London — A rare first edition of one of the most popular books ever written, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone signed by author J. K. Rowling “to Bryony... the first person ever to see merit in Harry Potter” is to feature in Bonhams Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts & Photographs sale on 11 March in Knightsbridge, London. It has an estimate of £70,000-90,000.
 
Bryony Evens was the office manager for the literary agent Christopher Little, when in 1996, she picked up a three-chapter submission from the slush pile and started reading. Instantly hooked, Bryony asked Little to request that the author send the rest of the book. They soon received the full manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by the then unknown J.K. Rowling, and the rest is history.
 
Having been rejected by twelve publishers, the book was sold to Bloomsbury for £2,500 in 1996, and in 1997 was published in an edition of five hundred hardback copies, going onto be the most successful book, and subsequent franchise, in publishing history.
 
Though Evens had since left the agency, she received a copy of the book upon its publication. Despite her and Rowling having corresponded previously, she did not actually meet the author until 1998 when she queued up for a signature at the Cheltenham Literary Festival and introduced herself. Rowling was there to promote her second book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Upon hearing to whom the copy of her first book should be inscribed, Rowling leapt up and gave Evens a hug of gratitude. She signed the copy to ‘To Bryony – who is the most important person I have ever met in a signing queue & the first person to see merit in Harry Potter.  With huge thanks. J K Rowling”. The word ‘huge’ is underlined the four times.
 
Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscript Specialist, Luke Batterham, commented: “This is a truly unique copy of a highly desirable rare first edition of the book that introduced millions of adoring fans to J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world. Bryony’s story is world famous – she even appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show – and her copy really is a little piece of Harry Potter history. You can sense Rowling’s gratitude, in this inscription, to the person who saved Harry Potter from the rejection pile.”

London — In time for International Women’s Day, Peter Harrington, the UK’s largest rare bookseller, is pleased to present a new catalogue of remarkable works by and about women. The collection brings together unique items from female activists, mathematicians, poets and medical practitioners, from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

Highlights include:
    •    A rare complete run of Sylvia Pankhurst’s strikingly illustrated revolutionary socialist journal Germinal (1923) which provides insight into the complex artistic, literary and political influences upon this prominent women’s rights campaigner, £4,375;
    •    Jennifer Dawson’s novel, The Ha Ha (1961), an early and lesser-known treatment of the subject of women’s mental health, pre-dating Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar by two years, £675;
    •    An archive (1803-71) illustrating the consequences of bankruptcy by “The Banker’s Daughter” and one of the first books written by a woman for female investors, £4,000;
    •    An original iconic psychedelic poster Hallelujah The Pill!! by Mari Tepper (1967), £1,500.

International Women’s Day falls on Sunday 8th March and Peter Harrington has continued to see a growth of interest in people collecting women’s work, since its first catalogue focused solely on women, In Her Own Words: Works by Exceptional Women, was launched this time last year.

As Pom Harrington owner of Peter Harrington says “Following the success of last year’s catalogue, In Her Own Words: works by exceptional women, we have continued to bring a particular focus to the acquisition of works by and about women, seeking out books, manuscripts, photographs and letters which document their lives and achievements. It’s a busy area in collecting right now and we expect to see the increasing demand continue.”

A collection of rare books for International Women’s Day are on display at Peter Harrington in Dover Street, London from Thursday 5th – Wednesday 18th March 2020 and a copy of the catalogue is available on request.

Philadelphia — On Wednesday, March 25th, Freeman’s will hold a single-owner auction, The Martin Magovsky Collection of Children’s Books, at its new 1600 West Girard Avenue location. The 156-lot sale will showcase children’s books from the 20th and 21st centuries, including more than 100 Caldecott and Newbery Award and Honor recipients. Mr. Magovsky built his collection with an eye for up and coming authors, pristine condition, and impressive signatures—many accompanied by a handwritten line from the book or an original doodle. This auction will feature prominent authors and illustrators like Margaret Wise Brown, Maurice Sendak, Eric Carle, and Roald Dahl, among many others that have contributed to the development of modern children’s literature.
 
