate $700/$900) as well as two letters by creator of the Addams Family, cartoonist, CHARLES ADDAMS. (Estimate $300/$400)
 
Other rare and interesting highlights include:
 
FEDERICO FELLINI: A rare letter written by the celebrated Italian film director and screenwriter discussing an opera adaptation of his 1954 film La Strada, music, film rights, and his hectic filming schedule.  (Estimate $300/$400)
 
WILLIAM FAULKNER: A precious and extremely rare manuscript by the American author, Nobel Prize winner and screenwriter whose classic novels Light in August, The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying present a stark portrait of life in America’s deep South. Faulkner has penned twenty-one lines in his tiny hand of an early draft of a key passage from his Light in August. This leaf was given to New Yorker writer and Algonquin Roundtable with Dorothy Parker, who, in turn, passed it on to American poet Archibald MacLeish, who has annotated the manuscript in pencil: “Faulkner ms given me by Dorothy Parker in 1930 (?) [sic] A MacLeish.”  Faulkner manuscripts very rarely turn up at auction because almost everything written by him is held in institutions. (Estimate $25,000/$30,000)
 
EUBIE BLAKE: African-American ragtime pianist and composer of “I’m Just Wild about Harry,” one of America’s most famous tunes and extensively used in President Truman’s 1948 re-election campaign. A complete, seven-page original piano vocal score of “I’m Just Wild about Harry,” written in Blake’s hand with notable differences from the original 1921 sheet music version. (Estimate: $8000/$12000)
 
BILLIE HOLIDAY: A rare and dramatic black-and-white, full-length photograph of Billie Holiday, America’s premier female jazz vocalist known as “Lady Day,” by photographer Siegfried H. Mohr, showing her wearing an elegant, sequined gown singing and holding a microphone in her right hand. It is inscribed on the back “For Yolanda [sic.] Stay as lovely as you are, Billie Lady Holiday” to Sri Lankan singer and actress Yolande Bavan. Because of her early death, autographs of Billie Holiday, also known as “Lady Day,” are rare and this is an extremely uncommon form of her signature. (Estimate: $2000/$2500)
 
SEPTIMUS WINNER: Uncommon musical quotation from one of his most famous works, “Listen to the Mocking Bird.” Winner was a prolific 19th-century American composer and arranger whose popular songs include “Where, O Where Has My Little Dog Gone?,” “Ten Little Injuns,” “What Is Home Without a Mother,” “Carry Me Back to Tennessee,” and “How Sweet Are the Roses.” (Estimate: $500/$700)
 
DARIUS MILHAUD: Uncommon three-page musical manuscript entitled Trois Chanson de Ronsard, likely an early draft for his Quatre Chansons de Ronsard composed in 1941 for French coloratura soprano Lily Pons, known for her long association with the Metropolitan Opera. Milhaud, whose work was influenced by jazz and Brazilian music, wrote the work while living in the United States. (Estimate: $3000/$4000)
 
LEONARD BERNSTEIN: A letter written by the beloved West Side Story composer to his girlfriend while he was a student at Harvard in 1938. (Estimate: $300/$500)
 
IRVING BERLIN: Photograph signed by the beloved and prolific American songwriter depicting Berlin at the piano. (Estimate: $600/$700)
 
STEINWAY PIANOS: A magnificent suite of six original, oversized and framed photographs inscribed to America’s premier piano manufacturer, Steinway and Sons, by some of the company’s greatest artists, including: Alexander Brailowsky (Estimate $1000/$1500), Vladimir Horowitz (Estimate $2500/$3000), William Kapell (Estimate $2000/$2500), Arthur Rubinstein (Estimate $2500/$3000), Rudolf Serkin (Estimate $1250/$1500), and Solomon. (Estimate $1250/1500)
 
ALEXANDER WOOLLCOTT: A lengthy letter by the American journalist, writer and Algonquin Roundtable member who was the inspiration for The Man Who Came to Dinner, commenting on numerous actors and playwrights including Ruth Gordon, Noel Coward, Ethel Barrymore, and Joseph Jefferson. (Estimate: $300-$500)
 