RARE, SIGNED COPY OF LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET BY MATT DE LA PEÑA
One of the highlights of the sale will be a rare signed and doodled first printing of Last Stop on Market Street (2015), written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson (Lot 117; $3,000-5,000). The story tells of a young boy learning to appreciate the beauty of his diverse, urban community through his grandmother’s example. Brought to life by Robinson’s bold and colorful illustrations, de la Peña’s writing is warm and poetic, celebrating the intergenerational love between the boy and his grandmother, and the sense of community among strangers. In 2016, Last Stop on Market Street won the Newbery Medal, and was awarded a Caldecott Honor, a Coretta Scott King Honor for the illustrator, and a Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor. It was also named in the New York Times Book Review as a Notable Children’s Book of 2015, and was a Wall Street Journal’s Best Children’s Book of 2015 recipient. This copy is signed by both author and illustrator on the title-page, and includes a line from the book, “Be a witness!” in de la Peña’s hand, and an original doodle by Robinson.   

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNERS
Among the many Caldecott award-winning books represented in the sale, highlights include a first edition of Leo Politi’s 1950 Caldecott Medal Winner Song of the Swallows (1949) (Lot 110; $400-600); a signed, dated, and doodled first edition of Matthew Cordell’s Wolf in the Snow (2017), winner of the 2018 Caldecott Medal (Lot 38; $400-600); and 1987 winner Hey Al (1986), written by Arthur Yorinks and illustrated by Richard Egielski, signed by both on the title-page (Lot 50; $300-500). The Caldecott Medal is awarded to distinguished illustrators, recognized as contributing the highest quality and most inventive art to the children’s book genre.

NEWBERY AWARD WINNERS
Like the Caldecott, the Newbery Award is bestowed once a year to an author whose work stands out as particularly well-written and innovative in the genre. Highlights in the present sale include a first edition of The Witch of Blackbird Pond (1958) by Elizabeth George Speare, winner of the 1959 Newbery Medal (Lot 132; $600-900); a first edition of Renée Watson’s 2018 winner Piecing Me Together (2017) (Lot 149; $400-600); and a signed first edition of Carry On Mr. Bowditch (1955) by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O’Hara Cosgrave II, the 1956 Newbery winner (Lot 39; $300-500)

The books will be on view beginning March 19th in the new Books & Manuscripts gallery at Freeman’s new 1600 West Girard Avenue location. 

New York — It was a Who’s Who among American photographers in Classic & Contemporary Photographs at Swann Galleries on Tuesday, February 25. The auction brought $1M and saw competitive bidding in the room and on the Swann Galleries App.

Edward Steichen led the sale with the dye transfer print White Lotus, 1939, printed 1940. The scarce color work brought a record for the image at $81,250. Also by Steichen was a 1922 silver contact print—a portrait of the artist Constantine Brancusi, which sold for $17,500.

Margaret Bourke-White’s 1933 warm-toned silver print The George Washington Bridge, came across the block from the collection of Robert Edward Kiehl, by descent, and earned $81,250. The Weston family provided a strong showing with Edward Weston’s 1930 silver print Eroded Rock earning $12,500 and Brett Weston’s Dunes, Oceano, silver print, 1934, bringing $10,000. Additional works from American stalwarts included Charles Sheeler’s sepia-toned silver print Buggy in a Barn, Doylestown, Pennsylvania (Christmas card), 1915-17, printed 1928, which brought $12,500; and Minor White’s silver prints Beginnings, Rochester, New York (Frosted Window), 1952, and Moon and Wall Encrustations, Puttneyville, NY, 1965, sold for $11,250 apiece.

Farm Security Administration photographers proved successful, with River Rouge Plant (Ford Motor Company), Number 1 Coke Quencher, silver print, 1947, by Walker Evans, won by an institution for $10,000. Dorothea Lange was also present with Family Walking on Highway, Five Children, silver print, 1938, printed circa 1960, $9,375.

Humanist photography featured a run of Henri Cartier-Bresson:  Behind the Gare St. Lazare, silver print, 1932, printed 1980s, and Hyères, France, silver print, 1932, printed 1980s, $11,875 each.

Nineteenth-century works included mammoth-plate albumen prints by Francis Firth: The Pyramids of Sakkarah, from the North East, 1858 ($12,500), and The Second Pyramid from the Southeast, 1858 ($10,625).

The next auction from the Photographs & Photobooks department at Swann Galleries will be Fine Photographs on April 16. Visit swanngalleries.com or download the Swann Galleries App for more information.

New York – The Morgan Library & Museum is proud to announce four curatorial appointments. Dr. Philip S. Palmer has joined the Literary and Historical Manuscripts department as the Robert H. Taylor Curator and Department Head, while the Morgan’s Sal Robinson has been promoted to Assistant Curator in the same department. Other new appointments include Dr. Robinson McClellan, who joins the museum as Assistant Curator of Music Manuscripts and Printed Music, and Dr. Deirdre Jackson, who joins in the role ofAssistant Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts.

Dr. Colin B. Bailey, Director of the Morgan Library & Museum, states, “The Morgan is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent repositories of drawings, printed books, literary and historical manuscripts, medieval and Renaissance illuminated texts, and music manuscripts. Our curators are the driving force behind our exhibitions and the Morgan’s scholarly and public programs. It is my pleasure to welcome Dr. Philip, Dr. Robinson, and Dr. Deirdre to the Morgan and to acknowledge Sal’s advancement within the curatorial department. I look forward to working with them all to shape the Morgan’s programs in the years to come.”

Dr. Philip S. Palmer joins the Morgan as Robert H. Taylor Curator and Department Head of Literary and Historical Manuscripts. Dr. Palmer is an expert on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century British literature and book history. His research interests center on travel writing and manuscript studies, with publications on Elizabethan voyage narratives, Renaissance private libraries, and readers’ manuscript annotations. He holds both a PhD and an MA in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before arriving at the Morgan he worked for five years at UCLA’s William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, first as a Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Postdoctoral Fellow and subsequently as Head of Research Services. At the Clark, he managed large digital humanities grants from CLIR and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Palmer’s curatorial interests extend well beyond early modern Britain, to include Oscar Wilde and the fin de siècle as well as modern and contemporary literature.

Sal Robinson has been promoted from the Leon Levy Foundation Project Cataloger to Assistant Curator of Literary and Historical Manuscripts at the Morgan. She is the recipient of a BA in English Literature from Columbia University and an MLIS from Long Island University. Before moving into the library and museum fields, she was an editor for international literature at the publishing houses Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Melville House. She has worked on archival projects at PEN America, the American Academy in Rome, Girl Scouts of the USA, the New York Transit Museum, the Keith Haring Foundation, and the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation.

Dr. Robinson McClellan joins the Morgan as Assistant Curator of Music Manuscripts and Printed Music. A composer, scholar, writer, and teacher, he holds a doctorate in Composition from the Yale School of Musicand the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. He has completed artist residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo, and his music is published by E. C. Schirmer. His research in early Gaelic notated music is published by Ashgate. Dr. McClellan started his working life at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and originally came to the Morgan in 2008 to work on the music manuscripts digitization project. In addition to his new role at the Morgan, he teaches music theory at Rutgers University, and he founded and directs ComposerCraft, a seminar for advanced young composers at Kaufman Music Center.

Dr. Deirdre Jackson joins the Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts team as Assistant Curator. From 2011 to 2018, Dr. Jackson was a Research Associate in the Department of Manuscripts and Printed Books at the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge, where she conductedresearch as part of the internationally acclaimed Cambridge Illuminations project. She also contributed to the exhibition Colour: The Art and Science of Illuminated Manuscripts and previously served as a Royal Manuscripts Project Researcher at the British Library, helping to curate and produce the catalogue for the major exhibition Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination. Dr. Jackson received her PhD from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

Timonium, Maryland — For nearly sixty years John R Elliott assembled a private library of books, artwork, photographs and memorabilia associated with “The Last Good War”.  Throughout these decades he amassed a library of more than 2,000 books, dozens of signed lithographs and photographs, trench art, relics, virtually every classic movie on the subject, glassware and giveaways, and more items into what is one of the most comprehensive, if not the most comprehensive, collection of information on the war ever held in a private collection. More than half of his books have been signed by the heroes from the war, and frequently by others as well. Many were published in very limited editions and some are mementos from reunions.

His special interests included the famed B-17 bomber, the US Army Air Corps, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, D-Day and the invasion of Normandy, the war in the European theater, submariners and their ships – all of which are chronicled in his library.  Though he held the Nazis and Japanese invaders in at least minimal disdain, the library also includes medals, arm bands, Nazi and Kamikaze flags, some books and artwork, and even coasters and champagne glasses once owned by Nazi General Herman Goering which were “rescued” from Hitler’s “Eagles Nest” estate.

His dedication to learning all that could be learned about the war led him to meeting many of these heroes, calling them on the telephone and such things as personally arranging a book signing for Medal of Honor recipient Admiral Eugene Fluckey with whom he became fast friends.  He was proud to have reached former President Dwight D. Eisenhower at Camp David where he was greeted by the President asking him “How did you get this number?”.  He spoke to such heroes as General Omar Bradley who signed the book about his life, and the book about President Eisenhower as well. Other heroes with whom he spoke, and who signed his books, include General Jimmy Doolittle, General Chuck Yaeger, General Paul Tibbetts, Ensign George Gay, Admiral Edwin (Ned) Beach, “Band of Brothers” leader Major Dick Winters and many, many others.