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW: Two manuscripts in Shaw’s hand in which he answers questions about post-World War I international diplomacy. The war prompted Shaw to abandon the creation of socially critical drama, and instead write criticism about the horrors of the period. An outspoken pacifist., one of the manuscripts comment on Mussolini and Russia cynically observing: “Our Pacifists are only crying Peace where there is no peace.” (Estimates: $500-$700 and $600-$800)
 
DAWN POWELL: Uncommon trio of signed contracts for Powell’s play Jig Saw, which tarnished her reputation for its transparent and unflattering portrayal of various theater personalities. (Estimate: $500-$750)

JOHN L. BAIRD: Two letters written by the Scottish inventor who produced the first televised picture of a moving object in 1926 and in 1928 developed color television. (Estimate: $400/$500 each)
 
“I always feel privileged to offer rare, historical documents and autographs, but our upcoming auction in June represents the broadest and most extraordinary array of items spanning hundreds of years of historical events and periods that I am simply in awe,” said David Lowenherz, founder and owner of Lion Heart Autographs. “We hope collectors and fans from around the globe share in our excitement as they peruse artifacts in art, history, literature, music, science and sports. Whether the human endeavor is represented by racing to Arctic regions, landing on the moon or fleeing from captivity, this auction, clearly has something for everyone.”
 
For bidding registration and catalog click here: https://www.invaluable.com/catalog/fx5ksap7sg
 
The auction will take place live and online, partnering with Boston-based www.Invaluable.com, one of the world’s leading online auction platforms.
Lion Heart Autographs, Inc. is located at 216 East 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY, 10017. Telephone: 212-779-7050; Fax: 212-779-7066; Email: lionheart@lionheartinc.com; website: www.lionheartautographs.com   

Great Barrington, MA – The Berkshire Antiquarian Book and Ephemera Fair will held on Friday, July 26th, 5-8 pm and Saturday, July 27th, 10 am – 4pm at the South Berkshire Community Center, 15 Crissey Road, Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230.

The fair will showcase used & antiquarian booksellers, ephemera and autograph dealers, fine letterpress printers, book binders, and artist book makers from throughout the region.  Free admission.

The fair is produced by Book Arts Promotion: A collaboration between Mark Brumberg and Wiggins Fine Books.

For more information, go to: www.berkshirebookfair.com

Berkshire Antiquarian Book and Ephemera Fair Exhibitors by Location

Massachusetts:
Laurie Alpert, Brookline
Joslin Hall Books & Ephemera, Hatfield
New England Auctions, Deerfield
John R. Sanderson, Antiquarian Bookseller, Stockbridge
Peter L. Stern & Co., Boston
Warwick Press, Easthampton
Wiggins Fine Books, Shelburne Falls
Willow Bindery, Shrewsbury

Vermont:
Country Bookshop, Plainfield, VT

New Jersey:
Jeffrey Bergman Books, Fort Lee, NJ
Brenner's Collectable Books, Manasquan, NJ
Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Short Hills, NJ
Pied Oxen Printers, Hopewell, NJ

New York:
Blind Dog Books, Chappaqua, NY
Carydale Books, Stamfordville, NY
Carnegie Hill Books, New York, NY
Doyle's Books, Fayeteville, NY
Peter Luke Americana, New Baltimore, NY
Old Editions, Inc, N. Tonawanda, NY

Connecticut:
Colebrook Book Barn, of Colebrook, CT
Yesterday’s Gallery, of East Woodstock, CT

Maine:  
James Arsenault & Company, of Arowsic, ME

Pennsylvania:
William Hutchinson, of Mendenhall, PA

For more information about our exhibitors, go to: www.berkshirebookfair.com/exhibitors

New York – On June 13, Bonhams sale of Fine Books and Manuscripts will be highlighted by a fine first edition, early presentation copy of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (estimate: $200,000-300,000).

Ian Ehling, Director Books and Manuscripts, comments: “This extraordinary presentation copy of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species has been carefully stored in a private collection for nearly 100 years. It is in pristine condition, an extraordinarily bright and fresh copy, with a wonderful association - a once in a generation opportunity.”