Many of the books in the library also contain his letters to these heroes, their responses, information from his research on the heroes or the battles, and even his own critique of the books themselves. He read each of the books at least once, with dozens more being read multiple times.

John volunteered more than 1,000 hours as a carpenter for the restoration of the Liberty Ship John W. Brown, which is moored in Baltimore, and among his greatest joys was being able to fly in a restored B-17, not once, but twice.

He proudly served in the US Air Force, though never in any sort of combat, where he met one of his closest friends who lived across the country from him.  It was with this friend that he made a pilgrimage to Europe in 2001 where these two men literally traced the path of the brave men and women who fought in the D-Day invasion. John himself “landed” at each of the beaches at Normandy where he collected pebbles and small bottles of sand from all from these hallowed locations.

He met General Tibbets and the entire crew of the restored B-17 “Shoo Shoo Baby” in Delaware at the plane’s rededication before its last flight to Wright Patterson Air Force Base (an event chronicled in World War II magazine) and secured the only memento of the day signed by the plane’s entire crew.

John’s love of flying began during the war at just five or six years of age when he constructed his own “airplane” using sawhorses and leftover lumber in his backyard as the war began. He became intrigued with the Allies’ pursuit of freedom when his father was sent to California by his employer Glenn L Martin and thus began his study of the war’s history; ending that study only in the final year of his life.     

Enthusiast, historian, and avid patriot, the library of John R Elliott truly exemplifies his life.

This auction will take place at the gallery of Richard Opfer Auctioneering – 1919 Greenspring Drive, Timonium, MD  21093.  This will be a LIVE auction as well as an online auction. Online absentee bidding will be available on HiBid for two weeks prior to the auction. Bidders may also bid live online though LiveAuctioneers. The auction will begin at 4:30 PM (eastern). To participate in the auction, visit www.overandaboveonline.com. The website provides clear links to the various means of participation, terms of sale, images and more.  

New York, NY – Poster Auctions International’s (PAI) first sale of the year, on February 23rd, finished at $1.9 million in sales. Auction LXXX demonstrated fervent passion for posters of all eras and styles.

Jack Rennert, President of PAI, was thrilled with bidders’ avid interest in a wide range of works. “Works by Alphonse Mucha and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec are always highly sought-after, as exhibited in this auction’s record sales for designs by these artists,” Mr. Rennert said. “But we were pleasantly surprised to see a similarly impassioned interest in lesser known works, including posters that we have never had at auction before.”

Mucha’s enduring esteem reached a fever pitch with his incredibly rare—and incredibly opulent—Precious Stones from 1902. The four decorative panels each personify a different gemstone, and this larger format version is exceedingly scarce: only three or four full sets are known to exist. Fervent bidding amounted to a final sale of $192,000 (all prices include sales premiums).

Precious Stones not only claimed the top sale at auction, but also set a new world record for sales of this work. The passion for Mucha continued with his iconic 1896 The Seasons; the four idyllic decorative panels were won for $45,600. Also, his celestial 1896 design for Sarah Bernhardt, La Dame aux Camelias was claimed for $31,200. Clearly, Mucha’s appeal only grows with time.

The prestige of the Belle Epoque continued with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec; the top sale from this Art Nouveau master was his joyous 1894 Confetti, which received $40,800. His incredibly rare 1893 Les Vieilles Histoires sparked interest from multiple parties, leading to a winning bid of $31,200, against an estimate of $14,000-$17,000.

For the father of the poster—Jules Chéret—sales were similarly ardent. His 1897 Folies-Bergère / Loïe Fuller has not been at auction since 2012, and collectors vied for the win. Estimated at $5,000-$6,000, the work earned a total of $16,800.

Fans of Art Deco also contributed to enthusiastic activity on auction day. Leonetto Cappiello’s works are always quite popular, but this time, a maquette stole the show. His 1927 preparatory work for Cognac Monnet, estimated at $30,000-$40,000, achieved a final bid of $52,800. His rare works also wooed collectors: the ebullient 1911 Florio / S.O.M. garnered an $18,000 win, easily surpassing its estimate of $7,000-9,000, while the 1902 Champagne de Rochegré topped out at $9,600, against an estimate of $5,000-$6,000.

Jean Dupas caught collectors’ attention with two impressive Art Deco works: his indomitable Bal des Étudiants / Alhambra-8 Janvier 1927 earned a $43,200 sale; and his 1929 Spring Fashions Are Here!, which employs a similar otherworldly aesthetic, was won for $6,600. Charles Loupot also made an impact, especially with his 1939 maquette, St. Raphaël, which garnered $28,800. His 1921 PKZ / Burger-Kehl & C. surpassed its estimate of $12,000-$15,000 for a win of $20,400. Another legend of the era, Walter Schnackenberg, delighted viewers with his dream-like Deutsches Theater, which was won for $15,600, against an estimate of $8,000-$10,000.
 
At the beginning of the auction, Black Images from the collection of Keith Williams were offered. By far the most impressive sale from this section was a rare 1918 image, Colored Man is No Slacker. Both tender and political, this recruitment ad to enlist black soldiers held sway over bidders; the competitive action quickly passed the estimated $800-$1,000 for a sweeping victory of $12,000. Similar zest was exhibited for Pogédaieff’s graphic 1931 design, Joséphine Baker, which was claimed for $10,200, against an estimate of $4,000-$5,000.

Rarities continued to transfix collectors, as with Philibert’s 1921 Clair de Lune / Michelin of two Bibendums hitching a ride—the design, featured on the auction’s catalogue cover, won a sweeping $13,200, though estimated at $4,000-$5,000. Orazi’s ethereal Théâtre de Loïe Fuller, from 1900, garnered a $33,500 sale, against an estimate of $20,000-$25,000. The similarly rapturous circa 1895 Cycles Gladiator, by an anonymous artist, secured the same amount.

American designers had their moment in the limelight as well. Fans of San Francisco rock posters were taken with Randy Tuten’s 1970 Jefferson Airplane / Quicksilver Messenger / Santana (‘Winterland’) for a benefit concert to bail out the Grateful Dead after their New Orleans arrest. Estimated at $2,000-$2,500, it earned $4,800. A rare circa 1910 design, Buffalo Bill & Pawnee Bill / A Sioux Chief, by an anonymous designer, claimed $7,800 against an estimate of $2,500-$3,000. Penfield’s 1898 Golf Calendar appealed to many a golf enthusiast, and its $10,000-$12,000 estimate was swiftly surpassed for a win of $21,600. Clearly, a variety of collectors’ interests were satisfied by Rare Posters LXXX.

Poster Auctions International’s next sale will be held in New York on June 14, 2020. Consignments are accepted until April 1, 2020. Poster Auctions International is located at 26 W. 17th Street, New York, NY  10011.

Minneapolis, MN — Leila Abdelrazaq, a Palestinian author and artist, has created an installation featuring hand-drawn images of Palestinians and paper stones to address a story of power imbalance between Palestinian protestors and the Israeli army, a story which is often discarded and frequently forgotten. Entitled Nothing is set in stone (narrative intifada), the exhibition is on view beginning March 3 in the Outlook Gallery at Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

Born in Chicago and currently living in Detroit, Leila’s creative work primarily explores issues related to diaspora, refugees, history, memory, and borders. Nothing is set in stone (narrative intifada) is a narrative of drawings that examine history as a series of stories that have been either lost or solidified in time through repetition, power, and oppression. The drawings are paired with paper stones created from legal documents, newspaper articles about war, and essays related to Palestine and Palestinian history. In Palestinian iconography, stones are considered sacred because they are tied to the land. They are also used as tools for resisting oppression. When an unarmed Palestinian hurls a stone at a heavily armed Israeli soldier in riot gear, it is a symbolic act of defiance against militarism and colonialism, especially since these stones come from indigenous land.

Leila is co-founder of Maamoul Press, a multi-disciplinary collective for the creation, curation, and dissemination of art by marginalized creators whose work lies at intersections of comics, printmaking, and book arts. Her debut graphic novel, Baddawi (Just World Books publishing) was shortlisted for the 2015 Palestine Book Awards and has been translated into three languages. She is also the author and Illustrator of The Opening (Tosh Fesh, 2017), as well as several zines and short comics.

We invite you to experience the work in person. Exhibitions in the Outlook Gallery can be seen day and night from outside the Open Book building, as well as from inside The Shop at MCBA.

Nothing is set in stone (narrative intifada) is on view March 3–April 26, 2020.